Disco de Queen: “Greatest Hits III”

Even though all of us Queen fans would be more interested in having some new stuff from some Freddie's unreleased tunes, or new recordings from the other three guys, it's always great to have some Queen material on the charts again. GH3 presents a collection of Freddie's ecclectic singing style (The Great Pretender, Living On My Own, Barcelona and Princes of Universe) that is reasonable to include in this CD to introduce him to new fans. For the old fans like me, The Show Must Go On version with Elton is very poignant and strong. Under Pressure (Queen+Bowie) surely is much better than the original recording (thanks Brian and Roger), and I have to mention that Somebody To Love with George Michael sounds really great. This CD has also a handful of songs from "Made in Heaven", that I consider one of the best Queen's work.

The title is a misnomer. This is not a Greatest Hits album but rather is a musical scrap bin. I'm not complaining, since Queen didn't need a third GR album anyway. Face it, most of these cuts never saw the light of day on US radio stations. GR albums are for people who like a band but don't really love the band. They act as a conduit to those who may come to find that they really do have a taste for the group, and wind up wanting more. This is not such an album. What non-Queen lover would look at the track listing, and say 'Hey, I know these songs! I should buy this.'? The album was made to bleed more dollars out of true Queen fans hungry for good material.

What I'd like to see, as would apparently most other Queen fans from what I read, is a collection of Queen rarities and NOT remixes and re-releases of songs we already have.

I've been a serious fan of Queen since the summer of 1980 and am quite familiar with their music- both as a group and solo. I have all the original releases: Star Fleet, Mr. Bad Guy, Barcelona (basically ALL that there is to have).

What I'd like to see if for the repackaging to end, and for the record company to start listening to the requests of serious fans. Wouldn't you like to see a multi-CD set of original-form, hard-to-find songs, particularly the 'lost' B-sides. How about a digital release of Taylor's solo single from 1977! That's about the one Queen-related cut I've never heard! How about the cut-to-the-chase 7-inch single version of Star Fleet (radio edit)? What do you think, Mr or Ms Queen lover?

Hey Hollywood Records! Listen to serious Queen fans for a change. We're tired of buying rehashed releases!

When I first read the tracklist I thought I wasn't going to like this. I was especially afraid that Elton John had "ruined" The Show Must go On. I was almost completely wrong. The original version of that song is clearly better than this live one, but the rest of the CD is very good. "Under pressure" is as good as the normal version, if not better. "Too much love will kill you" is great, "Let me Live" powerful, May's "Driven by You" smashing and "Somebody to Love" with George Michael absolutely fantastic. I also like the bonus track a lot. The only true weak point of this CD is the remake of "Another one bites the dust": that's wasted space, full stop. I don't think this is for everyone: this is an album for true Queen fans, especially for nostalgic ones, for those who miss Freddie so terribly much. Could have been better, but I highly recommend it anyway, altough you should buy Greatest Hits I & II before to really feel the difference.

It's been a looong time in waiting, and what has finally arrived is quite a mix - pleasing some, infuriating others, but, as Brian said, this was to be a package for the 'world' and not just fans. Roger said of it: 'The choice of tracks on what is inevitably the last Greatest Hits package was always going to be controversial...I hope most of you like it - at least most of it?'

Containing much that was expected, some pleasant surprises are also included. Princes Of the Universe, never a single in the UK, and not charting in the states, is an odd inclusion for a greatest hits package, but one we're all happy to see as a commercially released video on Flix III. NOBY makes its second appearance at the end of an album, and it's as misplaced here as it was on Queen Rocks. But enough of the gripes.

The new 'Rah' mix of Under Pressure is astounding. The new drums, guitar and synth finally showcase the track as something more than just a novelty. You get the feeling that Roger and Brian have been allowed to do what they originally intended with it (Roger: "a song I personally always thought deserved more production values and hence exposure to more people"), in much the same kind of way that they 'Queened Up' some of Freds solo departures for Made In Heaven. Vanilla must be crying into his iced tea as he hears this new take on the track. Many friends who ain't fans tell me this will be huge as a single - it now sounds like a dance anthem and I imagine will be played to death in the clubs, and with Thank God It's Christmas as an extra track on the single, a christmas number one looks promising - let's hope so, as this means Queen will have the top position at christmas 25 years apart...don't forget Bo Rhap back in 1975. One thing - what IS that intro all about? It occurs to me that they were really searching desperately for something new of Fred that's useable. There also seem to be snippets of the Culture Beat Dance Traxx version used too.

The Elton version of Show Must Go On is a little strained (I suppose he *was* a tad emotional that night), but good to hear properly. George's Somebody To Love is as fab as ever (has it been remastered?). The Wyclef Jean Another One Bites The Dust still grates a bit, but as they say, anything to get new listeners, although I thought Wyclef remixed it without the boys help. Suddenly it seems to have been a collaboration...

Everything else we've all heard before, but Queen Prods seem to have got their act together now - great packaging (the booklet is beautiful), a good mix of toons, and incredibly, three days before its release, the record stores have huge displays in the windows for it! Added to this the fact that queen-fip is now excellent Queen are finally being MARKETED again?

What can I say? Buy it and let's try to end the millenium (jeez, how many others are going to use that tired old excuse) with a hit album from Queen. Plus.

Gaz, Queen Heaven

The best way to describe this odd, wonderful album is to quote the traditional wedding-saying: "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue." Some of the "old" tracks have many new touches on them. The "new" songs are just lovely, in their own right. Especially "No-one But You," Brian May's tribute to the departed Freddie. Terribly touching, whew!. -- This album isn't just a compilation of untouched prior releases. But, that's a good thing. Queenaholics have all of those anyway. Whatever this thing is, it's stunning music. Although Freddie was/is, matchless, don't forget that these are the members of Queen, who, after all, never were just Freddie's back-up band. -- Yeah okay, they took a...uh...leap to dare include a rap version of Another One Bites the Dust here (featuring rapper, Wyclef Jean). It ain't my cuppa tea, but, hey, let's call it at least a gutsy move. After all, what were they going to do in a "new" Queen album without the irreplacible Freddie. -- With all of that said, all I know is, I love listening to this album.