Greatest Hits II

Greatest Hits II continued from where its multi-million-selling predecessor left off a decade earlier. Covering Queen’s international single hits from ‘Under Pressure’ in 1981 to ‘The Show Must Go On’ in 1991, and spanning five studio albums, the 17 tracks were universal, with none of the territorial variations the first Hits compilation enjoyed.

Hits II was a double album, whereas the first collection was (in most cases) a single disc. It was released almost exactly a decade after the first collection, on 28 October 1991, and a little less than a month before Freddie Mercury’s sad passing, on November 24. Like its predecessor, Hits II reached No. 1 on the UK album chart and is the tenth best-selling album in UK chart history, with sales of over 4 million, and close to 19 million worldwide.

The cover concept was another adaptation of Freddie’s 1970 Crest logo idea, originally designed around the astrological signs of the four band members: two lions for the Leos, Roger and John, a crab for the Cancerian Brian May, and a fairy for the Virgo Freddie.