Queen Album Review – Hot Space

Cover spread for the Queen album Hot Space. The front cover is divided into a grid of 4 coloured squares, coloured red, blue, green and yellow, moving left to right, top to bottom. Each square contains an outline image of Freddie, John, Roger and Brian respectively. The back cover also has a grid of 4 squares, in the reverse colour order of yellow, green, blue and red, and it's overlaid with the tracklisting in black text.

We’re really Under Pressure from this latest heatwave, so it would help if someone could take Action This Day to Put Out The Fire in order for me to be a Cool Cat again. Then I can start Calling All Girls to pass on The Words Of Love and emphasise my Body Language as a Dancer. I’ll prove that I’m a Soul Brother who knows that Life Is Real, I have the Staying Power and I won’t take any Back Chat.

Yes, that’s right. For this next post in my series of Queen reviews, we come to an album that proved to be quite controversial – Hot Space. It was hardly unusual for Queen to be experimental, but this foray into funk, disco and R&B, with a heavy focus on synth sounds (although there were still rock elements as well), was too much of a change from their traditional style. Even within the band there were arguments as they put it together.

The reaction from their fanbase wasn’t lost on them either, as Freddie remarked during a show in Milton Keynes: “Now, most of you know that we’ve got some new sounds out in the last week. And for what it’s worth, we’re gonna do a few songs in the funk/black category – whatever you call it. That doesn’t mean we’ve lost our rock ‘n’ roll feel, ok? I mean, it’s only a bloody record, people get so excited about these things. We just want to try out a few sounds.”

It is fair to say that Hot Space is their weakest studio album as a result (if we don’t count the soundtrack score for Flash Gordon that preceded it). However, it’s not awful either, and there is some good stuff on it, especially Life Is Real, Las Palabras De Amor and Under Pressure, as they’re closer to Queen’s usual style. It also peaked at number 4 in the UK chart, altogether spending 3 weeks in the top 10 and 13 weeks in the top 40, which is fairly good. And when they performed some of the tracks live, they were interpreted in a more heavy rock style that made them sound better, because of the instruments the band used on stage.

So here’s my personal review of each of the tracks, along with alternate versions, live performances, covers and more. Plus there are lots of videos on my Queen & Covers playlists for this album as well. I hope you enjoy!

Contents

See also: Ultimate Queen / Queen Vault / Wikipedia / UDiscover / Classic Rock Magazine

  1. Staying Power
  2. Dancer
  3. Back Chat
  4. Body Language
  5. Action This Day
  6. Put Out The Fire
  7. Life Is Real (Song For Lennon)
  8. Calling All Girls
  9. Las Palabras De Amor (The Words Of Love)
  10. Cool Cat
  11. Under Pressure
  12. Soul Brother (Non-Album B-Side)

1. Staying Power

Written by Freddie Mercury

See also: Ultimate QueenWikipedia

This track sets the tone for the album with a catchy beat and a funky bassline, and it’s the band’s only song to have a horn section (by Arif Mardin). The melody and lyrics aren’t particularly exciting, but Freddie makes up for that with his vocal performance as usual. So while it’s not their best opener to an album, it’s still alright. It was released as a single in Japan but nowhere else.

Alternative Versions

  • Extended Version – This remix by DJ John Luongo was only available on a US 12″ promo vinyl. It doesn’t do anything exceptional to the track, other than repeating some instrumental sections to pad it out, but as a result it does expose a bit of rhythm guitar at one point that’s normally buried beneath the vocals, which is nice.
  • Demo Version – This is a leaked recording that hasn’t been officially released, where we hear the song before the horns were added, including a nice guitar solo that the horns later replaced.

Other Performances

  • Milton Keynes Bowl on 5 June 1982 – The band performed the song during the Hot Space tour and for some of the Works tour, but this is the only live rendition to have been officially released. It was included on Queen On Fire: Live At The Bowl, Greatest Video Hits 2 and the 2011 reissue of the Hot Space album. It’s better than the studio version, as it has a faster, heavier rock feel, with real drums instead of electronic ones, and the horns replaced by guitars and keyboards. It’s also the only song on which John Deacon played rhythm guitar live, because the bassline was played on a keyboard instead.
  • Cover Versions – There are hardly any covers out there, but I have found live performances I quite like by Nuno Bettencourt & Gary Cherone from Extreme and the Budapest Jazz Orchestra.

