310. Queen - Queen II (1974)
















Track Listing

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

Review

I am slightly ashamed of the fact that I quite enjoyed this album, heck I liked it. And there are even reasons of why I liked it. This albums seems to synthesize many of the mainstream musical tendencies into one work. This is an album which is at the same time heavy metal, glam and prog, and it actually works. Many of the tracks are actually the three things in one, a prime example of this would be March Of The Black Queen or Ogre Battle which also end up being some of the best tracks in the album.

If there is something that you can rely on Queen to be is entertaining and this album certainly is that. Sometimes the band's love for kitsch and camp seems to over do it, as is present in the way in which most songs have some kind of sword and sorcery theme, but again it works.

This album is never going to be remembered up there with Beethoven's 9th in 200 years time, but it sure as hell is fun, and even if you hate Queen you should give it a chance as it might win you over with its prog sensibilities. get it at Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. March Of The Black Queen
2. Ogre Battle
3. Seven Seas of Rhye
4. Father to Son

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Mick Rock's album cover photograph was frequently re-used by the band throughout its career, most notably in the music video for the song Bohemian Rhapsody (1975). There are two versions of this photograph, one with black for the background and foreground (right), the other with a brown foreground.

Numerous problems beset the album's release. Its completion coincided with the 1973 oil crisis and consequently, government-enforced measures for energy conservation delayed its manufacture by several months. Once the long-overdue first pressing arrived in record shops, the band noticed a spelling error on the sleeve, and had to complain persistently to correct.

Queen's first appearance at Top Of The Poppity pops, with Seven Seas Of Rhye: