Queen II

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.

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.

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

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.

Queen. Fantasy inspired songs. Some of the best guitar work I've heard in years. Need I say more?

Ashamed to say seven seas of rhye was the only one I knew on this

You ever type out a word, know it’s spelled correctly, but when you look at it, it looks…wrong? Is there a name for that, because I’m having that right now with word “Queen”. I don’t know why, but those two “e’s” seem out of place. Maybe it’s because as I write this, Queen II is playing (I write these reviews in real-time as I listen to the records) and while the sound is familiar, something feels off. I’m not really a Queen fan, so this is my first listen to Queen II. Obviously, I am familiar with Queen’s hits, but as far as the catalog goes, I’m mostly unfamiliar. This might be the first time I’m hearing a Queen album in full. What’s making me feel like I’ve entered another dimension, is that this record feels more like an off-brand Peter Gabriel-era Genesis record, than what I know Queen to be. It’s kind of a lite-prog/early metal record. What I’m getting at is this sounds like Queen, but it also doesn’t. They’re clearly still figuring things out, but it’s not bad….just weird. “Nevermore” is the first one that really felt like a full-fledged “Queen” song to me. Props to them for the title “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke”, though - quite a song title. A lot of this record doesn’t work to my ears, so I’m a little surprised by its inclusion. The vocals are the clear highlight. The production is weirdly muddy at times and a lot of the guitar overdubs come in way too hot. The song construction is kind of a mess - a lot of changes for the sake of changes. These songs are really busy, but not in a good way. It was funny to hear Freddie Mercury sing about Ogres, though. This record is so fucking weird, bro. I don’t know what else to say.

Immer wenn ich Queen höre, denke ich: "Ich sollte mehr Queen hören."

Father To Son- 9.0 White Queen (As It Began)- 8.6 Some Day One Day- 7.2 The Loser In The End- 8.1 Orge Battle- 9.2 The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke- 8.1 Nevermore- 8.0 The March Of The Black Queen- 9.6 Funny How Love Is- 7.0 Seven Seas Of Rhye- 9.7 It's a 4.5 out of 5 overall

Discovering albums like this are what this project is all about. Somehow never heard any of these songs but liked it. Definitely a more classic hard rock sound than some of their later more famous stuff. You can still see the theatricality, particularly in the march of the black queen.

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.

I like Queen a lot, but I never really listened to this album but "Seven Seas of Rhye" is just meh for me on its own. But after listening to this album I am OBSESSED with it. The first half is amazing, and I kept having to force myself to listen to the next song because I just wanted to repeat the one I had just listened to. I even kind of like "Seven Seas of Rhye" now because it fits in so well with the rest of the album. I wish I hadn't slept on this for so long because it's so good.

Grandios

Tja, SO macht man ein Rock-Album. Nach all dem Schrott in den letzten Wochen ein Highlight. Kannte ich natürlich wieder nicht.

A masterpiece.

It's not the typical sound of Queen we are used to.

never listened to a full Queen album, only knew maybe 1 song off this. super good!

So I’m a big Queen fan, and am well-versed in their catalog – and have to say that this is among their weakest efforts… I get that this album changed a lot for them in terms of their maturing in the studio… Sorta like Neil Peart the drummer from Rush always used to say that they never would have gotten to “2112” – the album that broke the band big-time, without all that they learned from creating their album “Caress Of Steel” (i.e. which is really NOT a very good album at all…) – so I get that… At the end of the day however, I judge these albums by the quality of the material… To be honest, other than the “White Queen” & “Black Queen” songs – along with “The Seven Seas Of Rhye” – there is not a lot on here to like… Yes – I enjoyed hearing the evolution of their sound – especially on the longer pieces, but other than that – it really left me wanting – and I’m a big rock guy… Really thought I would enjoy “Ogre Battle” as I had heard so many praise it over the years, but I’d probably only give that a 3-stars out of 7-stars on my little ratings scale… Glad I listened, as I had never run this one all the way through before, but was a bot disappointing, as compared to what I was expecting…

This album has your typical Queen operatic flow. The songs don’t give you much “thinking room” between songs as they seem to just move from one to another. The 1st noteworthy song is The Loser in the End and that’s not even Freddie singing. This is the 2nd Queen album that has left me with something to be desired. There just isn’t anything special to it. Maybe I was spoiled by cutting my teeth on their greatest hits. Choice cut: The Loser in the End

No, thank you. The algorithm followed this up with Spinal Tap, which seems appropriate

I will not waste my time on these shitmunchers.

I can't stand Queen. This over dramatic album confirms why. The Loser in the End was listenable.

