Queen – Queen I

I just bought this as the price has slipped to £140 with free shipping. I'm happy with it. It's a very complete set. The box itself has quality witten all over it (I'm still pissed at the £300 Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" fiasco that couldn't even be arsed to put the name of the album on the side of the box leaving just an ugly black box on the shelf) and I like the way the CDs are in separate sleeves inside a folder that has the track listings under them so you can read them without getting the discs out. Book is quality too, if lacking in text. Big fail is the lack of a Blu-Ray with Atmos surround mixes. At this price point it should have been included. But ultimately I'm glad I got it. Most of the remixed CD1 sounds better than the 2011 CD I currently have to my ears.

I opted for the slimmed-down 2-CD version because I didn’t want to spend €178 on the big box. It’s not worth it to me. The pre-announcement didn’t go off without a hitch on the part of the fans: when the advance single “The Night Comes Down” was released on YouTube and elsewhere, shrewd listeners discovered that Freddie Mercury’s voice had been corrected in a few places. An absolute impossibility, even for me. The accompanying video is also unbeatable in of embarrassment. Another miss by the remaining of Queen?

CD1 features the remix of the album, including the song “Mad The Swine”, which didn’t make it onto the LP at the time; it only appeared as the B-side of “Headlong” in 1991.
Right at the beginning, with “Keep Yourself Alive”, you can immediately hear that it’s going to be exciting: a crisp sound, full of dynamics and a successful stereo image. At times on “Doing All Right” you get the impression of being live in the studio w/ the band. “Great King Rat” is more aggressive than before; great guitar separation. The drums at the end are not faded out, but glide immediately into “Mad The Swine”, a track that also comes into its own for the first time. “My Fairy King” is clearer and more direct in the new stereo mix. On first listen, I would say that the original mix suits this song a little better, it makes the track sound more mysterious.
“Liar”, the opener of the original second side, begins very dryly, you get the impression that the drums are rolling over you. The guitars are clearer and more distinct than in the familiar mix. In the middle section, bongos can suddenly be heard – they had remained hidden for 51 years. This is followed by “The Night Comes Down” – I have to it that I wouldn’t have noticed the difference in Freddie’s voice! „Modern Times Rock’n’Roll”, a real smash in the new sound, benefits 100 percent. The piano in the second part can also be heard more clearly than before. “Son And Daughter” hits harder than before (great!!), „Jesus“ seems even more majestic; it may be my imagination, but the track seems to be played faster than in the original. With the short instrumental “Seven Seas Of Rhye…”, everything comes to a swift and royal ending.

CD2 contains interesting alternative takes of the songs and studio dialogs, as well as an early version of the later B-side “See What A Fool I’ve Been”. “Keep Yourself Alive” additionally features an acoustic guitar and bongos. “Great King Rat” pleases with Freddie’s somewhat different vocal interlude. The brief banter between Freddie and Brian before the beginning of “Mad The Swine” is amusing. Freddie then improvises while the band plays through the song, the lyrics didn’t seem to have been written at this point. Great bassline from John on “My Fairy King”, in combination with Freddie’s piano and Roger’s driving drums – a highlight on this CD!

Yes, the new presentation of QUEEN I is fun. I’d also love to have the big box, which contains several CDs, an LP and a book (the booklet here is a massively slimmed-down version of it), if it weren’t too expensive.
The original album has been taken apart, dusted off and reassembled. The songs, in direct comparison to the well-known edition, can “breathe” for the first time and shine without exception.
I hope that they do the same with my Queen favorite QUEEN II (1974). A new mix would be very exciting.

CD & 2 CD editions not yet listed here.. more words to reach the minimum requirement to post.

Heard the remixes on Apple music and it reminds me of those ZZ Top Six Pack CDs from the 80's.

Just because you can do a thing doesn't mean you should.

Fantastic box set. Yes, there are mixed feelings ( haha ) about the remix but I love it. The book is a great read and loads of never seen pictures. The cover of the lp is great with the loho embossed. Of course you can be sceptic about it, no problem, different people, different tastes.... Brian May announced he would love to give Queen II the same treament .... wow ..

I got mine today. Nice packaging, not cheap at €180 by any means. The outer box is beautiful, matt card with a ledger book texture, it's sturdy and majestic. The CD album is strong card and holds the CD sleeves that feel pretty cheap. There's 4 glossy hard card black and white photos in a white bag and a big poster of the album photos.
The hardback book is pretty good and packed with photos and memorabilia from the early days of the band but there are no essays and in depth information about the recording of the album overall. Some record companies such as Warners are good at putting in dates from the archives, and studio notes, there's nothing like that here. The same thing happened [or didn't happen] in the Miracle box set two years ago, very little info on the sessions.

So, the whole album has been remixed from scratch, [hence 2024 mix] and some will have a problem with this as it seems Queen productions are re-writing their own history. It's the first time a Queen album has been given a brand new stereo mix. The drums sound very modern as if they were rerecorded? But no, as May has stated, all the performances are original but each instrument has been given meticulous attention.

The vinyl LP has had digitally enhanced artwork by Brian May, but it still pales and is nowhere near as vibrant as the original artwork. The image of Freddie is less defined, the purple less deep! The gold Queen 1 embossed is beautiful I must it. The inner sleeve has the lyrics and the platter itself comes in a high quality poly lined paper sleeve.
I was amazed at the lack of bottom end on the CD version, but then vinyl has more oomph. Some guitar solos seemed lower in the mix too. I actually like the vinyl for most of the part but the drums "Liar" have a very modern reverb or room sound which is a pity because they did some cool things with the vocals in key parts, "Mama I'm gonna be your slave" is now a frenzy. The mix is clear and powerful and is growing on me. Autotune on "The Night Comes Down" is weird and unforgivable. There's a double bass by John Deacon on that track too and for the first time it sounds very powerful.

Overall the mojo and limited technology of the early seventies make the original still more high spirited, more homily and a better suited to the bands debut. The inclusion of "Mad The Swine" is another strange move as it is a weak track, not as weak as "Jesus" which was my least favourite Queen track ever, but that suits the album better and now it sounds superb with its new mix. "Doing All Right" sounds pretty good, and "Great King Rat" more jaunty. There's a lot more detail popping out. "Son And Daughter" seems much more lively as if recorded in concert. After listening to the CD, then on my Sony Walkman as mp3 and now the vinyl, it's calling me back again to examine it more, which is a good thing for an expensive box!
The studio outtakes CD is pretty interesting and one of the most essential things in the box. The De Lane Lea demos have also been previously released on the 2011 deluxe CD, the live material is mainly Rainbow March 74, with a few oddities and the BBC Sessions most fans will already have. The main thing here of interest is the new remix of the album and the studio outtakes.

The band have stated that this is the way it [the album] was mean't to be! Right, I guess the marketing machine needs hype and fables to sell products fans already own. Even adding [1] after Queen is another bold move.

Overall, these boxes are very expensive and possibly beyond the reach of some fans but if you can live without the book, poster, photos and previously released BBC sessions, live material and vinyl, I'd say the 2CD edition would do fine. But it's an interesting venture, the new mix is incredibly clear and you can hear everything, I mean everything. It's pretty powerful and not half as bad as I was expecting!

I preorderd this but I'll be away from home for awhile until I can listen to this. Any thoughts on the pressing quality? How's the new mix as a whole and the unreleased live material?