Queen II
Queen
1974
Album Summary
Queen II is the second studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 8 March 1974 by EMI Records in the UK and Elektra Records in the US. It was recorded at Trident Studios and Langham 1 Studios, London, in August 1973 with co-producers Roy Thomas Baker and Robin Geoffrey Cable, and engineered by Mike Stone. It is significant for being the first album to contain elements of the band's signature sound of multi-layered overdubs, vocal harmonies, and varied musical styles.Described as "arguably the heaviest Queen album", Queen II marked the end of the first phase of the band's career. The album combines a heavy rock sound with art rock and progressive rock elements, and has been called "a pillar of grandiose, assaultive hard rock" by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Queen II is not a concept album but a collection of songs with a loose theme running throughout. The two sides of the original LP were labelled "Side White" and "Side Black" (instead of the conventional sides "A" and "B"), with corresponding photos of the band dressed in white or in black on either side of the record's label face. The white side has songs with a more emotional theme and the black side is almost entirely about fantasy, often with quite dark themes. Mick Rock's cover photograph was frequently re-used by the band throughout its career, including the music videos for the songs "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975), and "One Vision" (1985). Released to an initially mixed critical reception, Queen II remains one of the band's lesser-known albums. Nonetheless, the album has retained a cult following since its release, garnered praise from critics, fans, and fellow musicians alike.
WikipediaAs 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.
Queen. Fantasy inspired songs. Some of the best guitar work I've heard in years. Need I say more?
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.
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
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'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.
Tja, SO macht man ein Rock-Album. Nach all dem Schrott in den letzten Wochen ein Highlight. Kannte ich natürlich wieder nicht.
never listened to a full Queen album, only knew maybe 1 song off this. super good!
Definitely epic music. I can't really say no to slapping a five on this bad boy.
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
No hace falta para saber que es uno de los mejores disco de todos los tiempos.
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.
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.
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!
Wild that I've enjyoed Queen most of my life and knew ZERO of these songs. No major pop hits, but all awesome rock with fantasy themes, layered vocals, and Brian May's incredible guitar tone. Easy 5.
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.
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!
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.
I enjoyed every second of this album. Most of these songs aren’t their big hits so I was surprised by that
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
This album should be more famous within Queen's catalog. Loved the harder bits.
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
Very fun album to listen to. Great to hear some Queen that isn't the standard hits.
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.
Het gedeelte geschreven door Mercury vond ik beter dan het eerste deel
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.
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.
Wasn’t so impressed on first listen but it sounded much better when Tom played it.
It's great. Not as a solid as A Night At The Opera, but a damn good listen.
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
Nice combo of progressive rock's weirdness and Queen's singing quirks and harmonies
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.
Not as good as the "best of Queen" albums I'm used to, but it is Queen.
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
The fact that this isn't their "good" stuff is amazing. Incredible sounds of course.
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.
Pretty good, especially May’s guitar of course. A lot of these songs, to me, are new. Quite Freddie “The reason we’re successful, darling? My overall charisma, of course.”
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.
Amazing. Given that there aren't any "greatest hits" types songs on this album, it is suprisingly easy to immediately get into an enjoy. Queen is pretty unlike anybody else... instant rock opera vibe, varied energy with lots of melody and drama.
much preferred to a night at the opera, without any real huge hits this still felt much more like classic queen
Never listened to this and really enjoyed it. Seems very weirdly geeky at times
Queen's second album, an improvement from the first, which was a sign of things to come. Though it's not a perfect album, it's respectable and good. 'Seven Seas of Rhye' is probably the best song on the album and feels the most lively. I'm a little surprised to find this album on here because, though it was important for the development of Queen's amazing sound, it doesn't necessarily stand out super well on its own. There are some solid songs throughout, but I feel as though later Queen albums did what this album tried to do but better. A solid 4 though.
Solid and fun album. No songs I recognize, but its the album art that I was able to immediately recall (I think it was used in the movie promo or something). Hard to compare some of the lesser known tracks from a big band to other artists. What is a 4 for Queen could be different for someone else
I love early Queen. It's very different from the Queen popular culture knows and loves (I love it too). There is some heavier and progressive sounds that disappeared by the late 70s.
All good I’ll n my book - the bombast, the orchestration, the fantasy world mumbo jumbo that holds this almost unique prominence in British heavy rock. Good clean fun.
Pleasantly surprised to find out, after all this time, that this is not the record with bohemian rhapsody. I may have honestly never listened to this record before. Drums are nice and full. Love the Zeppelin/Beatles/far east influences on Some Day One Day. Roger Taylor annihilates track 5. Absolutely the right choice on vocals to close out the A side.
This version of Queen is so much better than the version i knew before (the later version). Highlight is the march of the black queen.
Never listened to this album before, only know one song! Damn! It is about time I start listening to this album! The album starts with (Father To Son) that familiar Queen sound, heavy guitar riffs which is something I love in most of their songs. The album continues with a slow ballad with also familiar guitar riffs and classic guitar included. But then the album takes a turn with songs like Some Day One Day and The Loser In The End. The first song mentioned could be a song by the Beatles! Almost no trace of Queen present in the song. Loser In The End could've been a Bowie song also not really close one to home for Queen. I understand where people get the idea this was a concept like album. Time for side Black (instead of B side) as the band has called it. This is where the band (Freddy) brings back that familiar Queen sound. It starts off with Ogre Battle an almost musical style song. The next song, Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke follows suit to the previous song with the musical feeling. Que an unnoticeable transit to a short ballad, Nevermore, to finish off the scene. Time for some more typical Queen guitar action with March of The Black Queen, packed with awesome riffs, breath catching moments followed by more riff violence. Before the finale a rather cheesy almost filler like song called Funny How Love Is. Neither a mentionable intro and outro (slow fade out) Time for the last song, a well known one, Seven Seas of Rhye. Lovely song, although nowhere near my favorite song. Also the song is rather short and doesn't really feel like the finale of the album. Ofcoure not a requisite for a last song but this is Queen, with the most previous songs considered you'd expect something big at the end. Also this song was also featured on the 1st album, but I like this version better with the sailor chanting at the end. In conclusion, I like this album alot. Especially the Black side (the 2nd half) of the album
¿Casualidad o algo planeado? En la semana del aniversario de Freddy Mercury nos tocan dos discos de Queen. Este es también muy bueno, pero obviamente no le llega a Nitght At The Opera. Sin embargo es muy interesante escuchar a un Queen tan conceptual y tan metido en hacer su música con sus temáticas sin importarles mucho qué y cuánto se va a vender. Mi favorita son White Queen y March of the Black Queen, pero Seven Seas of Rhye también tiene lo suyo.