Asked by legendary movie producer Dino De Laurentiis to compose the soundtrack to the sci-fi film Flash Gordon, Queen responded by working overtime. They were finishing up their own official release, 1980’s The Game, and were able to use their comfort with the studio to their advantage. While only two tracks feature words not taken from the film’s dialogue, the soundtrack still sounds like a Queen masterwork even without Freddie Mercury’s constant vocal presence. Guitarist Brian May has always been the group’s architect of sound and his heavy-metal crunch works well on “Battle Theme” and his understanding of the task at hand creates real tension for “Flash’s Theme.” Though Mercury’s role is reduced, he still wrote several of the film’s most striking numbers with “Ming’s Theme,” “Football Fight,” “The Kiss” and “Vultan’s Theme.” Queen redefined what rock artists could do to a film soundtrack. The 2011 Deluxe Version includes the radio version of “Flash,” early versions of “The Kiss” and “Football Fight” and several live cuts, all rewarding extras for hardcore fans.