Queen: II Review

  Released in 1974, Queen's second album is usually viewed as their most epic, fantastical, and progressive. Most hardcore Queen fans regard the album with the utmost praise. However, they are some who see it as an under-cooked musical statement, a precursor to the much more successful Queen albums that would follow II. Let's take a listen..

  The album opens with the very regal "Procession". An instrumental featuring guitarist Brian May's signature multi-tracked guitars atop a basic machine drum-beat.  After a minute, the album really kicks in. "Father to Son" is a great track about the love and devotion of a father through the passage of time. Queen really tug at the heartstrings on this album, and this song is no exception. The vocals are a little low in the mix for me, as with a few other songs on this album. A classic Queen song, and one of the more famous tracks from this album. "White Queen (As It Began)" is one of my favorite Queen songs. The song opens with a gentle and delicate hymn to a beautiful creature, the object of a man's affection. The song soon kicks into some pretty heavy riffs and guitars. Amazing operatic backing vocals, thunderous drumming from Roger Taylor, and Mercury's amazing vocals seal the deal for this masterpiece, a great track and Queen at their most progressive rock.

  "Some Day One Day" was the first Queen song to feature Brian May on lead vocals. Very folky, it's a nice change from the epic nature of the previous song. May's vocals are quite enjoyable for me, reminding me of both George Harrison and Paul McCartney, however, he appears somewhat reserved here. Not one of the strongest tracks on the album, but not a bad song at all. "The Loser In The End" was written by and sung by drummer Roger Taylor. I have never liked too many of his compositions, and this is no exception. The weakest track on the album, I find it very out of character for the progressive and fantasy-based nature of the album. Not a terrible song, but a fairly disposable classic rock song about loving and losing a woman.

  Side 2 (called the Black Side, while Side 1 was called the White Side) starts off with "Ogre Battle". Concerning battles between mystical creatures, the song is epic. The song begins with some tape speed manipulation, followed by a chugging near-metal riff. Freddie Mercury's operatic vocals drive along the song with all the pomp and circumstance of a British Lord leading his troops into battle. Bassist John Deacon's bass work is amazing in this track, proving why he was the unsung hero of Queen, laying low in the mix, but playing the bass with remarkable precision. "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" is an incredibly progressive track. Based loosely on the Richard Dadd painting, the song features numerous elements that make it a compelling listen. Mercury plays harpsichord wonderfully on the track. The track even features famous Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker on the castanets, an ancient European percussive instrument.

  "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" merges into the next track, my personal favorite Queen track ever recorded. "Nevermore" is hauntingly beautiful, featuring sombre piano accompanied by Mercury and multi-tracked backing vocals. The song concerns lost love, "Nevermore" being the place where love no longer exists. My only complaint is that the song is incredibly short at around a minute long. "The March of the Black Queen" is one of the most well-known tracks on the album. Very musically complex, the song has been called a precursor to Bohemian Rhapsody, the smash single that would propel the band to super-stardom on their next album. I find the song a bit "all over the place", perhaps too complex at this stage in their recording career. Brian May's guitar solos are the highlight for me, but I appreciate the complexity and grandiose nature of the track.

"Funny How Love Is" was written mostly by Mercury, like most songs on side 2. The song is based around a consistently strumming acoustic guitar with layered backing vocals. While the song is gentle and calming, I find the repetition of the same guitar chord structures to be a little boring, especially for a song by a band as complex as Queen. The song does show off Mercuy's range however, with very notes being hit all around. The album closes with "Seven Seas of Rhye". The lyrics are mostly about a fantasy story written by Mercury, as with many other of his compositions. The song is a great testament of the power of the band to use the studio as an instrument like any other, there are some very complex things going on musically in the track. Particularly noticeable is the "panning effects" throughout the track, and indeed the album itself. A great country-twanged solo, rollicking pianos, and amazing backing vocals make the song a very decent entry into Queen's long canon. An enjoyable song.

  Queen II is a great album. A few songs are perhaps too ambitious, but that's the beautiful of the band. Queen was never afraid to try new musical ideas, and this album is easily one of their most experimental. If you like Queen and are looking to delve a little deeper into their discography beyond We Are the Champions, this album is a great start. Smashing stuff.