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

Freddie Mercury is my hero

Good intro, seamless transition to next song A great album overall, also great for listening top to bottom

Shame on me for not knowing more of these songs. I need to do better.

you already know

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.

It doesn't get any better than this. Honestly. Lay me down with Queen's II and SHA. Thank you.

Now this though. All time classic and my introduction to Queen (thank you Christine Ward’s brother).

Easy to forget with where they later went that in the early days Queen were a terrific rock band. Quality, start to finish.

This is exactly what you would expect from a queen's album

Heel veel nummers die ik nog nooit gehoord had en die hier een mooi geheel vormden. De betere kant van Queen.

Definitely epic music. I can't really say no to slapping a five on this bad boy.

so good. so so good

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.

My most-listened-to Queen album

This was UNREAL

Good album from start to finish. I especially like the last song.

Despite me being a Brit who grew up on Queen, thanks to my parents being a fan and going through a "le wrong generation" phase, I had never listened to this album all the way through. From how it had been described to me in the past, I expected two sides full of Prog epics. What I got instead was... a Queen album. Freddie's voice is a bit softer, the guitar overdubs are a bit less obvious, and the drumming is a bit more conventional than later on. But the parts are all there, apart from a John Deacon song. If it wasn't for the fantasy elements, this could have easily been their breakthrough album In the end, it wasn't. But due to Brian May's hepatitis, they had the chance to record another album in 1974, Sheer Heart Attack. Thanks Hepatitis!

