Freddie Mercury may have tersely sung “I don’t like Star Wars” in Queen’s “Bicycle Race” but they certainly weren’t opposed to ornate, over-the-top and showy science fiction, as their stint soundtracking the indulgent-in-the-best-way 1980 movie version of Flash Gordon showed. The opening “Flash” remains the standout with Brian May’s insistent piano and blazing guitar plus his and Mercury’s commanding vocals, but the whole album’s a strangely underrated treat, with various film dialogue samples interspersed with many (but not solely) electronic instrumentals.

– Ned Raggett