Greatest hits II

Description

Unlike the first volume, released in 1981, "Greatest Hits II" is almost a best of Queen from 1981 to 1991, that is to say from "Under Pressure" to "The Show Must Go On". It must be said that the selection was relatively limited, the tracks coming from only four albums (to which "Under Pressure" is added, conveniently released on "Hot Space" in 1982, even though it was not intended to be included) compared to about ten albums for "Greatest Hits". It fairly summarizes the band's music in the 80s, which evolves between synth-pop ("Radio Ga Ga", "A Kind Of Magic", "The Invisible Man"), almost hard rock ("Hammer To Fall", "I Want It All") and ballads dominated by the keyboard/guitar duo ("It's A Hard Life", "Who Wants To Live Forever"). Some tracks have aged a bit and the album is not always exciting, which could have benefited from being more selective. Moreover, some good tracks are missing, notably the ballad "Is This The World We Created?" (from The Works) or the theme from Highlander, "Princes Of The Universe" (from the album A Kind Of Magic). "Greatest Hits II" does, however, provide an excellent overview of Queen's music in the 80s, less rock than in the 70s, but still catchy and sometimes very inspired, like the fantastic and epic "Innuendo". The clips, often crazy and baroque, of these tracks, compiled in video with "Greatest Flix II", are especially recommended.