Absolute Greatest

Summary

Absolute Greatest is a 2009 compilation album by the British rock band Queen. The album contains 20 of their most famous songs, and is available in several formats, including the single CD edition, a 2 CD special edition featuring audio commentaries by Brian May and Roger Taylor, a 52-page hardback book with the 2 CDs, digital download, and an LP edition box set. Each track has been remastered from the original tapes.[5]

Absolute Greatest
Greatest hits album by
Released11 November 2009
Recorded1973–1995
GenreRock
Length79:28
Label
Producervarious
Queen chronology
The Singles Collection Volume 2
(2009)
Absolute Greatest
(2009)
The Singles Collection Volume 3
(2010)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Classic Rock[2]
Q[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

A promotion running on the band's official website, Queen Online, gave fans the opportunity to guess the placings of the tracks on the album and win a prize if their answer was correct (a new track was revealed daily). The prize winner was then chosen in a random selection.[6]

Track listing edit

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."We Will Rock You" (from News of the World, 1977)Brian May2:02
2."We Are the Champions" (from News of the World, 1977)Freddie Mercury3:01
3."Radio Ga Ga" (from The Works, 1984)Roger Taylor5:48
4."Another One Bites the Dust" (from The Game, 1980)John Deacon3:35
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."I Want It All" (single version, from The Miracle, 1989)Queen (May)4:01
6."Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (from The Game, 1980)Mercury2:44
7."A Kind of Magic" (from A Kind of Magic, 1986)Taylor4:25
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."Under Pressure" (with David Bowie, from Hot Space, 1982)Queen, Bowie4:08
9."One Vision" (single version, from A Kind of Magic, 1986)Queen (Taylor)4:04
10."You're My Best Friend" (from, A Night at the Opera, 1975)Deacon2:51
11."Don't Stop Me Now" (from Jazz, 1978)Mercury3:30
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Killer Queen" (from Sheer Heart Attack, 1974)Mercury3:00
13."These Are the Days of Our Lives" (from Innuendo, 1991)Queen (Taylor)4:13
14."Who Wants to Live Forever" (Greatest Hits II edit, from A Kind of Magic, 1986)May4:55
Side five
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Seven Seas of Rhye" (from Queen II, 1974)Mercury2:46
16."Heaven for Everyone" (single version, from Made in Heaven, 1995)Taylor4:43
17."Somebody to Love" (from A Day at the Races, 1976)Mercury4:55
Side six
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
18."I Want to Break Free" (single version, from The Works, 1984)Deacon4:19
19."The Show Must Go On" (from Innuendo, 1991)Queen (May)4:32
20."Bohemian Rhapsody" (from A Night at the Opera, 1975)Mercury5:56

Personnel edit

Charts and certifications edit

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[37] Gold 35,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[38] Gold 15,000^
Hungary (MAHASZ)[39] Platinum 6,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[40] Platinum 15,000^
Italy (FIMI)[41] Gold 35,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[42] Platinum 15,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[43] Gold 10,000*
Portugal (AFP)[44] Gold 10,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] 2× Platinum 600,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ Absolute Greatest at AllMusic
  2. ^ Terry Staunton. "Queen – Absolute Greatest". Archived from the original (JPG) on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  3. ^ "The Official Queen Website". QueenOnline.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  4. ^ "Queen: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  5. ^ Press Release: Absolute Greatest Archived 5 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Queen online, 3 September 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  6. ^ Tracklisting Competition Archived 13 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Queen online. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  7. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Queen – Absolute Greatest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Queen – Absolute Greatest" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Ultratop.be – Queen – Absolute Greatest" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Queen – Absolute Greatest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Les "Charts Runs" de chaque Album Classé". InfoDisc (in French). Archived from the original (PHP) on 20 August 2008. Find "QUEEN" under the drop-down menu to see statistics.
  12. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Queen – Absolute Greatest" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2009. 51. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 19 November 2009". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Queen – Absolute Greatest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Mexicancharts.com – Queen – Absolute Greatest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Queen – Absolute Greatest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Queen – Absolute Greatest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  20. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Queen – Absolute Greatest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Queen – Absolute Greatest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Queen – Absolute Greatest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Queen – Absolute Greatest" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  25. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Queen – Absolute Greatest" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  26. ^ "Charts.nz – Queen – Absolute Greatest". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  27. ^ "Queen: Absolute Greatest" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Queen Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  29. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2009". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  30. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2009" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  31. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2009". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  32. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2010". Ultratop. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  33. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2010". Ultratop. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  34. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2010". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  35. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2010" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  36. ^ "End of Year 2010" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  37. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  38. ^ "Danish album certifications – Queen – Absolute Greatest". IFPI Danmark.
  39. ^ "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2010" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
  40. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2009 Certification Awards - Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  41. ^ "Italian album certifications – Queen – Absolute Greatest" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Absolute Greatest" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  42. ^ "Latest Gold / Platinum Albums". Radioscope. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011.
  43. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2010 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  44. ^ "Portuguese album certifications – Queen – Absolute Greatest" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 4 March 2010.
  45. ^ "British album certifications – Queen – Absolute Greatest". British Phonographic Industry.

External links edit

  • Queen official website: Discography: Absolute Greatest (no lyrics included)
  • Television ad (official video)