Greatest Hits (Queen)

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Greatest Hits is a 1981 Queen compilation. The record, released on 2 November 1981, became UK's all-time bestseller. Combined with Greatest Hits II it became the definitive Queen compilation. While a domestic release with different tracks but the same cover art was available in the US in 1981, the British release was available to United States customers only by import until the 1995 release of Greatest Hits, Vols. 1-2, which combined the two discs. The seventeen-track UK Greatest Hits disc was released in the U.S. on its own for the first time, with a few bonus tracks, in 2004 under the name .

History of various \"Greatest Hits\" compilations

Original 1981 \"Greatest Hits\" releases

In 1981, Queen released Greatest Hits worldwide. However, there was no universal track listing or even cover art. Each territory's tracks were dependent on what singles were released there, and what tracks charted. In some cases, despite the band's popularity, not enough songs were issued as singles to fill a compilation album, and a few album tracks were used as filler. Some examples of these were "Sweet Lady" and "Love Of My Life", neither were released as singles in any country, but appear on some regions' 1981 Hits release. In the UK and the US, where solid numbers could be collected, the standard was raised again by only including top twenty Hits. This rigid criterion was a trademark of Queen's desire to only market the best. Queen's official website 'queenonline.com' (QOL) issued a 'Greatest Video Hits 1 - Official Press Release on **Fri 20 Sep 02**' stating 'Compiled directly from the band’s phenomenally successful Greatest Hits 1 album, which has to date sold in excess of 25 million copies worldwide'. In 2005 QOL informed that Greatest Hits 1 has sold in excess of 4 million in the UK.

Below are the track listings for the various Queen Hits (1981 onward) collections from the UK and US.

The US ended up with its original edit of Queen's first single release, "Keep Yourself Alive", which had been re-released in the US in 1975 (original release was 1973) after the success of "Bohemian Rhapsody". Also, because of the delay in release dates between the UK (out first) and the US (almost a month later), the US was able to add "Under Pressure" (Queen's duet with David Bowie) to its Hits collection, as it was released during that interim.

The album was certified 11 platinium awards in UK on January 1st. But since that moment it sold a lot of copies. Between 1992 and 1997, includin club sales, it sold more than 1 million copies, and since 1998 more than 700.000. So total is about 5 millions copies.

Chart success: In UK, it was at number one for 4 weeks in 1981, and 449 weeks on the charts until 2000. It´s currently on the charts again, with high sales.

In Netherlands, it was also number one (2 weeks) in 1981, and 78 weeks on the charts. According to EMI, it sold only in CDs between 1994 and 2003, 155.000 copies.

In Italy 800.000 copies sold until 1998,probably it sold over one million copies

In Germany, it was at number one in 1981 (2 weeks), and 102 weeks on the charts. It was given 3 platinum awards in 1993, for sales for more than 1.500.000 copies.

In the USA, it was certified 8 platinum awards in 2006 for more than 8 millions copies (including re-release version of 1992).

And we have to add sales for "Greatest hits We will rock you", for more than 433.000 copies. So total sales are about 8.200.000 copies.

In Australia, it was number 2 on the charts in 1981. It was given 13 platinum awards in 2003, for more than 910.000 copies.

It is also, in Korea one of the most successful foreign albums of all time, with sales of more than 530.000 copies.

1991: \"Greatest Hits II\"/\"Classic Queen\"/\"Red Greatest Hits\"

Jumping ahead to 1991, Queen sought to issue a second Greatest Hits collection worldwide, this time with a standard track listing. However, the band had just changed record labels in the US, from Capitol to Hollywood Records, who keen on a massive promotion of the band's back catalogue. The problem was that Elektra still held the US rights to that first 1981 collection (despite being Hollywood's US licencée). Hollywood Records decided to not release "Greatest Hits II" to the US market, but instead created their own collection, "Classic Queen" (1992). This compilation was made up of tracks such as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Under Pressure" (which had already appeared on the Elektra 1981 "Hits" collection) as well as newer tracks ("A Kind Of Magic" and "Radio Ga Ga"). Some tracks were not even singles in the US ("One Year Of Love") or anywhere ("Stone Cold Crazy"). Though well received, this collection would eventually pose the problem of overlapping track lists in the future.

