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Queen II
Queen
1974
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!I don't really like queen so an album with none of their hits was only going to go one of two ways. It's not gone well for Brian, Roger, Freddie and whoever the fuck the other guy is.
If you insist on creating albums like the blueprints for a large civil engineering project, your fussiness is gonna bleed through--and fussiness is boring, however histrionic you are. With that ogre guarding the gates to this supposed castle of pleasures, I couldn't even begin hearing the dorkiness on offer, but I'm guessing it was very dorky. Get over yourselves, lads, and shake it loose.
Queen. Fantasy inspired songs. Some of the best guitar work I've heard in years. Need I say more?
As a wide-eyed, prog-worshipping 17 year old who thought fantastical lyrics and complex song-structures were the be-all-and-end-all, "Queen II" went straight to the top of my list when I first heard it, alongside "A Night at the Opera". I'm still sentimental about this album now, even though I appreciate Queen wouldn't peak until a year or so later. Rather than the eclectic range and impressive genre experimentation the band would later display, this album is grounded in hard-rock and proto-metal riffs, some innovative and some derivative. "Father to Son" contains some transparent Zeppelin/Sabbath homages, while Roger Taylor's "The Loser In The End" sticks out like a sore thumb on the first side. He obviously hadn't got the memo of mythical fantasy, and opts for a disappointing blues-rock number. These comments aside, there's a mountain of precocious talent on show here. It's not Queen at their most commercial or recognisable, but the hallmarks of their appeal are here: Freddie Mercury's dazzling, theatrical vocals, Brian May's multi-layered guitar wizardry, the intricate arrangements across the board. "Queen II"'s crowning achievement is something the band would never attempt again: an almost side-long suite of songs, in keeping with the prog-rock of the early 1970s. I adore the sequence beginning with Ogre Battle and ending with "Funny How Love Is..." with "Seven Seas of Rhye" as an encore. It has scope, ambition, rise and fall, light and shade. From the aching ballad "Nevermore" to the camp humour in "Fairy Fellers Master Stroke" to the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink showstopper "March of the Black Queen", it's a perfectly paced run of tracks. As if that weren't enough, "Seven Seas of Rhye" is a giddy glam greatest hit to close proceedings on a high. The iconic piano intro, the opening drum roll, the decisive and commanding lyric, the country-inflected "sister" middle eight, the singalong outro: it all just works. The first half of the album is nowhere near as strong, though I've always had a soft spot for the folksy "Some Day One Day", May's first turn at lead vocals in the band. While the magical lyrics seem a little dated when revisiting them now, musically I was still enthralled by most of the album. Virtuoso talent, distinctive melodies, cohesive storytelling: hearing "Queen II" today made me fall in love with Queen all over again.
The one thing that is missing is any semblance of a pop sensibility. This hits like heavy metal but has an art-rock sensibility through and through, which also means that it has no true hook in for those who don't want to succumb to Queen's world. But that kind of insular drama is quite alluring in its own right, which is why Queen II is one of the favorites of their hardcore fans.
Tja, SO macht man ein Rock-Album. Nach all dem Schrott in den letzten Wochen ein Highlight. Kannte ich natürlich wieder nicht.
Un milagro. Un disco de Queen que SÍ me gusta. Es pesado, tiene grandes riffs, solos increíbles, es medio proggy y pretencioso y absolutamente ridículo. Me encanta.
It doesn't get any better than this. Honestly. Lay me down with Queen's II and SHA. Thank you.
Heel veel nummers die ik nog nooit gehoord had en die hier een mooi geheel vormden. De betere kant van Queen.
Aunque todavía no es Queen en su máxima expresión, ya se deja ver en este disco su sonido tan característico, con letras y música muy teatrales. 10000/10
Listen, I already know I like Queen. I know I've heard this album a few times, but am not super familiar with any of the songs. I'm looking forward to the re-listen. Almost done with the album now, I'm so happy this was today's album. It's so easy to work to since I don't know the specific songs that well but love the band. Yup, I love Queen.
We. Will. Rock. You. Never gets old. I remember having to run laps in 7th grade and the PE Teacher put this song on to motivate us to run. But I couldn’t hear it if I was running on the other side of the field. So I pretended to twist my ankle so I could sit by the speaker and listen to the music. #genius and Freddy Mercury was #genius too. 💛
Good intro, seamless transition to next song A great album overall, also great for listening top to bottom
What an album! Started a little weak, not quite the oomph I'm used to from Queen. But man, did it pick up! Ogre Battle was epic, March of the Black Queen is amazing (very reminiscent of Bohemian Rhapsody), and of course Seven Seas of Rhye. Loved it!
Easy to forget with where they later went that in the early days Queen were a terrific rock band. Quality, start to finish.
