The Works (Queen album) 19 November 1984, and promotional copies were indeed pressed ("QUEEN 5") and sent out (b/w "Keep Passing the Open Windows"), but the band opted for a Christmas single ("Thank God It's Christmas"). The fifth track on "The Works", "Machines (Or 'Back to Humans')", came about as an idea by Taylor, and May collaborated with him and finished it. Producer Reinhold Mack programmed the synth-"demolition" using a Fairlight CMI II Sampler, and the song is sung as a duet between a double-tracked Mercury (singing in harmony with himself), and a robotic Taylor (using a Roland VP330 Vocoder). The instrumental remix of
Christmas at Our House described as "down home". It also includes cover versions of Christmas standards such as "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "Winter Wonderland"; it also introduced what would become a holiday standard, "It Must Have Been the Mistletoe (Our First Christmas)". Torreano gave the album three out of five stars staying, "Her brand of country-pop may not appeal to all fans of the genre, but many country listeners will probably find this a nice Christmas album to play for the holidays." "Christmas at Our House" was Mandrell's third album released in 1984, officially issued in October. The album peaked at #31