In a recent interview with Rick Beato, Nuno Bettencourt said he met Gary Cherone (from Extreme) and argued about who was the bigger fan of Queen. Finally they agreed to both call out their favourite album on the count of three: both said Queen II. They became friends, band-mates, etc.
@@FraserHealVideo It’s the their best album, to get a full 70’s Queen experience, without hearing any songs from a greatest hits collection. It has just glorious guitar and tape flanging, effects, that just become part of the groove, or an opening, even brief two or three seconds, here or there, of a layered part, that May constructed. Pianos are killer, and though I don’t care as much about some of the lyrics, the way he sings things, is just amazing. Rush’s Hemispheres album, was a similar type of album, for me into an already beloved band, growing up in the 90’s, of songs not on Greatest Hits collections, and it had its own thing.
Ogre Battle is one of the most underrated Queen songs in history. It is literally how I have to start out every road trip, as it immediately pumps you up for everything that lies ahead.
@@Nimrods7 prophet's song is literally Brian May's greatest composition, hands down - and one of the most proggy, out-there Queen songs there are. If not for Bohemian Rhapsody, this would be the universally recognized cornerstone of Night at the Opera
Queen II is in my opinion by far the most consistently good album they ever released. A Night at the Opera has moments that beats it, but Queen II feels more like a genuine, well-structured piece of music with so much thought and passion put into it, making it incredibly fun to listen to all the way through. I remember being very confused when I heard it for the first time three years ago. Here is this magnificent album that I for some reason never even knew existed. Everyone kept on talking about A Night at the Opera, and I must've heard songs like "We Will Rock You" and "Another One Bites the Dust" thousands of times as I grew up, but this album was never played on the radio, and never mentioned in any discussion I ever took part in. I guess it all comes down to a bigger demand for short, catchy tunes instead of longer, more well thought out compositions. It makes me wonder just how much amazing music there is out there ready to be discovered, and how much of it will never receive the attention it deserves.
Indeed, this might be their most coherent album. While I like that they did never really narrow down on a specific idea, their other albums always have an anthology character (with the exception of A Kind Of Magic perhaps). Maybe that comes with having a group of four with each one being able to write songs instead of some clear bandleader or band leading duo.
March of the Black Queen is undoubtedly their most complex and operatic song. You can clearly tell what May's guitar was imitating in different sections - trumpets and trombones, evoking court fanfares, there are even some reappearing motifs (like the marching motif built of descending semitones). The polyrhythms and vocal harmonies are even more complex than in Bohemian Rhapsody (Roger Taylor said in an interview that for both these songs, they would record choirs over and over until the tape became transparent), perhaps even a bit too complex for a general audience at the time. But my absolute favorite bit must be the part from around the 4:00, where they did that sick chromatic key change from a minor to c minor. Iy's a great rock or even metal song, but I think you could very easily orchestrate it and change it into a great dramatic orchestral/operatic piece!
Love how the production of these songs were so complex but so well planned...miss such grandiose experiences...Modern songs have just become A Mac with Audacity 4 chords a repetitive base line and/or someone flipping a light switch (u know who😉)
This is the one. Been wanting a Queen video essay that digs deeper into the mythos they created in their earlier records. Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack are masterful pieces of work.
Finally! Someone recognises how insanely good this album is! QII is just incredible from front to back, and given how limited their resources were at the time it's a production masterpiece. I play songs from this album (especially Fairy Feller's Master Stroke) to people who can't believe it's actually Queen doing all this crazy proggy, dense, complex music, it's so far removed from what they went on to achieve. The live performances from this era are incredible too, the Live at the Rainbow '74 release is a phenomenal gig.
