Queen II

More rock r roll needs lute music

Some glimpses of greatness, but overall pretty sloppy and forgettable. 3/5.

As a Queen hater, this is totally, entirely fine. It didn't speak to me but it didn't annoy me either. I'm so thankful this didn't have Bohemian Rhapsody on it because I really hate that song. But yeah not my thing at all.

Another one for the “albums from the 70s that I have no strong feelings about” club.

Not familiar with this early Quen record. Very cool blend of hard rock influences and the baroque and lyrical stuff that Mercury already mastered! Very pleasing listening!

As its Queen II, I'll give it 2 stars. Never have been a big Queen fan and this was whatever. It has the Bohemian Rhaposdy video as the album cover but that song is on a later album. Only recognize one song on here too.

First time listening to this album.

This was actually my first time sitting down with a Queen album and listening from start to finish. I grew up on the Greatest Hit records. This record blew me tf away. That’s really all I can say about it.

It’s so gooooood

I can't believe I've never heard any of these songs before, but it is very fun album and I really liked it. Never been the hugest Queen fan but always appreciated them. This album is an enjoyable romp filled with epic campy songs.

This was not bad. Classic rock with a sort of operatic influence was interesting and new for the genre.

Certainly not the greatest hits of Queen, but that doesn't make it bad at all. It was nice listening through a whole album of songs I didn't recognize but could still enjoy the sound of. Would need several more listens to appreciate the lyrics.

Day 80 First listen- A solid record, really enjoyed all the tracks and the march of the black queen is one of my fav queen songs ever! Loved the guitar throughout the album. (4.5/5)

A little to proggy for the current me but I hear seeds of greatness

Not for me

I don't "get" this album. I should probably sit down somewhere, preferably in a forest, and listen hard to understand it. Personal note: listen to it again. Right now, a 2/5

It’s such a defining album for their style coming from Queen I

It my favourite Queen album, but a necessary step to get to a night at the opera. A little too progressive to be compared to my favourite Queen albums, they hadn’t quite honed that super catchy pop element yet.

I actually do like to be beside the seaside.

should have been called Queens - a worthy successor to Queen and vastly superior to Qu33n and Queen: Resurrection

Exhausting

Theater kids will LOVE this one

I imagine it's very easy for a lot of people to think of Queen as only being a singles band. After all, I'm pretty sure their best-selling album is their first greatest hits record — and I can't say I entirely blame 'em. I dig that set a lot, and even more so the follow-up containing latter day hits. I don't think I'd blame anyone for not knowing that, way back in the day, Queen was honestly a really good **album** band. And no album better emphasizes that then their only one without hits (unless you live in Japan, I think): 'Queen II.' This, to me, is one of those albums like 'Off The Wall' or 'The Beach Boys Today!,' where while it may not be their **greatest** album, it sure as hell is in the lead for being their most **important**. I mean, you take a look back at their eponymous debut, and it's... Good. Pretty good, all things considered. But it's incredibly primordial. It's Queen back when they weren't terribly much more than a hard rock with some prog and fantasy inclinations. You could honestly discuss them in the same breath as, say, Led Zeppelin, The Who or even, I'unno, Grand Funk Railroad. It's kind of like early Rush, come to think of it. If they'd kept on this route, they might've been remembered for a hit or two, but I don't think anyone would've been clamoring to come back to their full albums. But with album 2, they introduced the secret sauce that caused Queen to graduate to a class all their own. If you were to ask me what makes Queen who they are, it would be, 100%, the theatrics. Queen is a very theatrical band, even at their most hard rock or arena rock pop. Between Freddie's vocals and Brian May's near-symphonic multi-guitar arrangements... This album is where they first lean into it, and would only dive deeper until hitting a climax on their masterwork, 'A Night At The Opera.' It truly needs to be appreciated for that. Even beyond any kind of historical significance, though... Damn, it's just a good as hell album. My go-to stretch of Queen studio albums starts here (and goes all the way to, honestly, 'A Day At The Races'). It's just one incredible tune after another, from the live set favorite "Father To Son", to the beautifully tragic "White Queen (As It Began)", to the crushing "Ogre Battle", and all the way to the album's centerpiece: "The March Of The Black Queen". Bar none, this is the best song on the album. It's practically a prototype "Bohemian Rhapsody", though let's not let any comparisons to **that song** overshadow this one. It's an epic all unto itself — and apparently it was a hit in Japan? So says the 'Greatest Hits In Japan' compilation, anyway. (That comp also has a version of the song without the transition into "Funny How Love Is", if y'ever wanna appreciate it on its own — though seriously, this album is such a strong listen, it's really better if you hear it and every other track in context.) And I'd be remiss to go this whole review without mentioning John Deacon and Roger Taylor, the backbone of the band. Deacon's a real mother on the bass, and Taylor can damn pound his set when he wants to — and his vocals aren't bad either. I could go on, but like my fellow group member said, it's an album that's better heard than described. I'm even surprised I managed to write **this much**, y'know? If you're someone who only knows Queen as a singles band, I really recommend you give this album a listen. And of course the other two that're included on this list, but this one in particular is special. It ain't a cult favorite, y'know? So, hey, you can come along on a trip to the seven seas of Rhye, and you can really appreciate just a little more what made Queen as incredible a band as they were — as they began, and as they always will be.

Queen I is a good album, no doubt, but This Album is where the legend known as Queen truly begins. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 10. Hell, maybe higher. Everyone knows Queen, right? “We Will Rock You”, “We Are The Champions”, “Killer Queen”, “Another One Bites The Dust”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Bicycle Race”, “Under Pressure”, etc, etc – an unbelievably strong stadium rock/pop catalog led by Freddie Mercury’s vocals with a spotlight on them brighter than the sun. People know Queen, even if they think they don’t. They’re that ubiquitous. This is my first full Queen album, and I found myself rather surprised that I knew absolutely nothing here. For a band defined by singles known the world, I found that extremely strange. I figured it would still be good as long as Freddie Mercury was… well, Freddie Mercury, but I also sort of had the assumption that this album was just here to represent an era of Queen before they went big. I am thankfully, extremely, extremely wrong – this is a fucking stunner of an album that somehow feels underrated, unknown & like a hidden gem in a catalog that includes more diamonds than a Tiffany ring. Nobody fucking told me Queen was a hard rock band with prog-esque sensibilities for their first two albums like this; much like Genesis, I think I had a vague awareness of a shift towards a more radio-oriented sound at some point, but I figured it wouldn’t be this steep. I suppose “Bohemian Rhapsody” is more of a last gasp of this era of the band, and we’ll get to that whenever we get “A Night at The Opera”, but this album feels like expanding Bohemian Rhapsody out to 40 minutes, and it is a fucking unstoppable avalanche by its second-half suite, with “The March of the Black Queen” acting as an unbelievable climax. I really wish I could describe more here, but I’ve just got broad praise, since I think this album is far better heard than it is described. I love the sort of medieval tone throughout with the lyricism, and I guess this is really where the name “Queen” makes a bit more sense. I think Freddie Mercury takes some time to warm up, but when he fully finds himself, he feels just as fucking stunning as he always does, especially on his held notes. Obviously, the rest of the band does a stellar job here, especially in the guitar / percussion work, and the tempos this thing eventually reaches feel electric. There are signs of the stadium success to come here, but it’s concentrated into much more of a heavy rock package as opposed to some great sports-y songs. It really is that good; I haven’t felt as in-sync with a rock band like that since the Black Sabbath album we got after Ozzy’s death (or, I suppose “Hot Rats” by Frank Zappa, but shh). I now have to acknowledge that Queen is likely far, far more than the strength of their singles, especially since this album only had one, and it wasn’t even the best track on the album (though it’s certainly up there). If this was sitting here, with this many great tracks, what the hell lies deeper in this pile? I’m extremely excited to find out, and I think that applies to their entire discography past the two albums left on the list. As far as this goes, it’s an easy, easy 10.

