Let's say Queen are to release a new compilation album this Christmas in order to replace the well-worn Greatest Hits (and Platinum Collection) albums. How would you go about compiling them, in order to fit over twenty years of music onto two discs? Here's what I came up with:
Disc One
1. Keep Yourself Alive
2. Seven Seas Of Rhye
3. Killer Queen
4. Now I’m Here
5. Bohemian Rhapsody
6. You’re My Best Friend
7. Somebody To Love
8. Tie Your Mother Down (edit)
9. We Will Rock You
10. We Are The Champions
11. Spread Your Wings
12. Fat Bottomed Girls (edit)
13. Bicycle Race
14. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
15. Another One Bites The Dust
16. Flash (edit)
17. Under Pressure (with David Bowie)
18. Radio Ga Ga
19. I Want To Break Free (edit)
20. Hammer To Fall (Malouf Mix edit)
21. Thank God It’s Christmas
Disc Two
1. One Vision (edit)
2. A Kind Of Magic
3. Princes Of The Universe
4. Pain Is So Close To Pleasure (edit)
5. Who Wants To Live Forever
6. I Want It All (edit)
7. Breakthru
8. The Miracle
9. I’m Going Slightly Mad
10. Headlong
11. These Are The Days Of Our Lives
12. The Show Must Go On
13. Somebody To Love (with George Michael)
14. Heaven For Everyone (edit)
15. Too Much Love Will Kill You
16. A Winter’s Tale
17. No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young)
18. Under Pressure (‘rah’ mix)
All the songs do fit on two discs. So let's say you were in charge of putting together a two-disc compilation of Queen - how would you go about doing it?
Note: If anyone complains about Queen releasing another compilation album, I'm afraid I'm going to have to hunt you down and give you a fresh slap to the face. This is hypothetical and fun, and confirms that I have very little to do in my free time.
How about a single disc version?
If a single-disc Queen compilation with 20 greatest hits were released, it would contain:
01 Killer Queen (2)
02 Bohemian Rhapsody (1)
03 You're My Best Friend (7)
04 Somebody To Love (2)
05 We Will Rock You (2) (as double-A)
06 We Are The Champions (2)
07 Crazy Little Thing Called Love (2)
08 Another One Bites The Dust (7)
09 Under Pressure (1)
10 Radio Ga Ga (2)
11 I Want To Break Free (3)
12 It's A Hard Life (6)
13 One Vision (7)
14 A Kind Of Magic (3)
15 I Want It All (3)
16 Breakthru (7)
17 Innuendo (1)
18 These Are The Days Of Our Lives (1) (as double-A with Bo Rhap)
19 Heaven For Everyone (2)
20 A Winter's Tale (6)
The parenthetical numerals indicate U.K. chart positions.
Using the shortest released versions, this comes to 81:44 which is a bit too much. However I'm willing to let them use my short edit (3:57) of Radio Ga Ga so that pretty much makes it possible. I've got a few more edits which could be used.
I gladly accept the slap and turn the other cheek (sort of) -
Can I hunt you down and slap your face if a new compilation is released, but there is still no sign (talk is cheap) that any previously unreleased archive material is firmly scheduled to be released?
Queen UK/US Top 40
DISC 1 1974-1981
1. Seven Seas of Rhye (UK 10) 1974
2. Killer Queen (UK 2, US 12) 1974
3. Now I’m Here (UK 11) 1975
4. Bohemian Rhapsody (UK 1, US 2) 1975/76, 1991/92
5. You’re My Best Friend (UK 7, US 16) 1976
6. Somebody To Love (UK 2, US 13) 1976
7. Tie Your Mother Down (UK 31) 1977
8. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (UK 17) 1977
9. We Will Rock You (UK 2, US 4) 1977
10. We Are The Champions (UK 2, US 4) 1977
11. Spread Your Wings (UK 34) 1978
12. Fat Bottomed Girls (UK 11, US 24) 1978
13. Bicycle Race (UK 11, US 24) 1978
14. Don’t Stop Me Now (UK 9) 1979
15. Crazy Little Thing Called Love (UK 2, US 1) 1980
16. Save Me (UK 11) 1980
17. Play The Game (UK 14) 1980
18. Another One Bites The Dust (UK 7, US 1) 1980
19. Flash (Single Version) (UK 10) 1980
20. Under Pressure (UK 1, US 29) 1981
Bonus Tracks:
21. Keep Yourself Alive (1973)
22. Stone Cold Crazy (1974)
1 hr. 17 min. 27 sec.
