Review Summary: Just in time for Christmas - every Queen song you already own.
Really?
REALLY?
ANOTHER Queen greatest hits compilation?
No…really?
Never mind that we already have
Greatest Hits,
Greatest Hits II,
Greatest Hits III,
Classic Queen…what is
Queen: Absolute Greatest going to prove? What purpose is it going to serve? Apparently, the premise of the CD is to glean twenty of the band’s biggest hits and have them on one CD. So can we then perceive the purchase of such a compilation as a convenience more than anything? Wrong again. Anyone who’s even a passing fan of Queen’s will not only have heard these songs countless times before, but will most likely have them all on their iTunes list. Basically,
Queen: Absolute Greatest has a lot to answer for – though, any questions you may have for it will simply be answered by “IT’S ALL THE HITS ON ONE CD! GET IT NOWWWWW!”.
So the band’s seventh(!) hits compilation kicks off with "We Will Rock You" and finishes with "Bohemian Rhapsody". Ho hum. Maybe if there was anything new here, it could entice buyers further…actually, scratch that; we all know what happened with Queen + Paul Rodgers and
The Cosmos Sucks…sorry,
Rocks. Apparently, each track has been remastered especially for the compilation. Great – but who is going to notice this aside from your audiophiles and obsessive collectors? A little tidy-up here and there isn’t going to make the bassline from “Another One Bites The Dust” any more badass, or the backing vocals on “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” any more deliciously camp, or make Brian May’s guitar work anymore blister-inducingly awesome. These songs were fine the way they were – y’know, on every single other compilation.
Of course we’re still dealing with some of the greatest songs of all time by a band many deem timeless. “We Will Rock You” will still send any football crowd crazy, “You’re My Best Friend” is still a heart-warming pop number and songs like “We Are The Champions”, “Under Pressure” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” bring people together in en-masse singalong no matter where they are played.
Queen: Absolute Greatest isn’t going to change these facts. So ignore the codswallop scheme of “all the hits on ONE CD!”. Forget about the remastering. Hell, even eliminate the fact that you can’t have have “Queen” and “Absolute Greatest” in the title and NOT have “Tie Your Mother Down” and “Flash Gordon” in there (how are “These Are The Days of Our Lives” and “Heaven For Everyone” bigger hits than them?). Just throw on your favourite Queen record (or even any one of the OTHER hits releases) and leave this album to sink to the bottom of the bargain bin where it deserves. After all, “no time for losers…”.
