Greatest Hits II (Queen album)

Greatest Hits II
Greatest hits album by
Queen
Released28 October 1991
Recorded1981–1990
1981–1995 (2011 Japan reissue edition)
GenreRock
Length76:32
Label
Queen chronology
CD Single Box
(1991) 		Greatest Hits II
(1991) 		Classic Queen
(1992)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic link
NME4/10[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[2]

Greatest Hits II is a compilation album by the British rock band Queen, released on 28 October 1991.[3] The album consisted of Queen's biggest hits between 1981 and 1991, from the UK chart-topper "Under Pressure" to "The Show Must Go On".

The compilation Greatest Hits II reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, and is the tenth best-selling album in the UK with sales of 3.9 million copies as of 2014.[4] It is the seventh best-selling album in Germany,[5] the thirteenth best-selling album in France,[6] and the best-selling album by a foreign artist in Finland.[7][8] Accumulated sales (Greatest Hits II and Classic Queen for the US and Canada combined) are in excess of 25 million worldwide.[9][10]

Freddie Mercury designed the crest on the album cover, using the astrological signs of the four members: two Leos (Roger Taylor and John Deacon), one Cancer (Brian May) and one Virgo (Mercury).[11]

Content

The compilation contains most of Queen's hits from 1981 to 1991. The singles "Body Language", "Back Chat", "Las Palabras de Amor", "Thank God It's Christmas", "Princes of the Universe" and "Scandal" were omitted for this release. "Las Palabras de Amor", "Thank God It's Christmas", "These Are the Days of Our Lives" and "Princes of the Universe" were later included on Greatest Hits III.[12]

Release

Greatest Hits II was released less than a month before the death of lead singer Freddie Mercury and was the last Queen release of any kind while he was still alive. The album was not initially made available in the United States and was replaced with its counterpart Classic Queen in early 1992 to capitalise on the band's renewed popularity in the country following the inclusion of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in Wayne's World.[13][14] Greatest Hits II was later made available in the US with its inclusion in two box sets, Greatest Hits I & II in 1994, and The Platinum Collection: Greatest Hits I, II & III in 2002. On 19 April 2011, Hollywood Records released the newly remastered version of Greatest Hits II in the United States as an individual album for the first time.

A companion video release entitled Greatest Flix II was released at the same time, but is currently out of print. Most of the videos are now available on the DVD Greatest Video Hits 2 with the exception of the videos from the 1991 Innuendo album.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."A Kind of Magic"Roger TaylorA Kind of Magic, 19864:22
2."Under Pressure" (with David Bowie)Queen, David BowieHot Space, 19823:57
3."Radio Ga Ga"TaylorThe Works, 19845:43
4."I Want It All" (single mix)Queen (Brian May)The Miracle, 19894:01
5."I Want to Break Free" (single mix)John DeaconThe Works, 19844:18
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
6."Innuendo"Queen (Mercury/Taylor)Innuendo, 19916:27
7."It's a Hard Life"Freddie MercuryThe Works, 19844:09
8."Breakthru"Queen (Mercury/Taylor)The Miracle, 19894:09
9."Who Wants to Live Forever"MayA Kind of Magic, 19865:16
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
10."Headlong"Queen (May)Innuendo, 19914:37
11."The Miracle"Queen (Mercury/Deacon)The Miracle, 19895:01
12."I'm Going Slightly Mad"Queen (Mercury)Innuendo, 19914:22
13."The Invisible Man"Queen (Taylor)The Miracle, 19893:58
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
14."Hammer to Fall" (single mix)MayThe Works, 19843:40
15."Friends Will Be Friends"Mercury, DeaconA Kind of Magic, 19864:08
16."The Show Must Go On"Queen (May)Innuendo, 19914:37
17."One Vision" (single mix)Queen (Taylor)A Kind of Magic, 19864:02
Total length:76:32
CD version
Some tracks were edited for CD by David Richards.
No.TitleLength
1."A Kind of Magic" (early fade)4:22
2."Under Pressure" (edited version)3:58
3."Radio Ga Ga"5:43
4."I Want It All" (single version)4:01
5."I Want to Break Free" (single remix)4:18
6."Innuendo"6:27
7."It's a Hard Life"4:09
8."Breakthru"4:09
9."Who Wants to Live Forever" (edited version)4:57
10."Headlong" (original Innuendo LP edit)4:33
11."The Miracle" (early fade)4:54
12."I'm Going Slightly Mad" (original Innuendo LP edit)4:07
13."The Invisible Man"3:58
14."Hammer to Fall" (single version)3:40
15."Friends Will Be Friends"4:10
16."The Show Must Go On" (early fade-out)4:23
17."One Vision" (single version)4:01
Total length:75:57
2011 Japan reissue bonus track
Available on iTunes.
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
18."I Was Born to Love You" (From Made in Heaven, 1995)Mercury4:48
Total length:79:53

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[43] Diamond 500,000^
Australia (ARIA)[44] 8× Platinum 560,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[45] 4× Platinum 200,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[46] 2× Platinum 500,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[47] Gold 10,000‡
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[48] 2× Platinum 149,622[48]
France (SNEP)[49] Diamond 1,000,000*
Germany (BVMI)[50] 9× Gold 2,250,000^
Italy
sales: October 1991 - February 1992 		— 500,000[51]
Italy (FIMI)[52]
sales since 2009 		Platinum 50,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[54] Platinum 250,000[53]
Netherlands (NVPI)[55] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[56] Gold 10,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[57] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Sweden (GLF)[58] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[59] 5× Platinum 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[61] 13× Platinum 3,900,000[60]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

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  2. ^ Rolling Stone Album Guide
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