absolutely. I would add that Queen's 'progginess' was pretty unique, as 'prog' style goes. Freddie just had a different style of composition from guys in Genesis or Yes or any of these bands - while also going for that epic feel and complexity - but again, in a not-so-obviously proggy way, like, he injected into it way more pop catchiness (in the Beatles/Beach Boys sense) than elaborate instrumental passages, weird meters etc. Which imho makes this period of Queen especially interesting. My Fairy King is a good example of that, too, as are some tunes from latter albums (Flick of the Wrist, Nevermore, Lap of the Gods, Death on Two Legs, Bo Rhap of course, Millionaire Waltz etc. Even on the 80s Queen albums there are bits in songs like Princes of the Universe or Was it all Worth it which are almost symphonic - definitely Freddie's 'proggy' instincts still very much influencing the band's music. (not to mention that Brian also loved bands like Yes and especially Led Zeppelin, who got proggy themselves at a certain point, so no wonder that his songs like Prophet's song have that quality too)
Queen II is also my favorite album by them as well, followed by their debut as my 2nd favorite. People are really missing out on their 1st 2 albums. Not a bad song in the bunch. One song I recommend is the live version of White Queen from their live set at the Odeon. It is an amazing version that people need to hear to believe just how good that song is. It blew me away the 1st time I heard it and I’m surprised they didn’t continue playing this song through out their career. To me it’s the best live song they ever did and I’m including the Live Aid set. White Queen live at the Odeon was better than any song sung at Live Aid. I guarantee it. Give it a listen.
Agreed. Love the way they arranged the piano into the piece to replace the multilayered guitars from the studio version. Freddie's voice always overshadowed his musicianship. But he was a wonderful pianist and had great rhythm.
That's what I've been wanting the world to understand. Live aid was awesome and rightfully so. But what non queen fans (who rave about Queen's epic performance at live aid) don't understand is that to Queen performance-wise... ...live aid was just another day at the office.
I feel like their early performances were never given the appreciation that they deserve. I can agree with you with this; White Queen at the Odeon is such a memorising and immersive performance that it's absolutely criminal to be underrated. I wish they'd mention performances like this in the movie so it could get more attention!
All their albums that said "No Synthesizers" in them were the best(in my opinion) when the synths & the mustache stepped in, the quality of the music dipped a little bit. But there were still some great numbers in this era
The White Queen was about a girl he had a crush on in high school. Grounded - but I agree with you in principal - he’s got plenty of fantastical songs - that cal that quite into question - “39” for example.
One of the main reason for this album to remain "overlooked" or "confidential" (so to speak...) for so long, is because they didn't tour that much to support it: after very few dates, Brain May had contracted hepatitis and they were forced to cancel nearly all of their engagement. He was still convalescent when sessions of A Night at the Opera began. Touring was the main way a band had at the time to promote their records especially a newcomer act like Queen was then. However, Queen II found its way among fans year after years, because... Come on! it's a groundbreaking masterpiece! The songs are flawless, the tracking is perfect, the vocal harmonies are unprecedented (Roger Taylor on 'The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke' at 1:08... 🖤) and the production is unrivalled to this day (did you notice that the introduction on Ogre Battle is every instrument and vocals played backwards and individually back flipping like a piece of music returning on itself? All of that without computer, software or sampler of any kind... Tape, scissors, glue and that's it). Procession opens with guitar and bass using volume pedal to mimic a string section introducing Father to Son and these tracks announce the grandiosity of things to come. White Queen is a pure moment of magic and Some Day On Day leaves space for the raw heavy rock of The Loser in the End. The sequence Ogre Battle/Fairy Feller's Master Stroke/Nevermore is absolutely flabbergasting and does not end there: March of the Black Queen a.k.a. "The Original Bohemian Rhapsody" terminates you! Then Seven Seas of Rhye gently brings you gently back to life... I've been listening to this records for the last 35 years and I always find something new each time. A small detail, a little sound, a little note as if this record has been designed for endless discoveries. Dedicated to Mary, the "White Queen" of my teenage years.
That seems like a long time to convalesce, since "Sheer Heart Attack" was written and produced then toured between "Queen II" and "A Night At The Opera". "Sheer Heart Attack"- by the way - was the album that featured "Killer Queen" and finally got them the recognition they so deserved.
Queen II is my favorite Queen album, and seeing it get some recognition gives me pure euphoria. White Queen (As It Began) and The March Of The Black Queen are by far one of their most underrated songs, and one of my favorites as well. The album from start to finish is an absolute rollercoaster, giving off different kinds of emotions in each song. Overall, Queen II truly gives an unforgettable experience, and it shows just how legendary the band is, especially Freddie Mercury, even in the early stages of their music career. In my opinion, a hidden gem in their grand catalog.
