Queen Greatest Hits Album Review

Queen: Greatest Hits I, II & III

The Platinum Collection

The last album you need ever own… because things have never changed

Queen was born in June 1973. The same month as the solar eclipse, and surprisingly the eclipse got more attention, but then they were outcasts from the start. A Rolling Stones worshipping western world who were used to the likes of The Clash and The Stranglers were reluctant to change habits, but then something amazing happened; Queen became the best, Why? A Golden question any sociologist would have difficulty answering, even though Rolling Stone magazine plenty of times slagged Queen for lack of talent & being “Dull”, Yet the world didn’t listen. Mercury said that he goes overboard on every Queen album. But that's Queen. Is that why we loved them? And still do? If people said, "The new album sounds just like the last", I'd give up. Wouldn't you?

Queen have become the UK’s most successful band of the past three decades and continue to rack up the odd platinum to this day. They continued to produce more hits than typing “Tupperware” in on Google. The band became popular during the late 1970s yet has held on to an immense international fan base & With good reason, the greatest hits collections to date having racked up 8 platinum records over the space of 13 years!! They became legends in the UK from the moment they started in 1973 & from the figures, they haven’t finished yet. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Queen albums have spent more time on the UK album charts than those of any other musical act, which is amazing, considering they disbanded over 11 years ago. That’s rock & roll baby.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Queen rocked the world creating a huge, mock-operatic sound with layered guitars & overdubbed vocals. But unlike Mr Bungle, this actually worked. Their music became unique as a bizarre fusion of the macho & the working class hero. Probably the most famous example is Bohemian Rhapsody, a moment of spontaneous insanity that even they aren’t ashamed to admit. The sexuality in their music was also blatant throughout, from their very name to their veiled lyrics. It was truly bizarre to hear gay anthems like "We Are the Champions" turn into celebrations of sporting victories. It wouldn’t have been possible without Mercury, one of the most charismatic front men in rock history. Amazing for a band which “Hasn't the imagination to play jazz — Queen hasn't the imagination, for that matter, to play rock & roll”, Soon the controversy & criticism gave in due to the sheer fan base power Queen produced, they became loved by millions.

Of course, all this didn’t last forever as, on November 24 1991, Freddie Mercury died due to complications from AIDS, revealing he was suffering from it only 2 days before. It probably isn’t much melodramatic hype to suggest that the world might have stopped spinning for many. The band never recovered, without Mercury the band rapidly went their separate ways, Brian May & John Taylor went on to increase awareness for AIDS & did the odd charity concert. Only then did the reality sink in to people everywhere that Queen had died with Mercury on a dreary November in 1991.

Luckily, the best song artist legend’ diehard. My Gran loves it, my Dad loves it, I love it & believe it or not, so does my 10-year-old cousin. Most of us have a Queen record of some description in our house &, if you’re mad enough about them like me, you will have this one, the Platinum Collection album. The final, definitive collection with the 51 hits that Queen concocted. It features no fewer than 26 of Freddie Mercury & Queen's UK top ten hits.

The Album sports a silver coloured box & a very apt full size picture of the Queen crest, even the writing on the back is carefully done as if some complex art form. It’s easy to see that EMI spent a fair bit of time designing it; I admit I’m considerably impressed before I even open the box.

I was shocked & more than pleasantly surprised by how good this album really is. This may just be a greatest hits on paper but, in essence, it's so much more. This is Queen in a box, energy & all. Despite Queen being around for a long time, you can only fully appreciate all their work when you listen to how it hasn’t changed over 25 years. With so few really quality recordings of Queen over the years, it is really a treat to hear Freddie Mercury stretch his chords. You get the original songs fully re-mastered to a modern standard yet it's still amazing how over so many years of music the tracks glide into each other flawlessly. The album literally guides you through a series of emotions. Lastly, the emotion & energy put into this album is extraordinary. You would never guess these were “past middle age” men whipping out rockers like “Tie Your Mother Down” & “Sheer Heart Attack”. You wouldn’t think a little bit of mastering & arranging of the songs could do so much.

This album, it's more than a compilation, it’s a timeline of Queen & is without doubt worthy enough to earn it's 8 times platinum. Queen fans will agree that the album is a must but not for a single song alone. On the other hand; any newcomers who have heard of these great artists? Get it; in fact, it probably need be the only album you’d ever own. Add this to your home collection & let these guys show you how rock was meant to be played.