Now this though. All time classic and my introduction to Queen (thank you Christine Ward’s brother).
Short and sweet album. Although Seven Seas Of Rhye is definitely the highlight, this album contains some great tracks, like March of the Black Queen and White Queen. The instruments are incredible throughout, and Freddie Mercury's vocals only make this album better.
couple of twee moments with the fairy fellows swanny whistle but some innovative sounds and structures
Amei o começo de todas as músicas aqui. A teatralidade, o suspense, a emoção. É tudo perfeito, do começo ao fim. É a cara do Queen.
Procession is gold! They were still young and having a lot of fun with music...Can never resist all those baroque/classical chords and progression combined with pop and rock.
EL disc per connoisseurs de la banda. Enrevesat, contundent, inspirat. Era només el seu segon disc i ja estaven a la cúspide de la seva etapa més experimental. Un disc, potser l'únic de la banda, que no cansa amb les escoltes repetides, es pot esgotar l'agulla i les seves cançons continuen sonant fresques i sempre amb nous matisos per descobrir
This album was very important to me and the first Queen album I purchased way back when (I was 13). Audacious and far from perfect, it was, nonetheless, perfect to me at the time. While not everything works, it also clearly provides a roadmap for much what comes later for the band. There are vocal overdubs throughout. Procession introduces Brian May’s layered guitar sound. March of the Black Queen is a precursor to Bohemian Rhapsody type epic. Nevermore is a classic Freddie ballad. Loser in the End is a Roger Taylor pseudo-heavy metal contribution. The only thing missing is a John Deacon pop song. Lastly, the Mick Rock cover is a classic and was the basis for the Bohemian Rhapsody video two years later. I return to this release often.
It’s good heavy fun. I prefer the proggy fairytale second side despite “Seas” being slight and “Black Queen” being a clear BoRhap dry run.
5/30 Hard Rock with the classic Queen flair for theatricality and a cinematic quality in all their tracks. Standout Tracks: Father to Son, White Queen (As It Began), Ogre Battle, Nevermore, The March of the Black Queen
I had only heard the final song before listening to this album. FOR SHAME tbh, but I am very glad I am getting to discover Queen's discography. Some real gems in here.
Great album, but not one of the band's best. However, they did start to delve into a more variable sound while establishing the unique and full guitar sound and multi-layered vocal style they would eventually become famous for.
This feels like an album dedicated to fantasy adventure. Like an album for the groups DnD campaign.
Looking forward to this classic!!! 👍 Not listened to that for years. Only one I remember is seven seas of Rhye. You forget how good their early stuff was.
Queen! It’s an earlier sound for them. Not quite the queen we know, but, very well done none the less.
I love Queen, they're one of my favourite bands of all time. This however is one of my least favourite albums of theirs. Seven Seas Of Rhye is THE BEST song from Queen II but there is nothing else here that would be anywhere near this level of good. I still like the album very much but it won't get a 5. There are 3 Queen albums on this list and I think there are better ones that deserve to be here.
Queen II, wow - not sure how I missed this one an acid fueled love child of Marc Bolan and Abba, when playing with stereo was still novel. #OhMrFarhenheit
Really loved this one. There were some lulls and some sections where it all sounded a bit harsh, but really good overall Favorite Tracks: “White Queen” and everything from “Ogre Battle” to “March of the black Queen”
Álbum estrambótico, como siempre me ha parecido Queen, aunque no soy experto. Disfrutable y entretenido, el puro rock hecho pop (???). Casi que canciones de musical de repente. Hay de pronto sonidos más pesados, como ese primer minuto de "Ogre Battle" que me pareció genial, bueno, la canción en sí. Aquí repetiría: qué padre escuchar álbumes de bandas legendarias, y añadiría: de las que quizá me he perdido mucho. "Father To Son" y "The March Of The Black Queen" son las otras dos que me encantaron. Quizá Queen nunca formará parte de mis bandas predilectas, pero los respeto mucho. 8.5/10
This is not the Queen that I know. The Wikipedia link shows that this is not the most knowledgeable album from the band, but it's also great! Worth it!
Really getting a lot of the operatic influence on their sound. The guitar tone is thick and heavy, almost sludgey. Some day one day is a cool track. Ogre Battle kicks ass. The March of the Black Queen is a wild song
I was ready to just give this 5 stars because Queen is awesome, but it’s a way different sound than I expected. I still really like a couple (Of Rhye was fun as hell), but it had way more hard rock than I was expecting, and as much as I like Brian May, Mercury is the star for a reason and I think other albums were better for featuring him.
