Greatest Hits
LP by Queen
Released	November 2, 1981 (UK); November 3, 1981 (USA)
Recorded
Genre	Rock
Length
Label	EMI (UK), Hollywood Records (US)
Producer(s)	Queen
Professional reviews
Queen chronology
The Best Of Queen (1976)	Greatest Hits (1981)	The Complete Works (1985)

Greatest Hits [Elektra] is a 1981 Queen compilation. The record, released on 2 November 1981 only in the United Kingdom, became that country's all-time bestseller, but subsequently went out of print. It was reissued in the UK in 1994 by Parlophone, under the same name, Greatest Hits, but with three additional songs; combined with Greatest Hits, Vol. II it became the definitive Queen compilation. While a domestic release with different tracks but the same cover art was available in the US in 1981, the British release was available to United States customers only by import until the 1995 release of Greatest Hits, Vols. 1-2, which combined the two discs. The seventeen-track Parlophone Greatest Hits disc was released in the U.S. on its own for the first time, with a few bonus tracks, in 2004 under the name Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You Edition. Image File history File links Queen_GHI.jpg Licensing This image is of a music album or single cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the album or the artist(s) which produced the music or artwork in question. ... A gramophone record, (also vinyl record, phonograph record, LP record, or simply record) is an analogue sound recording medium comprising a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with an inscribed concentric spiral groove. ... Queen is a British rock band which came to popularity during the mid-1970s, and has amassed an enormous worldwide fanbase that continues to exist to this day. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Genres of Cuban music and other popular music A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... A record label is a brand created by companies that specialize in producing, manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and sometimes video recordings (especially music videos), on various formats including compact discs, LPs, DVD-Audio, SACDs, and cassettes. ... The EMI Group is a major record label, based in Hammersmith in London, in the United Kingdom. ... Hollywood Records is a record label owned by Disney. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Queen is a British rock band which came to popularity during the mid-1970s, and has amassed an enormous worldwide fanbase that continues to exist to this day. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Complete Works Following Live Aid, Queen found themselves revitalized and once again a concert force to reckoned with. ... This article is about the year. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Queen is a British rock band which came to popularity during the mid-1970s, and has amassed an enormous worldwide fanbase that continues to exist to this day. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Parlophone Records Parlophone is a record label which was founded in Germany prior to World War I by the Carl Lindstrom Company. ... Greatest Hits [Parlophone] is a 1994 Queen compilation. ... Greatest Hits, Vol. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Here is the complete and accurate history of Queen's various Greatest Hits compilations:

In 1981, Queen released Greatest Hits worldwide. However, there was no universal tracklisting or even cover art. Each territory's tracks were dependent on what singles were released there, and what tracks charted. In some cases, despite the band's popularity, not enough songs were issued as singles to fill a compilation album, an a few album tracks were used as filler. Some examples of these were "Sweet Lady" and "Love Of My Life", neither were released as singles in any country, but appear on some regions' 1981 Hits release. In the UK and the US, where solid numbers could be collected, the standard was raised again by only including top twenty Hits. This rigid criterion was a trademark of Queen's desire to only market the best. Queen's official website 'queenonline' issued a GREATEST VIDEO HITS 1 - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE on **Fri 20 Sep 02** stating '..Compiled directly from the band’s phenomenally successful Greatest Hits 1 album, which has to date sold in excess of 25 million copies worldwide'. In 2005 QOL informed that Greatest Hits 1 has sold in excess of 4 million in the UK.

Below are the track listings for the various Queen Hits (1981 onward) collections from the US and UK.

The US ended up with its original edit of Queen's first single release, "Keep Yourself Alive", which had been re-released in the US in 1975 (original release was 1973) after the success of "Bohemian Rhapsody". Also, because of the delay in release dates between the UK (out first) and the US (almost a month later), the US was able to add "Under Pressure" (Queen's duet with David Bowie) to its Hits collection, as it was released during that interim.

