Queen II is the second album by British
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
group
QueenQueen were an English rock band. Formed in London in 1970 following the demise of the band Smile, Queen consisted of vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor. The band became popular with audiences via their hit songs, live performances,...
, released in March 1974. It was recorded at
Trident StudiosTrident Studios was a British recording facility, originally located at 17 St. Anne's Court in London's Soho district. It was constructed in 1967 by brothers Barry and Norman Sheffield. The first major hit recorded at Trident was "My Name's Jack" by Manfred Mann in March 1968, which launched its...
, London in August 1973, and engineered by Mike Stone. The two sides of the original
LPA gramophone record, commonly known as phonograph record, vinyl record, or simply record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove usually starting near the periphery and ending near the centre of the disc...
were labelled "Side White" and "Side Black" (instead of the conventional sides "A" and "B"), with corresponding photos of the band dressed in white or in black on either side of the record's label face. The album is also a loose concept album, with the white side having songs with a more emotional theme and the black side almost entirely about fantasy, often with quite dark themes.
Mick RockMick Rock is a photographer best known for his iconic shots of 1970s glam rock icons such as Queen, David Bowie, Mick Ronson, Lou Reed, Kevin Ayers, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and Blondie.-Biography:...
's
album coverAn album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially-released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
photograph was frequently re-used by the band throughout its career, most notably in the music video for the song "
Bohemian Rhapsody"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is in the style of a stream-of-consciousness nightmare that has unusual song structure, more akin to a classical rhapsody than popular...
" (1975). There are two versions of this photograph, one with black for the background and foreground, the other with a brown foreground.
Numerous problems beset the album's release. Its completion coincided with the
1973 oil crisisThe 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo" in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war; it lasted until March 1974...
and consequently, government-enforced measures for
energy conservationEnergy conservation is the practice of decreasing the quantity of energy used. It may be achieved through efficient energy use, in which case energy use is decreased while achieving a similar outcome, or by reduced consumption of energy services...
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 it.
The lead vocalist Freddie Mercury composed the entire "Black" side, contributing virtuosic
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and
harpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
pieces and a wide range of distinctive vocal performances. The "White" side is very diverse: four of the five numbers were composed by
Brian MayBrian Harold May, CBE, is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. As a guitarist he uses his home built guitar, "Red Special", and has composed hits such as "Tie Your Mother Down", "We Will Rock You", "Who Wants to Live Forever",...
, where one is instrumental, one is sung by Mercury and Taylor (with May at the piano), the next is sung by Mercury, and the last by May. The closing track of The "White" Side is Taylor's only composition in the album.
John DeaconJohn Richard Deacon is a retired English musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the rock band Queen. Of the four members of the band, he was the last to join and also the youngest, being only 19 years old when he joined...
played
acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
as well as
bassThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
on most of the album, except the songs "White Queen" and "Some Day One Day", which were performed by May—partly on an inexpensive Hairfred guitar that he had owned since his childhood.
History
After their debut album
QueenQueen is the debut album by English rock group Queen, released in July 1973. It was recorded at Trident Studios and De Lane Lea Music Centre, London, with production by Roy Thomas Baker , John Anthony, and Queen....
was recorded and mixed by the end of November 1972, Queen set about touring and promoting it. Management problems forced the album to be released under the independent Trident label, but only after eight months had gone by since completion. During that time, Queen were writing new material and anxious to record it. Several new songs were written immediately after the first album, and some dated from even earlier. "See What A Fool I've Been" was left over from the Smile days (and was actually built around May's recollection of a blues ditty he had heard on a television program; the song was "That's How I Feel" by
Sonny TerrySaunders Terrell, better known as Sonny Terry was a blind blues musician...
and
Brownie McGheeWalter Brown McGhee was a blues singer and guitarist best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry.-Life and career:...
, which May finally re-discovered in 2004 after an eager fan tracked it down for him). "Ogre Battle" was written during the debut album sessions, as was "Father To Son", but the band decided to wait on recording them until they had more ample studio time.
