The Complete Works (Queen album)

Last updated

The Complete Works
The Complete Works (album).png
Box set by
Released2 December 1985 [1]
RecordedDecember 1971 – September 1985

Queen
December 1971 – November 1972
Queen II
August 1973
Sheer Heart Attack
July – September 1974
A Night at the Opera
October 1974 – November 1975
A Day at the Races
July – November 1976
News of the World
July – September 1977
Jazz
July – October 1978
Live Killers
January – March 1979
The Game
June 1979 – May 1980
Flash Gordon
February – November 1980
Hot Space
June 1981 – March 1982

Contents

The Works
August 1983 – January 1984
Genre Rock
Length9:21:08
Label EMI (UK)
Queen chronology
The Works
(1984)
The Complete Works
(1985)
A Kind of Magic
(1986)

The Complete Works is a box set issued by the rock band Queen in 1985. It contained all of the band's original studio albums, live album and non-album tracks to that point. [2] It was available in vinyl format only. [3]

History

Following the 1985 Live Aid concert, Queen found themselves in a creative period. While spending only 20+ minutes onstage before the whole world, some felt that Queen had stolen the show. In the wake of this unexpected turn, Mercury called on the other band members, to go into the studio and record a song together. Until this point, all but a handful of songs were written by the individual members (and occasional duo-songwriting credits): "Stone Cold Crazy", "Under Pressure" (with David Bowie) and "Soul Brother". The result of this enthusiastic session was "One Vision" and its remixed B-side "Blurred Vision" being released as a single worldwide.

On 2 December, EMI Records released what was then the definitive Queen boxed set: all of Queen's 11 original studio albums, their live album Live Killers, and an extra disc titled Complete Vision, which contained all the non-album A-sides and B-sides to that point. [2] The band signed only 600 copies (on the Complete Vision sleeve), which have now become collectors' items. This was a 14 LP box. In addition, the box included two books, the first with all the albums' artwork, lyrics and pictures; the other had a colour world map showing where Queen played and charted, and a world tour itinerary up to that time, showing a list of equipment they carried with them. Each album was digitally remastered and re-sleeved in white with an embossed crest and gold Roman numerals.

Not included in the box were their 1981 Greatest Hits compilation, as well as versions and edits of tracks used for single releases worldwide. Queen released four studio albums after The Complete Works; A Kind of Magic (1986), The Miracle (1989), Innuendo (1991) and Made in Heaven (1995).

Album listing

  1. Queen (1973) - 38:46
  2. Queen II (1974) - 40:47
  3. Sheer Heart Attack (1974) - 39:01
  4. A Night at the Opera (1975) - 43:03
  5. A Day at the Races (1976) - 44:22
  6. News of the World (1977) - 39:19
  7. Jazz (1978) - 44:48
  8. Live Killers Vol. 1 (1979) - 47:08
  9. Live Killers Vol. 2 - 43:09
  10. The Game (1980) - 35:38
  11. Flash Gordon (1980) - 35:10
  12. Hot Space (1982) - 43:42
  13. The Works (1984) - 37:35
  14. Complete Vision (additional LP) - 28:40

Complete Vision

Complete Vision is a bonus LP that came with the Complete Works boxed set in 1985 and tidied up the non-album A-sides and B-sides at the time. Both 33rpm and 45rpm versions of the album exist.

Complete Vision track listing

  1. "See What a Fool I've Been" – 4:29
  2. "A Human Body" – 3:42
  3. "Soul Brother" – 3:38
  4. "I Go Crazy" – 3:43
  5. "Thank God It's Christmas" – 4:22
  6. "One Vision" (single version) – 4:04
  7. "Blurred Vision" – 4:42

Related Research Articles

<i>Dreamtime</i> (The Cult album) 1984 studio album by the Cult

Dreamtime is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Cult. Released on 31 August 1984 by Beggars Banquet Records, it peaked at No. 21 on the UK Albums Chart and was later certified silver by the BPI after having sold 60,000 copies. The first single, "Spiritwalker", peaked at No. 1 on the UK Independent Singles Chart. Dreamtime has subsequently been reissued in roughly 30 countries worldwide.

<i>Innuendo</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Queen

Innuendo is the fourteenth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 4 February 1991 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and was the band's first studio album to be released by Hollywood Records in the United States. Produced by David Richards and the band, it was the band's last album to be released in lead singer Freddie Mercury's lifetime, and their most recent one to be composed of entirely new material, save for The Cosmos Rocks by the Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration. The album reached the No. 1 spot on the UK album charts for two weeks, and also peaked at No. 1 in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland, staying at No. 1 for three weeks, four weeks, six weeks, and eight weeks, respectively. It was the first Queen album to go Gold in the US upon its release since The Works in 1984.

<i>Replicas</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Tubeway Army

Replicas is the second and final studio album by the English new wave band Tubeway Army, released on 6 April 1979 by Beggars Banquet Records. It followed their self-titled debut from the previous year. After this, Tubeway Army frontman Gary Numan would continue to release records under his own name, though the musicians in Tubeway Army would continue to work with him for some time. Replicas was the first album of what Numan later termed the "machine" phase of his career, preceding The Pleasure Principle (1979) and Telekon (1980), a collection linked by common themes of a dystopian science fiction future and transmutation of man/machine, coupled with an androgynous image and a synthetic rock sound.

Images in Vogue is a Canadian new wave group formed in 1981 in Vancouver. It originally consisted of vocalist Dale Martindale, guitarist Don Gordon, synth players Joe Vizvary and Glen Nelson, bassist Gary Smith, and percussionist Kevin Crompton. The band's manager was Kim Clarke Champniss, who later became a MuchMusic VJ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Vision</span> 1985 single by Queen

"One Vision" is a song written and recorded by the British rock band Queen, first released as a single in November 1985 and then included on their 1986 album A Kind of Magic. It was conceived by the group's drummer Roger Taylor.

<i>Snaz</i> 1981 live album by Nazareth

'Snaz is a double live album by the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth, released in September 1981.

<i>The Crown Jewels</i> (box set) 1998 box set by Queen

The Crown Jewels is a box set by Queen which comprises their first eight studio albums; Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, News of the World, Jazz and The Game; in sleeves replicating the original vinyl packaging. The last three albums in the set all have modified packaging with alternative covers. A lyric booklet is also included. All the albums have been remastered. The box set marks the 25th anniversary of the group's existence dated to the release of their first album.

<i>World Machine</i> 1985 studio album by Level 42

World Machine is the sixth studio album by British pop group Level 42, released in 1985. It was the band's breakthrough album internationally and features one of their most successful singles, "Something About You".

<i>Greasy Truckers Party</i> 1972 live album by Various artists

Greasy Truckers Party is a 1972 live album by various artists recorded at a February 1972 Greasy Truckers concert at the Roundhouse in London. The concert featured three bands, Man, Brinsley Schwarz, and Hawkwind, and musician Magic Michael. Originally a double vinyl album, in a limited edition of 20,000 and sold at just £1.50, it rapidly sold out, and became a collector's item.

In the world of British underground rock, the Greasy Truckers Party ... ... looms about as large as the Monterey International Pop Festival does in American rock lore; it wasn't the biggest gig ever played by the bands involved, but for reasons of exposure, and resulting word-of-mouth, and the excerpted live album that followed, it came to define what they were capable of.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neat Records</span> British independent record label

Neat Records was a British independent record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. A key figure in the establishment of the label was Steve Thompson. Thompson was house producer at Impulse at the time and helped set up Neat, became the A&R manager and produced all the initial recordings, as well as managing the publishing arm, Neat Music. The label was sold in 1995 to Sanctuary Records.

<i>This Is the Devo Box</i> 2008 box set by Devo

This Is the Devo Box is a seven-disc CD box set compilation of albums by American new wave band Devo, released only in Japan in 2008. It contains all six of the band's studio albums for Warner Bros. Records, spanning the years 1978 to 1984, as well as a greatly expanded version of the 1981 DEV-O Live EP, identical to the 1999 Rhino Handmade CD release. The box features exclusive remasters by mastering engineer Isao Kikuchi and the albums are packaged in miniature LP sleeves with miniaturized versions of the original artwork and pack-ins. The box does not include bonus tracks, although this edition of the New Traditionalists album includes the track "Working in the Coalmine," originally included as a bonus 7" single in some early pressings of the LP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Femme Accident</span> 1985 single by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

"La Femme Accident" is a song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the third and final single from their sixth studio album Crush (1985). Like two of their previous singles, it references Joan of Arc. Unlike those two singles, it was not a substantial hit, peaking at No. 42 in the UK.