Never heard most of these songs before... This was a really solid Queen album. They’re just so talented. I particularly enjoyed Father to Son
Don’t care what you say, a lot of these tracks don’t sound like Queen. I liked a lot of this album, defo feel like this was the start of them finding the sound that would make them superstars. Killer track to finish the record too.
A solid album, with variety, good writing and every song is decent. Difficult to rate as I feel that this album doesn't have much exciting or catchy stuff, and I know that Queen can do that, and Freddie isn't exactly belting his voice to its potential here. It's a four star rating coz I know they have much more up their sleeve.
I don't really know this LP as the first Queen album I bought, or some say, my brother bought, was Sheer Heart Attack. The cover looked quite familiar given I never had the album. My son Dylan reminded me that the Queen II album cover was used in the Bohemian Rhapsody video and he showed me the part of the video with the lads' picture lip syncing part of the tune. Queen at this stage was definitely more hard rock and less glam rock but you can get a glimpse of the glam avalanche to come. This is particularly so with the four Freddie compositions on side 2 (ie starting with Ogre Battle). Nevermore, one of those Freddie songs, really showcases his piano playing and vocal range although the best demonstration of his vocal range is The March of The Black Queen. The brother sure could hit those high notes. The March of The Black Queen is an excellent song and is the high point of the album imho. It's like Bohemian Rhapsody but not as ridiculous eg no "mama mia"s This was quite an enjoyable listen. It's interesting to hear a band that we know later became superstars but aren't there yet, have no laurels to rest on and are playing their hearts out. Seeing the early hints of what was to come is fascinating.
I had a similar experience listening to this one as I did the first Queen album on this list; I haven’t listened to many full queen albums, just the hits. I find the music ecstatic and fun. Sometimes a little harder edged than the hits, sometimes more theatrical/whimsical and lots of good breakdowns via talented guitar and drums. The albums are good, they make you feel good, but fit some reason they’re not sticking to my ribs, not catchy enough for me to replay or memorize, just not compelled somehow.
I was prepared to put this one on in the background and endure 40 minutes of continuous prog-opera (with an intense timeout for Ogre Battle), but somehow it was much better than that. It certainly helped to listen to this immediately after Dig Me Out, which was a melody desert. Queen delivered the tuneful bombast and middle earth glam drama that was absolutely essential background music for completing a NYT Monday crossword in the shirtless afternoon sun. I loved every track. None of them were annoying. It was a fully cohesive experience. Minus 1 star because it should take less than 40 minutes to finish a NYT Monday crossword. A-
Thought this would be a brainless perfect score, but some songs dissapointed. Overall, still a fun album to listen to.
The heaviest Queen has ever gotten. It’s funny, this album has the opposite problem that a lot of others do. Usually, there are a few standout tracks, but the album fails to give a cohesive experience. This albums works amazingly as a work on its own from start to finish, I just wish there were a few more standalone bangers!
Early rocking from them, not quite as theatrical as their later work, but definitely great.
I listened to this while I was working and it seemed pretty good. Like a solid 4/5. All those nice and enjoyable neo-classical Queen rock sounds even lulled me out of my stupor a couple of times, and sounded even better on a relisten.
For as popular as Queen is, I’d say they’re still somehow underrated. They’re a pretty different band than their singles let on. This album is very cool and it’s not even their best one
fav tracks: The March of The Black Queen Father to son White Queen Ogre Battle Funny How Love Is
We all know what to expect from queen but the early stuff is heavier, more proggy, more chaotic. The band is taking a more leading role and Freddie is signing like a power metal lead, rather than an operatic tenor. It's all good, but this stuff is good in a different way.
Not a perfect Queen album by any means but you can definitely hear their confidence growing in a big way on this album. Roger Taylor is beating the drums like it’s do or die the whole album, and is really the star of it all (to me at least!). Ogre Battle, White Queen, and Seven Seas of Rhye are the best tracks here.
Adoro a Queen, pero si algo no se puede negar es que si bien la banda de Londres son genios al momento de construir canciones memorables e himnos eternos, su debilidad yace en la construcción de álbum. Es en esta categoría donde encontramos a Queen II, un álbum que aunque no representa el peor ejemplo de este fenómeno, adolece de una estructuración de álbum sólida y coherente como las de sheer heart attack, a night at the opera e Innuendo. Cabe recalcar que a pesar de lo anterior mencionado, Queen II no es un mal álbum, históricamente es muy relevante como álbum de transición, pero definitivamente su público objetivo es el fan acérrimo y no el consumidor promedio. Para mí un sólido 7/10
Czuję, że moja ocena po jednym wysłuchaniu jest troszkę niemiarodajna. "Procession" to świetny instrumentalny początek, w "Father to Son" musiałabym się bardziej wczuć i wsłuchać, i feel like it will grow on me. "White Queen" - świetne. Dwie następne piosenki, czyli "Some Day one Day" oraz "The loser in the End" mi się tak nie podobały, ta druga była wręcz taka pretensjonalna i guess? Side Black płyty JEST ZAJEBISTY I TU SIĘ CZUJE MAJSTERSZTYK JUŻ PO JEDNYM WYSŁUCHANIU. Ten baśniowy, surrealistyczny, epicki klimat siedzi ostro, "Funny how love is" trochę odchodzi od tego klimatu, ale ja śpiewałam w niebogłosy. Muszę przesłuchać całości więcej razy. Ale na pewno przesłucham.
