Well this one is like shooting fish in a barrel, isn’t it! This isn’t an On Spec purchase for me because I love Queen and, when I saw this on the rack at work and it was all lonely after two days waiting for my chance to get it, I immediately gave it a good home. Did I need it? Heck no. I already own a few Queen albums and at least one other Hits set. So why did I buy it? Because Queen, that’s why.
And also because of this track list. It’s insanely good. It provides a moment of reflection on just what level that band was operating on, which most mere mortals cannot hope to duplicate. Check it:
We Will Rock You
We Are The Champions
Radio Gaga
Another One Bites The Dust
I Want It All
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
A Kind Of Magic
Under Pressure
One Vision
You’re My Best Friend
Don’t Stop Me Now
Killer Queen
These Are The Days Of Our Lives
Who Wants To Live Forever
Seven Seas Of Rhye
Heaven For Everyone
Somebody To Love
I Want To Break Free
The Show Must Go On
Bohemian Rhapsody
I mean, seriously. 20 tracks of that calibre all on one disc is sure enough to lay waste to all pretenders! Look also at the title of this disc. Absolute Greatest. Of course we take this to mean that this disc contains the absolute greatest hits of Queen. But, of course, read another way, it can also mean that Queen is one of the Absolute Greatest, pure truth of course.
There’s a great bit in Good Omens, a novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, in which it is made known that every album left in a car will eventually become a Greatest Hits of Queen. If it became this one, only a fool would argue!
A million thumbs up.
keepsmealive 
TWO WORDS…..’THE GAME’
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Yeah!!
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That is one heck of a track list.
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It sure is! That’s why I was saying mere mortals can’t hope to touch that level!
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I like doing both the albums and the greatest hits. Lately, it is the greatest hits album if I want to force the kids to listen. I go full on albums when it is just me in my office.
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You gotta force your kids to listen to Queen? My kids ask for them! 🙂
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Not really anymore. They love Bohemian Rhapsody and We are the Champions / We Will Rock You.
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You should try them out on the albums. Maybe they need some deep cuts to pique their interests anew!
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I might have to do that!
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A few years later they did another double hits CD called Queen Forever. It had an unreleased duet with Freddie and Michael Jackson.
It’s unfortunate when they put something like Absolute Greatest out…and then follow it with something better 😦
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Who knows, maybe that one will come in at work some day too. For now, $1.50 for this one made my day!
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$1.50 is a steal! Ain’t nothing wrong with that! Just more an observation on the frequency of these hits sets these days. What they should do next is a live album with Lambert.
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Yeah I’m living the dream price-wise for music, I just have to be patient and wait, as well as prepared to watch ones I really wanted get scooped up by others before I can get them. We get so many CDs though, I can usually get one or two I want, here or there!
A live album would be great, yes!
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I’m one of the few who enjoyed some Greatest Hits shenanigans and never delved into the albums (exception of Innuendo) because I got Greatest Hits Burnout Syndrome (it’s real, okay).
Then I started listening to some proper albums a few years ago and thought “I don’t know this!” and was blown away. Then I wanted Greatest Hits, cause, as HMO says, the singles are great!
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GHBS is definitely real, please give generously hahaha! So… youlike the albums AND the hits sets! Double score!
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One of the few bands where I actually like having a comp. I’ve got all the albums too but they were such a great singles band that I sometimes like just blasting through the hits… especially the 80s stuff when the albums got a bit patchier.
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Fair points. We need Rich to chime in with a Compilation or Discography comment! 🙂
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They are not a compliation-only band. You need the albums. I just like spinning the hits now and then.
There aren’t any bands I like where a comp is enough.
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Oh for sure, the albums are great on their own, and the hits sets are superb (this one hit me just right recently!). Not one band that’s comp-only, eh? Interesting!
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Not that I really like. I’m not a big fan of greatest hits/anthologies though…
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Exception! I do have some comp-only artists… ones where the band didn’t bring out much music so the comp is all or most of their music. Legend, Mr. Fox spring to mind! That’s OK.
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Minor Threat is another one where the comp was pretty much their whole career on one disc…
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Good example! Toyed with buying that a couple of times…
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Oh man, run don’t walk to get it. That disc is AWESOME!
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The one with the yellow cover… bald dude?
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I’ve seen it with red or blue cover (mine’s red), but it could be yellow too. I have this one…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_Discography
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Yup, that’s the one!
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I am completely and unapologetically biased, but that disc right there is absolutely essential listening!
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I’m with HMO – the albums I have by Queen are keepers, but sometimes I’m just in the mood for a baker’s dozen or more of hits!
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Or, as in this case, 20 great tracks!
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I do often find out that I’m burned out on the hits – when I want to listen to Queen I generally want to hear the early albums in full instead.
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Yup, that’s another great approach!
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