Queen's debut album even with solid critical acclaim, could not create a mainstream sensation which did change with this sophomore release. While it still was far away from the hit that Killer Queen became later the same year but Queen II still could gather much more attention from both the people and the critics. It blends the sounds of mainstream Glam Rock with Hard Rock and at a couple of points Prog Rock as well as some Heavy Metal. This wild and eccentric mix of genres is what pretty much makes this earlier side of Queen up until their third album. The album starts with the Art Rock 'Procession' which uses the guitar to create a Funeral March effect as if it was violins playing. Added bells, harpiscord and more create a pretty interesting intro. But it still is just an intro and doesn't have much value of its own. It's alright but pretty basic in what it does for the listeners excitement. It then transitions into 'Father to Son' which wips out the Heavy Metal and Hard Rock guitar playing similar to something you'd maybe hear Black Sabbath do a couple years ago but combined with more complex ideas as well as Freddy's one of a kind theatrical and nearly operatic vocals that sting through the heaviness of the music. It's a well written and vocally great performed song but I think that the mixing is a bit too quiet and the guitar doesn't shine enough. I still think that it's a pretty good song but if the guitar was just a tad bit louder at times, it would help the track much more. 'White Queen (As It Began)' with a more tender approach as it takes away the heavy guitar and replaces it with acoustic Folk ideas together with obvious Hard Rock ideas at some parts. It turns the ideas even more Progressive by having fast changing sonic and rhythmic concepts added throughout. I do think that some of these "breaks" that turn the song back to the Folk after it exploded into Hard Rock do destroy the flow and come a little too early but the ideas are still really great especially the sitar inspired guitar work in the second half and the choral backing vocals. It's a really good song but far away from anything incredible. The Folk aspects are further extended on 'Some Day One Day' which has a fast Psychedelic Folk guitar throughout that adds some Psychedelic Rock elements in a similar fashion too its predecessor but less crazy. I do think that the song has some redeeming qualities especially the vocals which at some points, seem to appear perfectly. The starts feels a little bit rough but it gets to its fleshed out idea later on. It's an okay song that mainly looses impact from a lack of focus. The first half of the album known as 'Side White' ends with 'The Loser in the End' which is a return to heavier territory which adds a lot of Led Zeppelin inspirations in the form of a more Blues Rock sound and the vocal delivery which work perfectly with the song itself. Freddie's vocals just rip apart the entire song. It's energetic, loud and closes this first half really well and is definitely a great song. 'Side Black' starts with 'Ogre Battle' and I might be biased because I loved this song way before listening to any other song on the album but its fantastic. It's Heavy, Progressive and has some Experimental ideas as well in the form of Tape Music throughout which creates this incredible effect that makes the song so great. The songwriting is incredible and the guitar works so perfectly with the way the song builds. The backing vocals, ad libs and general vocal delivery are on point at any time the song plays. While I don't think that it's a perfect track, it's still absolutely incredible and easily one of my favourite tracks on the album. The quirky 'The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke' follows with some interesting Pop Rock ideas that are performed pretty theatrical and play around with a lot of instruments and ideas. It's a pretty cute song but I don't think that it's anything special or massivly interesting. I don't mind it but I don't exactly like it either. Just pretty average overall. 'Nevermore' feels like a short Piano Rock interlude similar to what they did later in their career but very short and not really fleshed out. It's got some nice moments but the length stops it from really doing anything much more than just an "Oh!". It's okay but with more to it, it would've been better. The albums most eccentric, most progressive, most wildly delivered song is without a doubt 'The March of the Black Queen'. It flows from one part into the next with feeling like it was too fast or like it lingers too long at other points. The songwriting is genuinely impressive as is everyone's playing and even the vocals are diverse like never before on the album. It just works together perfectly. I don't think that I go too far when I say that it's a perfect song and for me personally the only perfect song on the album. Everything about it is interesting, enjoyable and just incredible. After this beast of a track, 'Funny How Love Is' changes sounds by given a Psychedelic Sunshine Pop track that still has some nice Rock elements added. The song is alright and I don't have much to say against it except that I'm not a fan of how the drums were mixed and the lack of diversity in the songwriting but it still is pretty well performed which is why it's just a pretty average track. It overall feels very boring and even basic. I just don't care for it. The album closes with the Hard Rock and Sea Shanty inspired 'Seven Seas of Rhye' which does have some nice energy and the chorus is pretty fun but the whole make up around it feels pretty stale and just not really all that great. But I do think that the highlights are enough to make the track still a good track. favourites: The March of the Black Queen, Ogre Battle, The Loser in the End least favourites: Funny How Love Is, Procession, The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke Rating: light 7 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Procession - 8/10 Solid intro. Builds your anticipation for the album Father to Son - 7/10 Vocals surprised me a little bit and then the instrumental during the first chorus was amazing. loved the guitar solo as well. Also was wondering why the song was so long. it's 6 mins long lol. Songs these days could never. so many emotions. I went from crying to jamming to crying again. White Queen (As it Began) - 7.5/10 So far, my first impression is that it's quieter than the last song but I like the drums and lonely guitar. Never mind it's getting louder in a good way! I like this one a little bit more than the last song. It's kind of nostalgic. Some Day One Day - 6/10 why is the intro giving like 2000's phone ringtone lol These songs are giving me Shrek and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Johnny Depp vers.) vibes. Oh, there's the epic guitar riff. I was waiting for that. My score is low because I was expecting more but I like the hippie vibes. The Loser in the End - 7/10 OKAY PURRR loving what I hear from the intro so far. OKAY VOCALS! OMG SHE'S RASPY TODAY! Ogre Battle - 7.5/10 Okay this is giving Curious by UNIS just the first few seconds. Anyway, needed something faster pace so this is good. Love the guitars. I'm a (fake) guitar girly so. love the harms and layers in the vocals. The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke - 7.5/10 brb gonna go twerk to this. loved the instrumental intro. The piano sounds so good here. Again love the vocals here. amazing work. Okay, Piano work. Nevermore - 7.5/10 OKAY TRANSITION! This transition puts all of those Tiktok transitions to shame. Spotify transition who? Okay, it's the vocals that are giving me CITCF vibes lol. The March of the Black Queen - 8/10 I would love it if there were modern groups out there that made music similar to this but modern. Maybe I'm just not into this scene because let's be honest, I don't go here sadly. but this song was making me hype for good music to a karaoke session in the shower. Another amazing guitar moment. Sorry piano, you're doing great too! OOH REALLY VIBING WITH the change of pace. This is the original NMIXX CHANGE UP! Funny How Love Is - 5.5/10 Okayyyyy I love me a good Boho moment. But this was so tame compared to their other songs so it's going to be ranked pretty low. Seven Seas of Rhye - 7.5/10 Intro is a good classic rock song. Good good. Another raspy moment. Good good. okay high note! Love the instrumental (mainly guitar). wait, why do I hear Gegagedigedagedago for a min here... Total: 7.18/10

This meandering silliness is fun because it is full of Queen’s heaviness, Brian May wailing, crunching, chewing the scenery with Mercury, while bass and drums stomp and swagger. Didn’t know any of these tunes aside from the closer, and enjoyed this as a heavy Queen vibes repast, garnished with orc piffle. I wrote most of the above only halfway through the album, sure that it would apply to the rest. And so it proved: a comfy time was had.

Wow, and, no. WTF is going on with those lyrics? I must admit I really enjoyed the guitar on the loser in the end.

