QUEEN Discography- MONTREAL '81 in theaters near you

[DragonAttack]

Gluttons For Punishment Tour ‘81

As much as the their first tour in the Spring of ’81 was successful and record breaking, this tour in the fall was a memorable pain in the axe for all involved.  Broken promises, mice and kittens disguised as chicken in their KFC food buckets, concerts cancelled…..you name it, they experienced it.  One night all the batteries were confiscated from concert goers, then resold outside, then tossed at the band during their show….leading John Deacon to wear a Dallas Cowboy helmet the following night at a show. Shoes and bags of dirt were also tossed onstage.



 They were slated to play five nights (including September 29 and 30), but the shows were cancelled as the country went into mourning following the death of former president Rómulo Betancourt.

Caracas Polyhedron Arena Caracas, Venezuela September 27th      Attendance: 20,000    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZPBfGzFQow
Soundboard Recording Sound Quality: B+
We Will Rock You (fast) / Let Me Entertain You / Play The Game / Somebody To Love / Killer Queen / I'm In Love With My Car / Get Down Make Love / Need Your Loving Tonight / Save Me / Now I'm Here / Dragon Attack / Now I'm Here (reprise) / Love Of My Life / Keep Yourself Alive / drum/guitar solos / Flash / The Hero / Crazy Little Thing Called Love / Bohemian Rhapsody / Tie Your Mother Down 
 Encore 1:  Another One Bites The Dust / Sheer Heart Attack     Encore 2:  We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions / God Save The Queen

Queen were lucky to get out of the country after the fact, as airports were nearly shut down. Further issues persisted in Mexico as well, with more gigs being cancelled resulting in only six concerts taking place over the whole leg, compared to the 12-14 that were originally planned. As for this show's performance, the band are quite good, although Brian seems to have some struggles throughout. Freddie is in fairly good voice, as was the norm in 1981, and this is a solid show overall. This concert was filmed in its entirety and is widely available online. The audio on this upload is sourced from the video footage. The band did a few interviews while in Venezuela, and so they have been tagged on to the beginning (courtesy of Chinwonder2).
FBG amigos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3RE5IFW0i0  video from 2 or 3 cameras from a couple rows back
**********
Estadio Universitario, Monterrey, October 9th,    Attendance: 41,600  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21tSOj2p47w  Audience/Broadcast Merge Sound Quality: B+/B-

This is Queen's first concert in Mexico. Nine concerts were planned, but only three took place. The show that was supposed to take place at the same venue the following day was cancelled on the spot, and the band flew out to the States in pairs (Brian and John to Los Angeles, Freddie and Roger to Dallas) to sort things out. This version of the Monterrey show is a merge kindly provided by Chinwonder2. It uses a couple of audience sources and a broadcast to provide the best audio quality possible

On this night…….
They were served KFC, only to find out later that it wasn't chicken, but kittens and mice deep fried! The band returned to Mexico a few days later to play two shows in Puebla, and there things would get even worse.
********
The band returns, only to find out that the three nights in Guadalajara at the 70,000 seat soccer stadium were cancelled, but two shows in Puebla were hastily added. An early tour itinerary shows October 17 as "TBA".

Estadio Olimpico de beisbol Ignacio Zaragoza, Puebla, October 17th,    Attendance:22,000  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfIzS1cg18I&t=47s  Quality: B+
This is the first of two nights in Puebla. The government and organizers chose this location at the last minute ostensibly in an effort to avoid the larger crowds of Mexico City, but in reality it was because they never got the proper permits. A lack of experience and infrastructure soon had the entire operation backfiring in all directions. Things went from bad to worse when the band realized upon arrival how poorly everything was organized.

Everyone entering the venue was searched thoroughly and all batteries were confiscated, as it seems the authorities wanted to prevent people from recording the show. But then upon entering the venue the ulterior motives became evident, as there was a stall set up inside the venue by vendors re-selling the same batteries at exorbitant prices. However, fans pushed their way into the venue and ultimately overwhelmed security, eventually allowing the tapers to pass through without examination.

These Queen shows were among the first rock concerts in Mexico. Many ‘music’ fans drank and misbehaved, and ultimately made this particular show a difficult experience for many. Meanwhile most of the crew got sick from eating the local food.

