scapp70's Full Review: Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You by Queen
It is time for Queen to promote their future projects here in the States and so we have their promotional type of Greatest Hits issue hitting the stores this August 17th, 2004. This CD is more along the lines of the original greatest hits LP released in 1981. It almost has the same album artwork, and the same track listing except for a couple of promotional extras.
The CD liner notes claim that this release is a brand new remastering of these songs, and further state that Bohemian Rhapsody, when listened to has a notable difference to any ear.
They claim that all of the previous releases of Bo Rhap have an audible hum that can be heard throughout the song and especially on the first verse when we hear just Freddie sing acapella with a soft piano here and there (IS this the real life...).
I've never noticed that hum before Greatest Hits pointed it out. I must say that Greatest Hits does sound a lot cleaner than previous Queen releases, but it also sounds a slightly too thin and tinny for my liking. I am really pumping up the volume on the subwoofer when I listen to this Queen CD, and although it makes an improvement, the texture is still very slightly too thin. To my ears, it almost sounds like one of these promotional CD mixes especially created and given to radio stations for radio play. This being said, it does sound fresh and definitely an improvement over all previous releases of Bohemian Rhapsody.
The track listing has all Queen's mega-hits from their heyday and then some. Queen's biggest US hits; the riff-stealing (thank you Chic or Sugar Hill Gang, whoever was first) Another One Bites The Dust, the foot-tapping rock-a-billy and Freddie's dead on Elvis impersonation with Crazy Little Things Called Love and of course Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen's beautiful mock-opera, until we forget the Wayne's World affiliation. These three tunes were Queen's first and only US chart toppers are included.
Queen are not the sort of artists that steal another song's idea, but in the case of Another One Bites The Dust, they do just that. The song is credited to being written by bass player John Deacon, but this is definitely influenced by either Chic'sGood times or Sugar Hill Gang'sRapper's Delight. The crux of Another One Bites The Dust is the bass riff, and it is lifted note for note from these predecessors. The one saving grace here is Freddie's impossibly dynamic vocal performance. The notes and his power reached here goes unmatched by any singer in rock history.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love on the other hand is an example of respectful derivativeness. Listeners, when first hearing this song swore it was an Elvis song they never have heard before, but as Queen's popularity grew in the early 80's, it was unmistakably Freddie Mercury.
Again, Queen struck first in this genre of retro rockabilly. The Stray Cats go platinum a full two years later with their own brand of rockabilly. Queen are pioneers, yes, but their credit due is still lacking in my mind.
Also, some of Queen's better known sports arena staples, the ever popular Stomp, Stomp, Clap! of We Will Rock You and the greatest rock and roll victory song ever We Are The Champions sit comfortably at their usual bottom of the set list of most Queen compilations. I think it's almost important to include these songs under the banner of Queen because they have become standards, and in many people's minds, unaffiliated with any band.
Some songs here are not even American hits. The very heavy rocker, Now I'm Here from their third album, 1974's Sheer Heart Attack, I'm glad it's included because it shows the other side of Queen, the side that you won't hear on the radio.
The three songs here promoting Queen's most recent release, (Queen On Fire - Live At The Bowl, make the usual Greatest Hits anthologies from Queen more colorful. This show was one of Queen's greatest. At this particular show, Freddie was reaching most of the high notes, whereas he would usually sing a much lower octave and let drummer Roger Taylor's harmony vocal cover it up a bit. They sound tighter than ever, and just basically at the top of their game.
In my opinion, these and the rest of these hits and minor hits only display the very cheeky side of Queen. Queen is much cooler than these 'greatest hits' represent. Now I'm not saying these songs aren't great, or even historical, but the cooler side to Queen is the stuff you will never hear unless you're a fan.
Queen are:
Freddie Mercury (Vocals, Piano)
Brian May (Guitars, vocals)
Roger Taylor (Drums, Vocals)
John Deacon (Bass)
The songs:
1. Bohemian Rhapsody
2. Another One Bites The Dust
3. Killer Queen
4. Fat Bottomed Girls
5. Bicycle Race
6. You're My Best Friend
7. Don't Stop Me Now
8. Save Me
9. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
10. Somebody To Love
11. Now I'm Here
12. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
13. Play The Game
14. Flash
15. Seven Seas Of Rhye
16. We Will Rock You
17. We Are The Champions
18. I'm In Love With My Car (different mix)
19. Under Pressure (Live 1982)
20. Tie Your Mother Down (Live 1982)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~For more Queen CD Epinions from Scapp70~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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