As you know, I'm pretty "prog tolerant", but this mostly sounded aimless and quite badly recorded. Seven Seas of Rhye carries the album

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.

clever-clever pompous mock-rock

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

Una joya de disco

What an incredible album. I'm a big Queen fan but had never heard most of the songs on this album. Some of them are just the most wonderful Queen songs I've heard. It really justifies my plan to listen to all these albums!

One of the all time greatest albums of all time. This album has worlds in it. It has characters. It has melody and harmony. And rock. The faerie fellas master stroke, controlled insanity. Father to son with its beach boys harmonies. March of the black queen, with its six sections. Oh, did they do that type of thing again? And it’s an album. You start with procession, and you listen till seven seas of rhye fades out. I pity those who don’t get it. It’s its own universe. Walk in and let Freddie, Brian, Roger and John guide you through.

It’s queen. Nuff said.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: White queen, The fairy feller’s master-stroke, Nevermore, The march of the black queen

It was awesome

Queen’s biggest hits are so unique that I tend to think of them as a band without peers. But I enjoyed hearing them on this early album making music that sounds like the prog/folk/heavy metal mash-up that Led Zeppelin was doing around the same time. This whole album is new to me and it’s just killer top to bottom. They sound ferocious when they’re in hard rock mode! The epic “Father to Son” and the blues crunch of “The Loser in the End” are early favorites for me.

WE FINALLY GOT SOME QUEEN!! This is my 2nd favourite Queen album (Night At The Opera can't be beaten, sorry not sorry) This album is pure joy for me, from start to finish. It really introduces what Queen will go on to become further in their career (and it does this way better than Queen I which is far less polished and cohesive imo) March of the Black Queen is such an underrated song, one of my favourites in their whole discography. Seven Seas of Rhye is one of my favourite Queen singles (love the piano). Love Roger and Brian's vocal tracks on this record You really get everything here, quality songwriting, huge Freddie vocals, killer Brian May guitar, big harmonies and well written, interesting music

5/5 queen slays I love them. queen will always hit

Ah Queen. My first favorite band. Queen has always been, and in many ways remains, extremely popular. Liking Queen is kind of like liking Star Wars. It doesn't make you cool or unique or nerdy. They're one of the biggest bands of all time. That being said, I feel like most of Queen's fame and notoriety comes from their middle years. The Stadium Rock Anthem belters, occasionally veering into weird artsy stuff. For as big of a band as they are, I feel like their early years and later years are underrated. Queen II is a Queen in transition. They are still finding out who they are, and that is Queen in a very interesting place. Queen II is a dark fantasy, something clearly created by young art students. Fairies! Ogres! Queens! They get a lot of their imagery and philosophies form the early days of prog rock, but their musical sensibility is much more hardcore than the boops and beeps of Yes. An early mantra for the band was "No synthesizers. Ever" (This lasted until Freddie changed his mind). You can hear the beginnings of their Rock Opera mentality in pieces like White Queen and The March of the Black Queen. They're almost the Queen everyone knows, but they're still trying on different outfits. I also REALLY enjoy the B-side of See What a Fool I've Been. We get a great glimpse into the "what if" or "sliding doors" scenario of a Queen that pulls more influence from Led Zeppelin (and Black American Blues music by extension). Anyway it's a perennial favorite.

Not their best work, in my opinion, but still better than most other bands! Really interesting to hear some of the deep cuts from their early years, including Brian and Roger taking a turn on lead vocals, as well as seven seas of Rhye, one of my favourite Queen tracks.

My Mom had Queen records when I was a kid and listened to them to death. Unfortunately, she did not have this album. What a shame. This has so much fantasy stuff in it I would have gobbled it up wholesale. Queen II could easily become my favorite Queen album. I rank it up there with some of those other metal albums like Black Sabbath (even though it's not really metal). Can't wait to sit down with this and pull out the lyrics and get to know it even better.

A Queen album I have never heard of with not a single familiar song? Hmmmm… what could this be? A dungeon crawl?! This may be my new favorite Queen album. Rock pageantry of the highest order brimming with 70’s fantasy & lore. A grand exotic journey that makes me feel like I’m just discovering Queen again for the first time. Fantastic!

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!

IT'S FUCKING GOOD

Surprised to see an album from such a well known band without a single familiar title. But no worries --- this is quite comfortably Queeny. There are pre-echos of more familiar fare like our beloved Bohemian Rhapsody and the Flash Gordon soundtrack. Interesting to hear the difference between the white and black "sides" of the album and to hear other band members taking lead vocals from Freddy Mercury.

this album is exactly what i wanted to find when I started doing this. complete rock opera, fantastical, medieval, epic lol. its like almost nerdy in how hard it goes, and i love that. they created this whole other world here like this album needs a labyrinth style movie to go along with it. love it. favorite song is white queen but they all bang.