Well produced but I am not in for the whole 'theater kid' vibe.

bim autofahre glost. sehr sehr kreatovs album. mer gseht wo queen mol anegoht. und glichzitig sinds nochli verspielter als spöter. VIER

legendärs cover han nöd cheggt, dass sie scho ufem 2. album ih die richtig gange sind! bis hz hetmi nüt als LIED umghaue aber so als gsamts ding isches sehr cool rhe loser in the end isch wieder ener "normale" rock und es singt de taylor! BIN READY FÜR DE OGRE BATTLE ich frög mich, öb das jz scho d fantasy side isch the march of black queen isch megaaaa cool! bohemian rhapsody chunnt nöd vo irgendwo her joo als gsamthafts album sehr cool zum lose und z ghöre, was sochli de "startschuss" vo "dem queen" gsi isch. doch die einzelne lieder hani jz nöd unglaublich gfunde (abgseh vo black queen). guets 3 oder 4

Didn't sound much like the Queen I'm familiar with, not a single song I recognized. What is this album? I'm kind of unsettled.

Queeny

Dramatic but in a good way (not like Arcade Fire lol)...

Oh look! A Queen album with none of their hits on it! What am I to expect?! Well, I had a very odd epiphany while listening to this. Very early Queen, and I swear for the first half of the album I felt as if they were wanting to emulate Led Zeppelin. Almost to the point of cover band at times. It wasn't until Ogre Battle did the more Queen vibe start to come out. Not an incredibly notable album (for me) but it was very interesting to get this glimpse of the band that's not constantly shoved down your throat.

Big, bold, theatrical

Highly overrated

Rating: 5/10 Meh.

I was never fully exposed to Queen outside of radio singles and the occasional deep cut. Queen II is the reason to go down this journey. I'm giving it a 4, but it may change as I listen to it a few more times. The production is huge! The arrangements are intricate and developed. Arena prog rock finding it's way into becoming one of the biggest bands in the world.

Really cool to hear a different sound from a band that was so boxed-in in my mind.

i get why people like them not rly my exact cuppa but its good

Good throughout, a couple of their hits, but also some underrated gems

Good.

Great

A subdued effort compared to the later albums

Best Song: Seven Seas of Rhye This was interesting. Part of it is pretty heavy; heavier than your run of the mill Queen. The second half was a bit more experimental and theatrical. Overall, it's entertaining and enjoyable. 4/5.

No.

Rv

In a vacuum, this is a great album. However, in the context of Queen’s discography, this is average at best.

This is like watching your favorite track star figure out how to walk. All the elements that made Queen great are in this album, but they haven't figured out how to put them together just yet. Queen's incredible, but they hadn't nearly hit their stride with this album.

Brian May is my King

Dit is niet waar ik warm voor loop, al zit de echte Queen-allergie pas op de platen uit de jaren 80. Het rockt, maar ik word er niet echt enthousiast. Slechts één keer veer ik op, bij het wall of sound geluid van Funny How Love Is. Hoogtepuntje op dit album. 5/10 Highlights Funny How Love Is

awful band

Queen fr fr

Wort wort wort.

Queen avant d'être tout à fait Queen, avec moins d'opéra et plus de guitares un peu énervées.

I really don’t want to another queen record but this was great

A bit too samey but the final song is great

Ihan ok, mutta tuskinpa tulee kuunneltua uudestaan. 2,5/5.

Loved Ogre Battle, the rest was fine.

Not the queen I was looking fir

Slay Queeeens zum zweite! Und da hends widermal eis duregslayed. Wie chan e band so spass mache? Au wenns ned mini every day musig isch trotzdem 2,3 wegbegleiter*inne für d zuekunft gfunde. Gueti vier uppercuts für MGMT

Easy losbar aber nüd mega catchy. Queen gänd 2 ihne de neduzer spesst eine druf Macht nach mine berechnige e klassische 3er

Cover 5 Not my favorite of their albums but the generally a good listen.

I am definitely the opinion that the earlier albums of Queen were far the better ones, the later albums are too much "pop-music". But this is not one of the highlight. Yes, it has "Seven Seas Of Rhye". Yes, it has everything which make Queen so special (especially in the early times). But no, it is simply not as good as Queen I, A Night At the Opera or A Day At The Races. Still, a great album.

Not a band I love, but they sure were a lot more fun & creative later in their career. Once again I'm surprised by the need to include an early, formative (but not actually very good...) album from a band on the 1,001 list.

Eefocyeag

Side A- *ahem* I mean Side White, starts off really strong, with every song being it's own distinct genre and experiment, melting well into the concept of the album, unfortunately Side Black falls back slightly on a more repeatable 'Queen' sound. Good Album

I have such a hard time rating albums from major bands. On the one hand, this was pretty mediocre as far as Queen albums go, there weren't any real standouts and it sounded exactly like I expected. On the other, a mediocre Queen album is still better than so so many mediocre albums on this list, so I'm torn.

Interesting in that it doesn’t really sound like Queen, but not really interesting enough to listen to again. I’ll go 2.5 rounded up.

Don't really like the popular queen, but this one is actually quite enjoyable!

I am a sucker for rock opera but I absolutely hate rock where the singer is trying to sing opera. This albums is absolute dogshit, except for a couple of songs where other people sing.

king tbh

Really fun album, fav was probably ogre battle, lowkey forgot the rest of my review cause I forgot to write it down..

This album is definitely not my style of music but is honestly really enjoyable. The instrumentation and lyrics are totally over the top but also really good. Honestly no standout tracks bc this whole album feels like one complete experience. I wouldn’t really listen to one song on its own. 5/5 deserves to be on this list

7/10

Good mellow tunes sprinkled with some guitar and piano.

Good variety while remaining connected through a common sound/feeling. Talented dudes

A whole queen album and sad to say I didn’t recognize any of the songs. Not my favorite but still queen.

NO!

6/10

Queen est toujours une valeur sûre!

Every Queen album had better be on this list.

Heard Queen for as long as I can remember, so have heard this a lot. It’s overblown, excessive and Queen can get away with it. 5 Star

While I enjoy Queen's popular hits, this album blended in with the background for me. It was mindless background music that fit the nonsense conversations I was experiencing. This doesn't mean I dislike the album. I just didn't focus on the lyrics. The instrumentals were upbeat and fun, matching the conversations I held during the duration of the album.

Feels like a teaser of greater things to come. Ironically it'll come in the same year.