August 1973 found the band back in Trident, now allowed to book proper hours there, with an album under their belts. For what is generally considered a complex album (with layered vocals, harmonies and instruments), it took a very short time — only one month — to record
Queen II. A full version of "Seven Seas of Rhye" was laid down, recorded with the specific intention of being the album's leading single. After the commercial failure of "Keep Yourself Alive", which was taken from the first album, Queen decided it needed a single that did not take "too long to happen" (without a lengthy guitar intro). So, Queen and Baker made sure that "Rhye" began in a way which would grab people.
MythologyMythology is the study of myths and or of a body of myths. For example, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece. The term "myth" is often used colloquially to refer to a false story;...
and art were passions of Mercury's, and Richard Dadd's painting "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" (which currently hangs in the
Tate GalleryThe Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
) sparked his creativity. This scene from Dadd's imagination was inspired by characters from faery myths, which in the painting are gathered around the Feller of Trees to watch him crack a walnut for
Queen MabQueen Mab is a fairy referred to in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. She also appears in other 17th century literature, and in various guises in later poetry, drama and cinema...
's new carriage.
Mick Rock was employed to do the photography for the album's artwork. This single picture of Queen, used on the
Queen II album cover, would become one of the band's most iconic images, revisited and brought to life for the "Bohemian Rhapsody" promotional film.
Robin Cable, with whom Mercury had worked during the "
I Can Hear Music"I Can Hear Music" is a pop song that was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector and originally performed by the Ronettes . It was later covered by the Beach Boys , then by Larry Lurex, which was the pseudonym of Freddie Mercury , and José Hoebee in .- Beach Boys version :"I Can...
" session, was recruited to reproduce the Spector production sound for "Funny How Love Is".
The album was completed by the end of August 1973. Queen added "Ogre Battle", "Procession" and "Father to Son" to their live setlists immediately and toured extensively. Once again, however, Trident delayed the record since Queen's first album had only just been released in the UK and had yet to be issued in the US.
Queen II finally entered stores in the UK on 8 March 1974.
The only single released from the album worldwide in 1974 (23 February in the UK) was "Seven Seas Of Rhye", with the non-album
B-SideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
"See What A Fool I've Been" in most territories. Japan's B-Side was album track "The Loser In The End".
In 1987/1988 the UK three-inch CD single reissue of "The Seven Seas Of Rhye" featured "See What A Fool I've Been" and a unique edit of "Funny How Love Is" (featuring the last verse of the album track "The March Of The Black Queen" as an intro).
In 1991 the same three-inch singles as previously released in the UK are issued in Japan. "The Seven Seas Of Rhye" single in this set features the standard "See What A Fool I've Been" track and a stand-alone version of "Funny How Love Is" (different from the UK CD3 release).
Also in 1991,
Hollywood RecordsHollywood Records is an American record label owned by The Walt Disney Company focused in pop and rock music.-Company history:Upon its launch in 1989, the label was initially distributed by Elektra Records in the US and Canada. Distribution in North America switched to PolyGram in 1995...
re-released Queen II in the US and Canada with "See What A Fool I've Been" as a
bonus trackIn terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
plus updated remixes of "Ogre Battle" and "Seven Seas Of Rhye".
Queen II was Queen's first UK Top 5 album, while it sold poorly on the US peaking in the lower reaches of the Top 100 on Billboard's album chart and remains the only 1970s era Queen album not to be certified either Gold or Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
Track listing
Side White
- "Procession" (May
Brian Harold May, CBE, is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. As a guitarist he uses his home built guitar, "Red Special", and has composed hits such as "Tie Your Mother Down", "We Will Rock You", "Who Wants to Live Forever",...
) – 1:12
- "Father to Son" (May) – 6:14
- "White Queen (As It Began)" (May) – 4:33
- "Some Day One Day" (May) – 4:21
- "The Loser in the End" (Taylor
Roger Taylor is an English musician best known as the percussionist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a drummer he is known for his "big" unique sound and is considered one of the most influential rock drummers of the 1970s and 1980s...
) – 4:01
Side Black
- "Ogre Battle" (Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his vocal prowess and flamboyant performances...