This early queen album feels like it should be better than how it sounds. Certain aspects of songs still feel a bit raw and not as known as the basic queen songs. This album has a good feel to it but this doesn’t show the true talent of queen. 7.7/10
Really interesting album that I'd never actually heard until now. It felt very concept-y, but Wikipedia claims it's not. Regardless, as I've stated before, it'll be hard to find a Queen album that I don't like. With that said, this is one that I wouldn't play on loop. It's a solid 4-stars for me.
How have a never heard anything from this album before? Most Queen is unmistakably and uniquely Queen. They don't sound like anyone else and no one else has really been able to replicate their sound. But - I felt like I could hear their influences in this "early" Queen (shades of The Who and others). That was cool - hearing them "on their way" to developing their own sound (which this album still very much is). There are some tones, licks, and vocal stylings that they obviously came back to on later, more iconic albums. Also, Queen was a glam rock opera powerhouse. I always felt like they were "one sound" - but, on this album, you can hear all four of them if that makes sense. It's still operatic, but they sound like four guys in a band - and I mean that in a good way. You can hear the work they're putting in individually and it's awesome. Brian May's guitar kicks ass almost the entire album - maybe may favorite work of his now. The only reason it's not a 5 star rating is because I assume there are more Queen albums to come that - still - are better than this. But I love this album.
Unfortunately, I cannot rate this album objectively. I grew up with this album and simply love Queen. A dark album in contrast to their later stage-ready songs. (7/10) Favourite tracks: The March of the Black Queen, Seven Seas of Rhye
The issue with the two-sided album concept is that invariably one side will be better than the other, which leads to the question, "Why couldn't the entire album be just this side?" In this case, the black side blows the white side out of the water, but maybe they wouldn't have felt free to make it without setting up the contrast. Best track: Ogre Battle
4.0 - I can see why this album is divisive. Side B (the "Black" side) goes into some cringe-y prog rock territory that, if I'm in the right mood, I actually find fun and interesting. It's highly dynamic though the pace is often frantic and the tone screechy, especially on "The Fairy Feller's..." Side A showcases Queen's more subtle and subdued instincts though there are anthemic spikes of bombastic glam to keep things interesting. "White Queen", "Some Day One Day", "The Loser in The End" is a pretty sequence of songs. In the end, I appreciate the artistic risks Queen has taken. For me, this album adds depth and color to their catalog and helps justify their vaunted status beyond a few greatest hits.
FINALLY! Another album that deserves to be on this list! Not the best Queen album, IMO, but definitely worthy of this list.
A fiery and dramatic record. Queen showcase both wit and hard-rock on this album. Not every track feels meaningful though. But the tracks that hit the mark do so effortlessly. Great album that I will check out again.
This was a lot closer to something like metal than what I associate with Queen. It’s still very much Queen though and March of the black Queen sounds like a proto bohemian rhapsody. Good album. Fav songs: fairy-fellers master stroke, March of the black Queen
Great rock album! What superb production for that time in their career. Great guitar work by May, and obviously vocal work by Mercury and the signature band harmonies. There’s a bit of a dip in the song quality in the 2nd half, but overall a great rock album. It is striking how underrated I feel they are as an inspiration to later metal.
Oh my God. Third Queen album in a week. This earlier album is much heavier than what came after and I like it very much for that. Still has the sweeping Queen theatrics. Album flows really well. It's a fun ride. Oh man I wish Bowie had produced this!
I like Queen. They’ve got a fun, clean feel. Their close harmonies are always a delight, even though they may sound a bit passe today. I prefer the glam to the hard, but that’s just my sexual preference. And the iconic album art is a perfect level of retro-cheese.
8/10. Pretty much what I expected. No songs especially stood out, but all were solid enough.
7/10 I’m realizing that a whole album of Queen is just a lot to listen to, overall good though.
Probably the first time I've listened to a Queen album front to back. This was much better than expected, more of a straight classic rock vibe with Queen's twist rather than something fully over the top.