2. Dancer

Written by Brian May

See also: Ultimate Queen

There’s another funky bassline and a simple catchy beat to this one, but it has more of a rock feel as there’s some nice guitar work too. The lyrics also contain the album title (the only song on the record to do so), and a phone message in German that translates as “Good morning, you wanted to be woken up”.

Other Versions

  • Catfight For The Rest – This is a leaked instrumental demo that is basically a big guitar solo for Brian. It’s recognisable from the bassline and rhythm, but not from the melody he plays.
  • Early Mix – This was played at a Queen convention, meaning we get the “Property of Queen Productions” announcement over the top. It’s quite similar to the final version, but with some lyrics missing and other bits not quite fully refined.
  • Live Performances – Queen never performed the song live, but there are one or two videos of tribute bands doing so, such as The Queen Kings.

3. Back Chat

Written by John Deacon

See also: Ultimate QueenWikipedia

The catchy funk continues here, but this is perhaps the best song so far on the album, as it has a real groove to it and I like the lyrics. There’s some nice guitar from Brian too, although he really had to fight with John for it to be included, as John was adamant for things to be kept minimal like black artists were doing at the time.

Of the 4 singles released from the album in the UK, this song was the last to come out and fared the least well. It just about scraped into the charts at number 40, staying there for a week before dropping out, after which it only held on in the top 100 for 3 more weeks. It didn’t even chart in America at all.

The music video for the song was included on Greatest Video Hits 2, and sees the band performing on a metal factory-style set with huge pistons.

Alternative Versions

  • Single Version – This mix from the original single was used for the music video, and was added to the album as a bonus track for the 2011 reissue. It just trims it down in a few places to make it about 22 seconds shorter.
  • Extended Version – This lasts almost 7 minutes, with a slightly longer intro, more instrumental moments (including extra guitar at the end), and some verses are repeated to pad it out. It’s nothing exceptional, but it’s nice to hear a longer version of the track. It was only issued on the 12″ single though, and has never appeared on any other Queen release.
  • Demo – This is an interesting early version, with different lyrics in places and a space where the big drum solo would be.
  • Alternative Mix Extract – Another low-quality convention recording, this features the closing couple of minutes of the track, with the guitar part much more prominent and sounding slightly different.

Other Performances


4. Body Language

Written by Freddie Mercury

See also: Ultimate QueenWikipedia / Song Facts

This is a strange song, and perhaps my least favourite on the album. The bassline isn’t as funky as the previous tracks, there’s barely any guitar, and it hasn’t got much going on lyrically, although Freddie really does belt out the words sometimes. I do like the section with the clicking fingers though, that’s a little bit catchy.

When released as a single, it didn’t do very well here in the UK, peaking at number 25 in its 4 weeks in the top 40. But over in America, where it was perhaps similar in style to other popular music they had, it did much better, reaching number 11.

The music video for this song, which again appears on Greatest Video Hits 2, was banned by MTV because of its sexual nature. There isn’t any graphic nudity, as key parts of people’s bodies are covered up, but it still features barely dressed women and men posing provocatively, stripping off and writhing against one another in very dim lighting. So it’s deliberately erotic in tone. Freddie is also a regular presence, but we don’t see the other band members until the second half of the video, and even then they don’t have much to do.

Other Versions

  • Susan Rogers Remix – This appeared on the Hollywood Records remaster of the album in 1991, adding extra percussion, guitars and piano to the song, making it a bit more interesting. So it’s arguably the only Hollywood Records remix that’s better than the original, whereas most are quite the opposite.
  • Live Performances – Queen performed the song live in all their American and Japanese gigs during their Hot Space tour, but only a couple of times in Europe as it wasn’t so popular there. It’s never been included on any live releases, but the heavier rock sound on stage seems to make it much better, judging by the recordings I’ve heard online (e.g. here),

Finally, there aren’t many covers out there, but here are a few notable ones:


5. Action This Day

Written by Roger Taylor

See also: Ultimate Queen

Again, this song isn’t particularly exciting, and has a very basic electronic drum beat to it. But we do all have the power to love and to live, and should learn to do so, as Freddie asserts in the lyrics. That sentiment feels rather topical at the moment. He sings this track as a duet with Roger, so it sounds a little bit different in that regard, and there’s a surprising saxophone solo by Dino Solera.

