Classic Queen

Classic Queen is a 1992 compilation album by the British rock band Queen. The album is seen as a US version of Greatest Hits II and was issued to capitalise on the renewed popularity of Queen which was generated in the United States following the release of the movie Wayne's World,[2] and the death of Freddie Mercury. The album reached number four on the US Billboard 200, and is certified three times platinum in the US, and five times platinum in Canada.[3][4] Accumulated sales (Greatest Hits II and Classic Queen for the US and Canada combined) are in excess of 25 million worldwide.[5][6]

Classic Queen
Compilation album by
Released3 March 1992
Recorded1972–1990
GenreRock
Length75:10
LabelHollywood
ProducerRoy Thomas Baker, David Bowie, David Richards, Mack and Queen
Queen chronology
Greatest Hits II
(1991)
Classic Queen
(1992)
Live at Wembley '86
(1992)
Queen compilation album chronology
Greatest Hits II
(1991)
Classic Queen
(1992)
The 12" Collection
(1992)
Singles from Classic Queen
  1. "Bohemian Rhapsody" / "These Are the Days of Our Lives"
    Released: 6 February 1992 (US only)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic link
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[1]

Content and release

Although critically acclaimed as an excellent compilation, Classic Queen did not fit in with the previous Queen compilations. It overlapped both the 1981 Greatest Hits and the 1991 import Greatest Hits II, and contained a few tracks not found in either of the previous releases. To remedy this situation, Hollywood Records re-released Greatest Hits six months later in 1992 in the US only, containing two different tracks from the UK edition. This was an effort to make it a companion collection with Classic Queen. The two compilations had near-identical covers, with Greatest Hits having a red background, while Classic Queen has royal blue. Being that the two were seen as counterparts, many of Queen's biggest hits were left off of Classic Queen, such as "Another One Bites the Dust", "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions", "Somebody to Love" and "Don't Stop Me Now", since they appear on Greatest Hits.

There is also a video cassette version of the album released (modelled after the "Greatest Flix II" video), but long out of print.[7]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Kind of Magic" (from A Kind of Magic, 1986)Roger Taylor4:23
2."Bohemian Rhapsody" (from A Night at the Opera, 1975)Freddie Mercury5:59
3."Under Pressure" (unique mix, originally from Hot Space, 1982)David Bowie, Queen4:03
4."Hammer to Fall" (single version of track from The Works, 1984)Brian May3:40
5."Stone Cold Crazy" (from Sheer Heart Attack, 1974)Queen2:15
6."One Year of Love" (from A Kind of Magic, 1986)John Deacon4:28
7."Radio Ga Ga" (from The Works, 1984)Taylor5:48
8."I'm Going Slightly Mad" (from Innuendo, 1991)Queen (Mercury), Peter Straker (uncredited)4:21
9."I Want It All" (single version of track from The Miracle, 1989)Queen (May)4:01
10."Tie Your Mother Down" (single version of track from A Day at the Races, 1976)May3:45
11."The Miracle" (unique edit, from The Miracle, 1989)Queen (Mercury, Deacon)4:24
12."These Are the Days of Our Lives" (from Innuendo, 1991)Queen (Taylor)4:14
13."One Vision" (unique edit, from A Kind of Magic, 1986)Queen4:38
14."Keep Yourself Alive" (from Queen, 1973)May3:45
15."Headlong" (from Innuendo, 1991)Queen (May)4:38
16."Who Wants to Live Forever" (from A Kind of Magic, 1986)May5:15
17."The Show Must Go On" (from Innuendo, 1991)Queen (May)4:31
Total length:75:10

Personnel

Additional personnel

Charts

Country Chart Certification Sales
United States 4 3× platinum[3] 3,000,000
Canada 5× platinum[4] 500,000

References

  1. Rolling Stone Album Guide
  2. Billboard 25 July 1992 p.8. Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2011
  3. RIAA – Gold and Platinum Archived 4 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved 17 June 2011
  4. Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Certification Results Archived 1 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 17 June 2011
  5. BPI – UK Best Selling Albums of All Time (14 June 2009), Retrieved 13 June 2011
  6. Queen Greatest Hits I and II Review BBC. Retrieved 17 June 2011
  7. Queen Album: Classic Queen MTV. Retrieved 30 May 2011
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