) – 4:08
- "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" (Mercury) – 2:41
- "Nevermore" (Mercury) – 1:17
- "The March of the Black Queen" (Mercury) – 6:33
- "Funny How Love Is" (Mercury) – 2:48
- "Seven Seas of Rhye
"Seven Seas of Rhye" is a song by English rock group Queen. Written by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, it is the final track on both the group's debut album Queen and its follow-up Queen II . However, only a less-developed instrumental version was featured on the former...
" (Mercury) – 2:48
Bonus tracks on 1991 Hollywood Records re-issue
- "See What a Fool I've Been" (May) - original B-side
- "Ogre Battle ('1991 Bonus Remix' by Nicholas Sansano)" (Mercury)
- "Seven Seas of Rhye ('1991 Bonus Remix' by Freddy Bastone)" (Mercury)
Procession
"Procession" is a short instrumental piece performed by Brian May on multi-tracked guitar. He recorded it by playing overlapping parts on the
Red SpecialThe Red Special is a guitar owned and custom-built by Queen guitarist Brian May. May has used it on Queen albums and in live performances for more than three decades...
through John Deacon's custom-made amplifier (the
Deacy AmpThe Deacy Amp is an amplifier created by and named after Queen bassist John Deacon and used by guitarist Brian May.It was created in the early 1970s using a piecemeal amplifier found in a skip by Deacon and a treble booster, constructed by May. Also used was an amplifier circuit board stationed...
).
Father to Son
"Father to Son" was written by May and features
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States...
sections as well as a quiet piano part, which May played. Like the preceding number, "Father to Son" has parts with May on multi-tracked guitar, played through John Deacon's custom-made amplifier (the Deacy Amp). It is written in the father's perspective when talking or thinking about his son. Queen added "Father to Son" to their live setlists immediately and toured extensively, but the song was dropped from the setlists in 1975.
White Queen (As It Began)
"White Queen (As It Began)" was composed by May. It concerns his feelings about a girl whom he had a
crushUnrequited love is love that is not openly reciprocated, even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired. The beloved may or may not be aware of the admirer's deep affections.-History:...
on; he never had the courage to express his feelings to her.
Some Day One Day
May got the inspiration for "Some Day One Day" from the idea of a place where relationships could be perfect. May would revisit that theme many years later on his solo record
Another WorldAnother World is the second full studio album delivered by Queen guitarist, Brian May. Recorded at his home studio after the completion of the last Queen album, Made in Heaven, the album was released in the UK on June 1 1998 and on September 15th of that year in the US. The album itself started...
.
This is the first song sung entirely by May on lead vocals. It features May on acoustic guitar and
electric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker. The signal that comes from the guitar is sometimes electronically altered with guitar effects such as...
and the last
guitar soloGuitar solos are a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, rock, metal and jazz styles such as swing and jazz...
(during the
fade-outIn audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theatre lighting, in much the same way ....
) features three solo guitars. This kind of complex guitar arrangement is typical of May, however, usually the guitars are harmonious, but in this case all the guitars are all playing different parts. It almost sounds like the guitar plug is being plugged into the guitar as the last solo begins just before the fade-out.
The Loser in the End
"The Loser in the End" was Taylor's sole contribution on the album both as a songwriter and lead singer. Although
Queen II is not a true
concept albumIn popular music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical". Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs...
, all of the songs seemed to be connected, either lyrically or in general tone (or both), this one seems to be the lone track lacking either attribute.
Ogre Battle
Mercury wrote "Ogre Battle" on guitar (as confirmed by May in several interviews) in 1972. The band didn't want to record it for their first album, but rather waited until they could have more studio freedom to do it properly.
The
ogreAn ogre is a large, cruel and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and no folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature. In art, ogres are often depicted with a large head,...
-like screams in the middle are Mercury's, and the high harmonies at the end of the chorus
hookA hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
are sung by Taylor. As the title suggests, it tells the story of a battle between ogres, and features a May guitar solo and
sound effectSound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
s to simulate the sound of a battle. The beginning of the song is the end of the song played backwards including the final gong which when played backwards at the start of the song creates the building wave sound.