Words cannot describe how much I love and adore this album. I've lost count on how many times I've listened to the black side: Getting all hyped with the Ogre Battle, singing along "What a dirty ladio!" with Freddie on The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke, and pouring my heart out on Nevermore's "When you said you didn't love me anymore". Then the majestic March Of The Black Queen, that rollercoaster of emotions packed in less than seven minutes... Goosebumps at every new theme introduced by the band. I love Funny How Love Is so much that at one point I even considered learning piano just so I can play it and sing along lol. And then The Seven Seas Of Rhye wraps the whole thing. Those last moments when the "I love to be beside the seaside" fades in and out. I don't think the magic, the experience and the glory of this record will ever be demystified for me. Truly a life-changer.
I used to present a music group, and when I did as a topic “mini-epics” one of the first songs I chose to highlight was Seven Seas of Rhye, as the song in less than 3 minutes creates this entire world for the listener to explore. For anyone wondering, a few of the other songs I highlighted were Happiness is a Warm Gun by the Beatles, 2+2=5 by Radiohead, and while I don’t remember specifically I know I had a Bowie song in the mix. It was one of my favorite presentations in that group (especially of the shorter, 1 meeting only presentations; I did a 5 part one dissecting Hamilton song by song that I really loved even if everyone else in the group may have thought it a self-indulgent.)
You know, this was actually genius. Brian May and Freddie Mercury knew that they had some good ideas. They respected the hell out of each other, and that's what made Queen's sound so fun to listen to. This is what happens when people actually listen to each other. Beautiful things are created.
I have always championed this album as the dark horse of their discography, it’s one of my absolute favorites of theirs. Glad to know I’m not the only one who thinks so!
My brother texted me the link to this video, and I knew it was Queen II. Probably my favorite Queen album besides the debut album. Whenever I hear this, it reminds me of the Renaissance era. It has that aura about it.
Very timely video! I have been listening to Queen II on the daily for almost a month now after rediscovering it in the record store. Listened to the album extensively for a week online and literally rushed from work to the record store to get the last copy in the shop which was a 1975 US repress of the album. What makes Queen II so special for me is that how the whole listening experience makes me feel like it's one cohesive song, a journey. A journey divided into two acts where each side has a story to tell about the White Queen and the Black Queen. Personally feel that the album is all Killer no Filler and my favorite is "Side Black". Most impressive track for me is Nevermore. Freddie's voice is so beautiful it's haunting.
Bravo! I absolutely love this album as well as all of the early Queen albums. If you are a fan of this era of the band, I highly recommend listening to "Queen Live at the Rainbow '74" during which they play many of the songs from their first two albums.
I love this album, Queen II, it is my favorite Queen album. It takes on a journey of sorts , musically. There’s something for everyone from the hard rock of father to son to the ethereal white queen to the heavy metal of ogre battle to the piano ballad of nevermore and the grandiose of the march of the black queen. To me this album may be underrated to those who only know Queen for bohemian rhapsody and we will rock you but to the hardcore Queen fan, this is a masterpiece, an excellent body of work put forth by a band who was soon to take over the world with its anthemic songs and amazing concerts. Thanks for making this video and giving Queen II its just due.
My all-time favourite Queen album, particularly the Black side! Queen's prog side - just glorious. March of the Black Queen NEEDS more recognition as one of the greatest Queen songs of all time, and the predecessor to Bohemian Rhapsody. (That anecdote about doing so many overdubs on the same tape that it went transparent is often attributed to the recording of Bohemian Rhapsody, but it's actually about Black Queen!) (Also, my name is Ry. I kind of want to start an oceanic travelogue called The Seven Seas of Ry...)
I saw the thumbnail and literally yelled “FINALLY SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS!” There are Queen albums I love more, but song for song, Queen’s potential was fully crystallized with this album. My favorites from this album are… - “Father to Son” (some of Freddie’s best vocals) - “White Queen” (haunting and beautiful) - “Some Day One Day” (a very sweet number from Brian) - “The Loser in the End” (Roger Taylor really has one of the best rock and roll voices ever) - “Ogre Battle” (the heaviest thing Queen ever made!) - “Seven Seas of Rhye” (a fan favorite and classic) Thanks for reminding me how many great songs from one of my favorite bands are found on this one album!
