Flash Gordon is a 1980 album by Englishrock band Queen. It is the soundtrack album to the science fictionmovieFlash Gordon, and features lyrics on only two tracks. The track "Flash's Theme" was the only single to be released from the album, under the title "Flash". It reached number 10 in the UK charts and number 42 in the United States.
Background
There are two versions of the opening track. The album version ("Flash's Theme") is in fact the start to the movie, with all the dialog from the first scene. The single version ("Flash") however features parts of the dialog taken from various parts of the movie. This version was also included on the Greatest Hits compilation from 1981. The single reached number one in Austria. The track is noted for its pounding, repetitive bassline and the camp humour of the snippets of dialogue from the movie that it contains.
All but two of the tracks on the album ("Flash's Theme" and "The Hero") are instrumentals. The album makes extensive use of synthesizers, which Queen had employed for the first time on their previous album, The Game. The last track, "The Hero", while an individual song, reprises the main motif from "Battle Theme".
The tracks featured in the album contain dialogue from the film. A "music only" version, free of the dialogue snippets, has been rumored for years.[citation needed]
