Queen: Greatest Hits

Queen was "the" glam rock darlings of the 70s and 80s.

While not always received with open arms by critics, Queen’s music has become more revered over time for its musical expression, experimental prowess, and the vocal range of lead singer Freddie Mercury. Mercury has been regarded by many as one of the great rock and roll vocalist of all time.

Queen had a run of not so good, good, and very good albums. It was during their early years that the run of not so good records nearly ended the band. Under pressure to produce or part ways, Queen pulled of what is to this day their masterpiece, Night At The Opera. Which includes their all time glam rock classic and an all time classic rock anthem, "Bohemian Rhapsody". Needless to say, Queen’s perseverance and faith in their abilities proved valuable and a trait that led them to become legendary.

Not unlike most of their albums, Queen’s Greatest Hits record is good, but not great. Half the songs stand out and half could have been left out. As far as pressing quality goes, the record is as good as one could expect from a greatest hits album.

Greatest hits albums tend to be pressed from digital copies as opposed to original analog tapes. Labels will sometimes market greatest hits records as “remastered” and “audiophile 180g vinyl” as a way to tempt unsuspecting buyers. While remastering may help and 180g vinyl is nice, rarely do they match a remaster or original master that utilizes the original analog tape as the source.

If your looking for a compilation of Queens early stuff, the Hollywood Records reissue is the best of what’s around. Queen’s Greatest Hits Volume 2 is less impressive, having about a quarter of the album worth the title “greatest”.

TRACK LIST
1. Bohemian Rhapsody
2. Another One Bites the Dust
3. Killer Queen
4. Fat Bottomed Girls
5. Bicycle Race
6. You're My Best Friend
7. Don't Stop Me Now
8. Save Me
9. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
10. Somebody to Love
11. Now I'm Here
12. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
13. Play the Game
14. Flash
15. Seven Seas of Rhye
16. We Will Rock You
17. We Are the Champions

Had the best of the first greatest hits album been combined with the best of the second, then we might have something worth the title. That said, it’s worth a listen if you’d rather not go down the rabbit hole of investing in the best that the Queen's discography has to offer. 💵

💰 Invest
 💵 Consider
💸 Pass