The band and crew would recall this concert to be one of their worst experiences, not least because various objects were thrown at them throughout much of the show. Since it was so overcrowded, at some point during the show people ended up tearing down the gate into the venue. In some parts of the stadium the tiers collapsed and many people were seriously injured, breaking arms and legs.

In the middle of Now I'm Here, Freddie reacts to the rowdy audience throwing shoes at the band: "I've never seen so many shoes on stage. It's like bloody Chelsea Cobbler, I tell you [Chelsea Cobbler is a men's shoe store in London]!" During the vocal exchange with the audience, he urges them, "Come on motherfuckers, let's get the beat!" Just as the band are merging back into the song after Dragon Attack, Mercury does his usual "Think I'll stay around" bit, but adds, "I think I'll go home, right now." More shoes soon hit the stage, and he responds again while the band are finishing the song. "Ah, you're dead, you buggers!" His frustrations are clear. At one point a boot hit John Deacon in the head.

Brian has some fun between verses of Keep Yourself Alive. Later, he breaks a string during The Hero, but he manages to keep it in tune with the whammy bar (a huge challenge with floating tremolo). Later, a bag of dirt is thrown at him by an audience member towards the end of the Bohemian Rhapsody solo, and he understandly struggles to the end of it. He gets hit by another bag of dirt later in the song, at "just gotta get out."

The band drop several songs to finish the show quicker - Fat Bottomed Girls and Sheer Heart Attack, at least. After the second encore of We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions, Freddie says, "Thank you for the shoes! Adios amigos, you motherfuckers! You bunch of tacos, goodbye!"

As a result of the atmosphere caused by the uncooperative audience, this may well be Queen's shortest headlining gig ever, next to Hyde Park '76 - clocking in at under 90 minutes.

Only one small door was open for fans to exit the venue, and people were still leaving at 3am. Police presence made things even more tense. With large batons they beat people who walked out of line, and they were left on the ground bleeding. Amidst all the chaos the band were locked in an underground room, where John Deacon, who was claustrophobic, was not having a particularly good time. Here the band were forced to sign a legal document ensuring they would return the following night, to prevent riots. Fortunately the second show would prove not to be nearly as problematic.

Five minutes of super 8 footage exist from this show. The coordinator of the Mexican Queen fan club is allegedly the filmer, who has only leaked short and heavily watermarked compressed samples in such horrible quality that would make 1990s mpeg files look pristine by comparison.

It is rumoured that a pro video filmed for TV once existed, but was destroyed in the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.
*****************


Puebla, October 18th,  Attendance: 22,000  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hkD5qP3b50  Quality: B
As the last stop on the Gluttons for Punishment leg, the band plays a second night in Puebla. After last night's fiasco, John tries on the Dallas Cowboys helmet in hopes of protecting himself, but the audience was much better and it wasn't required.

This show marks the final performance of Need Your Loving Tonight.

This is the first time Brian would play the riffs from the future B-side "I Go Crazy" during his solo spot.

Because of the turn of events for the Queen shows, concerts were banned in Puebla for the next ten years.

In the winter 1981 official fan club magazine, Roger was his usual blunt self: "Glad to be back from Mexico - it was hell! - well, difficult to say the least - nasty authorities, corrupt officials & food poisoning, plus risk of death, etc. Apart from that it was wonderful!"

Queen leave the stage for good.  No ‘version’ of Queen or Queen+ would ever make another visit to Mexico (no solo tours as well).

 

[Orbert]

That sounds absolutely horrible.  In situations like this, I always wonder whose idea it was to "tour" Mexico in the first place.

[TAC]

Wow, brutal.

[Stadler]

Everyone entering the venue was searched thoroughly and all batteries were confiscated, as it seems the authorities wanted to prevent people from recording the show. But then upon entering the venue the ulterior motives became evident, as there was a stall set up inside the venue by vendors re-selling the same batteries at exorbitant prices. However, fans pushed their way into the venue and ultimately overwhelmed security, eventually allowing the tapers to pass through without examination.

These Queen shows were among the first rock concerts in Mexico. Many ‘music’ fans drank and misbehaved, and ultimately made this particular show a difficult experience for many. Meanwhile most of the crew got sick from eating the local food.

