Queen – Greatest Hits II (1991) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2013]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 79:52 minutes | Scans included | 2,63 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,67 GB
based on Digital Remaster 2011

The second volume of Queen’s Greatest Hits appeared a decade after the first; a decade after the group started its slow shift from international superstars toward ruling the world that existed outside of the United States. Apart from “Under Pressure” and “Radio Ga Ga,” all of the 17 singles here did not crack the American Top 40, but they’re well-known throughout the world, particularly the operatic anthems “A Kind of Magic,” “I Want It All,” “I Want to Break Free,” and “Who Wants to Live Forever.” Generally, the songs here favor melodrama to untrammeled rock & roll, which means while there’s nothing here that hits as hard as “Tie Your Mother Down”; there’s also nothing as light on its feet as “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” either. This is not necessarily a bad thing: nobody scaled the dramatic heights like Queen, and this captures their pomp & circumstance at its most polished.

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Queen – Greatest Hits (1981) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2013]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 63:18 minutes | Scans included | 2,14 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,31 GB
based on Digital Remaster 2011

They may not have started out that way, but by 1981 Queen definitely was perceived as a singles act. This record gathers their biggest US/UK hits, 1973-1981, including the collaboration with David Bowie, “Under Pressure,” which was not on the reissue from EMI. Not to be confused with the 1992 Hollywood Records (61625) release also called Greatest Hits.

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Queen – Innuendo (1991) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2012]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 53:51 minutes | Scans included | 2,17 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,24 GB

Unbeknownst to the public, Freddie Mercury had been diagnosed with the AIDS virus in the late ’80s. Although his health weakened by the ’90s, Mercury insisted that the band work on music until the very end; their final album turned out to be 1991’s Innuendo. Although it didn’t receive the same critical praise as its predecessor, 1989’s The Miracle, it was another strong album and global hit (again going gold in the U.S.). With hindsight, the song’s lyrics are blatantly autobiographical from Mercury’s standpoint, such as the reflective “These Are the Days of Our Lives” and the bold “The Show Must Go On.” Also included are a pair of tracks that deal with mankind’s inability to live harmoniously (the superb epic title track and “All God’s People”) and a humorous tribute to Mercury’s beloved pet felines (“Delilah”). Queen’s heavier side is represented by both the rock radio hit “Headlong” and “The Hitman,” while “I’m Going Slightly Mad,” “I Can’t Live With You,” and “Don’t Try So Hard” show the band’s pop sensibilities in full force, and on “Bijou,” Brian May gets to show off his guitar chops. Innuendo was a fitting way to end one of rock’s most successful careers.

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