Queen: Greatest Video Hits 1

You haven't heard Queen's greatest hits until you've experienced them in surround sound on Greatest Video Hits 1. Disc 1 includes 16 of Queen's most popular singles, restored and remixed in 5.1-channel Dolby Digital and DTS, and the results are nothing less than spectacular. Reformatted for widescreen TVs, Queen's early videos are visually basic (typically combining lip-synched band footage with concert performance clips), but they effectively chronicle the group's musical and stylistic evolution, and "Bicycle Race" includes previously unseen footage of an all-nude female bicycle race! (Optional commentary is provided for all videos by guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, with archival quotes from the late Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon.) Disc 2, while not remixed, features six excellent videos (including the previously unseen "Liar"), and a hidden, alternate-edit video of "Bohemian Rhapsody" originally seen on Britain's Top of the Pops (and accessible by entering "Title 10, Chapter 1" on your DVD remote). "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the obvious highlight of both discs, and its history (both audio and video) is thoroughly explored, including May's fascinating deconstruction of the song's original studio recording tracks. Mandatory viewing for Queen fans, Video Hits 1 will leave you begging for Video Hits 2. --Jeff Shannon