Supposedly, the authorities did the same thing with liquor on the second night; confiscating the bottles on the way in (the rationale was to temper the crowd a bit) but then once the people got inside, there was at least one stand selling the confiscated liquor.  Seems to be a racket.  There was also a story about getting into the country - limited crossing times, limits on the visas that could be issued at any one time - but once "palms were greased", things became a lot easier. 

[ReaperKK]

That sounds like an absolute nightmare of a show. I'm not surprised they decided not to return.

[DragonAttack]

Everyone entering the venue was searched thoroughly and all batteries were confiscated, as it seems the authorities wanted to prevent people from recording the show. But then upon entering the venue the ulterior motives became evident, as there was a stall set up inside the venue by vendors re-selling the same batteries at exorbitant prices. However, fans pushed their way into the venue and ultimately overwhelmed security, eventually allowing the tapers to pass through without examination.

These Queen shows were among the first rock concerts in Mexico. Many ‘music’ fans drank and misbehaved, and ultimately made this particular show a difficult experience for many. Meanwhile most of the crew got sick from eating the local food.

Supposedly, the authorities did the same thing with liquor on the second night; confiscating the bottles on the way in (the rationale was to temper the crowd a bit) but then once the people got inside, there was at least one stand selling the confiscated liquor.  Seems to be a racket.  There was also a story about getting into the country - limited crossing times, limits on the visas that could be issued at any one time - but once "palms were greased", things became a lot easier.

And the local promoter had not paid the taxes, so there were armed guards around the equipment before 'inducements were made' before it made its way to NYC then Montreal. 

Well, after ten years, I found my '78 tour book!     And  this 'Gluttons For Punishment' book, just unearthed again as I was sorting through boxes from a very much discussed home sale (OURS!).   


Included is crazy stuff like flying turf from the States to lay on the soccer fields, then having people jump up and down for ours to check for damage.  When they were in Caracas, they appeared on live TV after their third show with celebrity look alikes of Robert Redford, Raquel Welch, Woody Allen, Telly Savalas, and countless others.  During the show, that's when the announcement of their former president dying was made. Then their stuck for eight days, then on to Mexico.  One great hotel's piping was wonderful.  If the shower was on and someone flushed the toilet, it would drain through......the shower. 

On a better note, from the much more successful spring tour, some of what it all took:
130 tons of equipment
40 miles of cable
90 different flights with 25 different airlines
21 different hotels for the band and crew
A main crew of 47 was hired.
A stretched DC-8 cargo plane was used to bring their equipment from the Japan tour.  The flight took 36 hours.
465 overhead lights with the power of 1000 watts apiece were used in the stage show.
72 PA speaker cabinets were used.
Equipment was insured for over one million pounds.
A new stage was constructed at each site to accommodate the specially designed roof.

After the spring tour, the cargo plane sat in Puerto Rico for four days due to technical issues, before heading on to be unloaded in NYC.  Being a roadie ain't all it's cracked up to be.

Obviously, all endured immense stress and pressure during their brief (too long?) fall South American tour.  The equipment would make its way for a couple of shows in Montreal a few months later.  In the meantime, the band would exhale, and release some of their pent up 'pressure' ... <groan >

[TAC]

I've found a few other things in this 'Gluttons For Punishment' book, just unearthed as I was resorting boxes from a very much discussed home sale (OURS!). 

Wow, is that an actual thing? When and where did you get that?

[DragonAttack]

My wife dug up a lot of somewhat ‘unique’ items back in the day. It was put together by Peter Hince and the road crew. The drawings of Freddie and John leave a lot to be desired.

The text was rather timid as to all the sh*t they at times literally had to deal with.

(and I just noticed some of my posts have the prior topic as its header. Hmmmm….)

[TAC]

OK, there where and when did SHE get it?

[DragonAttack]

Could have been from someone in Sri Lanka, India, Russia, the UK, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, South America.....maybe someone Stateside.  She was an avid trader and purchaser back in the day.

Hey, if you want the next copy available, try this company:  https://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=214483&gclid=CjwKCAjwqauVBhBGEiwAXOepkTDzosNK4gk63nFtfz4n2PWHvWGcfE_uo0-V2Xn4FwpVa2cHfEu6hxoCyN8QAvD_BwE

Seeing this brought back memories.  EIL's prices were often 20-50% higher than what a 'reasonable' person would spend on an item, but some times we weren't 'reasonable' people.

