News

Amazon U.K. is posting order pages for what looks like the first batch of Queen remasters across the pond.

It’s been previously reported that the first four Queen albums would be reissued (and possibly expanded) in England on Queen’s new home, Universal, in celebration of the band’s 40th anniversary. Happily, though, Universal will give fans a taste of what to expect in terms of presentation and mastering with straight reissues of the band’s first two greatest hits packages. Greatest Hits (1981) and Greatest Hits II (1991) succinctly covers the band’s biggest singles and are among the best places to start for a new fan.

Hardcore fans will notice that each disc has slightly redesigned artwork: the cover for Greatest Hits flattens out the band photo (similar to the “We Will Rock You” edition of the album released Stateside a few years back) while the classic crest on Greatest Hits II is redesigned.

Each set will be available on January 3. Hit the jump for order info and to reacquaint yourself with the track lists.

Queen, Greatest Hits (Island/UMe (U.K.), 2011 – originally released as EMI EMTV-30, 1981)

1. Bohemian Rhapsody
2. Another One Bites the Dust
3. Killer Queen
4. Fat Bottomed Girls (Single Version)
5. Bicycle Race
6. You’re My Best Friend
7. Don’t Stop Me Now
8. Save Me
9. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
10. Somebody to Love
11. Now I’m Here
12. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
13. Play the Game
14. Flash (Single Remix)
15. Seven Seas of Rhye
16. We Will Rock You
17. We Are the Champions

Tracks 1 and 6 from A Night at the Opera (EMI, 1975)
Tracks 2, 8-9 and 13 from The Game (EMI, 1980)
Tracks 3 and 11 from Sheer Heart Attack (EMI, 1974)
Tracks 4-5 and 7 from Jazz (EMI, 1978)
Tracks 10 and 12 from A Day at the Races (EMI, 1976)
Track 14 from Flash Gordon: Original Soundtrack (EMI, 1980)
Track 15 from Queen II (EMI, 1973)
Tracks 16-17 from News of the World (EMI, 1977)

Queen, Greatest Hits II (Island/UMe (U.K.), 2011 – originally released as Parlophone PMTV-2, 1991)

1. A Kind of Magic
2. Under Pressure (Edit) – Queen & David Bowie
3. Radio Ga Ga
4. I Want It All (Single Version)
5. I Want to Break Free (Single Mix)
6. Innuendo
7. It’s a Hard Life
8. Breakthru
9. Who Wants to Live Forever (Edit)
10. Headlong
11. The Miracle (Early Fade)
12. I’m Going Slightly Mad (LP Edit)
13. The Invisible Man
14. Hammer to Fall (Edit)
15. Friends Will Be Friends
16. The Show Must Go On (Early Fade)
17. One Vision (Single Version)

Tracks 1, 9, 15 and 17 from A Kind of Magic (Parlophone, 1986)
Track 2 from Hot Space (Parlophone, 1982)
Tracks 3, 5, 7 and 14 from The Works (Parlophone, 1984)
Tracks 4, 8, 11 and 13 from The Miracle (Parlophone, 1989)
Tracks 6, 10, 12 and 16 from Innuendo (Parlophone, 1991)