Queen 40, Volume 1

I'm sure nobody reading this needs to be told what to think of Queen's music, so I'll get to what you really want to hear about: the remasters and bonuses. First off, any review you may have seen about these remasters being "brickwalled" is, honestly, pretty close to a flat-out lie. I'm not sure what these reviewers THINK they're hearing; perhaps it's some of the distortion that's present in the original recordings. (Or perhaps they just downloaded a copy somewhere and trusted its accuracy. Hey, I don't like throwing out wild accusations, but I'm not sure how else to explain how blatantly, factually wrong and willfully misleading some of these reviews are.) While I don't doubt that these masters use slightly more compression than the original discs, compression does not equal brickwalling. Good compression is like sandpaper: it smooths out a few rough edges and bumps that really aren't desirable while still preserving the intended shape of the artwork -- perhaps even making it stand out a little more. Bad compression, on the other hand, is like a power sander that all but eliminates the details and leaves you with a big flat block. These discs are clearly an example of the former. They're louder, they're clearer, the equalization is much better -- but the "oldness" and dynamics of the sound are still intact. You're not hearing someone else's vision of how it should sound. And on average, these still have a lower volume than most of the other stuff in my library; I usually have to crank up the volume when they show up during random playback. As for the bonus discs, they're definitely pretty nice. The majority of the bonus tracks are live versions (either from concerts or in-studio sessions), plus a handful of acapella or backing track versions, one or two B-side tracks, the A Night At The Opera re-record of "Keep Yourself Alive", and a very nice-sounding brand-new mix of "Teo Torriatte". I'm sure they could've packed the discs with more (there are 5 tracks per bonus disc on average), but I'm glad the tracks aren't awkwardly tacked onto the end of the main discs. The box is certainly nothing special. It's pretty standard slipcover-quality cardboard, nice enough, but you're not missing out on anything if you don't get it. Same goes for the fold-out poster; I'm sure there are plenty of places where you can find Queen posters. Really, buying this package is more about the price than anything. It's not exactly CHEAP, but it's not that expensive either. It's roughly $20 more than you would normally spend on 5 non-deluxe albums by just any old band on release week... and this is Queen we're talking about. Just make sure you're not factoring the box and poster too heavily into your purchasing decision, because nobody will miss those.

Few rock bands have had the same ability to span multiple styles of music quite like Queen, or quite the same concentration of raw talent. Each of Queen's 4 members not only could play more than one instrument, each had formidable songwriting skills on their own, and 3 out of 4 of them were vocalists of a caliber where each could've fronted their own band with great success. This first collection is the strongest of the 3 "Queen 4" remaster groupings, and reflects their first 5 albums where they were consistently on spot with every release. In terms of the quality of the remastering, there is a noticeable increase in volume, but without "brickwalling" or excessive levels causing unwanted distortion. I've seen someone claim that these remasters are "too loud", but this is yet another situation where people spout out audiophile clichés like "smiley-face EQs" or "the original 1980s CD releases were the best", in an attempt to somehow sound more discerning than everyone else. While the original 1991 remasters weren't awful, they were a tad flat and thin. These remasters feel more "solid" for lack of a better word, the EQ is balanced to avoid muddiness, mid-honkiness, and gritchy high end as much as possible, and the various parts on each song are definitely more distinct. In terms of the bonuses, as others have said, the appended EP disks tend to be a tad underwhelming. For example, while there may have been issues regarding who had the rights to the songs, the long lost Smile studio sessions (this being the band that was Queen's predecessor) would have been a superb addition, as would demos such as Silver Salmon. Those alone might've generated even more sales. But alas, at least we still get a few decent bonuses, including early demo versions, and live performances. Over the course of the 5 albums included, we see Queen burst out of the gate as an entity that stood out from other heavy rock/proto/early metal outfits of the early 70s. While Uriah Heep is often cited as the archetype for the "over-the-top" approach that later metal bands would use (and critics would loathe), Queen easily put them to shame with their incredibly energetic and joyful delivery. While Uriah Heep would perform their material with an almost grimly determined aura in an attempt to reinforce the "epic nature" of what they were trying to do, Queen very much seemed to achieve the goal almost offhandedly, recognizing that being an entertainer trying to convey a sense of fantasy is by nature somewhat ridiculous, but never making fun of the audience or the material in the process of retaining that sense of humor and joy. Queen were very obviously influenced by Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and the Who, but also seemed to have a spiritual link to Black Sabbath, and their trailblazing heavy metal. Another major ingredient in the mix, which would more clearly emerge after the first two albums, was a definite love of traditional, non-rock music, such as jazz, classical, 1920s dancehall music, and Broadway. But the first album did clearly focus more on heavy rock, with classical influences and a touch of the Who's wide-open sound. It was here where you can find the roots of power metal, with the gallop of "Great King Rat" and "Keep Yourself Alive", and the epic rave-up of "Liar". The air of fantasy and whimsy is also present throughout the album, with the almost foppish, delicate approach of "My Fairy King". However, this is counterbalanced by such red-blooded tracks as Roger Taylor's "Modern Times Rock 'n Roll", and the grinding "Son and Daughter". One thing for certain is that the band already established extensive and impressive guitar and vocal harmonies as a central pivot for their music. By the time they were ready to record "Queen II", the band's ambitions had become even greater, as did their confidence. The resulting album was nothing short of insanely atmospheric and over the top (ironically "Over the Top" was to be the original name for it). The amount of layered tracks present is almost absurd, and solidified their role as one of the main inspirations for power metal. Just listen to Blind Guardian's "And Then There Was Silence" back to back with "March of the Black Queen", and you'll see what I mean. "Father to Son", the crushing "Ogre Battle", and "Seven Seas of Rhye" all break new ground in the metal genre, even if dainty fare (littered with glittering harpsichords and delicate acoustic guitars) such as "White Queen", "Funny How Love Is" and "The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke" all subvert any characterization of Queen as a metal band. I can't overemphasize what an achievement "Queen II" is, as it nails the medievalisms other heavy bands aspired to invoke, but never sounded turgid or stiff in the process. "Sheer Heart Attack" saw the band decide to dial back things a bit, and replace much of the medieval atmosphere with influences closer to their own time. Of course, "closer" was a relative term, and meant nods to ragtime (notably in "Bring Back That Leroy Brown") and European theatrical music ("Flick of the Wrist", "Killer Queen"). There was a greater emphasis on advancing both pop and heavy rock elements further. "Killer Queen" gave the band the hit single they needed to break through, "Stone Cold Crazy" prefigured speed/thrash metal with its distorted, syncopated and speedy riffing, while the stately "In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited" was custom-built to close a stadium rock event. A fan of power metal band "Gamma Ray" could easily see how Queen influenced them by listening to some of the guitar pyrotechnics in "Brighton Rock". But Queen's true breakthrough was the oft-lauded "A Night at the Opera". In between snippets of Great Gatsby-esque numbers such as "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon", "Seaside Rendezvous" and "Good Company" (complete with a big band section that was actually Brian May's multi-tracked, processed guitar playing), the band landed musical knockout blows with Taylor's powerful "I'm In Love With My Car", Brian May's sci-fi folk song "'39", John Deacon's earnest pop love song "You're My Best Friend", and Freddie Mercury's vindicative "Death on Two Legs". The epic "The Prophet's Song" is no slouch, providing a vocal tour-de-force midway through. Of course, there's also a little song called "Bohemian Rhapsody", which you may have heard of. After the constantly shifting approaches of their first 4 albums, the relatively familiar "A Day at the Races" may have felt like a bit of a letdown. It doesn't deviate too much from its predecessor, plumbing old-timey musical motifs in songs such as "The Millionaire's Waltz" and "Good Old Fashioned Loverboy", providing torch song balladry with "You Take My Breath Away", and refining stadium-rock anthem-making with "Teo Torriate". There's also the requisite sensitive Brian May moment with "Long Away", as well as the band's take on gospel with "Somebody to Love". And just in case you were worried they couldn't rock anymore, "Tie Your Mother Down" says otherwise. Even if none of this feels as surprising as their prior albums, it's still all...damn...good. In fact, I'd call this one of their more underrated albums, as you don't hear many people singing its praises. And so this first set closes with the band still on the rise overall. Due to the incredible consistency of each of the albums, this is the best of the 3 sets, as the band would later go through some ups and downs. While all 3 sets are worth buying, if you have to buy only one, this is the best choice. But then again, after you get this one..........how can you resist completing the story of Queen?

