Greatest Hits II  – Queen – 1991

First listen?: Yes

Not one to bother with complicated names for their compilation records, Queen weren’t satisfied with having just one legendary Greatest Hits. This is a separate album from the original Greatest Hits, containing a decade of singles from 81-91. Rather than create an overall Singles Collection, this is a true sequel. Looking through the tracklist it’s mad to consider that this was just a decade of hits. Some of my all time favourite Queen songs appear here, The Show Must Go On, I Want To Break Free, One Vision and Radio Gaga at either end of the long running order. The biggest compliment I can bestow upon Queen for this collection is the tracklist. I’m not a big fan of the lazy chronilogical order compilations, especially for acts with a defined sound through their career. So listening through Greatest Hits II, with it’s peak moments and lesser known tracks in between makes for a brilliant listen. There were quite a number of songs I didn’t know. Innuendo, Breakthru and The Invisible Man to name a few but there were no moments that I questioned whether these were genuine hits or not. I’m not the biggest Queen fan going, but I more than understand the appeal of a dramatic, powerful song like Who Wants To Live Forever. Greatest Hits II marked the final Queen release before the death of Freddie Mercury less than a month later. Its place as a final celebration of the vast career of one of the most iconic bands of all time is obvious, it’s an album that was sure to be featured on this list. It’s telling that it’s the greatest hits that Queen are known for. They didn’t have a specific era that is talked about more than any other, their entire career from start to finish is adored by fans across the globe. Full of classics, it’s obvious why Greatest Hits II is kicking off the top 10.

Rating: 8/10

Will I listen again?: There are some brilliant songs on here, but I’ll probably end up with an overall Queen playlist instead.

Best Track: Some of my favourite Queen songs are here, but I’ve always had a thing for The Show Must Go On. It’s such a triumphant, dramatic performance from the group.