The song is one of Queen's heaviest works. The
guitar riffIn music, a riff is an ostinato figure: a repeated chord progression, pattern, refrain or melodic figure, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompaniment of a musical composition. Though they are most often found in rock music, Latin, funk...
along with Roger Taylor's drumming give it a very "thrash" sound. It was a longtime live favorite, although on stage Queen played it slower than in the studio. They stopped playing the song somewhere around 1977-1978, playing it on almost every concert up until then.
A different version of "Ogre Battle" exists, recorded in December 1973 for the BBC Radio 1 "Sound of the 70s" programme. This version starts right away with its riff (without any long intro), doesn't have any effects that the version on "Queen II" has and sounds much less polished. The BBC version of "Ogre Battle" did originally have a long intro featuring a grand guitar build up; it was not used for this release, allegedly because the original tape was damaged.
The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke
Mercury was inspired to write "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" after seeing
Richard DaddRichard Dadd was an English painter of the Victorian era, noted for his depictions of fairies and other supernatural subjects, Orientalist scenes, and enigmatic genre scenes, rendered with obsessively minuscule detail...
's painting
The Fairy Feller's Master-StrokeThe Fairy Fellers' Master-Stroke is a Richard Dadd painting. It was commissioned by George Henry Hayden, who was head steward at Bethlem Royal Hospital at the time. He was impressed by Dadd's artistic efforts and asked for a fairy painting of his own...
. For the intricately-arranged studio recording, Mercury played harpsichord as well as piano, and Roy Thomas Baker played the
castanetCastanets are percussion instrument , mostly used in Moorish, Ottoman, ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American music. The instrument consists of a pair of concave shells joined on one edge by string. These are held in the hand and used to produce clicks for rhythmic accents...
s. Taylor called this song Queen's "biggest stereo experiment", referring to the intricate use of
panningPanning is the spread of a monaural signal in a stereo or multi-channel sound field. A typical pan control is constant power. At one extreme, the sound appears in only one channel...
in the mix.
The song, like most of the songs on the album, features medieval fantasy-based lyrics, and makes direct reference to the painting's characters as detailed in Dadd's poem, such as
Queen MabQueen Mab is a fairy referred to in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. She also appears in other 17th century literature, and in various guises in later poetry, drama and cinema...
, Waggoner Will, the Tatterdemalion, and others. Apparently whenever Queen had spare time, Mercury would drag them to the London's
Tate GalleryThe Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
, where the painting was, and still is today.
The complex arrangements are based around a backing track of piano, bass guitar and drums, but also included harpsichord, multiple vocal overdubs, and overdubbed guitar parts. The lyrics follow the claustrophobic atmosphere of the painting, and each of the scenes are described. The use of the word "Quaere" has no reference to Mercury's sexuality, according to Taylor. The band never performed this song live.
Nevermore
The previous track ends with a three-part vocal harmony from May, Mercury, and Taylor which flows into Mercury playing the piano on this track. All the vocal parts were by Mercury, who added some contemporary piano 'ring' effects as well. These effects were widely suspected to be synthesizers, however they were created by someone plucking the piano strings while Mercury played the notes. Nevermore is quite a short ballad about the feelings after a heartbreak.
The March of the Black Queen
Mercury composed it at the
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
in 1973, and the song is the only Queen song containing
polyrhythmPolyrhythm is the simultaneous sounding of two or more independent rhythms. Polyrhythms can be distinguished from irrational rhythms, which can occur within the context of a single part; polyrhythms require at least two rhythms to be played concurrently, one of which is typically an irrational...
/polymeter (two different
time signatureThe time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s simultaneously 8/8 and 12/8), which is very rare for popular music.
The full piece was too complicated to perform live by the band, however the uptempo section containing the lines (sung by Taylor)
"My life is in your hands, I'll foe and I'll fie..." etc was sometimes included in a live medley during the 1970s.
The song segues into the next track, "Funny How Love Is". This song ends with an ascending note progression, which climaxes in the first second of the following track.
Funny How Love Is
"Funny How Love Is" was born in the studio. Mercury wrote it and played the piano while Robin Cable produced. It was produced using the "
wall of soundThe Wall of Sound is a music production technique for pop and rock music recordings developed by record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios during the 1960s....
" technique. The song was never performed live, largely due to the demanding high-register vocals from Mercury throughout the song.