[DragonAttack]

UNDER PRESSURE b/w Soul Brother

Released: October 26, 1981 UK (EMI), USA (Elektra)   
   
Charts:  UK #1, USA #29
Canada #1, Netherlands #1, Ireland #2, South Africa #4, Belgium #5, Norway #5, Portugal #5, Australia #6, New Zealand #6, Spain #9, Austria #6, Sweden #10, Switzerland #10, Italy #20, West Germany #21

2009
Ireland #45

2016
US Hot Rock and Alternative #5, France #20, Spain #28, Italy #29, Canada #30, Austria #37, Portugal #39, Australia #42, UK #43, United States #45, Ireland #51, Sweden #59,  Netherlands #66

Certifications:
Platinum in Denmark
2x Platinum in the UK, USA, and Italy
3x Platinum in Australia



Recorded,   July 1981 at Mountain Studios in Montreux
Producer: Queen and David Bowie
David Richards piano

the original video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a01QQZyl-_I   207 MILLION views
and then there's the 'Classic Queen' version  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoDh_gHDvkk  318 MILLION views
(which I watched for the first time today)

The second UK #1 hit for Queen (‘Bohemian Rhapsody’), and the third for David Bowie (‘Space Oddity’ and ‘Ashes To Ashes’). From a one day session during the band’s long breaks between the South American tours, it was later mixed by Freddie, Roger, and David in NYC.  It was either Bowie or Deacon who came up with the famous bass line…John crediting David with it, while all others credit John (with some tweaking by Roger and perhaps David). It was recorded three months before its release as a single in the UK (and some ten months before their next studio album).  It did appear on some ‘Greatest Hits’ versions released the same day.
 
Bowie also provided backing vocals on the demo for ‘Cool Cat’.  That version would not be officially released, as he was dissatisfied with his effort.

The demo that ‘Under Pressure’ came from was called ‘Feel Like’, written by Roger.  Well worth the five minutes to hear its beginnings, and its quite good in its early stages.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TrVnt1mngU   

‘Soul Brother’ is a non album song, with tongue in cheeks lyrics and Freddie mostly singing falsetto, in a style similar to the studio version of ‘See What A Fool I’ve Been’.  The band is credited for writing both songs on this single (only ‘Stone Cold Crazy’ had that distinction prior).  It was a demo from ‘The Game’ sessions, with updated lyrics added.  Somewhat silly but oddly enjoyable (and in most ways better than anything that appeared on their next Side One release).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biTEw6knPFY 

Plenty of sources for the background and reviews of UP are available, including
https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/liner-notes/under-pressure/ 
https://americansongwriter.com/lyric-week-queen-david-bowie-pressure/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Pressure


Finally…..though it was ‘different’, I certainly enjoyed it when released, and even more so on all the various live versions.  One of the most recognizable bass riffs ever.  The original video received massive airplay on MTV for many months, and its easily one of my ten favorites non concert videos of the band (though neither they or Bowie appear in it).

that 'classic Queen' version....I guess its nice.  Certainly well crafted.

[Orbert]

I've read lots of stories about the song, and I'm sure many are just plain crap.  But one of the more interesting ones said that Bowie and Freddie didn't actually work together on the vocals, literally each recording their parts separately without knowing what the other was singing.  I've always thought that they didn't really sound like they were collaborating so much as each doing their own thing, so this story seemed to support that.  No idea how much truth there is to it, though.

[TAC]

The demo that ‘Under Pressure’ came from was called ‘Feel Like’, written by Roger.  Well worth the five minutes to hear its beginnings, and its quite good in its early stages.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TrVnt1mngU   

Wow, that was an interesting listen.

  ‘Soul Brother’ is a non album song, with tongue in cheeks lyrics and Freddie mostly singing falsetto, in a style similar to the studio version of ‘See What A Fool I’ve Been’.  The band is credited for writing both songs on this single (only ‘Stone Cold Crazy’ had that distinction prior).  It was a demo from ‘The Game’ sessions, with updated lyrics added.  Somewhat silly but oddly enjoyable (and in most ways better than anything that appeared on their next Side One release).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biTEw6knPFY 

Hmmm... not sure what to think about this. But Freddie is great on it.

