This is very Definitely a great selection of QUEEN'S heavier side. However, it is not a "stripped down" version of Queen's audio work. We Will rock, Hammer to Fall, and etc., are all layered guitar works. The Brilliance of QUEEN lay in this over the top working of just about anything they did. In this respect they were worlds ahead of their time. The multiple guitars come into their own in the world of multi channel recordings. The real kicker about what Brian Did, is that he could achieve a semblance of the multi-layer sound in live concerts with an effect that allowed him to play over lines he did ( as in the solo in WE WILL ROCK YOU on dvd, WEMBLEY, and one other concert).
There is never anything simple about what QUEEN did, except that they appealed to many on a raw level. Their work is deceptively simple in fact. Even the dropped tuning on the bass guitar for fat bottomed girls sounds superb.
It's a compilation, but hell, is it brilliant. And ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG is so very true, and such a brilliant piece by the remnant of QUEEN.
Freddy Lives on in his recordings. A Master Craftsman taken too early, and an interpreter of the collective consciousness of QUEEN that was intense,subtle, beautiful, and totally original.

ENJOY

Nice eighteen track compilation of the heavier,more uptempo Queen songs.Best cuts include "I Want It All","Stone Cold Crazy","Fat Bottomed Girls","Sheer Heart Attack" and two of my personal all-time Queen favorites "Put Out The Fire" and the ass-kickin' "Tie Your Mother Down"(remember when Lynch Mob covered this song?).You know,after I thought of some of their material that didn't make onto this CD,like "Crazy Little Thing Called Love","Another One Bites The Dust" and "Bohemian Rhapsody",for starters.It made me realize something.Boy,Queen had a lot of hits,late night FM staples,etc.According to the Billboard Book Of Top 40,Freddie Mercury and crew had 14 hits.Long live Queen!

Another compilation?...

I usually tend to be suspicious about compilation albums, as they usually seem to be nothing more than shameless ploys to get some more money (note 'Beatles 1' and 'Queen +' especially... and how come there are six Hendrix compilations when he only made four albums...?), as the band's loyal fan wouldn't be able to resist buying the new release even though he already has all the songs on album CDs (and on other compilations, probably).

Queen Rocks, though, works on a very different level for me. though I still wouldn't recommend this for a major fan who owns all the albums, it would make a great buy for most music fans, who may or may not already own another Queen compilation, and also for hard-rock fans who look down at Queen as a mainstream pop group. This collection shows a side of Queen most people are not familiar with - their heavier side, and reminds us that Queen were, after all, a rock band. It skips, therefore, all the overplayed (though still great) Queen songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are The Champions and A Kind Of Magic, and gives some unknown songs the attention they deserve, including several lesser known hits (Seven Seas Of Rhye, Now I'm Here, One Vision, Headlong, and Tie Your Mother Down - the ultimate live song that was somehow left out of the greatest hits compilation) as well as some fantastic songs that appeared only on Queen's albums. Highlights include Stone Cold Crazy (later covered excellently by Metallica), I Can't Live With You, Keep Yourself Alive, It's Late and Roger Taylor's superb I'm In Love With My Car.

There are some songs which, I think, should have been included but weren't. As always, the first two albums were relatively neglected (although this is the first collection to include a song from the debut album); I would have liked to see more selections from Freddie Mercury's early heavy-prog-rock, like Liar, Great King Rat or Ogre Battle. Also missing are Brian May's Father To Son (which has been called a Led Zeppelin copy, but I'm not sure why), White Man, the very heavy Son And Daughter, and the forgotten b-side I Go Crazy; Freddie's Get Down Make Love, John Deacon's Need Your Loving Tonight and Roger Taylor's Modern Times Rock n' Roll or Loser In The End. I would be willing to exclude Tear It Up and Put Out The Fire. But, well, there's only so many songs you can cram on one CD.

Then there's the new song, which is of course the main attraction of the album, and I'm sure many fans bought the CD just for that. No-One But You is a great song, a reunion of the three remaining members of the band, dedicated to their departed friend Freddie Mercury. The song is indeed very touching, beautifuly performed (both Brian and Roger sing lead vocals), even if strangely placed - No-One But You is about as far from rock as Queen get, and it doesn't really sit well with the collection.

Queen Rocks is a head-banging album; it's certainly not a good Queen album or Queen compilation by its own right, as it is totally out of balance, but if you're in the mood for some heavy rockin', and don't feel like hearing any soft, tender ballads or long, strange epic prog-rock songs, it's perfect. My advice: keep this CD in your car at all times. It's an ideal driving album, when you want to hear some great rock music and not think too much.

A compilation album that featured Queen's heavier side. Some of these tracks were passed over years ago in favor of more "commercial" songs and now finally get their just rewards.Though another compilation album seems tedious, there are wonderful tracks here such as the anti-gun sentiment in "Put Out the Fire" and the Martin Luther King Jr. inspired "One Vision"."I Can't Live With You" is given a rock make-over and is all the better for it. I'd much prefer Roger's drumming to synth drum machines."No-One But You" is of course, a tribute to Freddie and is the only Queen song not to have Freddie's involvement in (well, he'd been dead some 6 years before this song was recorded) but really, this is for anyone who left this world before their time. With Brian and Roger singing a duet for the first time, this track's a winner...regardless of it's stripped down production.Want to avoid the "pop" side of Queen? Buy "Queen Rocks" then.

I have been an avid queen fan since I was in my mothers womb. I have all of their albums save greatest hits 3 and alot of the rarities. I picked this one up only because of the "new queen song" No one but you and I have to say that it is the weakest song on the album. THe rest of the disc is great. Some new mixes (I'm in love with my car and I can't live with you) some old. But still a great disc to drive to. I can't tell you how many times I acidently do 85 in my car while listening to this disc.