Absolute Greatest
Absolute Greatest is a Queen compilation released on 11 November 2009 through Parlophone. It gathers 20 of the band's best-known songs, each remastered from the original tapes, and sits alongside a run of fourteen studio albums that stretches from their 1973 debut to Made in Heaven in 1995. Its genres are given as rock, pop rock and hard rock, which is a fair sketch of the range on show.
What sets it apart is the choice of formats. Alongside the single CD, there is a two-CD special edition with audio commentaries from Brian May and Roger Taylor, a 52-page hardback book that includes both discs, a digital download and an LP box set. Fans were also invited to guess the running order through a daily track reveal on Queen Online, with a prize for a correct answer. For anyone wanting a compact route into the catalogue, or the band's own words on the songs, it fits the bill.
Absolute Greatest: credits and charts
79:28- Produced by
- various, Queen
- Recorded
- 1973–1995
- Labels
- Parlophone, Hollywood
- Length
- 79:28
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 2009 | 3 |
| Scottish Albums · 2009 | 3 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2009 | 4 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2009 | 4 |
| Swedish Albums · 2009 | 5 |
| Danish Albums · 2009 | 6 |
| New Zealand Albums · 2010 | 6 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2009 | 6 |
| Austrian Albums · 2009 | 10 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2018 | 10 |
All 20 charts
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2010 | 15 |
| Finnish Albums · 2011 | 15 |
| Swiss Albums · 2009 | 15 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2009 | 18 |
| Spanish Albums · 2009 | 20 |
| Italian Albums · 2009 | 21 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2009 | 22 |
| Mexican Albums · 2009 | 22 |
| German Albums · 2009 | 23 |
| Dutch Albums · 2010 | 36 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 2009 | Gold |
| Denmark · 2009 | Gold |
| Hungary · 2010 | Platinum |
| Ireland · 2009 | Platinum |
| Italy | Gold |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| Poland · 2010 | Gold |
| Portugal · 2009 | Gold |
| United Kingdom | 2× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 11 November
Every year →
More from Queen
Full discography →
The best of 2009
All of 2009 →
More on Parlophone
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 2009-11-16 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 16 November 2009 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 11 November 2009 | |
| Wikidata | 11 November 2009 | |
| UK / Europe release | 16 November 2009 | earliest UK or European date |
7 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | ZA | Parlophone | 6009509336003 | other |
| 16 November 2009 | GB | Parlophone | 5099968664411 | original |
| 16 November 2009 | XE | Parlophone | 5099968664329 | original |
| 16 November 2009 | GB | Parlophone | 5099930919525 | original |
| 16 November 2009 | GB | Parlophone | 5099968664220 | original |
| 17 November 2009 | CA | Hollywood Records | 050087154790 | other |
| 2020 | — | Tchibo GmbH | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |