Queen - Deep Cuts Vol. 1, 2, 3 (1973-1995) (3CD, 2011) FLAC

Album - Deep Cuts, Vol.1 [1973-1976]. Ever since Freddie Mercury's passing in 1991, fans have seen countless Queen compilations and reissues come their way. And in early 2011, another one arrived, Deep Cuts 1973-1976. As its title suggests, the 14-track compilation is comprised of tunes that were not hits (in other words, don't expect the likes of "Killer Queen," "Bohemian Rhapsody," etc.). But as longtime Queen admirers know, Queen was always an "album rock band," meaning that many of their albums were all killer-no filler from beginning to end. So as a result, many of their uncommon tracks were quite strong on their own. Spanning the group's first five albums (1973's Queen, 1974's Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack, 1975's A Night at the Opera, and 1976's A Day at the Races), the track list was compiled by Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, as well as Foo Fighters drummer/Queen super fan Taylor Hawkins.

And something else that hardcore Queen fans will notice is that the track list is not in chronological order. Regardless, you can't debate the quality of many of these oft-overlooked songs, including such rockers as "Stone Cold Crazy," "Keep Yourself Alive," and "The March of the Black Queen," and such ballads as "My Fairy King" and "Lily of the Valley." Also included are tunes that fall somewhere between the middle or rockers and ballads ("In the Lap of the Gods…Revisited"), as well as tunes that show that Freddie was not the only Queen member who possessed a fine singing voice (May on "Long Away" and Taylor on "I'm in Love with my Car"). If you already own Queen's Greatest Hits and want to further explore their harder rocking early years, Deep Cuts 1973-1976 is a smartly assembled little package which packs quite a wallop.

Album - Deep Cuts, Vol.2 [1977-1982]. Released as a companion to the expanded Queen reissues of 2011, the Deep Cuts series digs deep into the classic rock band’s albums, culling a collection of overlooked fan favorites. This 14-track collection covers the group’s time as world-conquering superstars, the era when they released News of the World, Jazz, The Game, and Hot Space. Apart from the rampaging “Sheer Heart Attack,” “Mustapha,” “Spread Your Wings,” and maybe “Dragon Attack,” there are no outright classics here, but anybody curious about digging deep into some of Queen’s better albums without purchasing the albums outright -- an admittedly small audience, to be sure -- should find this useful or at the very least entertaining.

Album - Deep Cuts, Vol.3 [1984 - 1995]. Released as a companion to the expanded Queen reissues of 2011, the Deep Cuts series digs deep into the classic rock band’s albums, culling a collection of overlooked fan favorites. This was somewhat easier to do on the first two volumes, which covered the group’s heyday, but Vol. 3 rounds up highlights from 1984-1995, when Queen weren’t anywhere near their prime. That much is evident on this edition of Deep Cuts, which never raises much beyond the level of “very solid.” That's enough for an album but not a compilation intended to convince doubting punters there was more to be found than what is usually showcased on hits collections. Although that's not the case here, this still could have some use for the curious Queen fan who doesn’t want to go to actual latter-day albums.

Tracklist

2011. Deep Cuts Volume 1 (1973-1976) (2011, Universal, EU, Germany, 276542-4) - 00:51:16

01. Ogre Battle - 4:15
02. Stone Cold Crazy - 2:15
03. My Fairy King - 4:09
04. I'm In Love With My Car - 3:06
05. Keep Yourself Alive - 3:48
06. Long Away - 3:33
07. The Millionaire Waltz - 4:55
08. '39 - 3:33
09. Tenement Funster - 2:47
10. Flick Of The Wrist - 3:17
11. Lily Of The Valley - 1:46
12. Good Company - 3:25
13. The March Of The Black Queen - 6:40
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited - 3:47

2011. Deep Cuts 2 (1977-1982) (2011, Universal, EU, Germany, 2771782) - 00:53:16

01. Mustapha - 3:02
02. Sheer Heart Attack - 3:28
03. Spread Your Wings - 4:34
04. Sleeping On The Sidewalk - 3:08
05. It's Late - 6:28
06. Rock It (Prime Jive) - 4:33
07. Dead On Time - 3:25
08. Sail Away Sweet Sister - 3:34
09. Dragon Attack - 4:21
10. Action This Day - 3:35
11. Put Out The Fire - 3:20
12. Staying Power - 4:12
13. Jealousy - 3:15
14. Battle Theme - 2:20

2011. Deep Cuts 3 (1984-1995) (2011, Universal, EU, Argentina, 2780029) - 01:03:26

01. Made In Heaven - 5:28
02. Machines (Or 'Back To Humans') - 5:09
03. Don't Try So Hard - 3:41
04. Tear It Up - 3:26
05. I Was Born To Love You - 4:52
06. A Winter's Tale - 3:52
07. Ride The Wild Wind - 4:46
08. Bijou - 3:37
09. Was It All Worth It - 5:46
10. One Year Of Love - 4:30
11. Khashoggi's Ship - 2:55
12. Is This The World We Created..? - 2:15
13. The Hitman - 4:58
14. It's A Beautiful Day (Reprise) - 3:24
15. Mother Love - 4:48