An excellent collection, sound quality highly favorable

Above the song selections on these CD's, the sound quality is literally AMAZING and quite the compliment to Queen's work. Sound is highly important to me, especially with bands that use orchestrated music such as Queen does with a few of their songs.



The sound quality for this collection is above my expectations, and makes it that much more enjoyable to listen to on a mid-grade sound system, and if you have a digital surround sound system you will by no means be disappointed!



All three compact discs include 17 songs. The collection contains the essentials you would want out of a "Greatest Hits" collection from Queen.



Of the CD's I wanted to highlight the following:



Disc #1 consists of quite a few of the classics with group vocals such as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Flash", as well as the anthems "We Will Rock You", and "We Are The Champions".



Disc #2 is especially excellent for Freddie Mercury fans. Most of CD #2 features the anthems and ballads that highlight Freddie's vocal talent. This is my favorite of the three. "Radio Ga Ga", "I Want To Break Free", "A Kind of Magic" and "Who Wants To Live Forever" are excellent selections to have on the same CD to get your fix of Freddie with. :)



Disc #3 is a mish-mosh of modern mixes or remixes of their previous recordings with various artists such as George Michael and Elton John. No complaints on this CD with the exception that a version of "Another One Bites The Dust" featuring Wyclef Jean was neither what I wanted or cared for on the CD as the remix and genre of that particular version doesn't fit.



Disc 3 isn't a total waste, however, I do think the song selections for this disc in particular could have been much better.



Overall I am very pleased with the CD and I highly recommend it based on the sound quality and song selection for the first two CD's alone. I paid $23.99 USD for this box set. The price for three CD's @ 17 songs each is very much worth it.

Excellent Collection

Queen was without a doubt the most commercially successful rock band to come out of the UK in the 1970s and has secured its place was one of the most internationally recognized and popular groups in history. However, as with the catalogues of most great bands, their greatest hit sets never do them justice, no exceptions here. This three disc Queen set is the most definitive introduction any casual Queen fan can find on the market short of delving into their actual albums, and, despite its blemishes, is the best introductory collection anyone can get. I do have some qualms however which need explanation.



Disc 1 has by far the most listenable material of the collection. On this one you'll find all of Queen's hit 70s staples--the cuts most casual fans will recognize. The only song that shouldn't be on here is "Flash", Queen's first experiment with movie soundtracks. It's a good song and unique in that it includes dialogue from Director Dino De Laurentiis' 1980 film "Flash Gordon, but its quality pales in comparison to the rest of the material on this disc. The only reason it made its way on here was that it was a Top 10 single in the UK. Since there was an ample 20 minutes of unused disc space, it would've been nice if moderate 70s hits such as "Tie Your Mother Down" or "Keep Yourself Alive" were included.



Disc 2 Is also excellent, but the music isn't nearly as listenable, especially hearing it for the first time, but a few more runs and the cuts will grow on you. Not much more to say here.



Disc 3 is where the compilation bogs down. The first track, "The Show Must Go On", a live version performed with Elton John, is a horrible opener. The succeeding track, the Rah Mix of "Under Pressure", isn't so hot either. Most of the other songs, at least the ones recorded originally by Queen are moderately good, if a little too much on the soft rock side. The live version of "Somebody To Love" performed by George Michael is nearly as good as the original. "Another One Bites the Dust" with Wyclef Jean shouldn't have been included. I don't have anything against rap, but the song is not necessary at all and isn't very good listening. A nice replacement would've been Stone Cold Crazy. "Barcelona" and "Las Palabras De Amor" are examples of songs aimed at Queen's South American and Spanish fans. Both are excellent songs and add to the dynamic and colorful nature of this disc.



Despite its faults, if you don't own any of Queen's material and are interested in purchasing a more or less comprehensive anthology of the band's work, this is the set to get.

Great Collection, Disc Three is part rubbish

This is a superb compilation. Even if you have all the best ofs, by QUEEN, the Booklet is a nice addition.

The remasters are not as good as what Brian May, and Roger Taylor did with other material ( The Crown Jewels), but it is mostly a good collection. Disc 3 is the exception in format; for one, they should never have included Elton John's Awful damage to a great song. And if you have ever read any of the Bios of Freddy, you will know that Freddy was a fan of Montserrat Cabelle, and the song he did with her shows just how well they worked together. And a selection of Freddy's solo material is a nice afterthought. The material from MADE IN HEAVEN is a good thought, and shows just how poignant the album it comes from is as a work. It is, as was noted by QUEEN, very touching, and appropriate, that the last videotaped material that Freddy did was the line "I Still Love You".

As an introduction, the collection is great.

If you enjoy it, I can highly recommend, THE CROWN JEWELS, and if you want a Great Version of the Album, get the THX edit of A NIGHT AT THE OPERA.

If this collection is the start of your journey as a Queen fan, then I hope you buy some of the superb material that is out there, especially the Newly done concert DVDs, and other material. QUEEN is not just another over the top band... it has produced some of the most enduring Popular music in the English Speaking world, and in it's tour time, showed it was a master of stadium rock anthems, and the use of QUEEN songs in many venues, shows just how culturally significant their work still is to the world.