scapp70's Full Review: Stone Cold Classics [Limited] by Queen
To coincide with Queen Night on the biggest show in the USA, American Idol, Hollywood Records released a compilation CD called Stone Cold Classics. It is supposed to highlight the songs that were performed by the finalists, but only six out of the twelve songs were actually heard on the show on April 11th, 2006. The show, by the way, was OK. I expected more of the performers, my favorite contestant was Katherine McPhee, she actually gave me a new appreciation of the song Who Wants to Love Forever, too bad it wasn't on Stone Cold Classics.
Stone Cold Crazy is a fan favorite. This short song of only 2:15 dates back to their third release from 1974, Sheer Heart Attack. It is one of Queen's fastest and heaviest songs, heavy enough for Metallica to cover the song years later almost twenty years later. I was guessing that Chris Daughtry was going to be the one covering the song, but of course the song that he performed (Innuendo) was left off this CD.
Tie Your Mother Down is another one of Queen's heavier songs, this time going back to 1976's A Day At The Races. The song stayed in the band's live act since the Races tour of 1977, and hasn't left it since, they even open the show with the song on their recent tour going on now with new front man Paul Rodgers.
Fat Bottomed Girls is the first song in this compilation that was actually performed on the Idol show. The finalist Bucky gave the song a bit of country and western flavor, which was already accomplished on the 2005 Killer Queen tribute CD, but this original version is pure heavy rock. A fitting tribute to big hineys.
Another One Bites The Dust is Queen's biggest American hit, so of course it could not be left off of any US compilation of Queen. The song ventured into the disco waters, after bassist John Deacon wrote a song around a Chic song, (Good Times) that he just couldn't get out of his head. The bass line is almost identical, and Brian's funky clean guitar is a dead-ringer. No one had performed the song on A.I., but the whole company did perform a part of the song in a Queen medley on the next night.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love tips an obvious hat to Elvis Presley with the rock-a-billy groove and the deep smooth impression Freddie gives on the vocals. Crazy is from the same album as Another one Bites the Dust, 1980's The Game. Both songs were number ones as well as the album. Taylor "Soul Patrol" Hicks was the Idolist who tackled the song. He sang it at a higher register, which was smart, and did a crazy dance that instigated Simon to inquire Taylor if he was drunk.
Ace is a favorite of the female A.I. viewers. He's got the look, but his vocal style is way too sensitive for me. The singer is obviously a huge fan of Michael Jackson, and he can't help but invoke M.J. with his every performance. Ace attempted to perform Brian May's We Will Rock You. The song is very demanding on the voice, and pure rock and roll. Ace wished to change things up a bit, by adding some Michael Jackson/98º flavor and he messed it up. We Will Rock You is an international standard at most sporting events, chances are you have heard the song. We Are the Champions is almost as much a standard as We Will Rock You, as it commands just as much audience participation. Both songs are from 1977's News of the World. Freddie's Champions is more anthemic than Rock You, and definitely more bombastic.
As you can see, this compilation does resemble the majority of the ones already available from Queen. They all have these same songs, their biggest hits. Stone Cold Classics also included some of Queen's lesser known songs as well. Radio Ga Ga may have been reached #16 in the US Singles charts, but it was a fast week. Not many people know about the song or the album, The Works that it was taken from. It's a song, which in my opinion, sounds a lot better today than it did 22 years ago. It aged well, and it's always nice to include songs that were written by all individual members of the band. If it wasn't this song, drummer Roger Taylor's I'm In Love With My car would have been number eight on this songlist instead. We all have to have our share of the royalties, don't we?
The Show Must Go On is from 1991's Innuendo album, which was the last released before Freddie passed. The song was a single and also had a video made, but it is not so well-known, although it has climbed to Queen Classic status among Queen Fans. The song is a big epic-like rocker that closed out their last album with Freddie, and it serves more as an epitaph more than anything. Queen fans will usually think of Freddie memories upon hearing. The song was performed on Queen Night, by Diva/Munchkin Paris. I thought she did a great job, by the way. These Are the Days of Our Lives is also from the Innuendo album. This song should have been a huge hit for Queen on both sides of the Atlantic, but the US had no chance as it wasn't pushed as a single here. The song is very adult contemporary, the lyrics are great and it's very catchy. The song wasn't included on the set list for Queen Night on Idol, but it's a great inclusion for this track list.
Bohemian Rhapsody, arguably the most famous rock song ever, of course it's included on almost every Queen compilation album, so the fact that it's here is no surprise. Also, it's always welcome as well. Most people know about this six-minute epic rock and roll mini-opera. The rock world was first enthralled in 1975/1976 as they were treated to Queen's new video and single. When the song was reintroduced in the early 90s via pop comedy film, Wayne's World. Once upon a time, Wayne and Garth were cool, the fact that they enjoyed a song like Bohemian Rhapsody made Queen cool. That's cool with me, many new young kids became instant fans and in the usual Queen-fan fashion, they delved into the complete back catalogue that Queen has to offer, which is my opinion, the only way to appreciate a song like this, and Freddie's unusual vocal talents.
The two last songs are labeled as bonus tracks. They are two songs that have been lifted off Queen's last release, Return of the Champions. These are two songs that look back at new Queen crooner, Paul Rodger's musical past. Here we have a song that he did with his first band, Free called All Right Now, a classic rock standard. Also, a song from his Bad Company days is featured, Feel Like Makin' Love. Both songs have a bluesy feel and these two songs are the only live tracks on the CD, the rest are all original studio versions.
The CD is labeled Limited, but no more is really said about what that entails. The CD liner notes do not mention a cut-off date for the sale of this CD, and the official Hollywood Records press release did not state anything either about the Limited aspect means. The CD booklet is just two pages long, and is limited to only song title, song writing credit, publishing rights and from what album each track was taken from.
There is no mention of any remastering that went on in the making of this CD, but it does sound fine, and pretty good when turned up way loud in my car.
I think that this CD sort of combines and then condenses the 1992 Hollywood Records releases of Queen's Greatest Hits and Classic Queen. Not only the big hits, but just a few of their lesser known, (but not lesser in quality) music over a good span of their career.
Songs:
1. Stone Cold Crazy
2. Tie Your Mother Down
3. Fat Bottomed Girls
4. Another One Bites The Dust
5. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
6. We Will Rock You
7. We Are the Champions
8. Radio Ga Ga
9. Bohemian Rhapsody
10. The Show Must Go On
11. These Are the Days of Our Lives
12. I Want It All
13. All Right Now (Bonus Track - live with Paul Rodgers)
14. Feel Like Makin' Love (Bonus Track - live with Paul Rodgers)
~~~~~~~~~~For more Queen CD Epinions from Scapp70~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Stone Cold Crazy 2:15 2. Tie Your Mother Down 3:48 3. Fat Bottomed Girls 3:24 4. Another One Bites the Dust 3:36 5. Crazy Little Thing Called Love ...More at NBC Universal
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