(RockAndMetal.com) (11/11/03)

By Michael Bennett

LONDON, UK - Not content with having reached the No.1 spot on the UK's Music DVD chart twice this year, with "Greatest Video Hits 1" and Live At Wembley (and remaining in the Top 20 for over 54 weeks), QUEEN looks certain to continue their monopoly of the top spot with the release of the band's new video clips compilation, "Queen's Greatest Video Hits 2," which went on sale yesterday in The UK.

Continuing from where "Greatest Video Hits 1" left off, this second hits compilation (produced again by Simon Lupton and Rhys Thomas, traces QUEEN's chart successes through the 1980's, and features 19 hits from four albums: "Hot Space" (1982), "The Works" (1984), "A Kind Of Magic" (1986) and "The Miracle" (1989).

Although QUEEN ended their touring days in the mid 1980's, the decade still saw the group at one of their most productive in terms of album and single successes, all of which are represented here.

Once again, each video has been revisited and meticulously restored. Director David Mallet has digitally enhanced and colour re-graded the pictures (to 16.9 wide screen format) and where necessary has gone back to the original film rushes to ensure best results.

Sound engineers Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson, working with band members Brian May and Roger Taylor, have created brand new surround mixes of each track, working from the original analogue multi-track master tapes.

Some less familiar video clips - legitimate hits, but curiously seldom seen, are here to delight fans who have been asking for them: QUEEN's 1982 Top Of The Pops appearance with 'Las Palabras De Amor,' 'Princes Of The Universe,' 'Body Language,' 'Back Chat,' 'Calling All Girls,' and 'Scandal.'

In addition to 19 digitally enhanced 5.1 surround sound hits, the second disc of the set features a wealth of bonus material. From the QUEEN vaults comes rare footage from the 1984 and 1986 Montreux Rose Pop Festival at which the band performed songs from "The Works" and the "Magic" albums.

Some of the most colorful bonus material included shows 'the making of' three QUEEN videos - 'One Vision,' 'I Want It All,' and 'Breakthru.'

Providing a rare insight into the filming of their videos, Brian, Roger, John and Freddie are seen working in three very different locations - a recording studio in Munich, Elstree Film Studios, and on an express train speeding through the Cambridge countryside. The DVD makes this film footage available for the first time.

As with Greatest Video Hits 1, this DVD provides a song-by-song commentary specially recorded by Roger and Brian, archive interview material from all of the band, and some fascinating, never-before-seen outtakes from the original rushes.

"QUEEN'S GREATEST VIDEO HITS 2" DVD Set - Disc 1:

1. A Kind Of Magic
2. I Want It All
3. Radio GaGa
4. I Want To Break Free
5. BreakThru
6. Under Pressure
7. Scandal
8. Who Wants To Live Forever
9. The Miracle
10. It's A Hard Life
11. The Invisible Man
12. Las Palabras De Amor
13. Friends Will Be Friends
14. Body Language
15. Hammer To Fall
16. Princes of The Universe
17. One Vision

"QUEEN'S GREATEST VIDEO HITS 2" DVD Set - Disc 2:

**4 sections relating to the Queen albums released during the 1980's.

**Hot Space: Interview with band members & David Bowie, plus a rare interview with Freddie Mercury.

**Bonus Videos. Live performance from Queen at Milton Keynes.

**The Works: Queen's 1986 Montreux Rock & Pop Festival performance, interviews, Freddie Mercury Interview.

**A Kind of Magic: Queen's 1986 Montreux Rock & Pop Festival performance, interviews, Making of One Vision, Bonus Video.

**The Miracle: Interview, Making of Breakthru, The Miracle Videos, and Miracle Cover Documentary.

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