Queen were never adverse to commercialism -- after all,
Freddie Mercury made sure that he recorded a full album's worth of vocal tracks on his deathbed, so his colleagues could record a posthumous album. It should come as no surprise, then, that just two years after the release of that posthumous record, the surviving members went back into the vaults to assemble
Rocks, Vol. 1. As the title suggests,
Rocks, Vol. 1 captures
Queen at their most rockin', or, to be more accurate, their heaviest. Despite its breakneck conclusion, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is not here, but "Seven Seas of Rhye," "Stone Cold Crazy," "We Will Rock You," "Sheer Heart Attack," "Fat Bottomed Girls," "I Want It All" and "I'm In Love with My Car" are, along with several underappreciated album tracks, new remixes of "Tie Your Mother Down" and "I Can't Live with You," and "No One Like You," a tribute to
Mercury recorded by the surviving members of
Queen. In other words,
Rocks, Vol. 1 is a bit of a hodgepodge and one that most fans will be able to ignore. But for casual fans of
Brian May's searing, melodic guitar,
Mercury's operatic wail, and the surprisingly swinging backbeat of
John Deacon and
Roger Taylor, this compilation will suit their needs quite nicely. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide