''The Complete Works'' is a box set issued by the rock band
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
in 1985. It contained all of the band's original studio albums, live album and non-album tracks to that point.Millar, Robbi (1985) "Work Force", ''
Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
'', 14 December 1985, pp. 28–9 It was available in
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
and
cassette
Cassette may refer to:
Technology
* Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback
** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...
formats.
History
Following the 1985
Live Aid
Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...
concert,
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
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
EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...
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.
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
An innuendo is a hint, insinuation or intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called insinuation), that works obliquely by allusion ...
'' (1991) and ''
Made in Heaven
''Made in Heaven'' is the fifteenth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 6 November 1995 by Parlophone Records in the United Kingdom and by Hollywood Records in the United States. It was the band's first and only release so ...
'' (1995).
Album listing
#''
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
'' (1973) - 38:47
#''
Queen II
''Queen II'' is the second studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 8 March 1974 by EMI Records in the UK and
Elektra Records in the US. It was recorded at Trident Studios and Langham 1 Studios, London, in August 1973 wit ...
'' (1974) - 40:47
#''
Sheer Heart Attack
''Sheer Heart Attack'' is the third studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 8 November 1974 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. Digressing from the progressive themes featured on t ...
News of the World
The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling En ...
'' (1977) - 39:19
#''
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...
'' (1980) - 35:10
#''
Hot Space
''Hot Space'' is the tenth studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 21 May 1982 by EMI Records in the UK and by Elektra Records in the US. Marking a notable shift in direction from their earlier work, they employed many el ...
''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.
A Human Body
"Play the Game" is a song by British rock band Queen, written by Freddie Mercury. It is the first track on the first side of their 1980 album '' The Game''. It also appears on their album ''Greatest Hits''. The single was a hit in the UK, reach ...
" – 3:42
# "Soul Brother" – 3:35
# "I Go Crazy" – 3:44
# "
Thank God It's Christmas
"Thank God It's Christmas" is a Christmas single by the British rock band Queen (band), Queen. It was written by lead guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor (Queen drummer), Roger Taylor. Released on 26 November 1984, the single spent six ...
" – 4:17
# "
One Vision
"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.