Greatest Hits Vol.2 - Queen > Reviews > A great cross section of 80s and 90s Queen

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	Some great variations on classical Queen
Disadvantages:	May no appeal to hardened rock fans

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

<Introduction>

Queen were an extraordinary band that managed to adapt with the times, rediscovering themselves over and over again and providing their fans with many new versions of Queen over time. From their earliest Albums which were pure rock & roll to their later albums which were a combination of ballads, rock songs and some songs that are hard to categories, they always managed to produce excellent albums that had great critical acclaim. At their peak they filled football stadiums (Wembly) as they hammered out their greatest hits.

It was therefore inevitable that a greatest hits album would be released. This became very successful, however many people asked 'What about xxxxx, or where's yyyy' and therefore a second Greatest Hits album was created.

This album concentrated on the second half of the band's albums, basically starting from the 80s up until Freddie Mercury dies (in 91).

<My favourite songs>

Kind Of Magic, A

To coincide with the release of he movie Highlander, Queen released many songs that almost seemed to have a magical quality. A Kind of Magic is typical of this as we find a classical song combining much of Brian May's amazing guitar skills with Freddie Mercury's dominant voice to produce a perfect song for the movie.
It begins slowly, almost ballad like and builds throughout to a crescendo as if mimicking the excitement of the movie. The song somehow has an 'Epic' quality to it.

Under Pressure - (with David Bowie)

A unique combination of Queen and David Bowie produces a strange mixture of Rock and Roll and New Age music. The Duet between David and Freddie highlights he differences in styles of the two artists and yet is strangely cohesive as the voices meld together well. The song is a fairly quiet song that combines much bass work with some good heavy guitar to provide an excellent melody and a song that is easy to sing along to.

Radio Ga Ga

Perhaps most famous for the video in which the crowd all clap together in perfect unison, this song was written for the Flash Gordon movie. This is a typical Queen song mixing surreal lyrics with a haunting melody that somehow moves you deeply. As with many Queen songs the counter melodies are excellent as Freddie shows the versatility of his voice.

I Want To Break Free

Another song famous for the video in which Freddie dresses up as a housewife. This song talks about the strife of slavery (metaphorically) and the struggle that many people have when trying to break out of the mold that has been set out for them. If you listen carefully it can almost be taken as a self-biographical song. The melody is typical queen with a combination of heavy guitar combining with Freddie's voice to produce a great pop song.

Who Wants To Live Forever

Another song from the Highlander movie, this is a deeply moving sad rock ballad. It tries to explain the loneliness associated with immortality and is another great song for the movie. It is a slower song than many of the album, giving it an almost orchestral sound.

I'm Going Slightly Mad

An experimental period of Queen brought out several interesting albums. The music is hard to categorize, being a combination of rock and roll, ballad and many other different styles. The lyrics are very though provoking in this song as Freddie somehow portrays a mad man with his voice. The music is very intriguing, combining clever rhythms, interesting sounds and the typical guitar associated with Queen to produce an almost mystical song.

Show Must Go On, The

When looking back at this song it is obvious that Freddie was aware that he was dying. He is trying to explain the old adage 'The show must go on'. With elements of orchestration, and again a feeling of an 'epic' song, this is a classic Queen song as the powerful words mix with a great melody to produce another winning track.

<Conclusion>

There are many other good tracks on this album that further show the extraordinary talent and variation of Queen. This album in combination with the first greatest hits album is an excellent addition to any CD rack and is particularly good for new fans of Queen who do not want to buy all the albums.

I personally prefer the first greatest hits albums as it is more Rock n Roll than this one, but there is nothing wrong with this album and it may appeal to younger fans who only started to listen to Queen in the 80s and 90s.