I have apparently only heard Queens hits, this was brand new to me and I'm pleasantly pleased that this came up. 4.5 for sure. I suspect Queen will carry it's ranking higher than it should, so rounding down today :)
Just like the Pogues yesterday. Queen are absolute legends. You can never go wrong with Queen.
Camp and pomp and kitsch, which I love, but also genuine quality, thanks to May's prodigious gifts and Freddie's once in a generation voice. This album is just a breath short of greatness. But greatness is clearly coming.
Weird hearing non-hits from Queen. Definitely some good and some meh on here. Were they still finding their sound?
The Contrast between May's songs and Mercury's songs is incredible. Side 1 of this album is a really good hard rock band trying to find their way for their sophomore release. Side 2 of this album is fucking Queen. Favorite Tracks: White Queen, All of Side 2
None of this was familiar to me, but I thought it had a lot of the same fun and energy I know from Queen's biggest songs.
Not the best Queen album but still good. Operatic influence on both vocals and chord progression is amazing. Most favourite tracks: White Queen(As It Began) The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke Nevermore The March Of The Black Queen Seven Seas Of Rhye
Well this started out as rather well produced meh, but rapidly shuffled through to some prog rock, then into some heavy metal and then into to just good old fashioned rock. Genuinely quite surprised by it, but I suppose I shouldn't be. Excellent drums, guitars, bass - and who can say a single solitary thing bad about Freddie Mercury's voice? Cracking. Would I listen to it again, all the way through? Well no.
Just a lot of hard rock fun. Queen's theatrics and wicked riffs make for a good time all around. Sometimes it doesn't have to be that deep.
Pretty great album technically, all the instrumentation and vocal work is top notch. This is a concept album, and Queen really leans into the royalty/old timey crown theme. Of course they do it very well. I could see this being more of a niche record, where you have to be a Queen fan or a fan of the style to really LOVE it. Either way, it is good music.
I must admit I went through quite a big queen thing a year ago and I still am a fan of their works so it might sound a bit over positive in some aspects, so there’s a criticism, I think queen are thematically quite weak here only relying on fantasy tropes but at least it sticks to that concept: Procession isn’t really a song just a lead in to father to son but it’s done well. I love that guitar solo in father to son and then when they go back to the chorus it goes all angelic but it does drag on a bit at 6 minutes. White queen ( as it began) is the slowest one so far but the chorus still explodes in your face like any queen song would. I like the simple little guitar work on some day one day the only thing about this one is it’s quite an uninteresting listen in comparison to before as it doesn’t explode. The loser in the end is a really solid 70s rock tune I like may’s guitar work on this one good song! Now we go into side 2 ( side black) a much more rock side of queen. Ogre battle has to be up there for one of the best intros ever fine the lyrics are probably one of the worst so far being too stuck in fantasy but it’s still instrumentally so good that the lyrics don’t matter. The fairy fellers master stroke works so well coming off the explosion of ogre battle it has some of the best piano works in a rock song it’s not that long for queen but i think it does it favours. Nevermore is so short but i do like the build up on it’s song and I think it’s only a lead up to albums magnum opus march of the black queen a song that’s so pleasing in every aspect I just wish i was alive back then as this song would be awesome live even if some little bits like the bells were gone it’s almost like a precursor to bohemian rhapsody two albums later then march of the black queen goes into funny how love is if nevermore was the intro funny how love is is the outro to this saga and while probably my least favourite on the album it does provide a solid outro… But wait they have one more song to give remember after the Jesus song on queen 1 there was a short instrumental now that’s a full blown track seven seas of rhye it feels more like a bonus then the actual albums closer but it doesn’t matter it’s such a good song and makes the first 2 queen albums feel like a full duo of albums.
Another interesting Queen album on the list, this is the 3rd I've come across so far and once again it's got no singles I'm familiar with. I enjoyed this, really leans into their signature guitar sound and applies the fast dynamic instrumentals into fantastical lyrics about ogres and fairies. The album flows nicely with songs leading straight into one another and had a consistent theme throughout. Overall a good listen.
Vraiment solide, pas tant de moment faible sur tout l'album, définitivement à réessayer
I'd only ever really listened to Sheer Heart Attack and onwards before - the only song I knew going in was Seven Seas of Rhye - so this was very unexpected. Much more of a prog and kind of heavy approach than I expected, almost like early Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin rather than the more iconic Queen sound. Really enjoyed this one!
I've listened to at least a few full albums from Queen in addition to various verions of their greatest hits. I like a lot of Queen's music. This album reminded me more of their work on soundtracks like Flash Gordon or Highlander. The music on Queen II reaches into progressive rock and follows a theme throughout the album. Each track is well suited to the rest of the album. I enjoyed hearing something different from Queen. The driving energy of "Seven Seas of Rhye" made it the track I liked the most. Because the album is different, I could imagine listening again just to see what I missed the first time.
