GREATEST HITS III

After the very successful Greatest Hits I and II it was inevitable that there would be a release of what was left and here it is. It should be retitled "Queen: Hits that were not good enough to be released on the first two compilations". In all honesty this is quite a nicely packaged album as far as the artwork and liner notes are concerned but none of these tracks can really measure up to the classics of the first compilations. Queen purists may be interested but there is nothing of major value here on offer apart from a few tracks that are already on many other compilations.

The tracks that measure up are The Show Must Go On with Elton John, and Under Pressure with David Bowie. Undoubtedly they are masterfully executed and will always be remembered by the music community. I am also a massive fan of Princes Of The Universe, the Highlander theme. I absolutely love it for all its pompous bombasity and oversaturated production value.

What we are then left with is a lot of Freddie Mercury solo material, that I honestly cannot get into. Also the other Queen tracks are lesser known and mainly flopped on the charts. There is even a Brian May solo single Driven By You, a decent track with nice lead guitar. Another One Bites The Dust returns but this time with Wyclef Jean. It ends with Thank God It's Christmas, which is as corny as it sounds.

There are a lot of great Queen compilations out there to revel in. Unfortunately this is not one of them. Definitely for collectors or completists only.

Review Nº 855

"Greatest Hits III" is a compilation of Queen that was released in 1999. It's a compilation of latter day songs from the band, bands member's solo hits and band's collaborations with some other artists. It was released eight years after the dead of Freddie Mercury and "Greatest Hits II", and eighteen years after "Greatest Hits". Despite being a greatest hits compilation, the first two tracks "The Show Must Go On" and "Under Pressure", are new versions of the classic songs.

"Greatest Hits III" has also seventeen tracks, like their two previous compilations "Greatest Hits" and "Greatest Hits II". "The Show Must Go On" is from "Innuendo". It's a great song full of drama and emotion. This is one of the most beautiful, dramatic, touching and emotional songs of Queen. It was the last song composed by Mercury. This is a live version performed by Queen and Elton John. It was taken from a show recorded at Theatre National De Chaillot, Paris, in 1997. "Under Pressure" is from "Hot Space". It's a collaboration work between Queen and David Bowie. This was largely played live by the band. It's a well known song. It has great moments, especially the vocal duet between Mercury and Bowie. This is a remixed version. "Too Much Love Will Kill You" is from "Made In Heaven". It was made for "The Miracle", but it was never released. It was written by May and it was included on his solo album "Back To The Light". It was first performed by Brian at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium, in 1992. This is a nice song. "Somebody To Love" is from "A Day At The Races". It has complex harmonies, great guitar solos and a nice gospel choir. It's one of their most recognizable tracks that represent Queen at their peak. This is a live version performed by Queen and George Michael. It was also taken from Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert At Wembley Stadium. "You Don't Fool Me" is from "Made In Heaven". It was one of the last songs recorded for that album. It isn't a great song. It sounds too much too funky and disco and has nothing to do with Queen's sound. It was written and recorded by Queen with Mercury. It was never released until 1995. "Heaven For Everyone" is also from "Made In Heaven". It's a beautiful and sentimental song. Despite it was conceived for the Taylor's solo project, The Cross, this version sounds as a Queen's song. "Las Palabras De Amor" is from "Hot Space". It's a rock ballad with vocals provided by Mercury with May on the high vocal harmony. It's a beautiful song, a fine Brian's ballad, beautifully sung and with good acoustic guitar work and a nice synthesizer performance. "Let Me Live" is from "Made In Heaven". It's a rock ballad that features vocals from Mercury, May and Taylor. It was completed after Freddie's dead. It's a good song that sounds to the early Queen. It was written by Queen but never was released before 1995. "Princess Of The Universe" is from "A Kind Of Magic". It's the shortest song on that album, but it's a good rock song. This is one of the highlights on that album. It brings to our memory, the good old Queen's days. It was a song written for the soundtrack of the film "Highlander". "Another One Bites The Dust" is from "The Game". It's interesting with a mix of styles, rock, funky and disco. It has a great bass line. This isn't one of my most favourite songs, but I really like it. This is a remixed version performed by Wyclef Jean, Pras Michael and Free released for the 1998's film "Small Soldiers". "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" is from "Innuendo". This is an emotional song. It represents one of the last farewells of Mercury. That is particularly noticed on the music of the video, when he whispers "I still love you" at the end of the song. "Thank God It's Christmas" is a Queen's song only released as a single. It has rather simpler lyrics and meaning and is far from the much more complex works of Queen.

Besides the Queen's songs, there are more five songs on this compilation. "Barcelona" is from "Barcelona", a Freddie Mercury's studio album. It's performed by Mercury and Montserrat Caballe. "Living On My Own" is a Freddie Mercury's song from "Mr. Bad Guy". This is a remixed version included on "The Freddie Mercury Album", a posthumous solo project with material from Queen and Freddie Mercury, released in 1992. "The Great Pretender" is a Freddie Mercury's cover song of The Platters. It was only released as a single. "Driven By You" is a Brian's song and was released as a single and later included on his debut studio album "Back To The Light". "No- One But You (Only The Good Die Young)" was written by Brian May as a tribute to those who pass before their time, like Princess Diana and Freddie Mercury.

Conclusion: "Greatest Hits III" isn't a Queen's compilation. It's more like a compilation of Queen about Queen's related material. It has also some solo member's compositions and some band's songs made with the collaboration of other artists. It has some great moments like "The Show Must Go On", superior sung by Elton John, "Barcelona", with a great duet between Montserrat Caballe and Mercury, "Too Much Love Will Kill You", "Heaven For Everyone" and "These Are The Days Of Our Lives". But, it has also weak songs like "You Don't Fool Me", "Las Palabras De Amor" and "Living On My Own". But, the worst are the remixes of "Under Pressure" and "Another One Bites The Dust". "Under Pressure" was changed into a disco/pop song and "Another One Bites The Dust" was transformed into a rap song. It destroyed both.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)