Our most expensive gift suggestion clocks in at nearly four hundred bucks, but you get what you pay for. In this case it’s the complete studio output of the band, Queen, newly remastered by Bob Ludwig from the original master tapes, pressed on heavyweight 180 gram colored vinyl with a 108-page book. The LPs were pressed using half-speed lacquers cut at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.

All fifteen studio albums recorded by Queen are included on eighteen discs. The final two albums, ‘Innuendo’ and ‘Made In Heaven,’ are formatted as two-disc sets, released unedited for the first time on vinyl.

The box-set offers many special features. Most noticeable is the colored vinyl: designed for collectors, each album has been given a different color, in keeping with its original artwork, giving a unique record-deck experience. The color discs have been custom-produced especially for this set, using new material technology which ensures the sound quality is uncompromised.

There are more surprises in the box set; ‘Queen II’ originally never had a designated ‘A side’ or ‘B side’ – but ‘Side White’ and ‘Side Black’. For this new edition, the album has been cut on two separate discs, black and white, each with a custom etching on the reverse side, a nice bonus for collectors.

This collection was five years in the making. Throughout this time Queen’s production team worked extensively on all stages of this painstaking mastering process. The first step was the tape research; locating and confirming the correct versions and best sources for all tracks. Most notably, Under Pressure, plus five tracks on the ‘Innuendo’ album, were improved hugely after the discovery of better sources during this period. Particular attention was paid to the original releases to ensure that nothing was lost or changed for the worse by reverting to earlier sources.

The 18 vinyl LP box set comes with a lavishly illustrated 12 x 12 inch 108-page hardback book which features introductions to each album, quotes from Queen themselves, hand-written lyrics, rare photographs, memorabilia, and information on singles and videos – all made possible with unlimited access to Queen’s own archive plus the personal archives of Brian May, Roger Taylor and some generous fans.

Included in The Queen Complete Studio Box:

Queen
Queen II *
Sheer Heart Attack
A Night at the Opera
A Day at the Races
News of the World
Jazz
The Game
Flash Gordon
Hot Space
The Works
A Kind of Magic
The Miracle
Innuendo
Made in Heaven

* 2 disc special edition exclusive to the box set. 1 disc standard edition available separately.

If you have a die-hard, “gotta own it all” Queen completist on your gift-giving list, then you probably have already been told about this impressive set. It would be an incredible gift. You can find this hefty set at Amazon and possibly through local record shops.