Great analysis. Queen II has always been my favorite Queen album and one of my all time faves I was a young teen when it came out and it hugely influenced my musical tastes and curiosity for my entire life. Bravo.
Queen II has been my favorite Queen album since I first bought it, shortly after buying Sheer Heart Attack, which I bought shortly after listening to "Flick Of The Wrist", the B-Side of the "Killer Queen" single. What a ride, I was blown away. The debut wasn't too shabby either. Actually bought both albums at the same time but listened to the debut first because I had heard "Keep Yourself Alive" on my local album rock station once or twice, but didn't know who it was until seeing the track listing. My only complaint with Queen II is that "March Of The Black Queen" is joined at the hip to "Funny How Love Is", an okay song, but I prefer them to be separate.
even till this day, this album hits as an experimental and ahead of time music, truly the greatest of the remains from the gold era of real rock 'n' roll, i always feel like this album is the limit of creativity and music, and the primary reference of how to incorpore the experimental and progressive music style. The fact that it had few expectation and comercial sucess back then, and we're still talking about it (almost 50y later) just proves how genius this album was, and honestly, i won't be surprised if it still hits after 200 or 300 years later just like bethooven's or mozart's pieces hits nowadays. Its just so original and unique, its queen.
It is for me too, and demands to be listened side 1 end to end, flipped over and listened side 2 end to end. Over and over again. There was nothing those four boys couldn't do in the 70s. Post 81, well, less so for me!
I purchased Queen I & II from a used record store in the borough of Queens , in New York in 1980 , when I was 17 . The previous owner had affixed clippings of music reviews of the two albums . Suffice to say , none of the reviews were kind . Although , I enjoy them both , Queen II was revelatory for me . I couldn't believe someone could find fault with this album . I would blast the hell out of this on my stereo to demonstrate the lethal precision of this musical marvel for the whole neighborhood to hear ( whether they liked it or not ) . Now I'm 60 , and I still blast it , I still recommend it to anyone who has good ears and hasn't discovered it already , and if this record doesn't rock your foundation , there's a good chance you never had one to begin with . And so say ALL of us . For Queen II is a jolly good fairy fella , and " such a glady laddy 'o".
I regret that I have never listened to this album. But I've always loved Seven Seas of Rhye, and as you began playing the Black Side I began to hear that style and suspected it was on it - and I was right. I will now definitely check out this overlooked treasure. Thank you!
Well, one year on, have you heard it? All Queen albums from Queen (1973) to A day at the races are incredible: daring, creative and bursting with variety.
Queen II is part of a short list of rock albums that I consider perfect. By this I mean I would never want skip a single track. Funnily enough there are a few 'second albums' on this list, including Led Zeppelin II and Origin of Symmetry by Muse. It often seems to me that artists will truly find and define their sound by the time of their second album, which is what Queen II is for Queen.
My favorite Queen album! I highly recommend the live version of White Queen from the Hammersmith Odeon in 1975. The piano and guitar solo in the live version is insane
Easily my favorite Queen album, my favorite Queen songs lean into fantasy so having an album partly dedicated to those elements really does a lot for me
I have always said Queen II was their Crown Jewel. I first heard it 45 years ago, and still feel the same way. So Glad to see someone out there feels the same! Thanks!!!! 👍
Not only is it underrated...the album is also one of the greatest and best records in the world. Better than Jackson's thriller and bon jovi's slippery when wet.
It is indeed criminally underrated, but Queen II has always been my favorite Queen album - since I first heard it when I was 13. For me I like their hard rock phase, not the pop-rock style in the late 70s and the 80s, so I really love the first 3 albums, and while Queen I is very important too, for being also very heavy and influential for heavy metal, Queen II was just perfect - I love how it combines also more of the progressive rock elements, but the hard rock sound is still there. Definitely if I had to only choose one studio album from Queen it would be this one 100%.
Hey Polyphonic, can you make a video about “Redeye” by Redeye and Michael Melvoin. It’s one of my favorite albums and I love the way that you describe albums as an experience. I’d love to watch you talk about it!
i love this video, i remember going through all of their albums and this one was definitely my favourite, thank you for giving it some much needed love
Queen II is one of the most brilliant and genius albums of all time. I’ve always thought that. Absolutely incredible, and they only had 16 track recording.