Queen: Weirder than you thought. And that's a good thing.

Great album! It doesn't contain any of the major classics that everyone knows of Queen, but the music is still on point and just brilliant!

Listened 30/9/21

Every song is just a Queen song. (which is most definitely a compliment) Ogre Battle and The March Of The Black Queen were amazing tracks (alongside Seven Seas Of Rhye, which is definitely the best track on the album) There were a couple parts in songs that I thought dragged the track down for me but sooner rather than later it was back to hard hitting vocals or a sweet solo I think my real rating would be somewhere around 4.75, because it didnt WOW me like some other albums i've given 5 too, but in the same breath it was a constant stream of great music

I'm more familiar with their later work. This has all the talent but less silly.

Well, I only recognized one track, but the album didn't really throw me any curve balls from what I would expect from Queen. This album deserves some more attention from me for sure! It's fabulous!

Queen er Queen! Dette var riktignok et ukjent album for meg, og ikke så hyppig spilte sanger som de senere - men umiskjennelig Queen i vokal, gitarspill, instrumentalisering. Seven Seas of Rhye var en klar favoritt.

All Queen albums are amazing

No hace falta para saber que es uno de los mejores disco de todos los tiempos.

The best album of the best rock band

Queen is so flipping good. I hadn’t heard many songs on this album but I enjoyed all of them.

Au début, je le trouvais plus sage que les albums de Queen que je connais. Mais finalement j’ai retrouvé les arrangements grandioses et théâtraux, l’omniprésence des guitares et des harmonies, les mélodies inattendues

Pleasantly surprised, was not expecting that.

Mixing of styles, heard some prog rock influences which were very enjoyable. The march of the black queen remains one of my favourite underrated Queen songs.

I enjoyed every second of this album. Most of these songs aren’t their big hits so I was surprised by that

Queen is my favourite band. I know every album and every song so it's going to be hard to say anything negative about them, especially for the Queen albums on this list since they are my favourites. I love Queen II since it improves significantly on the debut album and still has Queen in their prog-rocky/fantasy phase which disappears for the most part after this album. So much great stuff on this album but I have to say The March of the Black Queen is just such a fucking banger track and I wish Queen played more songs from this era later in their career since it was completely different from what came later.

Truly great

Really great album. Lots of really good songs

I am a little surprised at how much I enjoyed this album, given that I'd never heard any of it before. Maybe that's why. It seemed to flow theatrically and be a pretty amazing experience. It really felt like something new, fresh, and creative, and totally rockin'. I can't explain much better, but I felt what I felt.

Unique songs and voices, good first album to listen to in this journal. Classic rhythms brought to life.

Tähän ei kyllästy koskaan.

I love Queen. It reminds me of someone and it sort of pains me to hear it. Music makes me feel really nostalgic. I really enjoyed this album though. Ogre Battle was a trip and I loved The March of the Black Queen 10/10 okay next!

absolutely amazing

I'd never heard this album before and I wasn't in the mood for Queen (or at least their single-type songs) this morning, but then Queen II just INSISTED UPON ITSELF. By 3 songs in I was hooked and now at the end I'm kicking myself for only hearing it for the first time at 38. I've always been 50/50 on Queen; I LOVE their prog/metal-type stuff and HATE their pop songs. I think Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the best songs ever written and Bicycle Race one of the most overrated dog turds in existence. I'd always assumed their early stuff was the more pop end - totally wrong there. And I can't even say it's due to either Mercury or May being the main writer cause according to Wikipedia they basically went 50-50 with songwriting, and I loved the lot. Even though Queen isn't exactly wicked obscure underground, this is what I joined this project for: to stumble across albums I'd never heard but absolutely love. Gotta drive for 3 hours or so later today and Queen II will be on again for sure. 5/5 and going to tell all my mates to stop what they're doing and listen to it.

It's Queen!

Lovely to hear some song so hadn’t heard before and some songs back to basics - not the crowd pleasers. Good to hear other voices on the recordings

This album was spectacular. So many great songs. I listened to it again right after I listened to it a first time. Then I went back and listened to a couple of the songs again. For how good this album is I am surprised that more of the songs were not mega hits. I will definitely listen to it again. Also this album lead to a great Super Nintendo game Ogre Battle: March of the Black 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. 💛

on regular rotation for me

Incredible. I have only listened to best of and the way this album is put together is so epic. Really glad I’ve now listened to a queen album all the way through. Loved it!

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.

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

Thoroughly enjoyed. 5/5

Classic. Seven Seas of rye has d me ready to run through a wall

Great