Queen are the Champions with Greatest Hits

1981. There was a royal wedding, Only Fools and Horses was televised for the very first time, and Queen Greatest Hits was unleashed upon our record stores. Now, more than three decades on, that same album has become the first to sell 6million copies in the UK.

This is further proof that the music of Queen continues to thrive. Collaborations, tours, a smash musical, not to mention plans for a Freddie Mercury biopic (discussed at length on this very website!), have all proved that it is alive and kicking. John Deacon may have retired, but the Roger Taylor–Brian May axis continues to put in the hard graft.

When the awesome foursome first bumped into each other in the 1960s, could they have imagined anything like this? Despite years of success, it would seem not. Taylor himself was pleasantly surprised: “Wonderful. Who would have thought it? And all due to the great British public. Thank you. A great honour.”

Gennaro Castaldo, of the British Phonographic Industry, added: “Queen are a part of our music heritage now, with a timeless appeal that will ensure demand for their songs will continue as new generations of fans keep coming through.” What is a particularly eye-catching statistic about Queen Greatest Hits is that it has a mere 124,000 downloads to its name, with the bulk of sales coming by way of vinyl, cassette and CD. With classic tunes such as Bohemian Rhapsody and We Are The Champions on the album, who wouldn’t want it in their collection?

Perhaps this latest milestone in the Queen legacy will be what finally gets the biopic of its late frontman up and running. In the meantime, if you’re not one of the 6million who have gone out and bought a copy of Queen Greatest Hits, we suggest you do so!