This album was not made by the Queen I know. While elements of their distinctive (and too Broadway for me) sound are in here this sounded a lot more like Led Zeppelin to me. I mean that as a compliment. This rocked really hard and it was cool how all of the songs flowed into each other. I did not know any of these songs before so this was an interesting listening experience for that reason. Would probably give it a 3.5 if I could.
Very good early Queen. Leans heavily on progressive rock influences, but also has a good dose of rock & roll. Interestingly I associate the cover art with the soon to come Bohemian Rhapsody. I don't think this album is nearly as good as Night at the Opera.
objectively this is a good album, but i didn't care that much. i've heard better rock songs. his voice is epic but i dunno man lol
Surprisingly sounds a lot like Led Zeppelin in a lot of places. I obviously appreciate the more bombastic elements of the album that helped lead to their popularity. I probably would rate this higher if I listened to it at the time it came out, but now, it doesn't do a lot for me.
It's Queen lol. Not their best album imo, A Night At The Opera tops it by a mile. Does that make me basic? Probably, but I stand by it. March of the Black Queen is really good tho.
i definitely, definitely know, love, and appreciate every queen song i’ve heard (although i could live without ever hearing someone song karaoke to bohemian rhapsody ever again). i’ve never heard this album but i’m here for it.
A fun listen. A bit too much of a rock opera for my attention span though, I think? Quality music though.
1974, Art rock, hard rock, glam rock, progressive rock, ziemlich heavy für Queen, manche metal mäßig, trotzdem typischer Queen Sound, Übergänge 10/10, normale bis gute 3
A fun listen. This album was much campier than I expected. Brian May also really shows off on this album. No song really stood out to me though
I enjoy Queen but do not have this album. Haven't recognized a song yet, but they are interesting and unique. Glad this was on the list, it was a lot of fun.
After A night at the opera hit like an atom bomb in the early 70s I quickly gobbled up their earlier albums: Queen, Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack and I was a huge fan of their bombastic glam/prog/metal sound with tons of vocal over-dubs. You can hear them starting to gain traction in this album and there are some real gems including Father to son, Ogre Battle, White Queen and Fairy Feller. But the best was yet to come
I love Queen but had only heard maybe one or two of these songs before. Maybe I was disappointed that we got a Queen album but it wasn't one of their better known ones. Some songs were pretty good but I'll have to give it another listen sometime later.
Ich hatte ja gar keine Ahnung, dass Queen schon so früh im rockigen Beginn Ihrer Karriere einen Standard setzte, der dieses Genre irgendwie auf Generationen definieren sollte - irgendwo gegen Ende von \"The March of the Black Queen\" wagt die Melodie (klingt nach 'anywhere the wind blows') einen Vorgriff auf das große Ding, das seinen Schatten vorauswirft; im Jahr darauf wurde dann Bohemian Rhapsody auf \"A Night at the Opera\" veröffentlicht. Passt.
I was expecting something quite different having read the Wiki, but to me this album is Queen honing their skills and finding their eventual sound that we are all familiar with. Overall, I thought it was cool but I wouldn't be in a mad rush to listen again. One for bigger Queen fans than me. 7/10
So I’ve flogged this album for the last two hours. There really is two distinct sounds to the white and black sides (a+b) as the info page writes. The latter half really has those distinct queen harmonies we are familiar with with , that dramatic almost operatic sound. At first I was not really into it. Reckon it might have been my preconceived notions of queen the band being unraveled live in my ears track to track on the start of this album. Now 5 or six rotations in I really like the diversity for sounds and vocal styles from track to track and from side to side of this selection
Amazingly talented and great to listen to Queen songs I haven’t heard a million times, but this album didn’t massively grab me. Won’t be rushing back to it
Queen is just forever going to be the band I listen to only under extremely rare conditions. You don't just put Queen on during a dinner party—you put Queen on during a road trip when you're trying to keep everybody awake.
Average album to say the least. Not something I would revisit by choice, but it’s definitely listenable nonetheless.
c'est Queen donc c'est evidemment bien mais seulement 2 saves/11 dont un peut etre tiré par les cheveux, 3/5
My brain is empty. Nice singer but I can't remember anything else about this album except there's a song about a pervert or something.
Good Queen album that I have never heard before. Most of these songs were new to me and I did enjoy a chunk of them. There were very few though that I would want to listen to on the regular.