[DragonAttack]

^
'Feel Like':  demos can be hit or miss, this was certainly 'hit' to hear the foundations of the song, especially without the memorable bass.  It's also semi stripped down, real instruments and no overdone and lazy synths, something that plagued the next album.  And somehow wasn't a bonus track made available.  'Soul Brother' is, well, it has its moments.

There might be photos of Queen and Bowie from Montreux, but none that I could find online.  Here's a couple from Live Aid (minus John), with Diana and Charles and Bob Geldof.





up next:  the top selling UK album in history (and its 'relatives')

[DragonAttack]

GREATEST HITS

Released:  October 26, 1981 UK (EMI), USA (Elektra)

Charts: UK #1, USA #14
Austria #1, Netherlands #1, West Germany #1, New Zealand #1, Australia #2, Norway #21

1991 UK #6     1992 Canada #4, France #5, Switzerland #5, Australia #8, United States #11     1993  UK #41     1994 UK #21     1996 UK #48

2004 USA #42 (WWRY edition)

In 2006, it became the biggest selling album in UK history.  The current total is over 6 MILLION

2008 Spain #63     2009 (WWRY edition) #23     2011 Mexico #53, France #56, Belgium #78     2016 Portugal #49

2018-19 Peak positions
US #8 (#1 Top Rock albums), Mexico #2, Czechoslavakia #2, Australia #3, Canada #7, Portugal #11, Japan #13, Belgium #36, Italy #37,

2020-22 Peak positions
Scotland #1, UK #2, Ireland #5, United States #8, Belgium #14, Hungary #23
********
Certifications: 23x Platinum in the UK, 9x Platinum in the US
Gold in Japan, Spain, Sweden, Poland
7x Gold in Germany
Diamond in Argentina

Platinum in Brazil, Italy, Finland, Netherlands
2x Platinum in France
3x Platinum in Canada
4x Platinum in Austria
5x Platinum in Switzerland
10x Platinum in New Zealand
15 x Platinum in Australia

Over 25 MILLION in sales worldwide.



 
no liner notes
Of note:  the cover photo was taken by Antony Armstrong-Jones, otherwise known as Lord Snowdon, ex husband of Princess Margaret

UK vinyl version

SIDE ONE
Bohemian Rhapsody
Another One Bites The Dust
Killer Queen
Fat Bottomed Girls
Bicycle Race
You're My Best Friend
Don't Stop Me Now
Save Me

SIDE TWO
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Somebody To Love
Now I'm Here
Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
Play The Game
Flash
Seven Seas Of Rhye
We Will Rock You
We Are The Champions

58 minutes
No ‘Keep Yourself Alive’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, or ‘Spread Your Wings’.  All ‘qualify’, but they limited the release to Top Twenty UK hits only.  Years later, it was released on a double album, and those songs could easily have been added (the same with later CD version).  Heck, I would have also included ‘God Save The Queen’ as well.

‘Under Pressure’ did not appear on the UK version, as it took much longer to press albums there, and EMI couldn’t wait.
*****
Japan replaced ‘Bicycle Race’ with the 45 version of ‘Teo Torriate’
Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela had "Love of My Life" (live version) instead of "Seven Seas of Rhye".
Belgium and Spain had "Spread Your Wings" as an extra track.
Bulgaria had "Death On Two Legs" and "Sweet Lady" as extra tracks.
France, Germany, Israel and Netherlands had "Under Pressure" as an extra track.
Germany also added "Spread Your Wings" on some first pressing copies.

USA and Canada
SIDE ONE
Another One Bites the Dust / Bohemian Rhapsody / Crazy Little Thing Called Love / Killer Queen / Fat Bottomed Girls / Bicycle Race / Under Pressure

SIDE TWO
We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions / Flash / Somebody to Love / You're My Best Friend / Keep Yourself Alive (single version in mono / Play the Game

Australia was identical to the US version, but had "Tie Your Mother Down" as an extra track

See more versions here  https://queenpedia.com/index.php?title=Greatest_Hits_international_tracklistings

******years later....
2004 US edition (Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You)
Released when the stage musical appeared on these shores.  Same track listing as UK 1981 edition, with three additional tracks.
I'm in Love with My Car" (original single mix , and live versions of  ‘Under Pressure’ and ‘Tie Your Mother Down’ from Milton Keynes.

