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
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