7/10

This one was interesting in terms of its place in Queen's discography but didn't feel that special to the wider musical environment. It is heavier than what you are used to with them so it is kind of a unique blend of genres. Still though I liked about half of the songs. Iconic artwork. Rating: 3.4

This album is pure fantasy cosplay rock. Very fun.

Rimango sempre dell'opinione che i queen abbiano un po' le palle. Però anche solo per il fatto che questo album sia relativamente meno mainstream me li ha fatti apprezzare un po' di più

Queen! Always delightful, I wasn’t familiar with it before but really enjoyed it.

fav track: the march of the black queen

It was a cool listen.

Sounded like the same song on repeat.

it's okay, just not my cup of tea

Really liked this. Familiar with later Queen but hadn't heard this record or any of the songs on it. Less weird than the later stuff but you can hear where they're going.

Great but not their best

Never been a Queen fan, this sure doesn’t change my view. Totally meh. It’s not unlistenable dreck, but it is just, whatever.

Clearly an iconic band, but this was probably their weakest effort.

The second Queen album I've had the pleasure of listening to as part of this challenge. For my money, this is perhaps a bit more consistent all the way through than Sheer Heart Attack, but the highs aren't quite as high. It's worth noting that both albums were released in the same year, and they were only one removed from A Night at the Opera, which is pretty mental to think about. The theatrical, triumphant bombast that everyone knows Queen for is present here nonetheless, particularly within the latter half of the album, although not to as potent an extent, which I actually think suits Queen II down to the ground. Are there as many jaw dropping moments on this one? No, but it still absolutely rocks the hell out, and it offers a more than viable alternative for when I'm fancying a bit of Queen, but perhaps want something a bit lower key from them.

Okay Queen deserve to be on this list more than once, but not for Queen II. News of the World is way better. Dimery shoulda picked just one though and it should be Day at the Races, so go listen to that. Four stars just because Queen is on the list more than once; this is a five-star album though.

Passt

My first teen job was at Burger King, and one of the managers there loved Queen. He’d play them constantly, and this was back when radio stations would sometimes spin entire albums straight through. This record always takes me back to those days. Queen is undeniably one of the greatest bands of all time - Mercury’s voice, May’s guitar - it’s just a powerhouse of talent. Queen II was their “harder” album, but it still feels so fresh. It doesn’t fit neatly into rock, and it sure as hell doesn’t belong in hair metal. It’s just… Queen.

Good yes

Klasyk, ale raczej nie jeden z najlepszych, nie ogarnęłam kiedy się zapętliło l. RIP Freddie

BORING. All the songs sounded identical and there are way too many guitar solos.

Pomposo e ridondante

typische queen.. goed voor een nummer, een hele plaat is vervelend

I was really surprised that I disliked this one

Doesn't even sound like Queen until 'Seven Seas of Rhye'. That track feels like a preview of what's to come. Everything before that is something else entirely. Not a bad something else, but definitely something else. A little chaotic, a little proggy, and just kind of weird. A good weird though.

It’s a classical

OK - as far as Queen goes.

3.75

This album was wild. I consider myself a fan of Queen, but honestly I hadn't really heard any of these songs. Ogre Battle? The Fair Fellers Master Stroke? What's going on? It was cool, and I get that this sort of was the start of what was to come with the vocal layers and stuff like that, so I appreciate the artistry of it. Just not sure it's going to make it into my regular rotation.

Great album. You can see the foundation for this development.

Started weak feeling like any other 70s rock album but really earned me back by the end. A Night at the Opera is still where Queen really takes off for me but there is good stuff here sandwiched between some of the more generic work. Mercury's voice is still developing that range he had later in his career. He takes less risks with his singing and much of the rest of the band do with their playing of instruments. Then suddenly tracks like Ogre Battle come hit you over the head with their uniqueness and you can see for a moment the band they are about to become.

I’d rather listen to their Flash Gordon tune 11 times consecutively than listen to this nonsense again

Never heard of this before. Must get low airplay.

I was never a huge fan of Queen. This album was fine but there were no big hits on it. Mercury has a great voice and the music is good but it just doesn’t do anything for me.

Brian May is a guitar god but otherwise yawnnn zzzzzz 2/5

Good album but the best is yet to come.

Really good album. Of course I've heard individual tracks but this was the first time I've heard it in full. I don't think I have to say anything extra about it - I think it is marvelous, Mercuries' singing is simply perfect and it was nice listening to these songs.

Theatrical and fun listen

Today’s album is more prog rock fantasy than rock opera fantasy - I don’t enjoy either. All that talk of misty castles and ogres really brings me down. Low 2 from me because of the commitment to the fantasy aesthetic.

A few strong tracks. Just sneaks a 3

The first half is very smart, very retrained. Exactly how I like Queen, with their eccentricities paired down and focused into a tight formula. It makes me think “huh, maybe I like this band more than I realise?” The second half is unleashed Queen with all the bells and whistles, which I would imagine is the more exciting half for a fan of the band. For a non-fan it sounds like an annoying kid in school desperately trying to get your attention, doing backflips, puffing out their cheeks, making unusual noises. I was relieved when it ended.

Low 3, enjoyed the first side a lot but the fantasy stuff lost me a bit on side two.

You can really hear how new stereo was on this album. Lots of aggressive panning. I did know how much musical DNA Queen shares with led Zeppelin until now.

'News of the World.' 'Jazz.' 'The Works.' These are just some of the Queen albums better than 'Queen II.' 'A Day at the Races.' 'The Game.' 'A Kind of Magic.' These are others. H*ck, even 'Queen' debut album is better than 'Queen II.' All of this isn't to say 'Queen II' isn't a bad album, but just there are better ones. This is the D&D concept album with only one certified amazeballs song, "Seven Seas of Rhye." It's still Queen, it's still worth listening to, but there are many better. Top tracks: "Seven Seas of Rhye," "Ogre Battle"

--Procession...okay --Father to Son...It's interesting in comparison to other six minute jams by this band. This "opera" doesn't have the maturity of their later work --White Queen (As It Began)...it's odd. Maybe I could like it after a few more listens? --Some Day One Day...May on vocals? Interesting. It's surprisingly good, but if you have Freddie Mercury available to sing you should probably use him --The Loser in the End...now we got Taylor as lead! Good voice. Still not Freddie --Ogre Battle...did every major 70s UK band read Tolkien and play DnD? --The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke...the answer is yes --Nevermore...good ballad --The March of the Black Queen...preparing the world for Bohemian Rhapsody --Funny How Love Is...has a Beach Boys quality to it --Seven Seas of Rhye...not a total banger but does a good job of showing off Queen's many talents

This album is hard to judge because the band SOUNDS incredible, they’re absolutely on point for what they were writing. But what they were writing was vague prog nonsense, not at the level of their peers. Queen didn’t really come into their own until A Night at the Opera, and this is still a band that’s not fully formed yet. The opener and the closer are killer, but this is a pretty meh album from a great band.

I mean cmon

Queen doing what Queen does best. Can’t believe I haven’t heard most of these, but it’s just as good as I would expect. A little on the heavier side in a great way.

Nothing really grabs me. A bit too theatrical.

An album of many sides and genres mixed well.

Queen albums are always an experience. Iconic. Each song feels like 3 different songs in one. Also very theatrical in an endearing way.