Seven Seas of Rhye
"Seven Seas of Rhye" had been half-written at the time of recording for Queen's first album, so a short clip of it was included there. However, when Queen finished the song, it ended up being much different from what they'd first envisioned. It was the band's first
hit singleA hit single is a recorded track or single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio airplay and/or significant...
, peaking at #10 in the UK charts.
The song, like "My Fairy King" from the debut album, is about Mercury's childhood fantasy world named Rhye. The song became a live favourite throughout Queen's existence. It features a distinctive arpeggiated piano introduction — on the
Queen II recording, the arpeggios are played with both the right and left hands, an octave apart, whereas on the
Queen recording, and most live performances, Mercury played the simpler one-handed version of these arpeggios. The theme also appears at the end of "It's a Beautiful Day (Reprise)".
This version ends with a cross fade, instruments blending into a "singsong"-style rendition of "
I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside"I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside" is a popular British music hall song. It was written in 1907 by John A. Glover-Kind. It speaks of the singer's love for the seaside, and their wish to return there for their summer holidays each year. It was composed at a time when the yearly visits of the...
". Its presence at the close of
Queen II is mirrored by a brief whistled snatch of the same melody over the introductory noise that opens the first track on their next album ("Brighton Rock" on
Sheer Heart AttackSheer Heart Attack is the third album by English rock group Queen, released November 1974. It was produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker for EMI in the UK, and Elektra in the US.-Track listing:-Brighton Rock:...
).
The Seven Seas of Rhye are also mentioned in another Queen song, "Lily of the Valley" from
Sheer Heart Attack; in the lyric "Messenger from Seven Seas has flown/To tell the king of Rhye he's lost his throne".
See What a Fool I've Been
The "Seven Seas of Rhye" single featured the first of several non-album B-sides released during Queen's recording career. This song dated from the pre-Queen band
SmileSmile were a London-based blues based rock band best known as the predecessor to renowned rock band Queen. The band was formed in 1968 by Brian May, who was to become Queen's guitarist. The group included Tim Staffell as singer and bassist, and, later, drummer Roger Taylor, who also went on to...
. May heard the song "That's How I Feel" by
Sonny TerrySaunders Terrell, better known as Sonny Terry was a blind blues musician...
and
Brownie McGheeWalter Brown McGhee was a blues singer and guitarist best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry.-Life and career:...
on a TV program, but at the time he never caught the name of the song or band. He remembered the riff and some lyrics and brought them to the band, then proceeded to write "See What A Fool I've Been" around it.
"That's How I Feel" lyrics:
You don't believe,
Don't believe I love you
Look what a fool I've been,
oh, Lord, God knows what a fool I've been
"See What A Fool I've Been" lyrics:
Well she's gone, dear,
Gone this morning
See what a fool I've been,
Oh Lord, I said, what a fool I've been
It wasn't recorded until the
Queen II sessions, though it was a live staple since Queen's formation. The B-side version features a vocal delivery from Freddie Mercury that could be best described as
burlesqueBurlesque is a humorous theatrical entertainment involving parody and sometimes grotesque exaggeration. In 20th century America, the form became associated with a variety show in which striptease is the chief attraction.-Etymology and early history:...
in nature, rather than the more straightforward delivery of the live and BBC versions which are yet to be officially released. Also, there are lyric changes between the B-side, BBC and live versions (with references to a "train to Georgia" and a "Greyhound bus at dawn" not heard in B-side version, whereas the live versions have no "sailor boy" or "barking dog" lyrics). The reason for these differences has never been explained.
In 2004, May was contacted by a fan who had discovered which song "See What A Fool I've Been" had been based on, as it had long been a mystery. May officially confirmed "That's How I Feel" as the inspiration after the fan sent him the recently released CD containing the song (along with a note explaining how it was tracked down by looking up song lyrics rather than listening to every recording by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee). The explanation of the song's history appears on the February 2004 Soapbox entry of May's official website.
May said he planned to contact their estates to work out the long-overdue royalty issues.
Queen about the record
Charts
| | |Sales |
|---|
| Country | Peak position | Weeks | Certification | Sales |
|---|
| United Kingdom |
5 |
29 |
Platinum |
350.000 |
| Norway |
19 |
2 |
|
|
| Japan |
26 |
|
|
|
| United States |
49 |
13 |
Gold |
700.000 |
Press reviews
Melody MakerMelody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s-1960s:Originally the Melody...