DISC 2 1981-1989
1. Back Chat (Single Remix) (UK 40) 1982
2. Las Palabras De Amor (UK 17) 1982
3. Body Language (UK 25, US 11) 1982
4. Radio Ga Ga (UK 2, US 16) 1984
5. I Want To Break Free (Single Remix) (UK 3) 1984
6. It’s A Hard Life (UK 6) 1984
7. Hammer To Fall (UK 13) 1984
8. Thank God It’s Christmas (UK 21) 1984
9. One Vision (UK 7) (Single Edit) 1985
10. A Kind Of Magic (UK 3) 1986
11. Friends Will Be Friends (UK 14) 1986
12. Who Wants To Live Forever (UK 24) 1986
13. I Want It All (Single Version) (UK 3) 1989
14. Breakthru (UK 7) 1989
15. The Invisible Man (UK 12) 1989
16. Scandal (UK 25) 1989
17. The Miracle (UK 21) 1989
Bonus Tracks:
18. Princes Of The Universe (1986)
1 hr. 17 min. 02 sec.
DISC 3 1991- 1999
1. Innuendo (Explosive Version) (UK 1) 1991
2. I’m Going Slightly Mad (UK 22) 1991
3. Headlong (UK 14) 1991
4. The Show Must Go On (UK 16) 1991
5. These Are The Days Of Our Lives (UK 1) 1991
6. Somebody To Love (with George Michael (UK 1, US 30) 1993
7. Heaven For Everyone (UK 2) 1995
8. A Winter’s Tale (UK 6) 1995
9. Too Much Love Will Kill You (UK 15) 1995
10. Let Me Live (UK 9) 1995
11. You Don’t Fool Me (UK 17) 1995
12. No One But You (UK 13) 1998
13. Under Pressure (Rah Mix) (UK 14) 1999
Bonus Tracks:
14. I Can’t Live With You (Rocks Re-take) 1997
15. I Was Born To Love You (Japan 1) 1995
16. Mother Love 1995
Bullwinkle wrote: I gladly accept the slap and turn the other cheek (sort of) -
Can I hunt you down and slap your face if a new compilation is released, but there is still no sign (talk is cheap) that any previously unreleased archive material is firmly scheduled to be released?
Um, sure...I live in Australia. I go by the name iGSM. Hit me in the face repeatedly.
I really believe for a two disk set Queen 1 - Flash Gordon should be at least a disk and a half. Here is my list more of a best of than a greatest hits. The albumns would sell better with songs americans recognize, I am sorry but Invisible man has a good solo but is not one of there best songs.
disk1 70's
keep yourself alive
the night comes down
seven seas of rhye
white queen
killer queen
stone cold crazy
now i'am here
death on two legs
i'am in love with my car
39'
love of my life
bohemian rhapsody
tie your mother down
somebody to love
millionaire waltz
we will rock you
we are the champions
its late
fat bottomed girls
bicycle race
dreamer's ball
dont stop me now
disk 2
Play the game
Another one bites the dust
Crazy little thing called love
save me
Flash
The Hero
Under pressure
las palabras de amor
action this day
radio gaga
i want to break free
hammer to fall (rocks version)
princes of the universe
who wants to live forever
(A lot of Highlander fans in the states. These are the only later era songs we hear often)
I want it all (Rocks version)
Innuendo
These are the days of our lives
The Show Must Go On
too much love will kill you
These would be albumns that you wouldn't have to skip tracks on, just my thoughts on it.