Jumping ahead to 1991, Queen sought to issue a second Greatest Hits collection worldwide, this time with a standard track listing. However, the band had just changed record labels in the US, from Capitol to Hollywood Records, who keen on a massive promotion of the band's back catalogue. The problem was that Elektra still held the US rights to that first 1981 collection. Hollywood Records decided to not release "Greatest Hits II" to the US market, but instead created their own collection, "Classic Queen" (1992). This compilation was made up of tracks such as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Under Pressure" (which had already appeared on the Elektra 1981 "Hits" collection) as well as newer tracks ("A Kind Of Magic" and "Radio Ga Ga"). Some tracks were not even singles in the US ("One Year Of Love") or anywhere ("Stone Cold Crazy"). Though well received, this collection would eventually pose the problem of overlapping track lists in the future.

Hollywood Records, later that year, released a companion collection "Queen Greatest Hits" with similar artwork (on a red background, where "Classic Queen" was on royal blue). Commonly referred to as the "Red Greatest Hits", it feature most of the '70s tracks absent from "Classic Queen" (including "Another One Bites The Dust" [1980], "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" and "Killer Queen"), but "Bohemian Rhapsody", is suprisingly absent. This collection was also well received on the US market and as a pair are a solid set.

In 1995, Parlophone (Queen's UK distributor) released "The Gold Collection" which was simply the UK Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2 repackaged. Imported to the US, it sold reseasonably well, until Hollywood Records in the US released it in November of 1995 in the US. In Canada, PolyGram Canada issued a two disc set titled "The Very Best Of Queen" which was track listing for track listing the same as "The Gold Collection", and much cheaper. Fortunately, "The Very Best..." was a limited time release and disappeared not long after, while import and US editions of "Gold" stayed on the shelves.

In 1997, Queen released a non-Hits collection, called "Queen Rocks", which feature many of their hard-rock tracks (some Hits, some album cuts). It also featured a newly written and recorded song, "No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)", as a send off to Freddie and others who died before their time.

1999 saw a worldwide release of "Greatest Hits III". This time, adding to the confusion, Hollywood records released it straight, track listing intact. This would have seemed ideal, except that at least one track on "Hits III" appeared on "Classic Queen": "These Are The Days Of Our Lives". Only those who'd bought "The Gold Collection" or "The Very Best..." would benefit from no double tracks in purchasing this collection.

2000 saw the release of "The Platinum Collection" to replace "The Gold Collection", now featuring the three UK "Hits" albums. "Platinum" received US release as well in September of 2002, and landed on the shelves next to "the Red Hits", "Classic Queen" and "The Gold Collection". Newcomers to the band's music now had a difficult choice to make as to where to begin and what collection suited their needs, as several had the same tracks.

In 2004, to promote the Las Vegas production of the musical "We Will Rock You", Hollywood Records released "Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You Edition" which was the UK "Greatest Hits" with three bonus tracks.

Track listing

UK 1981 "Greatest Hits"

1. Bohemian Rhapsody (Mercury)
2. Another One Bites The Dust (Deacon)
3. Killer Queen (Mercury)
4. Fat Bottomed Girls (May)
5. Bicycle Race (Mercury)
6. You're My Best Friend (Deacon)
7. Don't Stop Me Now (Mercury)
8. Save Me (May)
9. Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Mercury)
10. Somebody to Love (Mercury)
11. Now I'm Here (May)
12. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy (Mercury)
13. Play The Game (Mercury)
14. Flash (May)
15. The Seven Seas Of Rhye (Mercury)
16. We Will Rock You (May)
17. We Are The Champions (Mercury)

Bohemian Rhapsody is a song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ... Another One Bites the Dust is a 1980 rock song from the British rock band Queen. ... John Richard Deacon was the bassist for the rock band Queen. ... Killer Queen is a song by the British rock band Queen. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ... Brian May with The Red Special Brian Harold May CBE (born 19 July 1947) was the guitarist for the English rock band Queen. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ... Youre My Best Friend/39 was one of the first singles released by the British band Queen. ... John Richard Deacon was the bassist for the rock band Queen. ... Dont Stop Me Now is a 1979 hit single by Queen, from their 1978 album Jazz. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ... Brian May with The Red Special Brian Harold May CBE (born 19 July 1947) was the guitarist for the English rock band Queen. ... Crazy Little Thing Called Love is a song performed by the British rock band Queen, written by singer Freddie Mercury in 1979. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ... Somebody to Love is a Queen song written by Freddie Mercury, and released on the 1976 album A Day at the Races. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ... Brian May with The Red Special Brian Harold May CBE (born 19 July 1947) was the guitarist for the English rock band Queen. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ... Brian May with The Red Special Brian Harold May CBE (born 19 July 1947) was the guitarist for the English rock band Queen. ... Seven Seas Of Rhye is a song performed by British rock group Queen and written by Freddie Mercury. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ... This article is about the song and record. ... Brian May with The Red Special Brian Harold May CBE (born 19 July 1947) was the guitarist for the English rock band Queen. ... This article refers to the song written and performed by Queen. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ...