: "It's reputed Queen have enjoyed some success in the States, it's currently in the balance whether they'll really break through here. If they do, then I'll have to eat my hat or something. Maybe Queen try too hard, there's no depth of sound or feeling."
SoundsSounds was a British music paper, published weekly from October 10, 1970 – April 6, 1991. It was well known initially for giving away posters in the centre of the paper and later for covering Heavy Metal and Oi! music in its late 1970s-early 1980s heyday...
: "Simply titled Queen II
, this album captures them in their finest hours."
DiscDisc was a weekly British popular music magazine, published between 1958 and 1975, when it was incorporated into Record Mirror. It was also known for periods as Disc Weekly and Disc and Music Echo ....
: "The material, performance, recording and even artwork standards are very high."
Record MirrorRecord Mirror was a national tabloid consumer weekly pop music newspaper founded by Isadore Green, featuring news articles, interviews, record charts, record and concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became repected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record...
: "This is it, the dregs of glam rockGlam rock is a style that developed in the UK in the post-hippie early 1970s that was "performed by singers and musicians wearing outrageous clothes, makeup, hairstyles, and platform-soled boots." The flamboyant costumes, and visual styles of glam performers were a campy, theatrical blend of...
. Weak and over-produced, if this band are our brightest hope for the future, then we are committing rock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
suicide."
New Musical Express on the single Seven Seas Of Rhye: "This single showcases all their power and drive, their writing talents, and every quality that makes them unique."
Personnel
- Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his vocal prowess and flamboyant performances...
: Lead vocals, background vocalsA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, harpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
- Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE, is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. As a guitarist he uses his home built guitar, "Red Special", and has composed hits such as "Tie Your Mother Down", "We Will Rock You", "Who Wants to Live Forever",...
: GuitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
s, bellsA bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
on "The March of the Black Queen", lead vocals on "Some Day One Day", background vocalsA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and organAn organ is an essential component of a machine. The term is applied metaphorically to various "systems", including the components of an organism or a government.Organ may refer to:...
on "Father to Son."
- Roger Taylor
Roger Taylor is an English musician best known as the percussionist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a drummer he is known for his "big" unique sound and is considered one of the most influential rock drummers of the 1970s and 1980s...
: DrumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
, gongA gong is an East and South East Asian musical instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet.Gongs are broadly of three types. Suspended gongs are more or less flat, circular discs of metal suspended vertically by means of a cord passed through holes near to the top...
, marimbaThe marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. Keys or bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones...
, background vocals, Additional Vocalist "The March of The Black Queen", lead vocals and rhythm guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker. The signal that comes from the guitar is sometimes electronically altered with guitar effects such as...
on "The Loser in the End"
- John Deacon
John Richard Deacon is a retired English musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the rock band Queen. Of the four members of the band, he was the last to join and also the youngest, being only 19 years old when he joined...
: Bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
, acoustic guitar
- Roy Thomas Baker: Castanets on "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke."
- Robin Cable: Piano effects (with Freddie Mercury) on "Nevermore."
- All songs produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker
Roy Thomas Baker Internationally renowned multi gold, platinum and award winning English music producer, songwriter and arranger whose unique production technique created a number of extremely popular pop and rock records from the 1970s to the present...
excluding:
- "Nevermore" and "Funny How Love Is": Robin Cable and Queen.
- "The March of the Black Queen": Roy Thomas Baker, Robin Cable and Queen.
Further comments
- The album was cited by Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of rock band Guns N' Roses....
, singer of Guns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band, led by frontman and co-founder Axl Rose, has gone through numerous line-up changes and controversies since its formation...
, as a source of inspiration in an interview with Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
magazine on 10 August 1989: "With Queen, I have my favorite: Queen II. Whenever their newest record would come out and have all these other kinds of music on it, at first I'd only like this song or that song. But after a period of time listening to it, it would open my mind up to so many different styles. I really appreciate them for that. That's something I've always wanted to be able to achieve".
External links