Thank you! I’ve been saying this for years about Queen II! You can hear the Jimi Hendrix influence on Ogre Battle when the backward opening flips forwards in time with the music (Jimi did this on Are You Experienced?)
Fantastic work. You have a great talent for enriching the experience of music. I love learning more about the music I love with the where and how they came to be. Thank you for all the work that goes in to these films. Till next time☕
Not by me and many older Queen fans, it isn't. Incredible, multi-layered and daring in its scope, like all early Queen. I'd go as far as choosing it as a top ten desert island album.
Back in the day people reffered to each side as 'side black' and 'side white'-just like the sleeve said . For the longest time all Queen albums had the synth disclaimer on the sleeve.Queen later said the synths of the era were cheesy and didn't want their sound associated with it. I was an original Queen fan back in the pre -punk days and can still remember how awestruck I was first hearing 'seven seas of Rhye' coming in through the airwaves one eveing. I had it taped on a reel to reel recorder and damn near wore the tape out. Popular opinion at the time had Queen 2 overshadowed by 'Sheer heart attck', which came with 'Killer Queen'(big hit ) and,best of all, 'Brighton rock'.The BBC broadcast Queen in concert and what May did with his guitar/echoplex was jaw-dropping by the standards of the day. Thanks for spotlighting this album !
Wish more people knew of Queens early catalogue. A lot only know of the major hits, like We Will Rock You, & Champions. Early Queens music was great. Wish more would check into their albums from 70’s. Queen 1 & 2 is awesome. Under rated, yes!
Great video essay as always… Queen 2 is also my favorite, I swear the Ogre Battle is the birth of Metal…. Turn it up to 11 and take it all in. It’s a masterpiece
Only recently have I finally acquired this album and I wish I had done so much earlier. After several listenings, I can certainly understand why it’s underrated. These non radio play songs are really starting to grow on me, just like some of the songs from their debut. Their more experimental side is definitely a refreshing change from the burned out songs by Queen. Thanks for the review !
I had to fall in and then out of love with Queen to find this album their most inspiring work. They don't sound there like these massive stadium hit makers, which very quickly become overplayed and kinda overshadow the original records they're from. This album is a work of art that doesn't stand out with a one song like ANATO does (at least to me), it's actually thier most comprehensive work in the whole catalogue. Probably Queen's greatest piece.
Liked the artwork used in this clip - worked perfectly with these album tracks. This album always felt like a very separate experience for me - so much drama created in a very sophisticated way. The inner ‘white’ band photo also added to the intrigue.
This album is usually lumped as "another good 70s album", because of it being lumped in tour with the debut album and sheer heart attack releasing the same year with a much bigger hit than seven seas of rhye.
Summer of 1984, I walked into a record store in Nanuet NY and they were blasting The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke. I was floored; never heard anything like it. The arrangements and complexity sounded classical but the delivery was pure rock. To this day I still listen to this album with the same amazement and enjoyment.
My first Queen album was Night at the Opera. I was more than intrigued. Like other artists that caught my attention, I went back to their beginning, and purchased Queen. I then went on to buy Queen II, and subsequently, every other album - up to Jazz. It was definitely Queen II that sealed the deal. I was a fan! The production/engineering of this album is unmatched. The way Side Black begins - Ogre Battle, with its backward-tracked intro, and how the audio never stops - cascading from one song to the next - is just genius!
The summer before I entered high School I managed to get an internship at the local college radio station. Queen one was on the rotation and I really enjoyed it so when Queen 2 came out I got it immediately. I was listening to a lot of other things in sort of the same era where experimentation was almost expected of an artist. This fit so well into all of that and it's kept me listening to them ever since. A little disappointed that you skipped over funny how love is, I just played that for my current girlfriend. It is now her new favorite Queen song
This is one of those very select few albums that make me choke up and tear up slightly every single time I listen to it for reasons that I can't nor I would want to be able to explain. But it helps to remind me of how unexplainably religious-like music can be to us sometimes...
Great take and subject. I love the old Queen albums. My favorite is Sheer Heart Attack, but Queen II is very close behind it. The first album also is great, with Night at the Opera in forth place. The early albums need to be listened to more.