Sounds of an eclectic and triumphant empire, handicapped only by an insistence to anthem-ize tenderness 3.1
Rocks harder than I expected and quite consistent throughout. A bit too many vocal overdubs, overproduction and weird lyrics for my tastes but I can see what they were trying to do.
pretty bland for queen album lmaoo looks like they read tolkien shit before recording some songs about ogres
The opener-into-first-vocal-track transition is immaculate Queen-does-prog, with the glammy guitars doing a decent impression of the best kind of synth line. Unfortunately, while the rest of the tracklist flows well technically, the musical heights of that moment are only present again at the end of March. The raw material of great Queen is here, but the LP feels distinctly carried by studio work. The sitar imitation is the most egregious case of musical half-effort. It's crowd-pleasing overall, though, and despite a little drag in the middle ends up sounding just about the right length.
An edgier side of Queen that I didn't really know existed. Can hear a lot of Zep and Who. All feels a bit disjointed almost like it started as a concept album then decided against it half way through. March of the Black Queen is a huge tune. Some parts verge on glam metal which informs their future direction I guess.
For me, Queen has always been a "singles" band. As a result, I don't think I recognize any of the songs on this record. I like how the tracks bleed into each other. The sound is definitely there (it's Freddy and Brian, forgodssake!), but the songs are taking a back seat to the album format, it seems. Highlights: The guitar and vocal harmonies; the bass and drums staying out of the way; The lead guitars (see "Father To Son") rival Richie Blackmore's finest moments in Sabbath (Who am I kidding? They're better).
Meh. Technically probably pretty good, but I just don’t really like them. Even though I feel like I should.
Pretty okay, not their best work but for an earlier album definitely shows signs of the future greatness to come!
pretty blah. Nothing stood out to me or caught my attention while it played in the background.
Definitely Queen, and obviously a foundation for greater things to come, but there was nothing particularly remarkable about this album to my ears
Seven seas of Rhye is a great song...Queen at their best. Some day one day is very zepplin-esque
Not my favorite Queen album. Don't get me wrong, Queen is one of my top three fav bands. But I wasn't a big fan of the mystical kinda stuff.
Actually thought as an album this was a bit more enjoyable than A Night At The Opera. I can respect it but nothing I'd personally throw on all the way through, some really good songs mixed with some just ok ones.
A good album. You can hear elements that will become more resolved in later albums. This one doesn't approach the following albums in terms of greatness but it is still very quality, very Queen.
Not bad! While there are no standout songs, it's quite a cohesive album. Still, as far as Queen is concerned, call me when you get to News off the World. The stuff before that was just the warmup act.
Nothing standout in my opinion or any reason to be excited by this album, just alright.
There were basically two stages to Queen's career. The early British hard rocking band of their first three albums, then after Night At the Opera, the mainstream radio friendly hit machine. I must admit, I love Opera, it's an all-time classic and what precedes it gave us hints of what was to come. The band was always a strong vocal band, but they also rocked hard, especially on Queen II with a touches of prog and art rock. They were starting to develop their sound and though there were no "hits", most of the songs were solid. Fans of their later work will not like this.
Pretty good album. Had some bangers. White Queen slaps. Ultimately nothing I want to put in a playlist.
It's a little hit and miss, but there are some nice tracks on here. Interesting to hear an early Queen album before most of their most famous songs came out. The very lightest of threes
Queen are an incredible singles band but I'd heard that their albums weren't up to much, so I was surprised to see a record featuring none of the mega-hits make the list. Quite interesting. All the ingredients of the classic Queen sound are there, but it also seems like they were considering becoming a fantasy-prog-metal band instead.
Better than Sheer Heart Attack. Really liked Father to Son. Didn't know Mercury didn't sing all their tunes.
This is probably the kind of album that really grows on you the more you listen to it, but after a first and second listen I can't honestly say that it has really grabbed me. Not bad, I mean it's Queen, but not great either.
Felt quite noisy/messy. To be honest, I also wasn't in the mood for this. It's clear why you hardly ever hear any of the songs on this album.
Enjoying White Queen. March of hte Black Queen also kind cool Otherwise a bit forgettable, given how good Queen can be
I lost my reivew from yesterday. Queen II is good Queen, but their sound has not fully matured yet compared to where it will be on A Night at the Opera 3/5
This was a bit... Disappointing? I guess I expected it to be better, have catchier songs. Not horrible, just not as memorable as I had hoped. 7/10.
Didn't dislike but also didn't fancy it. Freddy M was solid in lead and that scientist fellow May seems to be effortless in his playing
Some great songs, and it's very Queen, but I was a little disappointed tbh, probably just because none of the classics were on this one.
this is definitely one of the queen albums of all time. some good songs, some boring songs. ehh
Not bad. A little hard to find your way in but nice listen. Highlight: "Some Day One Day".
Not the biggest fan of Queen even at their poppiest, and this is....less good than that.
I started the album thinking, "Why have I never heard any of these songs?". Well, now I know why....