Hollywood Records, later that year, re-released a companion collection "Greatest Hits" with similar artwork (on a red background, where "Classic Queen" was on royal blue). Commonly referred to as the "Red Greatest Hits", it features most of the '70s tracks absent from "Classic Queen" (including "Another One Bites The Dust" [1980], "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" and "Killer Queen"). This collection was also well received on the US market and as a pair are a solid set.

1995: Box sets

In 1995, Parlophone (Queen's UK distributor) released The Gold Collection which was simply the UK Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2 repackaged. Imported to the US, it sold reseasonably well, until Hollywood Records in the US released it in November of 1995 in the US. In Canada, PolyGram Canada issued a two disc set titled The Very Best Of Queen which was track listing for track listing the same as The Gold Collection, and much cheaper. The Very Best... was a limited time release and disappeared not long after, while import and US editions of "Gold" stayed on the shelves.

1997: Queen Rocks

In 1997, Queen released a non-Hits collection, called "Queen Rocks", which feature many of their hard-rock tracks (some Hits, some album cuts). It also featured a newly written and recorded song, "No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)", as a send off to Freddie Mercury and others who died before their time.

1999 onwards: \"Greatest Hits III\"/\"Platinum Collection\" and other special editions

1999 saw a worldwide release of "Greatest Hits III". This time, adding to the confusion, Hollywood and Parlophone released it straight, track listing intact. This would have seemed ideal, except that at least one track on "Hits III" appeared on "Classic Queen": "These Are The Days Of Our Lives". Only those who'd bought "The Gold Collection" or "The Very Best..." would benefit from no double tracks in purchasing this collection.

2000 saw the release of "The Platinum Collection" to replace "The Gold Collection", now featuring the three UK "Hits" albums. "Platinum" received US release as well in September of 2002, and landed on the shelves next to "the Red Hits", "Classic Queen" and "The Gold Collection". Newcomers to the band's music now had a difficult choice to make as to where to begin and what collection suited their needs, as several had the same tracks.

In 2004, to promote the Las Vegas production of the musical "We Will Rock You", Hollywood Records released "Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You Edition" which was the UK "Greatest Hits" with three bonus tracks.

Track listing

This section includes the track listings for the original "Queen Greatest Hits" and closely-related albums only. For other compilations, including the second and third "Greatest Hits" albums, see the relevant articles.

UK 1981 \"Greatest Hits\"

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

US 1981 Elektra \"Greatest Hits\"

1. Another One Bites The Dust
2. Bohemian Rhapsody
3. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
4. Killer Queen
5. Fat Bottomed Girls
6. Bicycle Race
7. Under Pressure
8. We Will Rock You
9. We Are The Champions
10. Flash
11. Somebody To Love
12. You're My Best Friend
13. Keep Yourself Alive
14. Play The Game

US 1992 \"Greatest Hits\" (Red)

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

UK 1995 \"The Gold Collection\"

(UK "Greatest Hits I & II)

US 1996 \"The Very Best Of Queen\"

(same as UK "Greatest Hits I & II")

US 2004 \"Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You Edition\"

Same track-listing/order as UK 1981 Greatest Hits, with three bonus tracks at the end:-

1. I'm In Love With My Car (UK Single Version)
2. Under Pressure (Live at Milton Keynes, 1982)
3. Tie Your Mother Down (Live At Milton Keynes, 1982)

Queen
John Deacon | Brian May | Freddie Mercury | Roger Taylor
Discography
Studio albums: Queen | Queen II | Sheer Heart Attack | A Night at the Opera | A Day at the Races | News of the World | Jazz | The Game | Flash Gordon | Hot Space | The Works | A Kind of Magic | The Miracle | Innuendo | Made in Heaven
Live albums: Live Killers | Live Magic | Live at Wembley '86 | Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl | Return of the Champions
Compilations: Greatest Hits | At the Beeb | Greatest Hits II | Classic Queen | Queen Rocks | Greatest Hits III | Stone Cold Classics
Box sets: Greatest Hits I & II | The Crown Jewels |
DVDs
We Will Rock You | The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert | Greatest Video Hits 1 | Queen Live at Wembley Stadium | Greatest Video Hits 2 | Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl | Return of the Champions | Super Live in Japan
Musicals
We Will Rock You

 

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