| Product Summary | | Label: Uni/hollywood | | UPC: 00720616123220 | | Release Date: 10/22/1991 | | Buy.com Sku: 60010988 | | Item#: MMGPFF | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 26563 | Format:  CD |
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(P) 1991 Hollywood Records, Inc.
(C) 1991 Hollywood Records, Inc.
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| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Queen: Freddie Mercury (keyboards); John Deacon (bass instrument); Roger Taylor , Brian May (background vocals). | | Personnel: Brian May (vocals, guitar, piano, bells); Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano, harpsichord); Roger Taylor (vocals, percussion); John Deacon (guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar); Roy Thomas Baker (castanets). | | Audio Remixers: Freddy Bastone; Nick Sansano . | | Recording information: Trident Studios, London, England (1974). | | Photographer: Mick Rock . | | Although QUEEN II borders on heavy metal (it wasn't until their next release, SHEER HEART ATTACK, that they began experimenting with other musical forms), the songwriting and playing is still top-notch. Queen was criticized by some in the press upon the release of QUEEN II, since there was simply nothing to compare it to--it encompassed glam, progressive, and metal, with a healthy dose of studio wizardry. | | QUEEN II contained the band's first official UK hit--the mystical "Seven Seas of Rhye"--and, as on their debut a year prior, the lesser-known material is just as delightful. Singer Freddie Mercury and guitarist Brian May contribute one lovely ballad each--"White Queen (As It Began)" and "Some Day One Day." The latter does a splendid job of breaking up this otherwise continuously hard-rocking album. Other intriguing titles include "Ogre Battle," "The March of the Black Queen," and a strong bonus b-side--the bluesy "See What a Fool I've Been." | | In one regard, Queen II does indeed provide more of the same thing as on the band's debut. Certainly, of all the other albums in Queen's catalog it bears the closest resemblance to its immediate predecessor, particularly in its lean, hard attack and in how it has only one song that is well-known to listeners outside of their hardcore cult: in this case, it's "Seven Seas of Rhye," which is itself more elliptical than "Keep Yourself Alive," the big song from the debut. But these similarities are superficial and Queen II is a very different beast than its predecessor, an album that is richer, darker, and weirder, an album that finds Queen growing as a band by leaps and bounds. There is still a surplus of ideas, but their energies are better focused this time around, channeled into a over-inflated, pompous rock that could be called prog if it wasn't so heavy. Even with all the queens and ogres that populate Queen II, this never feels as fantastical as Genesis or Uriah Heep, and that's because Queen hits hard as a rock band here, where even the blasts of vocal harmonies feel like power chords, no matter how florid they are. Besides, these grandiose harmonies, along with the handful of wistful ballads here, are overshadowed by the onslaught of guitars and pummeling rhythms that give Queen II majesty and menace. Queen is coiled, tense, and vicious here, delivering on their inherent sense of drama, and that gives Queen II real power as music, as well as a true cohesion. The one thing that is missing is any semblance of a pop sensibility, even when they flirt with a mock Phil Spector production on "Funny How Love Is." This hits like heavy metal but has an art-rock sensibility through and through, which also means that it has no true hook in for those who don't want to succumb to Queen's world. But that kind of insular drama is quite alluring in its own right, which is why Queen II is one of the favorites of their hardcore fans. At the very least, it illustrates that Queen is starting to pull all their ambitions and influences into a signature sound, and it's quite powerful in that regard. [The 1991 reissue contains two remixes and the bonus track "See What a Fool I've Been," a slow crawl that's the closest Queen ever came to blues, even if it's somewhat tongue in cheek, it's still one of the best -- and most song-oriented -- things here.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine |
Producer: Roy Thomas Baker; Queen; Freddy Bastone; Nicholas Sansano; Robin Geoffrey Cable; Roy Thomas Baker; Queen |
Engineer: Mike "Clay" Stone; Mike Stone |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Associated Artists and Works |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 10/22/1991 | | Original Release Date : 1974 | | Catalog ID : 61232-2 | | Label : Hollywood Records | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Runtime : 55m : 6s | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00720616123220 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Q (Magazine)
(p.119)
- "[W]ith operatic vocals and multitracked guitars crashing about the place, and a handful of soaring songs popping up among them -- not least 'Seven Seas Of Rhye,' their first real hit." |
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| Customer Reviews | ![]() | | Production |  5 | | Performance | 5 | | Composition | 5 | | Overall Satisfaction | 5 |
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5 of 5 Great Queen Album Monday, September 08, 2008
DD from Fontana, California
Hello, This is a fantastic album, I've heard this album got terrible reviews and after listening to the entire album, I cannot imagine why. The musicianship, Brian & John's playing is simply the best. This is an album I can listen to from start to finish, over and over again. As much as I love Queen, I can't say that about the other albums I have of theirs. Was this review helpful?  
5 of 5 Genius Saturday, October 28, 2006
Craig from Charleston West Virginia
This is one of the best albums from the world's greatest rock band. It is a perfect work of art that must be heard. It must be listened to, for me anyway, from beginning to end. I love all of Queen's music, but this is my favorite album ever. Buy this and treasure it forever. A timeless musical gift. Was this review helpful?
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