No tan espectacular como el Sheer Heart Attack, pero un muy buen disco por donde se le vea. He descubierto en esta lista que prefiero mil veces a los Queen beginners que a los late Queen. Quién diría, y vaya que tienen exitazos ya cuando se hicieron super mega ultra famosos.

Conozco bien este disco. Rock melódico y dramático, aún faltaba esa explosión egocéntrica y arriesgada del Queen que la mayoría conoce pero se ve el camino que recorrería la banda. El aspecto más destacable, en mi opinión, es el juego de cuerdas que brinda una atmósfera onírica y el enfoque a rock y vaya que Queen sabía rockear, especialmente en The Loser in The End.

Prefer the greatest hits

This album was a trip (complimentary)

Have never actually listened to Queen’s catalog other than the hits. This was fun, different sound than I expected. You can hear where their sound went, mixed with like… I don’t know, Zeppelin influence? That’s probably a naïve take, but it was new to me. Neat stuff.

Surprised to not know any songs on this album, but still generally enjoyed it and got to listen to this one on vinyl. Ogre Battle was definitely the best track.

This was an interesting listen. I'd never really delved much into Queen's pre-popstar era, so the heaviness and themes on this one came as something of a surprise. That being said, I didn't really the enjoy the "a-side" of this album, as it were. The tracks on the first half here feel as if they aren't doing anything special or new; they feel forgettable; and that is one thing a Queen song should never be. The album picks up significantly once it gets to "Ogre Battle", which is probably my favorite track on here. The tracks get much more complex and multi-layered, with "March of the Black Queen" also being a favorite. The aesthetics on this album are fun as well, with the black-and-white theme being well established and providing a strong throughline.

This album is classic Queen and I loved every minute of it. I love how bold and theatrical their songs sound and the vocals, transitions, and instrumentals are always on point. I had a great time listening to this album and I would definitely jam out to it again sometime soon.

Queens insistence of including everyone's random ass ideas sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. A very jarring and inconsistent album that will hit the peaks of genius and sink to the valleys of "what fart were you smelling when you wrote this?"

Queen

Ehh

Not familiar enough with this album (yet), but bumping up to 4 because of the powerhouse guitar, Freddie's voice, and because I want to add it to my digital library

I can see why this is considered one of the best of all time. Not my taste unfortunately. Will revisit one day.

Decent album but sounds like a musical, bit too Queen-y as far as Queen albums go

Could there be a more perfect set of people to be in a band? Incredible as always.

not as familar as a lot of queen is to me but still good

If you’re looking for “hits”, this isn’t the record for you. This is much more artistic and less “commercial”. Definitely a great listen from an iconic band, though.

Very much enjoyed, and this is an older, rock-ier side of Queen than I knew, but still very dramatic and fantasical. (White Queen / Black Queen and Ogre Battle stood out especially).

I have owned this album for close to fifty years. Like most people of my generation I bought and listened over and over again to " A night at the Opera". A few, like myself, went straight out to buy their back catalogue. If you liked Bohemian Rhapsody and the Prophets Song, then this is the album for you. This is the rock opera that should have, but never was made. Not side one and side two it had side white (Brian May compositions with a great track by Roger Taylor to close it out) and black side (Full Freddy at his most Gothic). "Ogre Battle" is pure metal, "March of the Black Queen" is the closest to Bohemian Rhapsody, in structure at least. I would have loved to have seen this actually staged with costumes, choreography, and a pit orchestra. Side Black could have been pure rock-opera Gothic theatre, and Side White a sweeping fantasy epic.

Would it be bad if I said that I preferred their later, more commercial phase? Oh well, I do still enjoy this.

It's camp. It's rock. It's camp rock. I've only heard one other complete Queen album and mainly know the greatest hits, so it's always a little strange to hear non-Freddie-led songs. This was a rocking silly time!

I like Queen as much as the next guy, but I have to say this album didn’t do much for me. If they didn’t close with the strongest track, it would not left a very good impression at all. Reluctantly rounding up from 3.5*

All the things I like about Queen with none of the songs I know. And no synthesizers! Definitely worth more listens.

It's OK. No real standouts for me. Competent, but nothing grabbed me.

not my personal taste but also objectively good.

My introduction to Queen Great musicianship and Freddie Mercury’s voice was something I’d never heard before

Good

This one starts out pretty good as just a solid 70s rock album but then after Ogre Battle it starts to do all of the Queen stuff and loses me. So I'm going to remove a star for tricking me into thinking I had missed something about Queen for about 6 songs and then hitting me with all of the choir hooos and staccato stuff

Used to be my favourite Queen album, until I properly listened to Sheer Heart Attack - a record with all the focus and cohesion which II is missing. But the good side of that deficiency is a smorgasboard of music, utterly unafraid to take yet another new turn in sound, rhythm, mood or style. Some great heavy moments, and Ogre Battle is probably still my favourite Queen song! ---- I wrote all that earlier in the day, before listening the album all the way through for the first time in years. Either it isn't as scattergun and harebrained as I had remembered, or I'm much more accepting of that sort of thing in music now, but it's a solid pop-prog rock record. Probably back to being my favourite of theirs! Favourite tracks: Father to Son, March of the Black Queen, Ogre Battle, Seven Seas of Rhye, Ogre Battle

Storytelling. <3

no me engancho, escuche un par de canciones pero no es mi tipo.

Good quality album before the mega-hits.

One of the heaviest collections I’ve heard from Queen. All very good stuff though. It’s not classified as a concept album, but it follows some themes and definitely dances on the line between prog, hard rock, and queen’s typical theatrical fare. Awesome stuff.

Hard to believe there is a Queen album that absolutely rips without a radio singles on it. Prog rock opera at its finest.

For my first Queen album it wasn't bad but I feel like it just wasn't for me as it was boring at some parts (imo) but I definitely get why people like it. and I wld like to visit this and other Queen albums after. pretty solid album

Iconic style and all that but not really for me

Hadn’t heard most of this before, a great listen!

No sophomore slump here!

I usually love Queen but this one wasn't my favorite.

Fun and enjoyable.

I liked the album, it felt familiar, I liked the music itself, very rich and engaging, but wasn’t able to focus on the lyrics so i guess I’ll have to listen to it again some other time. As a first album to be recommended, Queen was a safe bet -old but gold-. I’m looking forward to the next album :)

queen are, fundamentally, a singles band. this album has no recognizable smash hit singles, at least to me. how does that work out for them? well, it does mean that a more unified identity is displayed here. i don't love much of it but the storybook fantasy flair is memorable and pretty fun. this is kinda tangential but the 2011 remaster is really muddy and the original mix isn't great either. deserves to be one of the 1001? fuck i mean maybe. would just have A Night at the Opera and something else. maybe this album gets to be that something else! who knows

Really good, not sure what I was expecting but it was a good listen

Highlight Song/s: Father To Son, The Loser In The End, Ogre Battle, The March Of The Black Queen and Funny How Love Is Most people probably wouldn't have this in mind when thinking of Queen; heavy, proggy, fantasy lyrics and a bit sludgy at points. Definitely not much radio-friendly music is on this one. I never really thought they would be a band worth it enough to listen to any their albums, but this isn't at all bad; such a great album experience. Perhaps their 70s albums are worth listening to at first (if it were to listen through their albums.) 'A Night at the Opera' is also on this list, so I am looking forward to that now. I know 'Procession' is technically the first track, but the first proper song 'Father To Son' is amazing, which is very proggy sounding. 'The Loser In The End' and 'The Fairy Feller's' both have a sick bassline, also the latter has an amazing beat to it. The stepping stone that was needed to create 'Bohemian Rhapsody' called 'The March Of The Black Queen'; which is a WAY better 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' 'Black Queen' then transitions into 'Funny How Love Is', which is one of the best transitions ever.

