Queen - Queen II

Title: Queen II Artist: Queen Release Date: 4/9/1974 Re-Released On: 3/27/2009 Label: Toshiba EMI, Import, Toshiba, EMI Music Distribution UPCs: 4988006760806, 4988006796157, 4988006818118, 667341010220, 0077778927556, 077774620550, 077778927525, 077778927549, 5099926657219, 498800676080, 498800679615 Genre: Rock Styles: Hard Rock, Glam Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock, Arena Rock, Album Rock, Art Rock Moods: Dramatic, Elaborate, Energetic, Epic, Playful, Swaggering, Theatrical, Aggressive, Bravado, Complex, Confident, Freewheeling, Indulgent, Passionate, Quirky, Slick, Whimsical, Ambitious, Campy, Cheerful, Exuberant, Fun, Light, Lively, Outrageous, Rousing, Sexy, Tense/Anxious, Yearning, Bittersweet, Sentimental, Party/Celebratory, Silly, Witty Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 15 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 1

1. Procession
2. Father to Son
3. White Queen (As It Began)
4. Some Day One Day
5. The Loser in the End
6. Ogre Battle
7. Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke
8. Nevermore
9. The March of the Black Queen
10. Funny How Love Is
11. Seven Seas of Rhye

Year Type Label Catalog # 2007 CD Toshiba EMI 65842 2004 CD Toshiba EMI 67342 2004 CD Toshiba 67342 1999 CD Import 65102 1994 CD EMI Music Distribution 7892752 ------ CD EMI Music Distribution

Queen II [Bonus Tracks]

In one regard, Queen II does indeed provide more of the same thing as on the band's debut. Certainly, of all the other albums in Queen's catalog it bears the closest resemblance to its immediate predecessor, particularly in its lean, hard attack and in how it has only one song that is well-known to listeners outside of their hardcore cult: in this case, it's "Seven Seas of Rhye," which is itself more elliptical than "Keep Yourself Alive," the big song from the debut. But these similarities are superficial and Queen II is a very different beast than its predecessor, an album that is richer, darker, and weirder, an album that finds Queen growing as a band by leaps and bounds. There is still a surplus of ideas, but their energies are better focused this time around, channeled into a over-inflated, pompous rock that could be called prog if it wasn't so heavy. Even with all the queens and ogres that populate Queen II, this never feels as fantastical as Genesis or Uriah Heep, and that's because Queen hits hard as a rock band here, where even the blasts of vocal harmonies feel like power chords, no matter how florid they are. Besides, these grandiose harmonies, along with the handful of wistful ballads here, are overshadowed by the onslaught of guitars and pummeling rhythms that give Queen II majesty and menace. Queen is coiled, tense, and vicious here, delivering on their inherent sense of drama, and that gives Queen II real power as music, as well as a true cohesion. The one thing that is missing is any semblance of a pop sensibility, even when they flirt with a mock Phil Spector production on "Funny How Love Is." 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. At the very least, it illustrates that Queen is starting to pull all their ambitions and influences into a signature sound, and it's quite powerful in that regard. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Brian May Piano, Vocals, Guitar, Bells Freddie Mercury Harpsichord, Vocals, Piano Freddy Bastone Remixing, Producer John Deacon Guitar, Guitar (Bass), Guitar (Acoustic), Bass Mick Rock Art Direction, Cover Design, Photography Mike "Clay" Stone Engineer Nick Sansano Remixing, Producer Queen Cover Design, Producer Ridgeway Watt Typography Robin Geoffrey Cable Producer Roger Taylor Percussion, Vocals Roy Thomas Baker Castanets, Producer