Queen’s twelfth studio album was recorded between September 1985 and April 1986, at three different studios: Town House (London), Musicland (Munich) and Mountain Studios (Montreux). The project began life as the soundtrack to the motion picture Highlander, after director Russell Mulcahy had commissioned a handful of tracks from Queen. He regarded them as the ideal band for the task and would later comment that it was always Queen he had in mind because of their strong, anthemic songs. The band was so impressed with the first 20 minutes of rough footage they were shown, that further tracks soon followed and the A Kind Of Magic album was born.

Each band member was inspired by different parts of the story and in evidence the album covers a wide spectrum of emotion. The songs are full of references to the film dialogue and its main characters and events – There can be only one! / No mortal man can win this day / The prize / It’s a kind of magic / Don’t lose your head.

1. One Vision

2. A Kind of Magic

3. One Year of Love

4. Pain Is So Close to Pleasure

5. Friends Will Be Friends

6. Who Wants to Live Forever

7. Gimme the Prize (Kurgan’s Theme)

8. Don’t Lose Your Head

9. Princes of the Universe