From Queenpedia.com
Picking up where the downright embarrassing The Singles Collection - Volume 1 left off, Volume 2 collected the singles released between June 1979 and April 1984 – as long as they were a Top 30 hit anywhere in the world, amended slightly from the original vision of a Top 30 hit in the UK or US. (This accounts for the inclusion of the live version of Love Of My Life, which peaked at a disappointing #63 in the UK, but topped the Argentine and Brazilian charts.) So what goodies and rarities does this collection have? Not many, unfortunately; despite the 80 minute running time a CD will allow, each disc runs between 5 and 10 minutes. This would have been a perfect opportunity to have thrown on the 12" extended remixes that became the norm starting with Back Chat and Staying Power, with the A-side of each single between 1984 and 1989 almost always being extended – often to questionable results, yes, but still, more often than not, were interesting listens. The argument for their exclusion was that this didn't preserve the integrity of the 7" vinyl release, which makes little sense, considering the format they were being released on. (Why a 7" vinyl edition wasn't released is another one of those lost opportunities.) Let's focus on some positives, however. A Human Body was finally issued on CD format, having been passed over time and time again since the format was first introduced (its likeliest of homes, as a bonus track on the 1991 CD reissue of The Game, was a glaring oversight); the minor single edits of Love Of My Life and the additional Live Killers-era tracks is also a bonus; and the single remix of Back Chat, with a slightly punchier sound, also makes its digital debut. The remastering, too, is exquisite, and a vast improvement on previous releases of these tracks. But these are small beans compared to what should have been; as with its predecessor, informative liner notes appear to have never been considered, and would remain the norm for the next two boxes. It's still difficult to decide who, exactly, these boxes are geared toward. Die-hard fans want everything included (which, for this box, would have meant not only Mustapha, Jealousy, and We Will Rock You, but also the instrumental and U.S. radio versions of Radio Ga Ga, as well as the instrumental remix of Machines (Or 'Back To Humans'). Casual fans would balk at the price and the relative obscurity of the B-sides, instead opting to pick up any number of existing compilation albums – or the then-forthcoming Absolute Greatest. So why Queen Productions had to pander to the masses, instead of offering die-hard fans anything worthwhile, is another one of those frustrating mysteries that no one has yet been able to explain satisfactorily. But oh, the abomination was far from complete... Tracklists
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