Rating-9/10
 
 

 

Riot:Narita

  Released in 1979, "Narita" was Riot's second album. The album is considered by many to be the band's best and an underrated metal/hard rock classic. With the recently and tragic passing of guitarist Mark Reale, many are re-exploring the band's rich discography. Let's take a look at Narita.

   "Waiting for the Taking" is a great opener. A fast-paced and high-energy tune, my only real complaint is that the guitars are a little low in the mix. Late vocalist Guy Speranza sounds great, a very clean and smooth voice, had he chosen, a career in pop music would have certainly worked for him. The solos are electrifying, and a tight rhythm section rounds out a great track about grabbing life by the horns, carpe diem in musica. Next up is "49er". A great riff kicks off the track, and Speranza sounds phenomenal here, a shame that he did not continue his career in music after the first couple Riot LPs. The influence of the band on both power metal and speed metal can be heard in this track, a very large and influential sound. A great lyric also tells the tale of American pioneers, undertaking "manifest destiny" in the American West. A great song.

    "Kick Down The Wall" is a great pissed off song about rock and roll rebellion. Reale provides another smokin riff, which leads into a very catchy chorus that was clearly ripped off by Twisted Sister on nearly all of their albums at least once. A little repetitive, but a great f-ing song, a true metal anthem of the golden age of metal. "Born To Be Wild" is a totally unnecessary cover of the Steppenwolf  original. Not a bad cover, but it kind of disrupts of originality and tone of the album, unless you really love "Born To Be Wild" and haven't heard enough of it in your life, skip it. "Narita" closes out the album. An instrumental, the song is very European-sounding, at least in retrospect. The twin leads and thundering drums would have a profound influence of the European metal scene that would come to fruition during the 1980s and 1990s. I like the song, but I have never been a huge fan of instrumentals. However, great guitar work by Reale and guitarist Rick Ventura.

    "Here We Come Again" opens side 2 of the LP. A more traditional rock song, its sound is firmly rooted in the 1970s. Progressive sections puncture the song, but its one of Riot's most traditional songs. The song actually reminds me of Rush, specifically their first album. A great song, very fast and hard, with a great solo, thundering drumming, and a element of complexity that rivals Rush. "Do It Up" continues the all-out rock barrage on this very high-energy album. The most punk-like song on the album, the influence of said genre can be somewhat heard on this track. However, the song again blends elements of progressive musicality into a power-chord rocker, something very hard to do. The lyrics are slightly laughable and cliche, but its a fun rock and roll song, we don't need lyrically depth when a band rocks this hard, a great riff and vocal from Speranza. Countless bands would rip off Speranza's sound during the glam metal era, and his vocal influence can be heard all over this album.

   "Hot For Love" is my favorite track on the album, a bona-fide classic. Speranza vocal sends shivers down your spine, a incredible persona and presence. One can clearly hear the influence of the song on one Blackie Lawless, as well as Motley Crue. In fact, I would go as far to say that the whole late 1970s and early 80s L.A. rock scene basically plagiarized Riot in many ways. The break-down of the song features simulated sex sounds, very edgy for 1979, something that Guns and Roses would also later rip off. Over the groaning, a heavy and thundering riff provides the perfect accompaniment for the lusty sounds. An amazing track. Amazing. "White Rock" is one of the my least favorite tracks on the album. A bit too progressive musically for its lyrical content and classic rock character. A great solo, but not a fan of progressive transitions in between the Ramones-like punky riff. The album closes with "Road Racin'". Very fast, the song could certainly be seen an influence of speed metal, as many have cited. It reminds me of the road songs of Judas Priest, with a uniquely American character, replacing motorcycle cruisin with muscle-car driving. A great track, it reflects the intensity and danger of speeding down the highway at break-neck speeds. A stellar solo caps off a great album.

"Narita" is an amazing album. If you like hard rock or metal, there is no reason that you should not own this album. Sadly, the band is no longer active due to the death of only-constant member Mark Reale in 2012. I believe the band never achieved the level of fame that it deserved during their career, perhaps a victim of their progressive tendencies. In any case, they leave behind a long and rich discography, of which Narita is a shinning member. Long live Riot!
   