Nothing notable just queen music

I’m quite a fan of Queen, but this album isn’t my favourite of theirs.

I liked how this album had "harder" songs on it, and I really like Queen singles, but I have yet to find a "good" Queen album.

Another chance on this list to get acquainted with Queen albums in full instead of all the popular songs I know. This was another fantastic listen from them! 4.5 / 5

Gut… aber halt einfach Queen… wird nicht besser je mehr man sich mit beschäftigt. Klassische Einstiegsdroge. Aber auch wichtig.

Bombast noch relativ experimentell. Überraschend unbekannt aber auch nicht sympathisch

Not a bad Queen album. It's about what I was expecting. Some great operatic music with amazing vocals. I do not recall hearing any of these songs before today's listen. I'm guessing there wasn't a big hit on this album but that's okay it's still a great consistent listen.

der sound gefällt mir, auch wenn teilweise stark richtung heavy. ich finde kein highlight welches mich vom hocker reisst, sondern solide rockmusik der 70er.

Tönt nach Queen aber noch ein Frühwerk. Hebt sich wohltuend vom 70er Sound ab.

I'm not familiar with really a any of the tracks on this album. My experience of Queen was from the 80s onwards. But having gone back and listened to the self-titled debut album for context, this is the first album by the band that defined their sound for the rest of their career. This is the first rock opera album from one of the most influential and well known bands of the last 50 years. When you listen to this, just assume you've never heard anything like it before and you'll understand why it's on this list. Is it the best Queen album, no. Is it the start of something truly magical and musical. 100% yes. 5/5

34/1001 :: Queen - Queen II Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ✅ Rating: 7 Fav Tracks: Father to Son In this edition of “It’s Crazy I Never Heard This One” Queen has always been very similar to The Clash in that I respect it, have heard stuff, like a bunch of songs but never dove in… So here we are this is the first time I’ve listened to a Queen album in its entirety. And, as expected it was great. Very theatrical, incredible instrumentation, Freddie Mercury is truly one of one and Brian May is much heavier than I thought? This album came out in 74 and dare I say sounded Sabbathy at times? I didnt realize that was a thing with them. So yeah, Queen might be a little too theatrical for me in general but I also probably need more Queen in my life…

Слушал до этого только в детстве. Чувства смешанные.

Onekligen välgjort men Queen är ba inte riktigt min grej™

Inget som sticker ut, inget som fångar mig, och tyvärr bara ointressanta versioner av mindre röriga klassiker från senare album. Förlåt.

Älskar Queen men inte deras bästa album

Ingen av låtarna på detta album är nära Queens topp 10 mest populära på Spotify, men det låter ju jättebra!

Mästerlig rockopera!

I used to like queen a lot more but they've grown dated on me

There are so many huge Queen songs that have become part of the public consciousness, that it’s hard to believe that I wouldn’t recognise a single song here. Also, that album cover is crazy because the average Joe would absolutely expect Bohemian Rhapsody after seeing that! Anyway, the music here leans more into the rockier side of things, when compared to some of the other poppier tracks that Queen had. I did quite enjoy it, but I equally understand why these songs don’t get regular radio play. Still, it’s good fun.

procession- 5 father and son- 5 or 6 white queen- 6 some day one day- 5 the loser in the end- 5 ogre battle- 5 fairy fellers master stroke- 5 nevermore- 5 or 6 march of the black queen- 5 or 6 funny how love is- 5 sevens seas of rhye- 5

Yeah, every group started somewhere, and I suppose it's still interesting to look back at Queen as they were figuring out who they wanted to be. Obviously skilled musicians by this point, but the song-writing feels almost painfully young.

Ikoninen levyn kansi ja eiköhän koko levykin ole aika ikoninen, mutta yhtään kappaletta en tuntenut tältä. Muutenkaan ei niin tunnistettavasti kuullosta Queenilta, mutta tää onkin vielä aika aikainen levy niiltä. Parhaat: Seven Seas of Rhye, The March of the Black Queen

Different side to queen compared to their hits. Lots of interesting vocals on a more classic rock album than I was expecting

Queen sucks

The album in which Queen's vision becomes more realised, but isn't quite there, that comes next . If you are only familiar with Queen the icons and their hits, then this album will come as a surprise, even a shock. It's Progressive and Heavy (in places). Ambitious and influential. Its production still holds up today. Brian May is on fire throughout. Seven Seas of Rhye is probably the most well known song on this album, and the hit, reaching #10 in the UK charts. This album is from 1974, so very much of its time, times that were my formative listening years. This is one of my favourite Queen albums, so for me, just qualifies for 5 stars. Would I listen to this album again? Yes, I do, regularly. Would I buy this album? I did. 1 "Procession" - If you're coming at this albums backwards through the Queen catalogue you're going to think "what the hell is this?" Very much a 'Progressive Rock' introduction for a heavy 'Progressive Rock' album. - 4/5 2 "Father to Son" - Gloriously heavy. - 5/5 3 "White Queen (As It Began)" - "A delicate little number". - 5/5 4 "Some Day One Day" - 4/5 5 "The Loser in the End" - This is a real deep cut. This is heavy and features Roger Taylor on vocals. It has a groove about it, with the riff being similar to "Children of the Revolution". Brilliant. - 5/5 6 "Ogre Battle" - Fantastic. Brian May is quite superb as is John Deacon and Roger Taylor. Great riff. Crikey this song is heavy. And a gong! I love a gong. - 5/5 7 "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" - Great title. - 4/5 8 "Nevermore" - 4/5 9 "The March of the Black Queen" - This is where you can really hear where Queen are going to go with their sound. The dynamics and vocals are quite wonderful. The whole band is brilliant. - 5/5 10 "Funny How Love Is" - This has a lovely vocal melody. - 4/5 11 "Seven Seas of Rhye" - What a great song. I wish it was longer! - 5/5 Total -50 Average - 4.55

This is one I own - not only is it my favorite Queen album - no other in their catalog which comes close to- but it is definitely in my Top 10 favorite albums- period

3.5

Mir zu langatmig, ansonsten ganz okay

Another one that I don't have to listen to rate. I've listened at least six times at its entirety and my impression probably will not change. Queen II is an interesting album, mixing the heavy sound of the band's debut with operatic elements that were more refined in Sheer Heart Attack and, especially, A Night at the Opera. Although it suffers from poor mixing (not as much as the debut, of course), there's a extremely rich sound palette to be explored here. I personally recommend the strong start of the album, with Procession, Father to Son and White Queen (As It Began), but the whole record is pretty respectable (with the exception of, maybe, Funny How Love Is, with its endless fadeout)

Ogre Battle should have been a bigger single. March of the Black Queen is unbelievable. This album should also be called “Queen Fucking Rocks” This albums contains all of the elements of peak Queen, exceptionally clear and layered guitar, abstract and harmonious lyrics, and sporadic arrangement. It’s stellar and intriguing. Also if you have one of the greatest vocalists of all time, you should definitely not let other members of the band sing.

