Queen Bohemian Rhapsody

As Queen's second live album, Live Magic might appear to be a bit unnecessary, but a closer look reveals that it's a better record than the previous Live Killers. Culled from a variety of dates from the 1986 Kind of Magic tour but concentrating on the final show at Knebworth, Live Magic captures Queen, and Freddie Mercury in particular, at the height of their powers…

This is a Japanese only release. The idea was to use Queen/solo songs that were used in Japanese commercials. A different tracklisting was originally planned with several Freddie Mercury songs but there were some "rights issues" so they were left off. The record label decided to use some Queen songs that were featured in motion pictures to replace the solo tracks. However, the Japanese packaging is what makes this a good buy for a Queen collector. It comes in a purple slipcase, inside is a 30+ page booklet (which is too big to fit into the jewel case itself) that features lyrics to the songs in both English and Japanese, color photos and an interview with Brian May. A nice little addition to your collection.

Japanese original release. Greatest hits album from Queen contains 12 songs included based on a fan vote. Comes with a booklet with names of 700 people randomly selected from the people who voted. Features SHM-CD format.

Jewels has some great material on it. Not all Queen collections include tracks from Innuendo and Made in Heaven, as well as Night at the Opera. It's also nice to see "Radio Ga Ga" on the roster, a song that despite its wince-inducing title is actually one of the most beautiful odes to the medium ever written. The inclusion of so many newer tracks pushes a pretty big chunk of classics out of the job like "Fat Bottomed Girls," "Tie Your Mother Down," and "The Game," but it's a noble attempt. This EMI-licensed Japanese import does a decent job at trying to reign in the many phases of Queen.

The Unauthorised Live Recordings … Queen - We Will Rock You (Vol.3): Live World Tour 1985 (Part Two) - Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan, May 11th 1985.

John Wetton (Asia/King Crimson), Robby Krieger (The Doors), Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead), James Labrie (Dream Theater), Glenn Hughes and many others.

Queen. They made music that was so unique, there aren't really that many bands that have been brave enough to attempt cover versions of their songs. Few singers, after all, want to have their voice compared to Freddie Mercury's, few guitarists can negotiate the tightrope wire between dazzling technique and melodic playing as skillfully as Brian May.
While some bands are all about The Sound, and others are all about The Song, Queen excelled at both. Sumptuous productions, virtusoso performances and a willingness to go out on a limb meant that you were guaranteed to hear something you'd never heard before, while the songs got their finely honed hooks in you and refused to let go…

Essentially, this 17-track album is a second-volume Queen's Greatest Hits, picking up the story from that album's 1981 release and taking it to the end of Queen's career. But the album also contains a few tracks – "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Keep Yourself Alive," and "Under Pressure" – that appeared on that first set, as well as a couple – "Stone Cold Crazy" and "Tie Your Mother Down" – from the same era…