From Queenpedia.com
Trucking right through the disappointing Singles Collection series, Volume 3 is perhaps the most interesting of the bunch, because Queen started to wise up (a bit) and give fans some extra bang for their hard-earned buck: while it's true that every song from both The Works and A Kind Of Magic was released either as an A- or B-side in the major markets, there were at least some slightly different versions that made their purchase worthwhile. Hammer To Fall, One Vision, Who Wants To Live Forever, and I Want It All were all edited for single release (though these all appeared on various greatest hits packages over the years, so this isn't much to write home about), while Thank God It's Christmas is always a welcome addition, due to its relative obscurity. The real treat is the amount of non-album B-sides (seven), all of which, with the exception of the pointless Blurred Vision, are of high quality and could have easily replaced some of the lesser tracks on the main albums. This is especially true with The Miracle-era B-sides, and while they all weren't as strong as their respective A-sides, they certainly didn't deserve to be forgotten as B-sides. The other reason to get this set – and this certainly justifies the exorbitant price – is the single remix of Pain Is So Close To Pleasure, completely rearranged and given a punchier, poppier feel that was lacking on the more soulful album version. (Also, the single sleeve is beautiful, and was easily one of their best.) At least Queen Productions had the foresight to realize that the singles from the A Kind Of Magic era would prove to be problematic: Seven Seas Of Rhye and Killer Queen were issued as the B-sides of Friends Will Be Friends and Who Wants To Live Forever, respectively, and with the rule being that repeat tracks were unacceptable, some unique pairings had to be concocted. So this explains why Friends Will Be Friends and Princes Of The Universe are paired up, despite never being issued in this configuration anywhere in the world. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, however, the opportunity for extended remixes should have been taken advantage of, as these particular single releases spawned some of the more interesting extended remixes, especially Hammer To Fall, Pain Is So Close To Pleasure, Friends Will Be Friends, Breakthru, and Scandal. And, as before, the lack of liner notes is just baffling. But, considering the pointlessness of the first two boxes, this one just barely ekes into the category of "If You Have A Spare £40 Sitting Around And Need To Blow It On Something Then This Might Not Be A Complete Waste Of Money". Tracklists
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