Much of this has not aged well - “Ogre Battle” in particular, but the parts that still hit are classic. “Father to Son” and “Seven Seas of Rhye” still rank high in their catalog for me. But I miss the playfulness of much of their later work.

This album is the definition of "a lot of noise signifying nothing." I enjoy and can appreciate Queen but this album is stuffed with overdubs, every second filled with over-produced airy-fairyness. Plus, I find it boring with very few of the hooks that would come with their later music. it's redeemed somewhat by songs like "Ogre Battle" and "Seven Seas of Rhye" but, overall, not an album that I would return to.

Didn't realise how nerdy early Queen is, damn! I'm here for it for the most part, but the ogre one started to grate when they reenacted the battle. I'd be more of a Queen Greatest Hits guy honestly, had never heard any of this but love the glossy 80s hits like Radio Ga Ga and Under Pressure. A lot of this isnt really my thing but I do think its cool to hear them fully embrace anthemic 70s rock, Brian May could always shred. I like Father to Son and The March of the Black Queen a lot

Good sophomore album, hard rocking, lots of Brian May

I think this is the weakest Queen album. Love Queen; don't love this.

What a wild ride! How is this new to me!?

My favorite Queen record. It’s kinda prog kinda metal and while people peg Queen as a singles band this is definitely an album worth your time in its entirety

Not as bad as I expected but wouldn't listen again in a hurry

I used to be such a big queen fan. Anything 70s classic rock to be honest. In the years that followed, my music taste expanded and all those bands returned a bit more to the background, and I started listening to Queen a lot less. Every time I listen to an album by them, I just think to myself “man, I should listen to more Queen.” This album is Queen’s heaviest and most prog-sounding, switching it up everywhere they go. From soft and sweet folksy Melodie’s do heavy hitting, almost metal guitar riffs. This works really well on songs like March Of The Black Queen or Father To Son, but sometimes, only sometimes, the album as a whole feels a bit disjointed. This album is certainly one of their most underrated. There are not really any hits on it, but it bangs and it’s great. 4/5

Better than expected.

Queen!

Their second album. Rock. Fantastical song lyrics, complex song structures, huge vocals and massive Rock guitar and drums. Yep, this is Queen ! Fuck me, Freddie can belt out a tune eh ! He nails Father to Son. This is an album with a wall of sound. Seven Seas Of Rhye is an absolute banger of a Rock song. Queen can be a bit marmite to some people and although I love my Punk, I do love me some grandiose Queen !

Yes

Interesting to hear their sound before they evolved

Not so much a sign of greater things to come for the band, but almost something that they left behind for chart success. My view is, both are great! This early prog stuff and the later era when they changed rock and pop music forever... Either way they have always pushed boundaries but stayed musically accessible and stuffed full of talent.

Meh. Never been much of a Queen fan and this didn't do anything to change that.

Awesome record.

I love Brian May, really I do. He is an amazing guitarist. But Side White (songs written by May) is clearly inferior to Side Black (songs written by Mercury). Freddy's operatic instincts win the day. Just side black is one of the greatest albums ever made. 4/5

Didn’t interest me

Downright symphonic. For once, I'm not even curious what others wrote about this. Clockwise from top left, the band were an electrical engineer on bass, an astrophysicist on guitar, a dentist on the drums and Freddie Mercury doing possibly the only thing his body could do: be the best fucking rock singer in history. For a band with only one guitar player, the sound of Brian May sure is a lot like The Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd when he's playing hooks. It also sounds like horn blasts announcing the arrival of some royalty. He also plays call-and-response. Taylor remains one of the most underrated drummers in 20th century music. He has the verve and musicality of Keith Moon; he just didn't threaten to blow up the stage. His vocals are, as always, excellent -- he sounds like Daltry and Bonham at the same time on 'The Loser In The End'. Deacon is a perfect foil to the rest of the band. He's a very capable bass player but tends to recede into a supportive role in their arrangments. His sound is perfectly placed between Taylor's thundering toms and May's soaring six-string. Always, always perfectly in the pocket. That they were all capable singers is evident even outside of their pervasive harmonies and occasional turns at lead or co-lead vocals. Every member of Queen's playing has a melodic quality to it -- they all take turns at call-and-response with Freddie, they all play parts you can hum. In the Oughts, this band would've lasted two years before being broken up into at least three side projects. Mercury himself on this one is surprisingly restrained. His voice is capable of softness (and a shocking amount of vibrato in his breathy lower whisper register) in addition to utter bombast and he gets use out of a lot of his subtler tones on Queen II. Queen were one of the greatest bands of the 20th century, a group so dense with talent that it makes no sense that they stayed together. If Freddie hadn't died, they would certainly have had the staying power of the Rolling Stones. From 1973 through 1977, they produced Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera, A Day At The Races and News of The World. That's a little more than three years and six albums better than most groups produce in a whole career. They were progressive, hard-rocking, dramatic, irreverent, provocative and served as both orchestra and choir. You shouldn't just listen to Queen II (you should); you should spend a day listening to all six in a row and think carefully about how diverse the styles they traversed were, and yet how they always sound unmistakably like Queen. They invented production techniques, refined the sounds of their influences and pushed boundaries. Today, they're mostly known for two sports anthems and Bohemian Rhapsody and somehow, that's still a travesty of shortchanging their legacy. Yes, you must listen to Queen II before you die. At at least five other albums from the beginning of their career.

Good music, nothing spectacular. Realizing there are a lot of bands with cool sounds and somewhat unique styles but that doesn’t mean you like all of them, it means you appreciate them and find what sticks out to you specifically.

Undeniably a Queen album, but clearly not their strongest

Some are good, some are not so good

Classic sounds of Queen; very enjoyable album

I was ignorant of Radiohead

A delightful fantasy-tinged Queen album that conjures up images of castles and fairy tales. “Nevermore” might be one of the most beautiful sub-2 minute songs I’ve ever heard. I never wanted it to end. One star off because Freddie is always too nice letting other people in this band sing lead on songs! Stop! You’re Freddie Mercury!

There are some good songs and it does flow but its a little one note and I don't love the note.

They have a great sound outside of the massive singles

Always fun and sad

My relationship with this band is tricky. Overall, I don't like listening to the albums much because of how disjointed they are to my ears. But, then that riff starts and just pulls you in. I enjoyed this album more, probably because it's filled with songs that haven't been overplayed for the last 50 years. Some great stuff on this. I just wish I like it more.

Standouts White Queen (As it Began) The March of the Black Queen Seven Seas of Rhye

Amazing album

Good classic rock I hadn’t heard before

The only way this could be better is if “I’m in love with my car” was on it

Man, that album was way out there for its time, right? Total prog-rock opera before anyone even knew what that was. Freddie was already a full-on rock god, just belting it out, and Brian May's guitar work was absolutely insane. How did he even do that stuff? It was definitely a trip, a little dark and dramatic for some, but if you were into that theatrical vibe, it was pretty epic. Not exactly "Bohemian Rhapsody" accessible, but a solid listen if you wanted to go on a journey with your headphones on.

