“We had done some really serious, epic videos in the past, and we just wanted people to know that we didn’t take ourselves too seriously, that we could still laugh at ourselves. I think we proved that.” Roger Taylor on I Want To Break Free

When their eleventh studio album The Works - produced by Queen and Mack - was released in the UK on February 27th, 1984, fans and critics alike hailed it as Queen's return to their rock roots and to the traditional Queen sound absent from the previous album. Record Mirror described it as ‘Another jewel in the crown’.

For the first time the band started the new recordings in Los Angeles in August 1983 and finished at Musicland studios in Germany early the following year. The album cover was conceived by Queen and features an image from a photographic session with legendary Hollywood photographer, the late George Hurrell, who had previously photographed Marilyn Monroe and many other Hollywood greats. 

Roger's Radio Ga Ga was the first single to be released from the album, reaching No 2 in the UK and No 1 in nineteen other countries around the world. This was the first time a Queen single had featured its catalogue number - QUEEN 1.

The Works album, the first from Queen in nearly two years, entered the UK chart at No. 2. It reached No. 1 in Portugal and Holland and the Top 10 everywhere else around the world, and achieved Platinum status in the UK and Gold in the USA.

Click here for 'The Works' 40th Anniversary Merchandise.