Queen ‎♫ Greatest Hits ♫ Rare 1981 Elektra Records Original Vinyl LP Near Mint

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And most importantly, thanks for looking!Greatest HitsOriginal 1981 editionGreatest hits album by QueenReleased26 October 1981Recorded1974–1980 (1981 UK edition (EMI) & 2011 UK edition (Island) & 1994 US edition) 1972–1981 (1981 US & Canada edition) 1974–1981 (1981 Japan edition & 2011 Japan Reissue edition) 1972–1983 (1992 US edition (Hollywood Records)) 1973–1982 (2004 US edition (Greatest Hits: We Will Rock You))StudioVariousGenreRockLength58:19 (UK edition)LabelEMIElektraProducerVariousQueen chronologyFlash Gordon (1980)Greatest Hits (1981)Hot Space (1982)Alternative cover1992 US editionGreatest Hits is a compilation album by the British rock band Queen, released worldwide on 26 October 1981.[1] The album consisted of Queen's biggest hits since their first chart appearance in 1974 with "Seven Seas of Rhye", up to their 1980 hit "Flash" (though in some countries "Under Pressure", the band's 1981 chart-topper with David Bowie, was included). There was no universal track listing or cover art for the album, and each territory's tracks were dependent on what singles had been released there and which were successful. In 1992, the US version of the album Classic Queen was released following the band's rekindled popularity in the nation.Greatest Hits is the band's best-selling album to date, with total sales of over 25 million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, spending four weeks at the top and sold consistently well throughout the 1980s, becoming the fourth-biggest selling album of the decade. The single "Under Pressure", which was released the same week as Greatest Hits, also topped the UK Singles Chart.As of November 2020, Greatest Hits has spent over 900 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, and has been certified 22× platinum with sales of over 6 million copies, making it the best-selling album of all time in the UK. Greatest Hits peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 in November 2020, the second-slowest ascent to the top ten of the US album chart in history. Among the longest charting albums in the US, as of November 2020, it has spent over 400 weeks on the Billboard 200, and has been certified 9× platinum in the US. It has also been certified 15× platinum in Australia, 10× platinum in New Zealand, and 3× platinum in Canada. Following the release of the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018, it re-entered the charts of countries worldwide.ReleaseThere was no universal track listing or cover art for the Greatest Hits album, and 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, and a few album tracks were used as filler. Some examples of these were "Sweet Lady" and "Love of My Life", neither of which was released as a single in any country, but appear on some regions' 1981 Hits release. In the UK, the album was limited to the Queen singles that had reached the top 20 in the UK singles chart up to that point, plus "We Will Rock You", which had been the B-side of "We Are the Champions".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". The US version also added "Under Pressure", Queen's collaboration with David Bowie, which was released the same week as Greatest Hits and subsequently topped the UK Singles Chart and reached the top ten in many charts around the world. However, the song was not included on the European versions of Greatest Hits – according to Queen's business manager Jim Beach, this was because the longer manufacturing time required to press records in Europe meant that several hundred thousand copies of the album had already been pressed up before the song had been recorded.In Argentina and Brazil, the LP edition included the same list of UK Greatest Hits minus "Seven Seas of Rhye", and including "Love of My Life" (Live Killers version). The CD version is the same as the British.The cover photo that appeared on the UK and US release was taken by Lord Snowdon at his home studio using only natural light. For the 1981 release the photo was skewed but later presented as it was originally taken for the 2011 re-release.In 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 were 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 (despite being Hollywood's US licensee). Hollywood Records decided to not release Greatest Hits II to the US market, but instead created their own collection, Classic Queen (1992), peaking at number four. 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, re-released a companion collection 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 features 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"). 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.Critical reception and legacyProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusicEntertainment WeeklyB+The Rolling Stone Album GuideInitial reviews of the album in the British music press were negative. In NME Barney Hoskyns said, "All of [their songs], besides 'Another One Bites the Dust', are quite repulsive, unbelievably crass insults to their respective genres and uniformly vulgar music. It was only when Queen took vulgarity to its absolute limit that they stood out." Melody Maker's Adam Sweeting stated, "I've never been the slightest bit interested in Queen's ridiculous pomposity and Freddie just makes me snigger, but I suppose songs like 'Killer Queen' are sort of catchy, while anything as preposterous as 'We Will Rock You' deserves an award if only for bad taste".However, retrospective reviews have rated the album higher: Ira Robbins gave Greatest Hits a B+ rating in Entertainment Weekly upon its reissue in 1992, and AllMusic awarded the record four and a half stars out of five. In an interview in 2003 as part of the Arte television programme Music Planet 2Nite, Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien hailed the album as "impeccable" and "absolutely genius".Commercial performanceGold and silver discs issued by EMI in 1982 for Greatest Hits (1981). With more than 25 million copies sold it is Queen's best selling album.In the UK, Greatest Hits debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart and climbed to number one the following week, spending four weeks at the top. The album continued to sell well throughout the 1980s, appearing on several UK year-end charts, and by the end of the decade it had become the fourth-biggest selling album in the UK during the 1980s, with sales of over 1.9 million copies. By 2006, Greatest Hits had become the best-selling album in the UK and the first album to sell more than five million copies there. In February 2014, Greatest Hits became the first album in the UK to sell over six million copies. The same year The Daily Telegraph stated one in three families in the UK owned a copy. As of August 2020, the album has spent over 900 weeks on the UK Albums Chart.In the US, Greatest Hits sold moderately well on initial release in 1981, obtaining a platinum certification. It reached a new peak of number 11 on the Billboard 200 chart on its reissue in 1992, and finally made the top ten of the Billboard 200 in November 2020 when it peaked at number eight, as a result of a Walmart sale on various vinyl albums on 14 November 2020. The 39 years and one month that the album took to reach the top ten of the Billboard 200 is the second-longest ascent to the top ten in the history of the US album chart. One of the longest charting albums in the US, as of August 2020 it had spent 400 weeks on the Billboard 200. 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 that country. It is also the band's best-selling album to date, with total sales of over 25 million copies.Track listingSide oneNo.TitleWriter(s)Length1."Bohemian Rhapsody" (from A Night at the Opera, 1975)Freddie Mercury5:572."Another One Bites the Dust" (from The Game, 1980)John Deacon3:363."Killer Queen" (from Sheer Heart Attack, 1974)Mercury2:574."Fat Bottomed Girls" (single version, from Jazz, 1978)Brian May3:225."Bicycle Race" (from Jazz, 1978)Mercury3:016."You're My Best Friend" (from A Night at the Opera, 1975)Deacon2:527."Don't Stop Me Now" (from Jazz, 1978)Mercury3:298."Save Me" (single version, from The Game, 1980)May3:48Side twoNo.TitleWriter(s)Length9."Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (from The Game, 1980)Mercury2:4210."Somebody to Love" (from A Day at the Races, 1976)Mercury4:5611."Now I'm Here" (from Sheer Heart Attack, 1974)May4:1012."Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" (from A Day at the Races, 1976)Mercury2:5413."Play the Game" (from The Game, 1980)Mercury3:3314."Flash" (single version, from Flash Gordon, 1980)May2:4815."Seven Seas of Rhye" (from Queen II, 1974)Mercury2:4716."We Will Rock You" (from News of the World, 1977)May2:0117."We Are the Champions" (from News of the World, 1977)Mercury3:00Total length:58:44

Price: 99.99 USD

Location: Kirkland, Washington

End Time: 2024-12-11T20:18:49.000Z

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