I like Queen but this album was a little boring and a little weird.

Was not a fan.

I was not a fan of this album. I was excited to listen because I like Queen’s singles and hits, but I’ve never listened to a full album from them. It was not what I was really expecting.

Outside of the hits, I've never been super into Queen. Not totally sure why. Their songs and specifically this album sound complex and layered, but it's in a direction that I've never been too interested in. The mythical creatures and stories just don't appeal to me. Ogre battle was a decent rocker, but the rest is just not for me. This made me less of a fan. Someone tell me what I'm missing.

Not sure it is my favourite queen album but as always with I think all of there albums it is worth a listen with wonderfully written songs, that keep you guessing about what the band can't do. I feel it says a lot that I say this isn't one of my favourite albums of theres yet I still can't scoring it any lower.

I respect the heck out of this album for its bold concept and theatrical flair (no one sounds like Queen), but I find myself wanting the punchier, riff-heavy hooks that I grew up listening to on their later albums.

Obviously excellent

I didn't know any of these songs. I recognized the title of the finale and thought I'd know it. I thought this was really great. I love the progressive experimentation in both songwriting and recording and I love the overdubbing work. I love that they had songs they'd been working on for years and wanted to save for when they were more experienced in the studio and knew how to execute their vision for them, as this is actually something I've done.

Queen isn't really my thing, but why is Bohemian Rhapsody and Killer Queen the only songs you ever hear? They have more bangers

I mean it's Queen. Fave song: The March Of The Black Queen Honorable Mentions: Father To Son, White Queen, and Nevermore

MASTERPIECE

very much enjoyed “Seven Seas Of Rhye” !

No dull moment with Queen, that was amazing. Second half was much better than the first tho. Favourite Song: The March of the Black Queen Honorable Mention: Seven Seas of Rhye

Really good album from start to finish. Really like “The Loser in the End” and “Nevermore.” Imo this album is a strong 4 but close to a 5

It’s Queen. Nothing more to say.

I can't stand Queen, but at least I'm close to done with them

Classic

Not like the Queen everyone knows, it's interesting and some songs hit it, Mercury's voice is always good but some of the songs just don't hit it, other's are quite good.

This was an odd Queen album. A kind of concept album with other members taking lead vocals and Freddie, noticeably more subdued in the front half of the album, playing a bit more of a background role (not the whole time, he still obviously absolutely destroys his parts). Queen II does have all the signatures of Queen that you'd want: May's amazing guitar work, cool lyrics with layered vocal tracks, and I actually kind of enjoyed hearing May and Taylor's voices on their songs. Standouts for me were "Father To Son" "The Loser In The End" "Funny How Love Is" - I'd never heard this one and it is probably my favorite on the album - and "Seven Seas of Rhye" It's a fun album, but is it their best? I don't think so; it sounds to me like they're still trying to find their place in the world, which they very obviously will, and this is a really cool part of their origin story. 3/5

Another excellent album, they hardly miss tbh. Highlights: White Queen (As It Began), The March of the Black Queen, See What A Fool I've Been

Amazing album, love the theme and it is on par/above other queen albums. Lyrics of orge battle fight are fantastic.

No notes, great album, Queen is always excellent Fav Songs: March of the Black Queen, Seven seas of Rhye

I can see why most of the songs don't make greatest hits, but lots of potential showed early on

Very creative. Brian May was on form here, but freddie wasn't his extravagant self yet. I grew up with the Greatest Hits album, so a lot of these were new to me. Good fu, but not one I'll rush back to

Good ol' early Queen -- I enjoyed the sound and vibe of this album

Operatic rock,super fun

Favorite track: White Queen other picks: nevermore, the march if the black queen, father and son

Listening to this album, I was struck that Queen was a band in search of themselves till “A Night at the Opera.” After that it was just more bombast and more Freddie being Freddie. I also realized that I prefer only that album by far to all their others, with a song or two here and there from other albums I can listen to. This one was fine, but I’m not a fan of prog rock and found much of it just silly.

A great album from Queen. Somehow I always seem to have overlooked this album. Maybe it was because of the rather boring title. It was particularly worthwhile to listen to it again after a long time. 5/5

Fine. Disappointingly boring, but perfectly fine background music. 2.5 stars.

Not their best. There are amazing songs like Ogre Battle, but quite a few mediocre songs.

Rock bands in the 70s sure loved Tolkienesque high fantasy, didn't they? Queen's first two records have an element of fantasy whimsy that evolved along their amazing career. Case in point: “My Fairy Queen” from their eponymous debut is much, much different than the Highlander soundtrack, a movie where immortal warriors armed with swords butcher each other for supremacy. This record shows that evolution, regaling us with tales of an “Ogre Battle” followed by “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke” and “The March of the Black Queen”. Much more Conan the Barbarian than A Midsummer’s Night Dream. This is a lovely record by the band that would soon give the world Sheer Heart Attack and A Night At The Opera.

I knew the albums name and only The seven seas of Rye... Damn, this is good :)

Queen has always been an acquired taste for me. They undoubtedly have a lot of great music and are an incredibly talented/gifted band, but they’ve never been one of my favorites. What’s super interesting Queen II is that it is very much a metamorphosis album. You can hear all of these pieces which are representative of what the band will become, but they are not fully there yet, leading to a fascinating mix of straightforward rock and theatrics. For me, it’s the former that actually is a lot more appealing. All of this album was new to me, and I have to admit that it was a very good listen. Their songs are really intricate which I do appreciate. And some of the things which happen on this recording (shifting where the sound is coming from, changing of keys or even styles) are really cool. A microcosm for this album is definitely March of the Black Queen. It has all of these amazing parts, but it also has some bombast too it, much like the rest of the record. Other songs on this record were better than some of the more standard Queen fare. For example, White Queen was interesting because, frankly, parts of it didn’t sound like Queen at all. It was very much a song that fits in the middle of prog rock, which I generally love, and it was nice to hear them not be so bombastic. Some Day One Day, Funny How Love Is, and The Loser In the End were similarly non-traditional Queen - I.e. more straight forward rock songs. It was great to hear the band in this fashion, as it was much more about the musicianship as opposed to the show. Seven Seas of Rhye was a fun listen: at times Billy Joel-esque, at times straight guitar rock, still other times vocal mastery. I enjoyed this one a lot and a definite highlight. A quick additional note, it was amazing to hear how quickly the songs changed, both within songs and when moving to the next one. You almost never knew when you were on the next track, unless you heard the theme of the song change or actually looked at what was playing. In total, I enjoyed this way more than anticipated because while this was distinctly Queen at points, at others you wouldn’t know it was them at all. Meanwhile, the fact that you can start to hear what the band is going to become … it’s like listening to the teenage years of Queen as they move from boy to man. And to be honest, when it’s just about the songs and not about being over the top, as incredible as those theatrics can be, I personally like them much better. That all said, there’s no doubting the true talent and musicianship of this band, which is displayed throughout this album. For that, they earn a 4.