Other Versions

  • Early Version – This is fairly similar to the final song, but has a few differences in the lyrics and backing vocals, as well as a longer synth solo.
  • Live Performances – Queen performed the song in a faster rock style throughout the Hot Space tour, which makes it sound better, and 2 versions have been released. As per the pattern of earlier tracks, one was recorded at Milton Keynes Bowl on 5 June 1982, from Queen On Fire: Live At The Bowl. The other, from Seibu Lions Stadium, Tokyo, Japan on 3 November 1982, was included on the 2011 reissue of Hot Space as a bonus track. The latter is the best of the two, as we hear some nice improvisations in the vocals, synths and guitar, plus there’s a beautiful bit of call and response between Freddie and the audience after the song has ended.
  • PiotreQ Remix – This remix combines the vocals from Get Down, Make Love with the backing track of Action This Day, and it works pretty well.

6. Put Out The Fire

Written by Brian May

See also: Ultimate Queen

Things get much more interesting as we move on to side 2 of the album, beginning with a couple of tracks responding to the shooting of John Lennon. So this song is about the senseless use of guns, and can be interpreted as an attempt to get into the murderous mind of Mark Chapman. It marks a welcome return to Queen’s traditional rock style as well, with a strong rhythm, nice harmonies and great guitar playing.

It wasn’t released as a single, but it later appeared on the Queen Rocks compilation in 1997, so a music video was produced for the corresponding video compilation the following year. It shows footage of Queen performing live (but with the audio from the studio version), interspersed with black and white war-themed imagery and colourful explosions.

Other Versions

  • Alternative Mix – This is another rarity that was recorded at a Queen convention. It’s similar to the final version, but has additional percussion and a louder guitar part for Brian that drowns out the vocals sometimes.
  • Seibu Lions Stadium, Tokyo, Japan on 3 November 1982 – This live performance was included in the special features on the DVD for Queen On Fire: Live At The Bowl. There’s some brilliant vocal improv from Freddie to begin with, as the band jam along with him, before they launch into the song.

7. Life Is Real (Song For Lennon)

Written by Freddie Mercury

See also: Ultimate Queen / Song Facts

As the title says, this beautiful ballad is a tribute to John Lennon. It’s named after his lyric “Love is real” in the song Love and contains some references to his music in the instrumentation.

There is also an early alternative mix leaked online, which is similar to the final version but there are little differences here and there, including a count-in with drums, more prominent vocals, and a slightly different guitar part.

Live Performances

Queen only played this song twice in the USA, and never in Europe. They also played a cover of John’s song Imagine in his honour a couple of times – once at Wembley Arena in London on 9 December 1980 (the day after John’s murder) and then 5 days later in Festhalle, Frankfurt on 14 December.

None of those performances have been officially released, but a low quality bootleg recording of Imagine from Wembley is on an unofficial album called Under The Covers And Over The Moon. Queen do have a playlist for that album on their Youtube channel, surprisingly, but that was probably generated automatically by Youtube’s music platform from wherever they got it from, as with a few other live bootlegs they have on there.

An acoustic version of Imagine was also performed by Queen + Paul Rodgers during their concert at Hyde Park in London on 15 July 2005, in tribute to the victims of the London bombings just over a week earlier. The video of that performance was a bonus feature on their DVD Return Of The Champions. It’s really nicely done, with Brian, Roger and Paul each singing different verses at the front of the stage, before Roger returns to the back to add some drums as well.

7 years later, during a Queen + Adam Lambert gig in Moscow on 3 July 2012, Life Is Real was sung beautifully by local star Zemfira, adapting the “Lennon is a genius” line to name Freddie instead, while Brian accompanied her on acoustic guitar.

The same update to the lyrics was then made later in the same year when Brian May & Kerry Ellis included the song in their acoustic candlelight concerts, because her voice is also perfect for it. Their performance from Corby, England on 7 November 2012 was released on Acoustic By Candlelight, while another from Stravinski Hall, Montreux, Switzerland on 19 July 2013 was included in The Candlelight Concerts. Online there is also a video of them performing the song on The Late Late Show in Ireland in 2013, as well as many audience recordings from their gigs.