 

  

The Runaways-Queens of Noise

   As the pretty mediocre 2010 film will try to tell you, the Runaways were bright stars blazing across the night sky, leaving a huge impact on their audience, but ultimately burning out too fast. Queens of Noise is their second album, and what an album it is.

   The title track kicks off the album. With a thundering drum beat, a heavy KISS-like riff drives along the track. The chorus is actually quite poppy, but that was the great things about the band, they could combine catchy choruses with insanely heavy riffs. In any case, a great opener, and one of my favorite tracks by the band. I could do without the synth-guitar solo, but it's very short. "Take It Or Leave It" again reminds me of KISS, especially "Baby Driver". The song is pretty poorly recorded, as is most of the album, but it adds a rawness to the band's music. Lita Ford's leads sound great, one of my favorite tracks featuring her lead guitar. A great track again, one of the best on the album.

    I have never really liked "Midnight Music" very much, maybe because of the very poppy choruses, almost John-Denver or Neil Diamond-like. Not a bad song, but a little sappy for this group of hard-hitting female rock warriors. "Born To Be Bad" reveals the limitations of the girls' musical chops in the intro, as the song warbles in a vague facsimile of being in time. But again, that really does add to the charm. After the slow and almost Beatles-like introduction, a heavy punk/metal riff comes in and kicks you straight in the face. The song is unapologetic, with Joan Jett not showing one iota of regret for living and breathing rock and roll. The song does reveal Jett's vocal limitations compared to Cherrie Currie, but her attitude and edge more than make up for any vocal shortcomings. A great track, but somewhat "all over the place" in terms of production, especially with the effects applied to it, far too much reverb.

   "Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin" is a great track and one of the band's most remembered. A massive riff opens the track, and in my opinion the song is the band's most metal-like. The verse riff is simply crushing, very heavy and memorizing. Currie sounds great here, my favorite vocal of hers. The chorus is more punk than metal, but that was another great aspect of the band, the ability to seamlessly blend punk and metal to create a new kind of heaviness. Lita Ford's solo heads into shred territory, and proves that she is definitely underrated as a lead guitarist. A great track, one of my favorite by the band. "I Love Playin' With Fire" is my favorite track by the band. A hypnotic swirl of teenage hormones, fear, and anger, the song swells with emotional impact. I love the cowbell use by drummer Sandy West, a very underrated drummer. Jett's vocals are phenomenal here, very raw and pissed off. A blazing solo caps off a great track, and I dare anyone who likes rock and roll to deny the track's brilliance. Easily the best track on the album.

    "California Paradise" is another very well-known song by the band. Currie again delivers her almost banshee-like wail.  The song seems to be both praising and lionizing California, obviously where the band was from. Not a favorite of mine, perhaps too much on the punk side of life for me with its tongue-in-cheek sardonic nature. Next is "Hollywood". The song feels almost demo-like, perhaps on purpose. Compared to many over-produced tracks on the album, this track lacks nearly any semblance to being produced at all. I love the bass-lines of Jackie Fox, who shares a writing credit on the track. Jett sounds great here, but her vocals and guitar lie somewhat buried by the bass and drums in the mix. A decent track, very similar to the songs by Jett that would set the early 80s rock world on fire when she would embark on her solo career.

   "Heartbeat" shows that we are still in the 1970s and at the tail end of the classic rock era. The most traditional rock song on the album, perhaps due to the influence of Lita Ford on the songwriting of the track. Pretty slow during the verses, but appreciated after such a heavy barrage of earlier tracks. Currie's vocals are soft and sentimental for a change, and they sound decent, but I do prefer her pissed off wail. Lita's leads again sound great, but she brings in that "guitar synth" effect that grates my nerves, despite being a product of its time. A pretty good track, and a nice break from the speed and heaviness of the album. "Johnny Guitar" is a blues-influenced track, telling the tale of a rock and roll lover named Johnny. Despite the sexual drive of the song, I don't care too much for it. The song is far too long and jammy, and suffers from terrible production. Currie's vocals are barely audible. Skip this one.

   "Queens of Noise" is a great album, and the band's best in my opinion. Seamlessly combining traditional rock with metal, punk, and even pop, the band fused many musical styles into a heavy sound that showed the world that women could rock as loud as, if not louder here, than any male act. A great band that was before their time, enjoy it while it lasted.

Rating-9/10