Difference between revisions of "Queen II"

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'''''Queen II''''' is the second studio album by [[Queen]].
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[[Image:Queen - Queen II (Remastered).jpg|thumb|256x256px|Remastered CD cover.]]
  
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The album has a white and black theme to it. The sides are labeled White and Black rather than A and B. Most of the tracks on the white side are the work of [[Brian May]], and all of the tracks on the black side are [[Freddie Mercury]]'s work. The white side contains the song [[White Queen]], while the black side contains [[March of the Black Queen]], though the two are unrelated. The cover art has mostly devoid of color, and the layout would later be used for the video to [[Bohemian Rhapsody]]. The black and white style stayed with the band for a few years later, and the cover art of [[A Night At the Opera]] and [[A Day At the Races]] both feature the dichotomy of white and black.
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'''''Queen II''''' is a [[progressive rock]] album, and the second studio album by [[Queen]]. It was produced by [[Roy Thomas Baker]], [[Robin Geoffrey Cable]], and Queen, and published by [[EMI]] and [[Electra]] on vinyl on 1974-03-08.
  
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This is a much mellower album than the first, or any subsequent albums and features Freddie's first epic song, March of the Black Queen.
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The album has a white and black theme to it with the sides being labeled, not A and B, but rather white and black. The white side is mostly [[Brian May]]'s songs which are a combination of [[soft rock]] and [[ballad]]s with a lighter sound and introspective lyrics, while the black side is all [[Freddie Mercury]]'s songs which have a harder [[progressive rock]] sound, and have fairy tale themes. The sides also feature a matching song about a queen, white has May's ''[[White Queen (As It Began)]]'', black has ''[[The March of the Black Queen]]'' (Freddie's first epic). The two songs are unrelated, but each is fantastic in their own way. The cover art is mostly black with the interior being mostly white. The layout of the cover would later be used for the video to ''[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]''. The black and white style stuck with the band for several more years, and the cover art of ''[[A Night at the Opera]]'' and ''[[A Day at the Races]]'' both feature the dichotomy of white and black.
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 +
==Personal==
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This was the second album I bought for myself, the first being ''[[Sheer Heart Attack]]'', and, being only familiar with Queen's greatest hits and ''Sheer Heart Attack'' songs, I remember initially being disappointed by how mellow the songs are. I was expecting more of the arena rock and [[hark rock]] I was used to but the first songs I heard were the softer white side. After I gave the album another chance, I found that the second half of the album contained Freddie's harder songs and I began to like the album more. However, as my teenage self began dealing with personal issues, in particular relationships problems, I began to gravitate towards Brian's more introspective songs. Now I adore the album entirely, and it is one of my favorite albums.
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 +
The ''[[Ogre Battle (Universe)|Ogre Battle series]]'' of video games derives its name from two songs from this album: ''[[Ogre Battle]]'' and ''[[The March of the Black Queen]]''.
 +
 
