Beginning to decline
In 1982 Queen released the album Hot Space, which in the United States drew mostly dismissive reviews and lackluster sales. Following the tour that year to support the album, which found several cancelled shows due to poor ticket sales in America, Queen would not appear in the United States again. Emerging tensions in the band over musical direction led to their work schedule diminishing. All of the members of the band began to engage in other projects.
Queen did not appear in any live performances in 1983, after a decade of touring steadily. The following February the band released the album Works, which though it contained a couple of singles which achieved regular airplay in the United States, did not sell well there. In the UK it went triple platinum, and it stayed in the charts for over two years. Queen toured to support the album, earning reproves when they appeared in South Africa during apartheid.
Queen’s appearance at Live Aid in 1985 was televised in the United States and around the world, and was well received, with many critics calling their performance the best of the entire concert, which also featured a reunited Led Zeppelin (minus John Bonham), an act which did not provide much competition. The appearance was rejuvenating for the band, which by then was the subject of rumors and speculation among its fans.
A Kind of Magic was released in 1986, a reworking of songs from the film Highlander, which barely cracked the top fifty in the United States and Canada, though it sold well elsewhere. The tour in support of the album included a performance in Budapest, but the poor sales in the United States and Canada led the band to not performing there. It was the last Queen tour to include Freddie Mercury, who by that time was aware that he was HIV positive.
The band became involved in various solo projects following the A Kind of Magic tour, and Freddie recorded the album Barcelona, a project in which he collaborated with Montserrat Caballe. In 1988 Queen released The Miracle, an album in which all of the songs were credited to all four members of the band. It sold well around the world, but failed to make the top twenty in the United States (24), though it made number one in the UK.