Queen Karaoke - Queen > Reviews > Be Freddie for a day

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Not applicable
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Not applicable
Value for Money

Advantages:	Original Queen recording  -  music and backing vocals
Disadvantages:	not UK release GH1

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I spent some time in Japan some years ago and was dragged in to Tower Records by a few friends. I was a little short on cash and as CDs weren't much cheaper than back home, I didn't bother to look... much. In the end, I made my way to the Queen section for a casual flick through... and held aloft my find with triumph! Queen Greatest karaoke hits 1 & 2! Hell yes!!

This is a double CD that does exactly what it says on the tin - it is the karaoke version of Greatest Hits I and II. Being the Japanese release, it came with a song book which included a short introduction about Queen and the lyrics translated into Japanese too (not a lot of use to me, no!).

The music is the origingal Queen recording - yes, Freddie, Brian, John and Roger playing away on their instruments just as you have heard before; the only thing missing is the lead vocals. The backing vocals are still there - there are very few Queen tracks that could manage with just one voice.

The Greatest Hits I is the non-UK release - the tracks are in a different order from the UK version and have a slight variation - for example, Spread Your Wings makes for a great karaoke track, but comes at the cost of Good Old Lover Boy, which I would have enjoyed as well. Bohemian Rhapsody is also left off - thank god though, because who wants to hear yet another massacre of a world classic song? If anyone has Greatest Video Hits (I do, but it's at home, I'm at uni!) I seem to remember that it follows the same track order.

The second CD is the same as Greatest Hits II, with such classics as Radio Gaga, I Want to Break Free and A Kind Of Magic. You can do a duet with your buddy on Under Pressure! No arguing over who gets to be Freddie, please...!

Obviously this isn't an album to sit and listen to, but if you love karaoke like I do, then it's a brilliant thing to have. I also just enjoy actually owning it - Queen rocks!!