| The Complete Works | |
| Type: | box set |
| Artist: | Queen |
| Cover: | The Complete Works (album).png |
| Released: | 2 December 1985[1] |
| Recorded: | December 1971 – September 1985 Queen December 1971 – November 1972 Queen II August 1973 Sheer Heart Attack July – September 1974 A Night at the Opera October 1974 – November 1975 A Day at the Races July – November 1976 News of the World July – September 1977 Jazz July – October 1978 Live Killers January – March 1979 The Game June 1979 – May 1980 Flash Gordon February – November 1980 Hot Space June 1981 – March 1982 The Works August 1983 – January 1984 |
| Genre: | Rock |
| Length: | 9:21:09 |
| Label: | EMI (UK) |
| Prev Title: | The Works |
| Prev Year: | 1984 |
| Next Title: | A Kind of Magic |
| Next Year: | 1986 |
The Complete Works is a box set issued by the rock band Queen in 1985. It contained all of the band's original studio albums, live album and non-album tracks to that point.[2] It was available in vinyl format only.[3]
Following the 1985 Live Aid concert, Queen found themselves in a creative period. While spending only 20+ minutes onstage before the whole world, some felt that Queen had stolen the show. In the wake of this unexpected turn, Mercury called on the other band members, to go into the studio and record a song together. Until this point, all but a handful of songs were written by the individual members (and occasional duo-songwriting credits): "Stone Cold Crazy", "Under Pressure" (with David Bowie) and "Soul Brother". The result of this enthusiastic session was "One Vision" and its remixed B-side "Blurred Vision" being released as a single worldwide.
On 2 December, EMI Records released what was then the definitive Queen boxed set: all of Queen's 11 original studio albums, their live album Live Killers, and an extra disc titled Complete Vision, which contained all the non-album A-sides and B-sides to that point.The band signed only 600 copies (on the Complete Vision sleeve), which have now become collectors' items. This was a 14 LP box. In addition, the box included two books, the first with all the albums' artwork, lyrics and pictures; the other had a colour world map showing where Queen played and charted, and a world tour itinerary up to that time, showing a list of equipment they carried with them. Each album was digitally remastered and re-sleeved in white with an embossed crest and gold Roman numerals.
Not included in the box were their 1981 Greatest Hits compilation, as well as versions and edits of tracks used for single releases worldwide. Queen released four studio albums after The Complete Works; A Kind of Magic (1986), The Miracle (1989), Innuendo (1991) and Made in Heaven (1995).
Complete Vision is a bonus LP that came with the Complete Works boxed set in 1985 and tidied up the non-album A-sides and B-sides at the time. Both 33rpm and 45rpm versions of the album exist.