Well, I agree with most of the reviewers on here who say these are by far the best sounding Queen cd's released to date. Crisp, clear, full, quiet, beautiful best describes the way they sound. Yes they are louder than the 1992 releases, but no stupidly louder and their is an openness about them, i.e. they don't sound like Metallica's last release. What you wont find here are louded up compressed to hell vintage tunes with no feel or soul to them. The quiet parts are quiet, the loud parts are loud etc. They sound the way the were originally meant to only better. The second cd is cool, but nothing special. It is however a massive step forward from the 1992 releases. What was with some of those remixes? Were they trying to turn Queen into a dance band? I never understood stood some of those remixes back then and still don't to this day! Inside the ordinary jewel cases you'll find the same stuff you found on the albums with a few more pics thrown in here and there for good measure. Overall nothing special, but all good stuff just the same. As far as tunes go, I like Box set A and C better than box set B. However that's just my take and yours may vary. Box A is killer from start to finish. Box set B has two of my least favorite Queen albums. Both The Game and Flash didn't do much for me back than and still don't today. However I enjoyed Hot Space when much of the population was wondering "what the hell" lol. The first 4 songs on the game are fantastic, after that it's alright. Flash is well Flash, nuff said! Box C also has some great material on it. The only two releases that didn't do anything for me were The Works and Made In Heaven. The works has a few decent tunes on it, but overall it's lacking in my opinion. Made In Heaven which was put together after Mr. Mercury's passing is what it is, which is a final farewell with songs that were cut and spliced together from old master tapes that had been recorded months or in some cases years before hand. Queen along with Zeppelin are bands that had careers cut way to short by the tragic death of one of their members. These band along with Pink Floyd, Sabbath and a few others are what music is all about. They were creative as hell and deserve to be known as some of the best bands of all time. I don't think you'll find that the bands of today or really the last 20 years will have the kind of loyal following or staying power (to quote Queen lol) these groups have. I'm not sure if it's because they're just not as creative as those older bands were or if it's just because they can't play their damn instruments and thus are limited in what they can do? Whatever it is, they are light years behind those groups who basically got the ball rolling in the late 60's, 70's and early 80's! So in conclusion, yes their could have been more pictures and better packaging etc. However if you loved Queen, you will not be disappointed with what you find here as all three box sets have the goods and sound great.

I ordered all three of these Queen box sets because I used to own all their albums on cassette. This was a great way to regain what I had lost. Each Queen album on C.D. comes with a bonus disc with B-Sides from U.K. single releases along with many other rarities, live recordings, alternate takes, and other gems that make these Box Sets a collectors dream! The sound quality is top notch & sounds great on a surround sound system. These C.D.'s are not simply recorded " louder" but with a great effort to try & equal the Hi Fidelity of the original masters they were recorded from. Each Box Set comes with a nice poster & 5 Queen albums each album accompanied with a bonus disc adding up to 10 C.D.'s a Box Set. This is a wonderful way to collect all 15 Queen studio albums with 15 C.D.'s of extras providing a Queen fan with 30 great sounding C.D.'s...that's many hours of musical excellence & ice cream for the ears for lovers of not only Queen but Rock & Roll period!!! Queen was so talented & prolific I would recommend adding all 3 of these Box Sets to any serious Rock & Roll/ music library. While the Black Box Set containing Queens first 5 studio albums along with the additional 5 bonus C.D.'s may be my personal favorite every album Queen put out will contain a radio classic or two as well as songs that may have not gotten as much radio airplay but are equally as awesome as their anthems. Some of Queens best music doesn't get radio air play & since the success of the new movie Bohemian Rhapsody a whole new younger generation can make Queens awesome music the soundtrack of their life's, as us oldsters were able to do!

Awesome collection of songs at an unbeatable price.