2011 Japan reissue, with 'Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)' added.

[DragonAttack]

I was kind of surprised to see that the album did not chart in many countries. But listed below are where Queen's 'Greatest Hits' charted for yearly sales.

Much like Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of The Moon' and some others, its had a long, successful run, with the total sales of over 25 million copies.
*****************
as to this and how it relates to the later USA version, that's in the next post.

And recently in the news and the Queen thread
https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/queen-mark-milestone-as-first-british-act-with-1-000-weeks-inside-the-official-albums-chart-with-greatest-hits-__36522/
By George Griffiths
"Queen’s Greatest Hits has reached the landmark milestone of 1,000 weeks on the Official Album Chart.   

Rising one spot to Number 18 this week, Queen now become the first British act and third act overall to achieve 1,000 weeks inside the Official Albums Chart Top 100 with an album after Bob Marley & The Wailers’ greatest hits collection Legend (1032 weeks) and the original record-setter, ABBA’s Gold – Greatest Hits (1048 weeks)."

this album has had some staying power 


the 2004 WWRY and 2011 reissue cover

When I was looking at how well the album charted upon its initial release, I was rather surprised that it did not chart in most countries that they'd had big success. The sales certification levels ended up being incredibly high, so I thought I'd list the year end rankings of where this album charted throughout the decades.  And I was quite stunned to see that its sales in the States put it as the #2 Top Rock album in 2019, and #1 in '20 in '21 !!!!

 
 1981   
Netherlands  #9
New Zealand #11
UK  #2

 1982   
Australia #23
Austrian #18
Netherlands #24
West Germany #43
New Zealand  #25
UK  #27

 1984   
UK #47

 1985   
UK  #43

 1986   
UK  #35

 1991   
UK  #25

 1992   
Australia  #16
Austria #7
Germany #2
New Zealand #15
UK  #34

 1993   
UK  #90
USA #60

 2001   
UK  #155

 2002   
Canada #190

 2015   
UK  #77
US  (WWR edition)  #171

 2016   
Mexico #92
UK  #69

 2017   
Australia #55
Mexico #71
UK  #68
US #49

 2018   
Australia #8
Mexico #14
New Zealand  #39
UK  #40
US #96
US Top Rock  #12

 2019   
Australia #9
Belgium #100
Italy #85
Mexico #9
Switzerland #57
UK  #81
US Billboard #27
US Top Rock  #2

 2020   
Australia #52
Ireland #20
UK  #8
US Billboard #25
US Top Rock  #1

 2021   
Australia #91
Belgium #74
German  #61
Hungary #92
Irish  #6
Switzerland #70
UK  #5
US #23
US Top Rock #1

[DragonAttack]

for the 'youngsters'......

QUEEN GREATEST HITS

Released:  September, 1992 USA (Hollywood Records)



We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions / Another One Bites The Dust / Killer Queen / Somebody To Love / Fat Bottomed Girls / Bicycle Race / You're My Best Friend / Crazy Little Thing Called Love / Now I'm Here / Play The Game / Seven Seas Of Rhye / Body Language / Save Me / Don't Stop Me Now / Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy / I Want To Break Free

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘Stone Cold Crazy’, ‘Tie Your Mother Down’, and ‘Keep Yourself Alive’ appeared on the Hollywood Records 'Classic Queen' disc, released in March 1992.  It's sales totals are added to those for 'Greatest Hits II' due to the large majority of songs from that era.  It will be commented on at that time.

But, hey, 'Body Language' and 'I Want To Break Free' are on this one!     

In the US, the original Greatest Hits sold moderately well on initial release in 1981, going Platinum. It reached a new peak of #11 with this reissue in 1992, and finally made the Top Ten  in November 2020 when it peaked at #8, as a result of a Walmart sale on various vinyl albums. The 39 years and one month that the album took to reach the Top Ten is the second-longest ascent to the Top Ten in US Billboard history.   One of the longest charting albums in the US, as of August 2020 it had spent 400 weeks on the Billboard 200. This and the reissue version of Greatest Hits has now been certified nine times platinum in the US for sales of nine million copies, making it the band's best-selling album in the States.

[Stadler]

I'm not sure there's a band whose "Greatest Hits" releases are more confusing than Queen's.  They've repackaged and reformated and reissued those sets too many times to count.

