And volume four is on the way!

We heard you the first time Pittrek!

Thanks guys for the comments....they are always welcome and make good reading.

We knew from the outset of this project that the last box was going to be a difficult set to compile, but I think what we came up with was a good compromise.....because that is what we had to do.
The first two box sets were easy as they replicated the original track listing of the original 7" singles that they represented, and as I have said time and time again, that is what these box sets were designed to do.
By the time the 3rd box came about we were then into 'repeat track' territory because of the nature of what was issued on the original 7" singles. It was decided from the start that no tracks would be repeated as we would then have two and sometimes three songs of the same title throughout the series.

So when the repeat tracks came up we then had to offer an alternative. The only obvious solution in the last box for 'Who Wants To Live Forever' was 'Forever' from the 12" single, as there was no other alternative.
In this box set 4 it was obvious that all the repeat tracks had to be replaced by tracks that were appropriate to the release at the time. As most were released as a 7", it was easy to replicate if the 'b' side was not a repeat track. When it was, and needed an alternative then we then had to go into 12", and now CD, territory again.

'My Melancholy Blues' was not on the 7" so why recreate it on the CD?  'Queen Talks' was the obvious 'b' side for 'The Show Must Go On', and to not repeat 'Bo Rhap' with 'These Are The Days' would of been odd, as it was a double A side and a pinnacle release in their career. This was explained in the product info.
For 'A Winter's Tale' the obvious and non repeat track was what we chose, in 'Rock In Rio Blues'.  For 'Too Much Love' it tied in nicely to make this the 2nd Double A side in this series and couple it with 'I Was Born To Love You', as both these singles when released offered no extra tracks without repeating. 'Let Me Live' was a difficult one as again no alternative was available, so as we didn't want to leave out a genuine top 40 single in 'We Will Rock You (live)' and 'We Are The Champions (live)', it was decided that this would be a 3rd Double A side. For the 'No One But You' and 'Under Pressure' CD's, we just took out the repeat tracks and kept what was also released on the CD single.

I think that this was a good compromise, because we had to, and all fits in well with the 13 CD's in each box rule.
Every Top 40 hit was covered, which was the initial premise, and some good sleeves were chosen to give the box an international feel, and not just recreate the UK covers. 

There was no rule that the CD's could only have two tracks on, especially if the 7" had more than two, which was then recreated for this series.

This was never going to be a popular product with 'hardcore' fans, and some decisions were not going to be agreed by everyone. We could of just recreated the 7" singles only, which would of meant leaving some of the non 7" singles out of the series, but would of looked a bit odd, especially in the last box.

I t would have been far better to have released these box sets on 7" vinyl or as individual cd singles, so the fans could buy the ones they wanted etc. Just an idea. Something like the Michael Jackson and Elvis sets from a few years ago

GT wrote:

This was never going to be a popular product with 'hardcore' fans ...

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Gary, many tks for your comments here, one more time. Like it or not, it´s good having something like you sharing information / providing explanations from the inside.

Regarding your comment cited above ... Well .... we´ve been waiting so long for a product to be popular with hardcore fans .... I believe right now many, many  (most) of us are really tired . I´m sorry, but it´s the way I feel and I guess many people here or at the QOL Forum will agree. Years go by and we don´t see any concession for the hardcore fans. Not a single one.

I looked at the 40th Anniversary and the new contract with Universal full of hopes, but now I´m expecting very little.

Yes, maybe the Joe public will be happy once again. With Queen, they´re always the winners, not us.

GT, I'm still waiting for your response to my criticism about your flawed "Queen only" logic...

GT wrote:
I don't know why you all seem to think that any Queen + singles are going to make it into this box 4.This is a Queen singles only project.......has been from the beginning and will be to the end.