 +
==Status==
 +
I own the album on CD and vinyl.
 +
 
 +
==Track Listing==
 +
This album has an interesting structure where several songs merge seamless into others. Procession merges into Father to Son, Ogre Battle merges into The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke, which merges into Nevermore, and The March of the Black Queen merges into Funny How Love Is.
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 +
{| class="wikitable" |
 +
! Track
 +
! Title
 +
! Writer(s)
 +
! Vocals
 +
|-
 +
| A1
 +
| ''[[Procession]]''
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| [[Brian May]]
 +
| Instrumental
 +
|-
 +
| A2
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| ''[[Father to Son]]''
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| [[Brian May]]
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| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
|-
 +
| A3
 +
| ''[[White Queen (As It Began)]]''
 +
| [[Brian May]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
|-
 +
| A4
 +
| ''[[Some Day One Day]]''
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| [[Brian May]]
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| [[Brian May]]
 +
|-
 +
| A5
 +
| ''[[The Loser In the End]]''
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| [[Roger Taylor]]
 +
| [[Roger Taylor]]
 +
|-
 +
| B1
 +
| ''[[Ogre Battle]]''
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
|-
 +
| B2
 +
| ''[[The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke]]''
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
|-
 +
| B3
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| ''[[Nevermore]]''
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| [[Freddie Mercury]]
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| [[Freddie Mercury]]
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|-
 +
| B4
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| ''[[The March of the Black Queen]]''
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
|-
 +
| B5
 +
| ''[[Funny How Love Is]]''
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| [[Freddie Mercury]]
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| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
|-
 +
| B6
 +
| ''[[Seven Seas of Rhye]]''
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
|}
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 +
==Song Rank==
 +
This is the order in which I enjoy the songs from this album, and their individual song ratings.
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" |
 +
! Order !! Title !! Stars
 +
|-
 +
| 1 || [[White Queen (As It Began)]] || 10
 +
|-
 +
| 2 || [[The March of the Black Queen]] || 9
 +
|-
 +
| 3 || [[Father to Son]] || 9
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|-
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| 4 || [[Seven Seas of Rhye]] || 9
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|-
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| 5 || [[Some Day One Day]] || 8
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|-
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| 6 || [[The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke]] || 8
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|-
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| 7 || [[Loser In the End]] || 7
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|-
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| 8 || [[Funny How Love Is]] || 7
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|-
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| 9 || [[Nevermore]] || 7
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|-
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| 10 || [[Procession]] || 5
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|-
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| 11 || [[Ogre Battle]] || 3
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|}
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The album's total score is 1,748.
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 +
==Gallery==
 +
<gallery>
 +
Queen - Queen II (Vinyl).jpg|The original vinyl cover art had a much higher contrast blacking out most of detail, and used a sepia color for the foreground.
 +
Queen - Queen II - Gatefold.jpg|The gatefold of the vinyl album, showing more of the black/white theme.
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</gallery>
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 +
==Links==
 +
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_II}}
 +
{{Link|Discogs|https://www.discogs.com/Queen-Queen-II/master/31526}}
  
  
 
[[Category: Albums]]
 
[[Category: Albums]]
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[[Category: Favorite]]
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[[Category: Favorite Albums]]
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[[Category: The Feels]]

Revision as of 17:55, 21 January 2021

Remastered CD cover.

Queen II is a progressive rock album, and the second studio album by Queen. It was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, Robin Geoffrey Cable, and Queen, and published by EMI and Electra on vinyl on 1974-03-08.

The album has a white and black theme to it with the sides being labeled, not A and B, but rather white and black. The white side is mostly Brian May's songs which are a combination of soft rock and ballads with a lighter sound and introspective lyrics, while the black side is all Freddie Mercury's songs which have a harder progressive rock sound, and have fairy tale themes. The sides also feature a matching song about a queen, white has May's White Queen (As It Began), black has The March of the Black Queen (Freddie's first epic). The two songs are unrelated, but each is fantastic in their own way. The cover art is mostly black with the interior being mostly white. The layout of the cover would later be used for the video to Bohemian Rhapsody. The black and white style stuck with the band for several more years, and the cover art of A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races both feature the dichotomy of white and black.

Personal

This was the second album I bought for myself, the first being Sheer Heart Attack, and, being only familiar with Queen's greatest hits and Sheer Heart Attack songs, I remember initially being disappointed by how mellow the songs are. I was expecting more of the arena rock and hark rock I was used to but the first songs I heard were the softer white side. After I gave the album another chance, I found that the second half of the album contained Freddie's harder songs and I began to like the album more. However, as my teenage self began dealing with personal issues, in particular relationships problems, I began to gravitate towards Brian's more introspective songs. Now I adore the album entirely, and it is one of my favorite albums.

The Ogre Battle series of video games derives its name from two songs from this album: Ogre Battle and The March of the Black Queen.

Status

I own the album on CD and vinyl.

Track Listing

This album has an interesting structure where several songs merge seamless into others. Procession merges into Father to Son, Ogre Battle merges into The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke, which merges into Nevermore, and The March of the Black Queen merges into Funny How Love Is.

Track Title Writer(s) Vocals
A1 Procession Brian May Instrumental
A2 Father to Son Brian May Freddie Mercury
A3 White Queen (As It Began) Brian May Freddie Mercury
A4 Some Day One Day Brian May Brian May
A5 The Loser In the End Roger Taylor Roger Taylor
B1 Ogre Battle Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury
B2 The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury
B3 Nevermore Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury
B4 The March of the Black Queen Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury
B5 Funny How Love Is Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury
B6 Seven Seas of Rhye Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury

Song Rank

This is the order in which I enjoy the songs from this album, and their individual song ratings.

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

The album's total score is 1,748.

Gallery

  • The original vinyl cover art had a much higher contrast blacking out most of detail, and used a sepia color for the foreground.

  • The gatefold of the vinyl album, showing more of the black/white theme.

Links

Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-Discogs.png 

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