Once again, Hollywood records demonstrates their GREAT common sense by releasing yet another Queen compilation that at first glance, appears to be totally unneccesary. First, this isn't even a 'hits' collection, the only true hit here is Queen+ George Michael's 'Somebody to Love', so the name 'Greatest Hits' is misleading, even with the 'Queen+' moniker tacked on.

However, this collection definitley grows on the Queen fan. It's an odds and ends collection of Queen with guests (Elton John with a great, and very recent performance of 'The Show Must Go On', and a rather unneccesary rap mix of Another One Bites the Dust), a remix here and there (the 'Rah Mix' of Under Pressure is simply outstanding, blows the original away), long-forgotten album track-treasures(Las Palabras del Amor, Princes of the Universe) and the best of the solo projects Freddie and Brian had done (but no Roger.. why?), a couple of the best cuts from Made in Heaven, plus the new song that was sorely misplaced on Queen Rocks(No one but You).

This collection is great for people who are interested in getting some of Queen's loose ends. Brian May's solo work was great at best but quite uneven, and Freddie's original (and excellent) Mr. Bad Guy LP is long gone, replaced by a bastardized 'the Great Pretender', thank you again, Hollywood Records. It's also worth picking up because 'Princes of the Universe' and 'Las Palabras del Amor' aren't available elsewhere save on the original albums (and save yourself the pain of buying Hot Space).

This collection will definitley grow on you, but it's definitley not 'Greatest Hits', so if you're expecting a continuation of the other compilations, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

Even though all of us Queen fans would be more interested in having some new stuff from some Freddie's unreleased tunes, or new recordings from the other three guys, it's always great to have some Queen material on the charts again. GH3 presents a collection of Freddie's ecclectic singing style (The Great Pretender, Living On My Own, Barcelona and Princes of Universe) that is reasonable to include in this CD to introduce him to new fans. For the old fans like me, The Show Must Go On version with Elton is very poignant and strong. Under Pressure (Queen+Bowie) surely is much better than the original recording (thanks Brian and Roger), and I have to mention that Somebody To Love with George Michael sounds really great. This CD has also a handful of songs from "Made in Heaven", that I consider one of the best Queen's work.

This album is better than I expected it to be. The only songs I don't like are the remixes of "Another 1 Bites the Dust" and "Under Pressure". It includes 3 of the best songs from Made in Heaven "Too Much Love...", "Let Me Live", and "Heaven for Everyone" (the liner notes are great, too!). I'm glad "Princes of the Universe" and "Las Palabras" were included. Add to that Freddie's "The Great Pretender", the beautiful "Barcelona", Brian's "Driven by You" and the poignant "No One But You" (which Brian co-sung with Roger) and you've really got a One of a Kind collection. Too bad they didn't include any of Roger's solo stuff or a song from the Cross. Also featured are collaborations with Elton John and David Bowie (from the Concert for Life). The final song "Thank God It's Christmas" ends the set perfectly, since after all Christmas is coming as I write this review (this rare song was originally found on the now out-of-print The Collection).

When I first read the tracklist I thought I wasn't going to like this. I was especially afraid that Elton John had "ruined" The Show Must go On. I was almost completely wrong. The original version of that song is clearly better than this live one, but the rest of the CD is very good. "Under pressure" is as good as the normal version, if not better. "Too much love will kill you" is great, "Let me Live" powerful, May's "Driven by You" smashing and "Somebody to Love" with George Michael absolutely fantastic. I also like the bonus track a lot. The only true weak point of this CD is the remake of "Another one bites the dust": that's wasted space, full stop. I don't think this is for everyone: this is an album for true Queen fans, especially for nostalgic ones, for those who miss Freddie so terribly much. Could have been better, but I highly recommend it anyway, altough you should buy Greatest Hits I & II before to really feel the difference.

Does this collection of songs deserve to be sold under the title of "Greatest Hits"? I'm still not sure about that, but I do know that there are several incredible songs on this album, which make it a must-buy.

There are two live tracks with guest vocalists filling in for Freddie Mercury - George Michael on "Somebody To Love" (recorded at the tribute concert in 1992) and Elton John on "The Show Must Go On". Both are done well, although I prefer the originals.

Next come remixes. "Another One Bites The Dust" is remixed with added vocals from Wyclef Jean. The one song I skip over every time I play this CD, and one which was sensibly left off the video counterpart to the album. On the other hand, the remix of "Under Pressure" is surprisingly good and - dare I say - perhaps better than the original.

The difference between this and other Queen albums is that solo work is included. You have Freddie Mercury's Olympic anthem "Barcelona" (with Montserrat Caballe), the 1993 remix of his fabulous "Living On My Own" and of course his cover of the song he related to so well, "The Great Pretender". Brian May's "Driven By You" is also featured on the album, a song that made me want to go out and buy all of his solo work. Great song.

There's only one non-Freddie Queen song - "No One But You (Only The Good Die Young)" is an absolutely stunning, heartbreaking piece about those who have died too soon - inspired by the premature deaths of Princess Diana and of course Freddie himself.

Finally, the 'real' stuff, the fresh, never-before-on-a-greatest-hits-CD Queen tracks. There are eight of these, comprising almost half the album. "Heaven For Everyone" and "Princes of the Universe" are spectacular, the type of song you keep on replaying over and over again. "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" breaks my heart every time I hear it, due in large part to the fact that the video plays out in my head each time. Brilliant, brilliant song. "Thank God It's Christmas" is great. "Too Much Love Will Kill You" and "Las Palabras del Amor" are softer, ballad-like songs than a lot of Queen's stuff, but both powerful, and immensely enjoyable. "You Don't Fool Me" is a dance song, but in a good way. The only one I'm not too sure about is "Let Me Live" - it has a gospel-choir feel to it (mostly, I suppose, due to the choir singing "So let me live...") and although it is a good song, it wouldn't rate among my favourites.

So let's recap, shall we? Maybe not worthy of the Greatest Hits title, but certainly a great collection of songs, a tribute to an incredible man, and a CD that's getting five stars from me due to the fact that once you slip it into the CD player, it's almost impossible to stop listening to it.