Difference between revisions of "Queen II"

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(Created page with "'''''Queen II''''' is the second studio album by Queen. 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 t...")
 
 
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'''''Queen II''''' is the second studio album by [[Queen]].
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{{Album
 +
| Title            = Queen II
 +
| Image            = Queen - Queen II (Vinyl).jpg
 +
| ImageDescription = Vinyl - USA - 1st edition.
 +
| Artist          = {{AlbumArtist|Queen}}
 +
| PublishedYear    = 1974
 +
| PublishedMonth  = 03
 +
| PublishedDay    = 08
 +
| Type            = {{AlbumType|Studio}}
 +
| Genre            = {{MusicGenre|Progressive rock}}, {{MusicGenre|Soft rock}}, {{MusicGenre|Hard rock}}, {{MusicGenre|Ballad}}
 +
| Themes          = Desire, fantasy, breakups, parenting, growth
 +
}}
  
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 on vinyl on 1974-03-08.
  
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.
  
[[Category:Album]]
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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]]''.
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 +
==Personal==
 +
{{AlbumStatus
 +
| Own    = Yes. US vinyl, Hollywood Records CD, original master in the ''[[Crown Jewels]]''.
 +
| CantOwn =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
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.
 +
 
 +
==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.
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" |
 +
! Track
 +
! Title
 +
! Writer(s)
 +
! Vocals
 +
! Rank
 +
! Rating
 +
|-
 +
| A1
 +
| ''[[Procession]]''
 +
| [[Brian May]]
 +
| Instrumental
 +
| 10
 +
| {{Rating|5}}
 +
|-
 +
| A2
 +
| ''[[Father to Son]]''
 +
| [[Brian May]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| 3
 +
| {{Rating|9}}
 +
|-
 +
| A3
 +
| ''[[White Queen (As It Began)]]''
 +
| [[Brian May]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| 1
 +
| {{Rating|10}}
 +
|-
 +
| A4
 +
| ''[[Some Day One Day]]''
 +
| [[Brian May]]
 +
| [[Brian May]]
 +
| 5
 +
| {{Rating|8}}
 +
|-
 +
| A5
 +
| ''[[The Loser in the End]]''
 +
| [[Roger Taylor]]
 +
| [[Roger Taylor]]
 +
| 7
 +
| {{Rating|7}}
 +
|-
 +
| B1
 +
| ''[[Ogre Battle]]''
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| 11
 +
| {{Rating|4}}
 +
|-
 +
| B2
 +
| ''[[The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke]]''
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| 6
 +
| {{Rating|8}}
 +
|-
 +
| B3
 +
| ''[[Nevermore]]''
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| 9
 +
| {{Rating|7}}
 +
|-
 +
| B4
 +
| ''[[The March of the Black Queen]]''
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| 2
 +
| {{Rating|9}}
 +
|-
 +
| B5
 +
| ''[[Funny How Love Is]]''
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| 8
 +
| {{Rating|7}}
 +
|-
 +
| B6
 +
| ''[[Seven Seas of Rhye]]''
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| [[Freddie Mercury]]
 +
| 4
 +
| {{Rating|8}}
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
The album's total score is 1,624.
 +
 
 +
==Gallery==
 +
<gallery>
 +
Queen - Queen II (Vinyl).jpg|The original vinyl cover art uses high contrast which blacks out most of detail. There is also a sepia color for the foreground.
 +
Queen - Queen II - Gatefold.jpg|The gatefold of the vinyl album, showing more of the black/white theme.
 +
Queen - Queen II (Remastered).jpg|The remastered album uses the same photograph, but it's unadulterated.
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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}}
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 +
 
 +
[[Category: Favorite]]
 +
[[Category: Favorite Albums]]
 +
[[Category: The Feels]]

Latest revision as of 10:36, 18 March 2024

Queen II

Queen - Queen II (Vinyl).jpg

Vinyl - USA - 1st edition.

Artist Queen
Published 1974-03-08
Type Studio
Genre Progressive rock, Soft rock, Hard rock, Ballad
Themes Desire, fantasy, breakups, parenting, growth

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 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.

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.

Personal

Own?Yes. US vinyl, Hollywood Records CD, original master in the Crown Jewels.

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.

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 Rank Rating
A1 Procession Brian May Instrumental 10 Rating-5.svg
A2 Father to Son Brian May Freddie Mercury 3 Rating-9.svg
A3 White Queen (As It Began) Brian May Freddie Mercury 1 Rating-10.svg
A4 Some Day One Day Brian May Brian May 5 Rating-8.svg
A5 The Loser in the End Roger Taylor Roger Taylor 7 Rating-7.svg
B1 Ogre Battle Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury 11 Rating-4.svg
B2 The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury 6 Rating-8.svg
B3 Nevermore Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury 9 Rating-7.svg
B4 The March of the Black Queen Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury 2 Rating-9.svg
B5 Funny How Love Is Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury 8 Rating-7.svg
B6 Seven Seas of Rhye Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury 4 Rating-8.svg

The album's total score is 1,624.

Gallery

Links

Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-Discogs.png