Queen – Studio Collection

Queen Question time!
Do I need this box? No.
Do I want it all? Yes.
Is it worth it? Yes.
Why? The individual albums at €30 each will cost €450 if you're lucky.
Anything else? It's a different colour vinyl for each one and a few novelties!

Anyone’s Jazz in the boxset on solid pink instead of translucid?

Just received the set today. The overall presentation is excellent. Can’t comment just yet on the vinyl but the first album is excellent so if the rest are the same then I’ll be very happy. To top it off I got this on sale through Amazon for $311.

Regarding the thin plastic album covers that the albums are packaged in .....I believe some plastics (PVC, cellophane?) can damage record covers and even seep through the paper and 'cloud' the vinyl over time. as discussed many times on the Discogs forum.
Would any collectors/sellers recommend removing the said covers from this collection or leave on as I would imagine it could add value if left intact?

Regarding the thin plastic album covers that the albums are packaged in .....I believe some plastics (PVC, cellophane?) can damage record covers and even seep through the paper and 'cloud' the vinyl over time. as discussed many times on the Discogs forum.
Would any collectors/sellers recommend removing the said covers from this collection or leave on as I would imagine it could add value if left intact?

I initially did not like this set when I first got it. Right off the bat, Amazon shipped it in the worst packaging ever to the point where the outer box was damaged and a few of the vinyl sleeves had minor damage and I was told they could not replace it. So right from the get go, I was extremely mad that I was stuck with a damaged product and many of the discs were extremely noisy.

I'll just briefly go through some pros and cons with this set, because on this day I'm really loving this set and I'm extremely fortunate that I was able to purchase it last year.

Cons first, not counting the damage which is not related to the actual pressing:
-I would say at least 4-5 of these discs were unbearably noisy. The worst offenders were A Night at the Opera and News of the World, but they came out mostly quiet after a good clean. You have to keep in mind that this was re-pressed at Optimal which is now having problems keeping up with demand and is pressed on coloured vinyl.
-A couple of the sleeves seem pretty cheap. Not so much the actual material it was made out of, but good God some of the scans are poor. The Miracle looks horrible, I have no idea how somehow said it was good for production. The pictures of the band in the gatefold of ANATO are horribly pixilated as well.
-The book, although it is a great addition, doesn't have a lot of new reading material to hardcore fans (like me). I highly suggest picking up "Queen: Complete Works" by George Purvis. Its basically an encyclopedia of the band. You can get it super cheap used.

These last two points are my two biggest gripes with the whole set though:
-NO inclusion of an EP/LP with the B-Sides. It completely excludes "See What A Fool I've Been", "A Human Body", "Soul Brother", "I Go Crazy", "Thank God It's Christmas", "Hang On In There", "Chinese Torture", "Hijack My Heart", "Stealin'", and "Lost Opportunity". 10 whole tracks completely excluded.
-They used the 2011 remasters. They explained they wanted to do it all analogue but they claimed that the tapes were pretty worn out, which is a pretty fair excuse. HOWEVER, they still could have used DSD files like the Rolling Stones Mono Box or a lot of MOFI titles. The 2011 remasters are good, but are heavily compressed. A DSD transfer would have been amazing and would have even better sounding.

A lot of cons, but the pros outweigh the cons:
-The different colours look amazing. The choices they used were fantastic, though I just wish they made Queen II 45rpm instead of two etchings. They are still pretty cool so I'll let it slide.
-The pressings themselves still sound pretty damn good on my system.
-The inclusion of Innuendo and Made in Heaven as a 2LP was a great decision, and we finally have both of them complete on vinyl.
-The inclusion of Poly-lined sleeves in every album in addition to a reproduction sleeve was greatly appreciated.
-All original posters are included (Jazz and Made in Heaven).
-The material for the sleeves is pretty sturdy and feels nice in your hands, in some cases better than the original UK releases.

Overall I give it a 4/5. It could have been improved, but I'm happy with it.

Who is selling the book and the box? It is all I need.

I only have “A Night at the Opera” from the colored release, bought it separately from a local store, by what i suspect now, was a dishonest re-sell. The record’s hole is a bit too big, no poly-sleeve as described here (though definitely the European version) but a cardboard inner sleeve. While it sounds for the most part great, the first 20 seconds of “Love of My Life” are terribly distorted (unlistenable), and since it’s one of the most memorable parts of this album, it makes it a dealbreaker. Not sure if it’s just this copy, or something more general.

Bought this wonderful item in 2015 at an now closed vinyl shop. And discovered just now that the Made in Heaven LP has 2 Roger Taylor posters and no Brian May… ugh

Anybody any ideas on how to solve this?

Essential. Queen have never been that much of an audiophile band, but this box sounds great. Bought it on release and have never looked back. 8 years down the line and I still play the contents regularly.

If you’re on the fence I’d say get off. And treat yourself 😀