This is a collection of fantastic albums. Queen is a solid debut with the opening brilliance of keep yourself alive and all good tracks following. Queen ii follows on nicely, not quite as good as 1 but still very very good. Sheer heart attack is where queen start hitting their seventies groove with a vengance. Big queen tunes like brighton rock, now i'm here, stone cold crazy and in the lap of the gods ... revisited, capped off with the brilliant and very popular killer queen, their first big hit. Night at the opera barely needs to be mentioned. Even if bohemian rhapsody wasn't on this album it would still be a classic album. Opening with the brilliantly biting death on two legs, that flows smoothly into the carefree lazing on a sunday afternoon, and just a smoothly into thegreat rock number i'm in love with my car (showing that roger taylor had a fantastic rock voice all his own, also explaining why the live harmonies and mix of vocals worked so well. You could list every song as special in it's own right and the diversity, without sounding removed from each other is quite a feat in itself. Day at the races is certainly not a let down kicking out of the box with the rip roaring tie your mother down and containing the ever fresh somebody to love. not quite as good as opera, but there are few albums in the history of rock music that are. The downside is the cases that the discs are housed in. Every single disc case in this box was broken, due to a poorly designed dual disc holder in the middle. My discs now float in the cases without the centre lock. I may well get some cases to replace these and at the price of the set ($26) that isn't enough for me to totally destroy the rating here, but enough to drop one star.

Greatest ever! Love Queen and this box set provided so much happiness I purchased Volume 2 and then 3. I love the poster inside, I pinned it up to get me through, I just look up at Queen to remember there is a lot of great things out there even during some very dark days of seriously ill health and an abusive job. I cant wait to move and listen to these box sets on a great stereo, far away from here. This box set is truly the bright spot these days and it is an excellent and well priced set. The Cds are the full deal and I love that there is a bonus CD in every jewel case. These bonuses often feature the band singing with no music and my heart stopped. You have to hear this section of Bohemian Rhapsody sans music, you can hear all the words and notes, it is amazing. I love The Millionaire Waltz and cant get enough of Sheer Heart Attack with tunes like Killer Queen, Tenement Funster and In the Lap of the Gods. There is so much in this box set. You also get great inserts on all the Cds with the lyrics, photos of the band and who wrote which songs. Queen is really a group of stand up guys, they have the ethics along with every other fabulous quality. Ive been listening so much to all the albums that Freddie appeared in my dreams, lol! Don't hesitate, this is will bring you endless joy and make you also not feel alone in your sadness. Sounds great and I highly recommend it.

It's not a perfect set, but it does what it needs to do, and the albums are mostly great. No errors in production on this volume. It's the first five albums remastered with good dynamic range and clarity. I had no issues with playback or anything else. It's a cheaper set for sure, and the outer box is very flimsy and probably dented or chaffed coming from Amazon. These are also limited, and will probably go out of stock at some point like Volume 2 has. No idea what they have planned for the 50th, but I don't think these need another remaster. I'd rather have high-res audio of the better albums if they plan on anything else. These are probably definitive remasters. The extra discs actually have some really good tracks, but they could have easily filled the discs instead of leaving them half empty. Disappointed there, but what we do have is pretty decent. Mostly live tracks and demos in differing quality of key songs. What people came here for are the main albums, and they are presented better than they have ever been. The plastic 2CD cases has a nice booklet with good info, and the CDs are painted and look nice enough. You can't really beat the first five albums here, and A Night at the Opera is absolutely stunning and one of the best albums ever created. It hasn't seen a remastering in some time, so for me that was fantastic to hear that album front to back with better bass and definition. For 30 bucks you can't ask for much more.

CD版は持っていないQueenのアルバムが丁度まだ僕がコレクションしてい時代あたりまでボックスセットになって破格だったので購入。これは間違いなくお買い得でした。 ただ、やはり1960〜70年代の名盤はアナログレコードで聴いた方がしっくりくる。

Pefeito. Entrega muito rápida. Produtoo excelente!

Great Album . Disc 1 Entire LP Disc 2 De lane lea Demo, Mad The Swine. The best Queen Deluxe 2 CD edition.

Grew up listening to these all on vinyl. During my adult years I had to slowly sell them off... But now I have the ability to re-own them all on CD! It was fantastic to relive the songs again in one package - Queen were peerless in my opinion and a majority of the tracks throughout the albums are awesome. I cannot comment on the quality of the extras or any of that stuff people seem to get upset about, as I have no frame of reference for any of that. These collections are what they are, all the albums, in order, with some nice little extras. Love it. Now, I'm off to rock...

The classic first 5 studio albums of Queen with extra bonus CDs + a mini poster in elegant sleeve box! Definitely a must-have for every true fan and real collector!