US 1981 Elektra "Greatest Hits"

1. Another One Bites The Dust
2. Bohemian Rhapsody
3. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
4. Killer Queen
5. Fat Bottomed Girls
6. Bicycle Race
7. Under Pressure
8. We Will Rock You
9. We Are The Champions
10. Flash
11. Somebody To Love
12. You're My Best Friend
13. Keep Yourself Alive
14. Play The Game

Under Pressure is also an alternative title for the Frank Herbert novel The Dragon in the Sea. ... Keep Yourself Alive was the first track on the British rock group Queens debut album, written by Brian May. ...

UK 1991 "Greatest Hits II"

1. A Kind Of Magic
2. Under Pressure
3. Radio Ga-Ga
4. I Want It All
5. I Want To Break Free
6. Innuendo
7. It's A Hard Life
8. Breakthru
9. Who Wants To Live Forever
10. Headlong
11. The Miracle
12. I'm Going Slightly Mad
13. The Invisible Man
14. Hammer To Fall
15. Friends Will Be Friends
16. The Show Must Go On
17. One Vision

A Kind of Magic is a rock pop song written by Roger Taylor for the film Highlander, for which Queen wrote the music. ... Radio Ga Ga is a song performed and recorded by the band Queen, written by their drummer Roger Taylor. ... Innuendo is a song by British rock band Queen. ... Hammer to Fall is a 1984 hard-rock song written by Brian May and performed by the British rock group Queen. ... The Show Must Go On is a song by British rock band Queen. ...

US 1992 "Classic Queen"

1. A Kind Of Magic
2. Bohemian Rhapsody
3. Under Pressure
4. Hammer To Fall
5. Stone Cold Crazy
6. One Year Of Love
7. Radio Ga Ga
8. I'm Going Slightly Mad
9. I Want It All
10. Tie Your Mother Down
11. The Miracle
12. These Are The Days Of Our Lives
13. One Vision
14. Keep Yourself Alive
15. Headlong
16. Who Wants To Live Forever
17. The Show Must Go On

US 1992 "Greatest Hits" (Red)

1. We Will Rock You
2. We Are The Champions
3. Another One Bites The Dust
4. Killer Queen
5. Somebody To Love
6. Fat Bottomed Girls
7. Bicycle Race
8. You're My Best Friend
9. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
10. Now I'm Here
11. Play The Game
12. The Seven Seas Of Rhye
13. Body Language
14. Save Me
15. Don't Stop Me Now
16. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
17. I Want To Break Free

UK 1995 "The Gold Collection"

(UK "Greatest Hits I & II)

US 1996 "The Very Best Of Queen"

(same as UK "Greatest Hits I & II")

UK/US 1997 "Queen Rocks"

1. We Will Rock You
2. Tie Your Mother Down
3. I Want It All
4. The Seven Seas Of Rhye
5. I Can't Live With You (1997 'Rocks' Re-Take)
6. Hammer To Fall
7. Stone Cold Crazy
8. Now I'm Here
9. Fat Bottomed Girls
10. Keep Yourself Alive
11. Tear It Up
12. One Vision
13. Sheer Heart Attack
14. I'm In Love With My Car
15. Put Out The Fire
16. Headlong
17. It's Late
18. No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)

UK/US 1999 "Greatest Hits III

1. The Show Must Go On (Queen + Elton John)
2. Under Pressure (Rah Mix) (Queen + David Bowie)
3. Barcelona (Freddie Mercury + Montserrat Caballe)
4. Too Much Love Will Kill You
5. Somebody To Love (Queen + George Michael)
6. You Don't Fool Me
7. Heaven For Everyone
8. Las Palabras De Amor (The Words Of Love)
9. Driven By You (Brian May)
10. Living On My Own (1992 'Album' Mix) (Freddie Mercury)
11. Let Me Live
12. The Great Pretender (Freddie Mercury)
13. Princes Of The Universe
14. Another One Bites The Dust (New LP Version) (Queen + Wyclef Jean, Pras & Free)
15. No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)
16. These Are The Days Of Our Lives
17. Thank God It's Christmas

No One But You (Only The Good Die Young) is the only song recorded by the British rock band Queen after the death of Freddie Mercury. ...