<i>The Singles Collection Volume 2</i> 2009 box set by Queen

The Singles Collection, Volume 2 is a limited edition CD series compilation box set by the English rock band Queen, released in 2009. The box set contains remastered versions of the next thirteen top-40 charting singles released by Queen that appear subsequent to those in the first volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galahad (band)</span> English progressive rock band

Galahad is an English progressive rock band formed in 1985 in Bournemouth. They have released 12 studio albums, six live albums and three rarities collections, as well as two offshoot project albums under the names Galahad Acoustic Quintet and the Galahad Electric Company. Over the past 38 years they have played with the likes of Pendragon, IQ and Twelfth Night. Galahad have performed their own shows and at festivals in Europe and North America, and have sold tens of thousands of albums despite never having had a major record deal.

<i>Their 16 Greatest Hits</i> 1971 greatest hits album by the Grass Roots

Their 16 Greatest Hits is the third compilation album by the American rock band the Grass Roots. It was originally released by Dunhill Records in September 1971 shortly after the success of "Sooner or Later" earlier that year. The album also included many other hit singles that were released from 1966 to 1971. The album was released on both stereo LP & tape as well as in Quadraphonic Sound on both LP & tape. This album was the only Quadraphonic album released by The Grass Roots.

<i>Complete</i> (The Smiths album) 2011 box set by The Smiths

Complete is a box set compilation by English rock band the Smiths, released by Rhino Records on 26 September 2011. The standard CD and LP versions contain the band's four studio albums The Smiths, Meat Is Murder, The Queen Is Dead and Strangeways, Here We Come, their only live album Rank and the three compilation albums released while the band were still active–Hatful of Hollow, The World Won't Listen and Louder Than Bombs–on eight CDs or eight LPs. A deluxe version contains those eight albums on both CD and LP formats, as well as 25 seven-inch vinyl singles and a DVD.

<i>Blur 21</i> 2012 box set by Blur

Blur 21 is a CD, DVD and vinyl box set encompassing the vast majority of music by Blur. It was released on 30 July 2012, commemorating the 21st anniversary of the release of Leisure, the band's first album. The release took place before the band's performance at Hyde Park as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. One version of the box-set consists of eighteen CDs, three DVDs, one vinyl 7" record and a hardcover book acting as a complete biography of the band. The CDs contain all seven Blur albums, with the first five remastered, with each album receiving a new second disc of B-side material; as well as four 'rarities' discs containing mostly previously unreleased material. The DVDs contain Showtime, The Singles Night and an all-new rarities disc. It is the band's most complete retrospective release.

<i>The Complete Vinyl Collection</i> 2013 box set by The Jesus and Mary Chain

The Complete Vinyl Collection is a box set release by Scottish alternative rock band, The Jesus and Mary Chain. It was released on 12 December 2013 via Demon Music Group, marking the band's 30th anniversary.

<i>Bob Dylan: The Complete Album Collection Vol. One</i> Forty-seven disc box set by Bob Dylan

The Complete Album Collection Vol. One is a 47-disc box set released on November 4, 2013, by Bob Dylan. It includes 35 albums released between 1962 and 2012, six live albums, and a compilation album unique to the set, Side Tracks, which contains previously released material unavailable on regular studio or live albums.

<i>Queen CD Single Box</i> 1991 compilation album by Queen

The CD Single Box is a compilation compact disc box set by the English rock band Queen released exclusively in Japan on 26 April 1991 by EMI Records.

References

  1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 47.
  2. 1 2 Millar, Robbi (1985) "Work Force", Sounds , 14 December 1985, pp. 28–9
  3. "Queen – the Complete Works (1985, Vinyl)". Discogs . 1985.