8. Calling All Girls

Written by Roger Taylor

See also: Ultimate QueenWikipedia

This is a reasonably catchy little number with some nice guitar sounds, and marks the first time that one of Roger’s songs for the band has been released as a single, though it didn’t come out in the UK. In America it got to number 60 and in Canada it peaked at 33, which are not amazing figures, but then it’s not an amazing song, it’s just alright.

A music video was produced to go with the single, which was included on Greatest Video Hits 2. It’s a strange video, based on a film called THX 1138 by George Lucas, where Freddie undergoes some tests, including one to see if he’s compatible with a female, while watched by surveillance cameras and robotic guards. He’s then locked up in a circular cage before the other band members help him escape.

Live Performance

A live version of the song from Seibu Lions Stadium, Tokyo, Japan on 3 November 1982 is used as the soundtrack for the photo gallery on the DVD for Queen On Fire: Live At The Bowl, and was also included on the 2011 reissue of Hot Space as a bonus track. It’s a great performance, with a couple of guitar solos to make it longer than the album version. The band never played the song in Europe.


9. Las Palabras De Amor (The Words Of Love)

Written by Brian May

See also: Ultimate QueenWikipedia

This is such a beautiful song, with Freddie’s heartfelt lyrics underpinned by a swirling motif in the background, a steady rhythm, a solid bassline and powerful guitar. The inclusion of Spanish in the chorus gives it even more of a romantic feel. The other Spanish phrase that they sing – “Despacito mi amor” – translates as “slowly my love”. They were inspired to use the language because of the large fanbase they encountered in Argentina while touring South America.

It only peaked at number 17 in the UK chart when released as a single though, which is very respectable as a Top 20 hit but it deserved better. It was the fifth and final song that the band performed in the studio on Top Of The Pops, with Freddie and Roger dressed smartly in dinner suits while Brian appears to play the grand piano, even though he only plays synths on the recording they’re miming to. The video of that appearance is included on Greatest Video Hits 2.

Alternative Versions

A couple of different versions of the song have been leaked online:

  • Demo – The song is pretty well formed here already, but there are some different lyrics that make it particularly interesting.
  • Alternative Mix – This is much closer to the final version, but there are still a few small differences in the vocals and music.

Other Performances

Queen never performed the song live with Freddie, surprisingly, but they did play it after his death.

  • Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, Wembley Stadium, 20 April 1992 – The band were joined by Zucchero for this special performance. He doesn’t sing it as well as Freddie, but it’s still a nice rendition.
  • Paul Rodgers & Adam Lambert Tours – During the Rock The Cosmos Tour with Paul Rodgers in 2008, Brian May performed the song on acoustic guitar in Spanish-speaking countries, with Roger providing backing vocals. This was during one of the sections where Paul was off stage. Similarly, Brian also sang the song in Argentina in 2015, during their tour with Adam Lambert. None of those versions by Brian have been officially released, but there are a few audience videos online.
  • Elaine Paige – This version by the musical theatre star is from her album of Queen cover versions released in 1988. It has a completely different arrangement to the original, but it still works well in her style. There aren’t any significant covers by anyone else though.

10. Cool Cat

Written by Freddie Mercury & John Deacon

See also: Ultimate Queen

We’re back to a minimalist funk style for this song, which has a slow, steady groove, with all of the instruments played by John, except for the electric piano played by Freddie. It’s not very exciting musically, but it’s ok, and some of Freddie’s falsetto vocals are quite nice. The band never performed this song live.

Alternative Versions

Cover Versions

There are quite a few covers for this song on Youtube, many of which are on my covers playlist. In particular, there appear to be several female artists who have given it a go, for example:

There are men who have covered it too of course, but the ladies are the best on this occasion.

The song was also used in an Amazon Prime advert in 2023, where a lady played by Morgan Quinn is self-conscious about a moustache she has, but then hears this song and sees a bobblehead Freddie moving in time to it, which inspires her to get a yellow jacket like his and rock out to his music.