Creo que es un disco solo para fans de Queen. Excepto la última canción ninguna de las otras me ha parecido espectacular. Así que con escuchar esa Seven Seas of Rhye tenéis suficiente en mi opinión. Creí por la portada que este disco era el que contenía Bohemian Rhapsody pero no es así.
I don't like the constant changes of pace, especially on tracks like White Queen/March of the Black Queen. It's like listening to a musical. The transition of power chords smashing into piano ballady stuff topped up with heavily over-dubbed choir-like vocals into a folky sing-along song like Funny How Love (without a space in between) is schitzoprenic & over-indulgent. Any middle-of-the-pack prog band from 1974 would have handled those transitions with more grace. Their release from later that year, Sheer Heart Attack I’m a big fan of. Not this.
I mostly couldn't be bothered. Didn't have any of the hits. At least have the hits! Deaddie Mercury.
This was ... weird? I thought I knew Queen's work fairly well, but the only track I recognized was seven seas of rhye. It felt like an oddly metal alice in wonderland.
Queen are just not my thing at all & this is the first album of theirs I’ve listened to. Their sound is a strange combination of pompous and wacky, two qualities that do not often sit side by side. I was not expecting the incredibly nerdy lyrics here and am undecided as to whether that endears me to this record more or less. Two stars for being objectively interesting, in a detached kind of way.
I don’t think Queen figuring out their sound really qualifies for a list like this, but I did have a not-unpleasant time with it. They’re just so irresistibly bombastic!
Maybe it’s just that I didn’t recognise any of the songs. I just felt that it’s all very Queen-y but not as good as their more popular tracks. I heard nothing different here. Hey, it’s all good fun but on this occasion I was left pretty cold.
"Seven Seas of Rhye" was the single that introduced me to Queen in 1974. I never really got into this album - but their next three all really impressed me. And coming back to the album for the first time in decades, my opinion hasn't changed. I can see why some people might like it, but it's really not for me.
Not sure I have heard any of these Queen songs before. Its more prog rock than I was expecting and personally it didn't resonante with me.
Fancy some cliché 70s rock? Want songs about annoying girls and orges? Then this is the album for you. This does nothing to sway me from the idea that Queen are massively overrated. Probably great of you were at Doncaster in the 70s while drinking shit cider, however doing the same thing now just doesn't work. Best Tracks: Father and Son; The White Queen (As it Began) ; Seven Seas of Rhye
They’re still searching on this album. Too many fantasy songs with the Brian May guitar and vocal harmonies being played with. Not close to their best. Why put this album over most of their catalog which is much better?
Je n’avais jamais écouté cet album. Pas très mémorable, mais on entend les fondements se placer pour la suite. Plus heavy aussi que ce que je connaissais de Queen. Je vais peut-être y revenir plus tard par curiosité, voir si quelque chose m’a échappé.
Overly dramatic dreck, combining the worst instincts and excesses of the glam and prog rock traditions. Has a few moments of interest, but mostly goes – and stays – off the rails. Distinctive guitar sounds and over-the-top theatricality that would be tamed/harnessed to better effect in the future, but this is just too much, much too much. No more than 2.25 stars.
Every song was a yawner, except for maybe 10 seconds from the end of The March of the Black Queen, when Brian May hits it with a power solo.
Srsly? Must I listen to this garbage? It’s just awful. Self indulgent. What are they trying to say? Is it a mood? I just don’t get it.
listened all the way through was a chore horrible mixing even in lossless. Ruined the whole experience could give less of a shit ab anything else tbh. 1/10
OK...I don't like Queen, and this album did nothing to change that. In my mind it is over-wrought, over-produced, pretentiously boring, soul-less music YMMV 1 star
I'll never understand why Freddie Mercury doesn't sing lead on every Queen song. For some reason, Brian May and Roger Taylor insisted on handling lead vocals on several songs. I mean, you've got FREDDIE FUCKING MERCURY right there. Let him wail! It's not like we were subjected to John Paul Jones or John Bonham singing lead on some deep Zeppelin cuts (although now that I think about it, I would have been all in on any song with Bonzo tackling lead vocals). This album doesn't sound like Queen. It sounds like watered down Mott The Hoople with some Led Zeppelin influence. Overall, it just doesn't work. Everything I'd heard about this album suggested it was Queen's hard-rock album. A pretty limp one if that's the case. One good song (Seven Seas Of Rhye), and even that one sounds half baked. I enjoyed the instrumental opening track, which could have been the only thing keeping this from a 1 rating (in the interest of full disclosure, I was listening with a great set of headphones where it really stood out). But this album has no business being on the list. Queen alone has at least 4 better albums.
No, thank you. The algorithm followed this up with Spinal Tap, which seems appropriate
Probably a classic
10