[TAC]

When I was in college my freshman year (86-87) at some point I borrowed a copy of a friend's cassette of Queen's Greatest Hits. I absolutely loved it. But by "loved it", I meant that while I did indeed love it, I never had an interest in diving deeper. I was a metal fan, and while I always enjoyed Queen's songs on the radio, I just wasn't interested. This tape was more of a novelty to me. But I knew every note of it.

My tape deck ate up my friend's tape, so I bought him a new one. I performed "surgery" on the eaten one. Made a small splice, and I was good to go. However, I never did replace it on CD.

[Kwyjibo]

This was my introduction to Queen. I knew a song here and there but I never owned any records. This was my first and I played it to death. And other than Tim I slowly acquired their back catalogue.

If asked what my favorite Queen record is, there's a good chance that it's this greatest hits compilation.

[KevShmev]

I'm not sure there's a band whose "Greatest Hits" releases are more confusing than Queen's.  They've repackaged and reformated and reissued those sets too many times to count.

The Who, perhaps?  I swear, I remember reading that they have more greatest hits/compilation releases than actual studio albums.  When I first got into them in the early 90s, the one I got was pretty confusing as I was like, "Where are all of the songs I hear on classic rock radio all the time?"  The one I had was really heavy on the 60s pre-Tommy material.  Mostly good songs for sure, but it just threw me off.

[DragonAttack]

The Who have 32 compilation releases.  Basically, the double CD 'Ultimate Collection' has all one needs (with a tweak needed hear and there), and yet that 2002 release, which went Platinum in both the UK and States, has different versions for both.

The Stones have 26, with 'GRRR' from 2012 being the most complete if you get the four disc release (as opposed to the two or three....)

Queen has 16, with the three 'Deep Cuts' simply a money grab (as are a couple others that were beyond the band's control, which also includes 'Forever').

Basically, for those not owning their entire studio output,  'Rocks' is worth it for the handful of harder rocking tunes that were not included on any of their greatest hits, GH I, GH II, and the abomination that was 'Queen + Greatest sH*ts III' ..... a good idea but carried out with an incredibly incomplete and embarrassing (to me) track list.

[Stadler]

This was my introduction to Queen. I knew a song here and there but I never owned any records. This was my first and I played it to death. And other than Tim I slowly acquired their back catalogue.

If asked what my favorite Queen record is, there's a good chance that it's this greatest hits compilation.

There are bands for whom their greatest hits is a perfect piece; the band doesn't love it, but We Sold Our Soul For Rock 'n' Roll by Sabbath is a good slab for the Ozzy years.  But for me, Queen is too eclectic for that.  I don't love everything, but when there's not one song from my favorite Queen album - Queen II - it's a struggle.

[Stadler]

The Who have 32 compilation releases.  Basically, the double CD 'Ultimate Collection' has all one needs (with a tweak needed hear and there), and yet that 2002 release, which went Platinum in both the UK and States, has different versions for both.

The Stones have 26, with 'GRRR' from 2012 being the most complete if you get the four disc release (as opposed to the two or three....)

Queen has 16, with the three 'Deep Cuts' simply a money grab (as are a couple others that were beyond the band's control, which also includes 'Forever').

Basically, for those not owning their entire studio output,  'Rocks' is worth it for the handful of harder rocking tunes that were not included on any of their greatest hits, GH I, GH II, and the abomination that was 'Queen + Greatest sH*ts III' ..... a good idea but carried out with an incredibly incomplete and embarrassing (to me) track list.

I forgot about The Who.

I didn't count the Stones or Kiss because largely, their hits packages make a sort of sense.  The Stones ALWAYS include a handful of new songs on their hits' packages, and their packages are usually pretty comprehensive.   Kiss, believe it or not, is pretty generous with their hits packages; most of the songs are not just rehashes of the same hits.  I mean, it's the same songs but there are remixes, or reworkings that make them somewhat unique to those that care about those kinds of things. 

[ReaperKK]

This is off topic but I love when artists give you something extra in a GH package. The Incubus greatest hits had a ton of b-sides on it and some of those songs are the best in their catalog.

[The Curious Orange]

GH was my introduction to Queen, as I suspect it was for many people. A damn near perfect track selection, however...