11. Under Pressure

Written & performed by Queen & David Bowie

See also: Ultimate QueenWikipedia / Song Facts

Right, this is the big one. This masterpiece hit number 1 in the UK and several other countries, making it the band’s second chart-topper on their home turf after Bohemian Rhapsody. And with its iconic bass riff and brilliant pairing of vocals, it’s remained hugely popular ever since, often ranking high in music polls of the greatest songs. It’s also been used in various films, and was even recently heard in space (much to Brian May’s delight), as it was played as one of the morning wake-up tracks for the Artemis II crew on day 8 of their mission to fly around the moon.

It was Queen’s first collaboration with another artist, and as it was none other than David Bowie, it was hard work putting it together during a long jam session one evening in Montreux in 1981. Indeed, the fact it was all done in a single night makes it all the more impressive. Brian has recalled in interviews that he found himself in the unusual position where he had to back off with his own ideas, because David had a very clear vision of what he wanted, and was more “precocious” than all the members of Queen. So “passions ran very high”, but their efforts certainly paid off. Freddie and David each wrote their respective lyrics, and John came up with the distinctive bassline.

The origins of the track, however, go back to an earlier unreleased 5-minute demo by Roger called Feel Like, which is really interesting to listen to. It doesn’t have the bassline or the lyrics from Under Pressure, but you can definitely hear the basic musical arrangement in some other respects.

Music Videos

  • Promo video – Queen & David Bowie weren’t available to film the video for this song, so David Mallet put together a very cool montage instead, using archive footage of bustling commuters, angry riots, huge explosions and black & white horror films. This video is on the Greatest Video Hits 2 DVD, which also plays the full instrumental version of the track on the Hot Space menu.
  • Days Of Our Lives Video – The DVD & Blu-ray releases for the Days Of Our Lives documentary include an alternative video by Simon Lupton and Rhys Thomas. It combines footage of Freddie performing in Montreal in 1981 with David singing at Freddie’s tribute concert in Wembley in 1992, edited to fit with a slightly shortened version of the studio track. It works really well.

Isolated Tracks

I have the multitracks for this song that I was able to download ages ago, which I think are from the Rock Band series of video games, as I know it was one of the many songs that people could play along with. There has been a more detailed multitrack with alternate vocals leaked since then though.

  • Vocals – Hearing Freddie and David together is very special, and you really get to appreciate Freddie hitting the high notes.
  • Bass – Obviously this has that classic riff a lot of the time, but there are some other nice little melodies every so often.
  • Piano & Synth – Some of this gets a bit buried in the final mix, so it’s great to appreciate it more fully in isolation, as the piano sounds nice and the synthesiser produces some interesting sounds.
  • Guitar – I really like the mix of light and heavy guitar sections in this track, it basically makes a great solo in itself.
  • Drums – Firm and steady, the percussion layer is nothing remarkable for the most part. But it adds a strong foundation for the song, and there is a fabulous solo just after the quiet bit with clicks in the middle.
  • Alternative Vocals – This is a mix created from a more extensive version of the multitracks that I don’t have, and it’s really fascinating, because it has some very different lyrics and even a bit of input from Brian. Some of the new vocals were used in the Rah Mix mentioned below.

Remixes

  • Classic Queen Mix – This featured on the 1992 American compilation called Classic Queen. It’s almost identical to the album version, but the sound quality is a bit better and Freddie’s “that’s okay!” line has been omitted for some reason.
  • Rah Mix – This was produced in 1999 for Greatest Hits III, and was also released as a single along with the Mike Spencer Mix and their Knebworth 1986 performance (all of which were later featured in Queen’s 4th Singles Collection box set). It features additional vocals and other musical elements, and I quite like it. A promo video was also made, combining footage of Freddie and David performing at Wembley Stadium in 1986 and 1992 respectively. It was included as a bonus video on the 2011 iTunes release of Hot Space.
  • Club 2000 Mix – This was only available on the 12′ vinyl promo in 1999, and is basically an extension of the Rah Mix with additional elements. This results in longer gaps between the verses, which doesn’t feel right really, but I can see how it would be fine when played in clubs.
  • Mike Spencer Mix – This enhances the bass and adds slightly heavier percussion, keyboards and other little effects, just to give it a more modern feel. So it’s nothing exceptional, but it works well enough.
  • Mr Mixx Remix – This version appeared on the BASIC Queen Bootlegs promo disc released by Hollywood Records in 1999. As is typical for many Hollywood Records remixes, it gives the track a completely different sound, stripping out the familiar bassline in favour of a dance beat, while playing about with the vocals and adding other elements. Suffice to say it’s not very good.

