Classic Queen

Classic Queen
Greatest hits album by Queen
Released	3 March 1992
Recorded	1972–1990
Genre	Rock
Length	75:10
Label	Hollywood
Producer	Roy Thomas Baker, David Bowie, David Richards, Mack and Queen
Queen chronology
Greatest Hits II (1991) Classic Queen (1992) Box of Tricks (1992)
Singles from Classic Queen
"Bohemian Rhapsody / The Show Must Go On" Released: 6 February 1992 (USA)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	link
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[1]

Classic Queen is a 1992 compilation of songs by the English rock band Queen. It was issued to capitalise on the sudden Queen fever generated in the United States following the release of the movie Wayne's World.^[2] The album reached number four on the US Billboard 200, and is certified three times platinum in the US, and five times platinum in Canada.^[3][4]

Although critically acclaimed as an excellent compilation, it did not fit in with the previous Queen compilations. It overlapped both the 1981 Greatest Hits and the 1991 Greatest Hits II, and contained a few tracks not found in either of the previous releases; to remedy this situation, Hollywood Records re-released Greatest Hits in the US only, containing two different tracks from the 1981 release but designed specifically to complement Classic Queen.

Accumulated sales (Greatest Hits II and Classic Queen for the US and Canada combined) are in excess of 23 million worldwide. There is also a video cassette released, but long out of print.^[5]

Around the same time in 1992, Hollywood Records re-released Greatest Hits in an effort to make it a companion collection with Classic Queen. The two compilations even have near-identical covers, with Greatest Hits having a red background, while Classic Queen has royal blue. Being that the two were seen as counterparts, many of Queen's biggest hits were left off of Classic Queen, such as "Another One Bites the Dust", "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions", "Somebody to Love" and "Don't Stop Me Now", since they appear on Greatest Hits.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"A Kind of Magic" (from A Kind of Magic, 1986)	Roger Taylor	4:23
2.	"Bohemian Rhapsody" (from A Night at the Opera, 1975)	Freddie Mercury	5:59
3.	"Under Pressure" (unique mix, originally from Hot Space, 1982)	David Bowie, John Deacon, Brian May, Mercury, Taylor	4:03
4.	"Hammer to Fall" (single version of track from The Works, 1984)	May	3:40
5.	"Stone Cold Crazy" (from Sheer Heart Attack, 1974)	Deacon, May, Mercury, Taylor	2:15
6.	"One Year of Love" (from A Kind of Magic, 1986)	Deacon	4:28
7.	"Radio Ga Ga" (from The Works, 1984)	Taylor	5:48
8.	"I'm Going Slightly Mad" (from Innuendo, 1991)	Deacon, May, Mercury, Peter Straker, Taylor	4:21
9.	"I Want It All" (single version of track from The Miracle, 1989)	May	4:01
10.	"Tie Your Mother Down" (from A Day at the Races, 1976)	May	3:45
11.	"The Miracle (Edited For Compact Disc)" (unique edit, from The Miracle, 1989)	Deacon, May, Mercury, Taylor	4:24
12.	"These Are the Days of Our Lives" (from Innuendo, 1991)	Deacon, May, Mercury, Taylor	4:14
13.	"One Vision" (edit, from A Kind of Magic, 1986)	Deacon, May, Mercury, Taylor	4:38
14.	"Keep Yourself Alive" (from Queen, 1973)	May	3:45
15.	"Headlong" (from Innuendo, 1991)	Deacon, May, Mercury, Taylor	4:38
16.	"Who Wants to Live Forever" (from A Kind of Magic, 1986)	May	5:15
17.	"The Show Must Go On" (from Innuendo, 1991)	Deacon, May, Mercury, Taylor	4:31
Total length:			75:10

Charts

Country	Chart	Certification	Sales
United States	4	3× platinum[3]	3,000,000
Canada	—	5× platinum[4]	500,000

References

1. Rolling Stone Album Guide
2. Billboard 25 July 1992 p.8. Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2011
3. RIAA – Gold and Platinum Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved 17 June 2011
4. Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Certification Results Retrieved 17 June 2011
5. Queen Album: Classic Queen MTV. Retrieved 30 May 2011