Queen: Greatest Hits II (2LP)

"Greatest Hits II" picked up where its million-selling predecessor had left off a decade earlier. The 17 tracks, which spanned Queen’s international single hits from "Under Pressure" in 1981 all the way to “The Show Must Go On” from 1991 and spanning five studio albums, were universal in appeal and lacked any of the regional variations still evident in the first “Hits” compilation. “Hits II” was a double album, whereas the first compilation consisted (in most cases) of a single CD. It was released almost exactly a decade after the first compilation, on October 28, 1991, and a little less than a month before Freddie Mercury’s tragic death on November 24. Like its predecessor, “Hits II” reached No. 1 on the UK album charts and, with over 4 million copies sold in the UK and nearly 19 million worldwide, is the tenth best-selling album in the history of the UK charts. The cover concept was another adaptation of Freddie’s 1970 Crest logo idea, which was originally tailored to the zodiac signs of the four band members: two lions for the Leos Roger and John, a Cancer for Brian May, and a fairy for the Virgo Freddie.