Live Performances – Queen

Queen played this song at every gig from 1981 to 1986, with Roger taking over David’s parts. So naturally it’s appeared on several live releases, every one of them sounding great.

Live Performances – David Bowie

David Bowie never sang Under Pressure live on stage while Freddie Mercury was alive. So his first performance was at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, Wembley Stadium on 20 April 1992, where he sang it as a great duet with Annie Lennox, backed by the remaining members of Queen. The DVD & Blu-ray releases of the concert also contain footage of their rehearsal. Their performance was also released on the unofficial album Under The Covers & Over The Moon.

David also sang All The Young Dudes and Heroes at this concert, before reciting The Lord’s Prayer. There is rehearsal and soundcheck footage for Heroes online as well.

After that, David included Under Pressure in many of his solo gigs, with bass player Gail Ann Dorsey taking on Freddie’s lines while still playing her guitar. They sang it beautifully together, and I like the new piano melody in their arrangement too. Some examples include:

Live Performances – Other Queen Collaborations

Ice Ice Baby

The bass riff from Under Pressure was famously used in the song Ice Ice Baby, a huge Number 1 hit for Vanilla Ice in 1990, and it’s a fun track that I grew up with in my childhood. It’s one of the few rap songs that I can actually tolerate and enjoy, as I guess it just entered my life at the right time to grab me. I don’t think I was aware of Queen when it came out either, so it may well have been the first time I ever heard the Under Pressure bassline, without appreciating where it was from.

The trouble is, it was sampled without Queen & David Bowie’s permission, and Vanilla Ice didn’t acknowledge that it was their creation at first, before then claiming it didn’t matter because he had modified it. So they threatened to sue him, and as a result reached a private settlement in which they gained a songwriting credit on the track and agreed to share the publishing rights with him (as opposed to him owning the song as he has sometimes claimed).

There are lots of remixes and covers of Ice Ice Baby, many of which Vanilla Ice has shared on his own Youtube channel among his videos and releases. But they’re beyond the scope of this post, as apart from the bass riff it’s a completely different song to Under Pressure.

Cover Versions

In terms of actual covers of Under Pressure, there are hundreds of interpretations out there, so I’ve added many of them to my Covers playlist. Here’s a small selection of the more significant ones:

  • Shawn Mendes & Teddy Geiger – In October 2018, Universal released a few covers of Queen songs by various artists, in honour of the band’s new Bohemian Rhapsody movie. One of them was this version of Under Pressure, and the proceeds from the single went to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.
  • Smash Mouth – This cover was recorded for the 2006 superhero movie Zoom, but no soundtrack album was ever released. In addition, the vocals from their big hit All Star were merged with the music from Queen’s original version of Under Pressure by Neil Cicieraga, to produce a track called Mouth Pressure on his album Mouth Moods. It works surprisingly well.
  • Train – This American band performed the song live at the iHeartRadio Theatre in New York in 2017, and at some of their other concerts too, hitting some impressive high notes.
  • The Voice UK – The coaches on this talent show (Will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson, Sir Tom Jones & Gavin Rossdale) performed the song to launch Series 6 in 2017. It included a special opening rap in the style of Ice Ice Baby to celebrate the show’s move from BBC to ITV.

Soul Brother

Written by Freddie Mercury

See also: Ultimate Queen

This fun little track is the B-side to Under Pressure that wasn’t originally included on the album, but was added as a bonus track on the 2011 edition. Written by Freddie in just 15 minutes as a tribute to Brian, it has a nice gentle groove to it, and the lyrics feature references to several other Queen songs, which are fun to listen out for.


Conclusion

So that’s it for the Hot Space album. It isn’t Queen’s greatest hour, but it has some beautiful and exciting moments within it nonetheless, so it’s still worth listening to. And as usual, my Queen & Covers playlists present the official videos, live performances, rarities and many other versions of the songs for you to dig through.

So I hope you’ve enjoyed all of that, and I’ll see you in due course for the next album, The Works, which was much more well received overall.

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Author: Glen

Love London, love a laugh, love life. Visually impaired blogger, culture vulture & accessibility advocate, with aniridia & nystagmus, posting about my experiences & adventures.

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