It's 58 minutes long. To get this on to a single vinyl called for some serious reduction in sound quality, with songs mastered way too quietly. Only they didn't want to do that, and some songs, particularly the new songs from The Game, are mastered properly, sound great, but to compensate older songs (Seven Seas of Rhye) are mastered so quietly they're virtually a whisper. This carried across to cassette and CD versions for some reason - I bought this on CD as part of the "Platinum" edition, packaged with GH2 and the incredibly pointless GH3, and the supposedly remastered CD sounds the same as the old vinyl did, new songs mastered too loud, old songs mastered too quiet. Don't know if more recent masters have fixed the comparative volume issue, don't care.

[Cool Chris]

I knew Queen from classic rock radio in high school, and bought the Classic Queen (blue cover) CD and listened to it a ton. I don't know if I ever owned the... whatever the hell color that other one is... though I know some of my friends did. I never bought it as I favored Classic Queen, release and everything I liked from the Greatest Hits was on the radio all the time.

[soupytwist]

Greatest Hits has ruined Queen for me.  It's easily the biggest selling album in the UK and it's all anyone ever plays (Similar to ABBA Gold - the second highest album in sales in the UK).  Queen have so many great tracks and albums, but all I ever hear is these same songs over and over - It's weird how many people will play the Greatest Hits to death and never think, maybe I should listen to one of the their proper albums (none of Queens actual albums break into the top 1000 selling in the UK).

[Zydar]

Greatest Hits was my introduction to Queen. I remember I bought it as a cassette when I was a kid (early 90s). MTV played quite a lot of their videos too at the time.

Whenever I hear those songs I am taken back to listening to Greatest Hits in my dad's car on a summer day.

[Cool Chris]

Greatest Hits has ruined Queen for me.  It's easily the biggest selling album in the UK and it's all anyone ever plays (Similar to ABBA Gold - the second highest album in sales in the UK). 

Funny. I know and love ABBA Gold inside and out and couldn't name one of their songs that isn't on that album.

[The Curious Orange]

ABBA Gold has some pretty big hits missing - Summer Night City, I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do, The Day Before You Came, So Long, Honey Honey - all songs you'd probably want to include on any compilation.

Queen's GH doesn't really have any glaring omissions - I'd have put Keep Yourself Alive on there, but then I can see that something has to give, and while I personally would have dropped Now I'm Here to make room, the decision to limit it to top 20 hits was the right way to go. I do think they should have put this out after the Jazz album, as the 4 songs from The Game album don't really "fit" with the earlier material and they could have squeezed in 4 "best of the rest" tracks in too. But it is a monster album as it is.

[ZirconBlue]

Greatest Hits has ruined Queen for me.  It's easily the biggest selling album in the UK and it's all anyone ever plays (Similar to ABBA Gold - the second highest album in sales in the UK).  Queen have so many great tracks and albums, but all I ever hear is these same songs over and over - It's weird how many people will play the Greatest Hits to death and never think, maybe I should listen to one of the their proper albums (none of Queens actual albums break into the top 1000 selling in the UK).

“All tapes left in a car for more than about a fortnight metamorphose into Best of Queen albums.” 

[DragonAttack]

Greatest Hits has ruined Queen for me.  It's easily the biggest selling album in the UK and it's all anyone ever plays (Similar to ABBA Gold - the second highest album in sales in the UK).  Queen have so many great tracks and albums, but all I ever hear is these same songs over and over - It's weird how many people will play the Greatest Hits to death and never think, maybe I should listen to one of the their proper albums (none of Queens actual albums break into the top 1000 selling in the UK).

“All tapes left in a car for more than about a fortnight metamorphose into Best of Queen albums.” 

Something like this?

[soupytwist]

ABBA Gold has some pretty big hits missing - Summer Night City, I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do, The Day Before You Came, So Long, Honey Honey - all songs you'd probably want to include on any compilation.

It's a crime that Eagle isn't on Gold - yet it's rather naff B-side 'Thank You For the Music' is.

[DragonAttack]

^
No clue as to any of those songs.  As to Queen references, 'Mama Mia' was the song that replaced 'Bohemian Rhapsody' on top of the UK charts after its nine week run.

Ironic, eh, that their 'Mama Mia' overtook another 'mama mia'......