From the Vault...

05/20/2001
#734

info
Queen
"Queen II"


© Hollywood Records

Rating:

track listing
  • Procession
  • Father To Son
  • White Queen
    (As It Began)
  • Some Day One Day
  • The Loser In The End
  • Ogre Battle
  • The Fairy Feller's
    Master-Stroke
  • Nevermore
  • The March Of
    The Black Queen
  • Funny How Love Is
  • Seven Seas Of Rhye
  • See What A Fool
    I've Been
  • Ogre Battle
    1991 Bonus Remix
  • Seven Seas Of Rhye
    1991 Bonus Remix

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    Queen
    "Queen II"



    Take a look at Queen II's album cover... If you're familar with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," this album cover is one of the many visual sights in the video. However, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is not on Queen II at all; it would appear on their 1975 release, A Night At The Opera. And, there weren't any major hits from Queen II, yet Queen's music has always been an interesting event -- The Rock Opera.


    "Bohemian Rhapsody" was a rock opera in itself. And in listening to Queen II, we can see what the future was in store for Queen. "Procession" starts off the album, and in a sense, it has the rock opera style, with its British influence, as it sounds as Royal as the British Empire. (Enter, the King and Queen.) "Father To Son" also has the "British Empire" entrance approach, as it later kicks into a memorable hard-rock style, then blends back to the medium-rock Queen style, with the sweet harmonies, and the unforgettable voice of Freddie Mercury.


    And the great vocals of the late Freddie Mercury is featured in the ballad "White Queen (As It Began)" A beautiful medium-tempo ballad, it features Mercury's voice as sweet as the rest of the music behind him. Truly a remarkable voice Mercury had in this song, as well as many more that would follow in Queen's career. Mercury's voice is also nice in the pop "Some Day One Day," a song having a more pop sound, than the previous "Royal" styled songs heard in the first 3 selections of this album.


    "The Loser In The End" definitely grabs your attention, having the great early-1970s Rock sound, and in fact, you may not even know this song is by Queen at first listening. The "Rock Opera" effect returns with "Ogre Battle" featuring the theatrical style and vocal harmonies, and having a definite hard-rock grip. "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" also has the "Rock Opera" sound, yet not as hard-rocking as "Ogre Battle," but this song can easily be idenitifed as Queen with its musical style and sound, and the vocals/harmonies.


    "Nevermore" features beautiful piano playing, and the sweet voice of Freddie Mercury, and again, its theatrical, rock opera style. (This song is a little over a minute, yet it could of been longer.) "The March Of The Black Queen" is another theatrical rock opera song, as it features piano, soft rock, hard rock, and everything else in between, and can easily be classified as another Rock Opera format, Queen style. And, like many songs from this release, we can add "Funny How Love Is" as another pop rock styled-song, and easily fits the Rock Opera format as well.


    "Seven Seas Of Rhye" has the almost-similarities in sound as a later hit Queen would have, "Keep Yourself Alive." A mix of blues is heard in "See What A Fool I've Been," and features some high-range vocals by Freddie Mercury. (I can't help but visualize that this song could of been included in the Rocky Horror Picture Show; its "sexyness" in sound and vocal style definitely perks people's identity of Freddie Mercury's sexual preference. (Which we would later know in future years...)


    The last two songs are remixes recorded in 1991: "Ogre Battle" and "Seven Seas Of Rhye," as they are considered bonus tracks when Hollywood Records reissued the Queen catalog albums in the early 1990s. The "Ogre Battle" remix is pretty much the same as the original, yet "Seven Seas Of Rhye" is definitely different, having a dance/disco beat rhythm, late-1980s style.


    The concept of Rock Opera is definitely heard on Queen II as each song leads into one another. And it was a sign of things to come, as this kind of style would be heard on "Bohemian Rhapsody" a song that would be a huge popular hit, 2 albums later (A Night At The Opera). Maybe Queen was ahead of their time with this release in 1974, as their music would be greatly appreciated more in later years, and after Freddie Mercury's death of AIDS in 1991. (Their song "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions" is heavily used in many sporting event victories, and the movie Wayne's World featured "Bohemian Rhapsody" to new heights for old and new Queen fans alike.) Yet then, and now, Queen's music is definitely interesting and enjoyable, and like many bands and artists, they had their moments of greatness, as Freddie Mercury and Queen left behind a great catalog of music to be enjoyed for many generations to come.


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