El último álbum de la etapa más rockera y casi proto-metal de Queen, aunque ya se empieza a notar la transición hacia ese sonido que los caracteriza: más complejo, con muchas capas apiladas, unas armonías vocales buenísimas y un concepto casi de ópera rock, con letras de fantasía. Un álbum que no había escuchado antes y que no contiene ninguno de sus grandes éxitos. Me ha gustado mucho: encuentra el punto exacto entre el hard rock de los 70, que tanto me gusta, y la exuberancia sónica de Queen, sin llegar a hacerse demasiado empalagoso. Por otro lado, sigue pecando de esa atmósfera tan histriónica que me echa un poco para atrás. Tres y medio alto.

Good not great, queen figuring it out

its Queen, its alright.

I don't think I'm familiar with a single song on this album despite wearing out my Queen's Greatest Hits cassette in my youth. Their sound hadn't quite come into its own, yet. This sounds a bit more like other 70s bands than I expected it to, but there's no mistaking Freddie Mercury.

I was surprised to find a Queen album where I wasn’t familiar with a single song. It was obvious they were still finding their signature sound, but that is part of the brilliance of this album. Hell, Freddy doesn’t even sing the lead on several of the songs. I think the fact that I wasn’t familiar with it made it that much better.

Metal!!!

Ai tämä oli NÄIN hupsua? "Ogre Battle", "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke". Viikset ja tennarit oli hyvä muutos.

Ah, early Queen, back in the days when they were more heavy metal. This album would probably be a shock to anyone who's only heard their later work (though it does contain a sort of hint at the direction they'd go, with Seven Seas of Rhye). It kicks ass though. Showcasing every band member's unique talent with their tool of choice. Brian May's guitar work on songs like Ogre Battle is of note, and Freddie's voice is as beautiful in its lower register as it is when he goes HIIIIIIIIIIIIGH. A must-hear album.

Decent album, sounds very 70s. Has a lot of weirdness, but not of the variety i'm really into. Seven seas of rhye has always been incredible though

Fine

Medelmåttig 70-talsrock och musikal nummer. Bättre än Led Zeppelin.

I am a huuuuuuuge Queen fan, and this is definitely in my top 3 Queen albums (behind only News of the World and Queen), so I was waiting for this one to come up. So many good songs on this album, and just an amazing sophomore album from a band that IMO was so much better in their early days than in their later ones -- more prog and less arena, more rock and less pop. Just amazing performances all around, combined with superb writing and awesome arrangement and attention to detail all around. I listened to it twice today, and I've probably listened to it 100 times before that. I remember buying this album in high school (late 90s) and falling asleep listening to it the first time. I had the most vivid dreams about Ogre Battle and I still daydream about it when I hear the song today. Anyway, easily five stars all day long and twice on Sunday.

I have def heard this - classic. Everything. Iconic.

Great album with two distinct halves, perhaps their best overall.

Perfectly solid I wasn't blown away by any one song

4/5

I had assumed I'd be familiar with at least some of the tracks on this album, but was surprised to find the whole thing a new listening experience. First impression was not great - the themes reminded me so much of the baroque rock that had dominated the 60s (not a fan) that I practically checked out. Really glad I gave it 3 more listens - the melodies and powerful instrumentals make this more than worth it. I especially liked the range of vocals - not just from Freddie Mercury, but from his equally versatile band mates.

Qua titels herken ik geen enkele track op deze plaat. Het is maar goed dat ik me in deze lijst vastbijt, want wat weet ik eigenlijk weinig. En maar beoordelingen uitpoepen alsof ik er verstand van heb. De openingstrack, waarmee ik track 2 bedoel want track 1 houdt niet heel veel in, is wel meteen een goede binnenkomer. Het begint wat proggy, maar halverwege krijg je zowaar wat metal/hard rock voor je lange kiezen geworpen. Dat blijkt sowieso een beetje de formule voor de tracks op dit album te zijn. Licht ingewikkeld beginnen, maar daarna doorpakken met krijsende gitaren en wat solo's. Lekker. Het tegenstrijdige is eigenlijk dat je bij Queen die echt gigantische hits verwacht en dan is dit album haast wat eenvoudig. Toch ga ik dit album gewoon los beoordelen en laat ik ze niet teveel de concurrentie met zichzelf aan gaan. En ik ga dit album ook niet lager dan nodig geven omdat ome Robert Dimery rare keuzes maakt. Eigenlijk was Live at the Wembley wel een mooie keuze geweest voor deze lijst, aangezien live albums hier niet geschuwd worden. Ik tik de 4 sterren aan. Ik heb nog altijd veel liever een wat onbekender Queen werk dan het bekendste Elvis Costello album.

A fantastic album that lives up to expectations. From the powerful vocals to the intricate arrangements, it’s a great listen from start to finish.

Aw, wow, I honestly only knew Queen by their greatest hits. Listening to this album cover to cover is a very different experience. Truly feels like the soundtrack to a rock opera, with intensity and storytelling. Makes me think I should explore their whole discography more methodically.

La portada extraña, técnicamente muy mejorable pero visualmente potente. ¿Es su mejor disco? Ni de lejos, mismamente ese mismo año publicaron un tremendo álbum como fue Sheer Heart Atack, sin duda mucho mejor y aún lo mejor estaba por llegar. ¿Es un mal disco? Jamás hicieron uno malo. Sobresale, porque es un clásico y fue su primer éxito comercial el cierre con Seven seas of Rhye. El resto como los demás discos contiene temas variados, trucos, efectos musicales y vocales y sobre todo calidad y potencia. The loser in the end suena a Led Zepellin, sin dejar de ser ellos mismos. Some day one day suena a Cream, eso es un piropo. Father to son es una maravilla marca de la casa. White Queen es, eso Queen, sin más. Ogre Battle es una ensalada de mística y rock duro, no es lo mejor del lote. Aceleran con The fairy feller´s master-stroke, con esos coros y piano tan característicos. Un tema con varios cambios de ritmo, de lo mejor del disco que continúa con el interludio Nevermore. The march of the black Queen, es el reverso en la cara negra (la A es la blanca y esta B es la negra) del otro tema Queen. Más complejo y oscuro, pero igual de disfrutable. Funny how love is es un puente, con su ritmo marcial y voces superpuestas, hacia ese tremendo final que es Seven Seas of Rhye. Como cualquier disco de Queen tiene razones de sobra para ser escuchado, sin embargo los tiene mucho mejores.

Bueno. Queen a veces necesito escucharlos y a veces los aborrezco. Por supuesto son unos músicos formidables siempre. Espero que hoy sea un día de idilio. Aunque es cierto que discos completos no creo que tengan ninguno a la altura de su leyenda, tienen dos docenas de canciones extraordinarias. Tras la escucha, este no es un disco coherente. Es original, se agradece la calidez del sonido, pero las canciones no están a la altura. La portada es inmortal, eso sí.

Great band, not one of their best albums

I was already familiar with Queen but don't know this album very well. This album has Queen's massive talent on full display. The instrumentation and vocals are excellent. In terms of songwriting, it's not as strong. Many of the tracks are a little bit too out there for me to really enjoy, otherwise it's fine to listen to but doesn't really make me excited to hear again.