From all the Queen related books I have seen "Queen - Complete Works" is the one that combines extensive research with excellent writing and makes it a thoroughly enjoyable reading for everyone who is interested in the music of Queen.
The book has 424 pages, small print (no pictures) full of all the facts a fan can wish for collected in one book for reading pleasure or quick reference. The book is divided into eight parts which cover all aspects of the work by Queen, solo work, special events, QPR and the musical.
The "album" section describes the production of each album from recording to release using all possibly available comments by band members and producers to give us a full picture of the studio work for each album including reviews by the media at the time. Details like catalogue number, release dates, song lists, chart position are included. Reading this album section we get a complete survey of the Queen and solo studio work full of information that was probably never available in such completeness before.
Another important part is the song-by-song section including all Queen and solo songs as well as all songs ever performed live by pre-Queen bands, Queen, Queen members, and QPR. Also all unreleased demos and songs we ever heard about. For each listed released song there is information about the album(s) it was released on, the single release(s) and chart position(s). For each song we find all information the author could provide including trivia like for example explaining who Khashoggi is. The song entries vary from 1-3 sentences (for example "Kalinka") to over a page of information (for example "Barcelona"). This song section can be used like an encyclopaedia and is sorted alphabetically.
More chapters of the book contain compilation albums, collaborations, post-Queen activities, a complete live/tour section, video, interactive, the musical and a single discography.
Yes, I found some smaller omissions and mistakes and I do not agree with everything the author says. However, this book was written by an author who was motivated by his genuine love of Queen music and I can relate to his words on each and every page. He never lectures, he never judges, he is never blind in his love for the music but keeps an open mind and is not afraid to voice his criticism. He is also a very good writer who manages to keep the reader interested although there are no "stories" to make it an easier read.
This book is highly recommended for everybody who is interested in Queen, knows a lot about the band or almost nothing or who cannot get enough.