US 2004 "Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You Edition"

1. Bohemian Rhapsody
2. Another One Bites The Dust
3. Killer Queen
4. Fat Bottomed Girls
5. Bicycle Race
6. You're My Best Friend
7. Don't Stop Me Now
8. Save Me
9. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
10. Somebody To Love
11. Now I'm Here
12. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
13. Play The Game
14. Flash
15. The Seven Seas Of Rhye
16. We Will Rock You
17. We Are The Champions
18. I'm In Love With My Car (UK Single Version)
19. Under Pressure (Live at Milton Keynes, 1982)
20. Tie Your Mother Down (Live At Milton Keynes, 1982)

Queen is a British rock band which came to popularity during the mid-1970s, and has amassed an enormous worldwide fanbase that continues to exist to this day. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ... Brian May with The Red Special Brian Harold May CBE (born 19 July 1947) was the guitarist for the English rock band Queen. ... Roger Meddows-Taylor, a. ... John Richard Deacon was the bassist for the rock band Queen. ... An album is a collection of related audio tracks, released together commercially in an audio format to the public. ... Queen is the first album by British band Queen, originally released in 1973. ... Queen II is a rock album by British band Queen originally released in 1974. ... ...Sheer Heart Attack is a Queen album from 1974. ... A Night at the Opera is a rock album by British band Queen originally released in 1975. ... A Day at the Races is a rock album by British band Queen originally released in 1976. ... News of the World is a Queen album released on October 28, 1977. ... Jazz is a 1978 album by British rock band Queen. ... Released June 30, 1980, The Game was the first Queen album to reach the #1 position in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ... Flash Gordon is a 1980 album by British rock band Queen. ... Hot Space is a rock album by British band Queen originally released in 1982. ... The Works is a rock album by British band Queen originally released in 1984. ... A Kind of Magic is a 1986 album by British rock band Queen. ... The Miracle is a 1989 album by British rock band Queen. ... Innuendo is a 1991 album by British rock band Queen. ... Made in Heaven is also the name of a documentary about the recording of Miles Davis masterpiece Kind of Blue. ... A live album is a musical recording containing recorded concert performances. ... Live Killers is a double vinyl and compact disc live album by British rock band Queen. ... Live Magic is a vinyl and compact disc live album by British rock band Queen. ... Live at Wembley 86 is a double compact disc live album by British rock band Queen. ... Queen On Fire - Live At The Bowl is a double compact disc live album by British rock band Queen released on October 25, 2004. ... A compilation album is a musical album featuring songs or tunes with some common characteristics. ... Greatest Hits [Elektra] is a 1981 Queen compilation. ... Greatest Hits, Vol. ... At The Beeb is a vinyl and compact disc live album released in 1989 by British rock band Queen. ... Classic Queen is a 1992 compilation of songs by the British rock band Queen. ... Greatest Hits [Hollywood] is a 1992 Queen compilation. ... Greatest Hits [Parlophone] is a 1994 Queen compilation. ... Another One Bites the Dust is a 1980 rock song from the British rock band Queen. ... Bohemian Rhapsody is a song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. ... Crazy Little Thing Called Love is a song performed by the British rock band Queen, written by singer Freddie Mercury in 1979. ... Radio Ga Ga is a song performed and recorded by the band Queen, written by their drummer Roger Taylor. ... Somebody to Love is a Queen song written by Freddie Mercury, and released on the 1976 album A Day at the Races. ... The Show Must Go On is a song by British rock band Queen. ... These Are The Days Of Our Lives is a song by Queen. ... A Song Infobox has been requested for this article. ... This article refers to the song written and performed by Queen. ... This article is about the song and record. ...