Not to sound like an ass, but there's one problem with your logic already, and it can be found in collections 2 and 4:
Under Pressure 

Hi Inu,
I think most people here will agree that Under Pressure was always a Queen single, first and foremost, and not a Queen + project  that came about after Freddie's death. So to include this track in box 1 and then include the remix of this track as the last Queen single in box 4 was justified.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]GT wrote: [/QUOTENAME] Hi Inu, I think most people here will agree that Under Pressure was always a Queen single, first and foremost, and not a Queen + project  that came about after Freddie's death. So to include this track in box 1 and then include the remix of this track as the last Queen single in box 4 was justified. [/QUOTE]
I can kinda understand where you're coming from. But however Gary, and call me being very very technical here, the matter of the fact is, the remix of UP was billed as "Queen +", and you said there were to be "no Queen +"  singles included in these sets, which therefore WOULD disqualify the remix of UP in itself - in theory based on your logic. Am I not right in a way? Also, one other thing to note: the UP remix was done itself in order to promote a Queen + project, in that being "Greatest Hits III" which also incidentally featured a few "Queen +" tracks along with 'classic Queen' and solo tracks.

In any case, so what does QPL plan to do about the rest of the hit singles not included in these sets? Will there be a 5th set of just 'Queen +'  singles?? I think that would certainly right a very nastily flawed wrong now wouldn't it?

Well I wont be buying it (I haven't bought any of the other versions) it's a con again.  The only place where you can actually have Lost Opportunity and Mad The Swine was on those singles in 1991 hence why I bought them, so not to include them if if this the actual line up isn't very fair.

Well the Rah mix was a remix of the original single and was not a new recording. And yes it was part of the first Queen + banner but also their last hit single as Queen, so should be included.

There are no more hit singles to cover, so there wont be a 5th box.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]GT wrote: [/QUOTENAME] Well the Rah mix was a remix of the original single and was not a new recording. And yes it was part of the first Queen + banner but also their last hit single as Queen, so should be included. There are no more hit singles to cover, so there wont be a 5th box. [/QUOTE]
That is an outright lie right there, as far as I'm concerned! You're surely not forgetting, amongst other top 40 charting singles (mostly remixes, but hey UP Rah Mix also falls into this category!), the no. 1 charting remake of "We Will Rock You" done with Five in 2000! You've also forgotten the no. 1 charting "Five Live EP" with George Michael.

I am outraged. This project is a fucking sham designed to add fuel to the flamewars. If your boxset was designed to follow so-called "classic Queen line-up only" logic, then you should have never added 'No-One But You' to the set as well! If Brian, Roger & John equal Queen in your books, then surely Brian and Roger equal Queen as well, no??

That being said, would also like to draw your attention over to the QOL forums. They're pretty pissed about this major fuck-up of a last boxset as well:
http://www.queenonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=396&start=90

inu-liger wrote:

GT wrote: Well the Rah mix was a remix of the original single and was not a new recording. And yes it was part of the first Queen + banner but also their last hit single as Queen, so should be included. There are no more hit singles to cover, so there wont be a 5th box.

That is an outright lie right there, as far as I'm concerned! You're surely not forgetting, amongst other top 40 charting singles (mostly remixes, but hey UP Rah Mix also falls into this category!), the no. 1 charting remake of "We Will Rock You" done with Five in 2000! You've also forgotten the no. 1 charting "Five Live EP" with George Michael.

I am outraged. This project is a fucking sham designed to add fuel to the flamewars. If your boxset was designed to follow so-called "classic Queen line-up only" logic, then you should have never added 'No-One But You' to the set as well!
If Brian, Roger & John equal Queen in your books, then surely Brian and Roger equal Queen as well, no?? ===============================================================================

Young padawan, don't you know most Queen releases these days are driven by the following reasoning:

lowest common denominator
least possible effort
widest possible audience
biggest possible sales

All other considerations are for idiot fans who use terms like 'CDs' instead of 'units,' and 'musical integrity' instead of 'profit margins'.

Actually it was George Michael and Queen and Five + Queen, so they were not actual official Queen only singles.
We can go on forever stating what is right and wrong, but the decision for everything lies with the band. If they would of said yes include the 'Five Live' single, then it would of been included.

*head desk*

Queen Productions Ltd. as a whole should earn a permanent glorified place on Failblog.org

Please leave the poor guy alone :-) I seriously DOUBT that HE is responsible for the tracklist....