Queen II I'd say was one of the most pivotal albums in Glam rock and art rock because so many glam metal and alternative rockers cite it as being their favorite.
Queen II is my favorite album from my favorite band. I absolutely adore the folkloric quality of it and it feels like it is fantasy elements that are at the core of all of my tastes---it is such a storytelling and EPIC album. YESSSSS YESSSS!
Love this album - never tire of it! I didnt hear it when it came out but upon hearing it it has remained my favorite. March of the Black Queen” is without doubt their best song. Both sides are amazing and after years of listening to it - the complexity of the music and (at times) mysterious lyrics still yield new discoveries - although I can do without “The Loser in the End”. Thanks!
Queen has been my favorite band for over 12 years, and for a long time Queen II was my favorite. It's really uniquely them, and when I hear March of the Black Queen, I always think of Roger's description: "the complexity of it is staggering". Sheer Heart Attack is my favorite album now and the one I tell people to start with, because I feel it showcases their wide variety of sounds best. But Queen II is a close second.
this video made me a dedicated fan of queen. I had heard the greatest hits, but after I watched this video, I decided to actually listen to queen ii. it took me months to actually sit down and listen to it, but it was incredible! I ended up listening to queen's entire discography over the next three days and I've never looked back since
Funnily enough, when I saw the notification and the title, my slow ass net didn't load the thumbnail, but in my head I was guessing Queen II. Lo and behold, there it is! I should add that there's one song that deserves a mention here, despite being a B-side for Seven Seas of Rhye: See What a Fool I've Been. This shows a bluesy, early Led Zeppelin side of Queen you won't hear anywhere. Before We Are The Champions, they would close out their shows with that or Jailhouse Rock, sometimes both. I recommend the live performance from the Rainbow in March. Speaking of Rainbow, if you wanna hear Queen at their rawest, Live At The Rainbow is the album to listen.
Queen II is their best album in my book. I listened to it for the first time almost two years ago, I had heard Seven Seas of Rhye and March of the Black Queen before. I was going through a phase of playing old SNES tactical games and came on to Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen and said "I gotta hear the album that inspired this game's name" and it has been a wonderful mainstay in my rotation ever since.
May is one of those people who you get the impression anything he decides to become great at he can. He just chose to be a great guitarist and astrophysicist.
In a recent interview with Rick Beato, Nuno Bettencourt said he met Gary Cherone (from Extreme) and argued about who was the bigger fan of Queen. Finally they agreed to both call out their favourite album on the count of three: both said Queen II. They became friends, band-mates, etc.
👍🤘
I believe Queensryche met at a Queen Fan Club. Axel Rose and Billy Corgan have both said how much they love Queen II.
What a great story!
@@FraserHealVideo
It’s the their best album, to get a full 70’s Queen experience, without hearing any songs from a greatest hits collection. It has just glorious guitar and tape flanging, effects, that just become part of the groove, or an opening, even brief two or three seconds, here or there, of a layered part, that May constructed. Pianos are killer, and though I don’t care as much about some of the lyrics, the way he sings things, is just amazing.
Rush’s Hemispheres album, was a similar type of album, for me into an already beloved band, growing up in the 90’s, of songs not on Greatest Hits collections, and it had its own thing.
Queen II and Hemispheres in the same message? You're talking my language. Two amazing albums which stand and will stand the test of time.
I've been waiting for someone to talk about this for years. This is an incredible album that has never gotten the recognition it deserves.
I feel the exact same way!
Ogre Battle is one of the most underrated Queen songs in history. It is literally how I have to start out every road trip, as it immediately pumps you up for everything that lies ahead.
I need to hear it RIGHT NOW!!
The prophet’s song is also super underrated
@@Nimrods7 prophet's song is literally Brian May's greatest composition, hands down - and one of the most proggy, out-there Queen songs there are. If not for Bohemian Rhapsody, this would be the universally recognized cornerstone of Night at the Opera
I won a university air guitar contest with this song
They were doing speed metal before speed metal was a genre.
Queen II is in my opinion by far the most consistently good album they ever released. A Night at the Opera has moments that beats it, but Queen II feels more like a genuine, well-structured piece of music with so much thought and passion put into it, making it incredibly fun to listen to all the way through. I remember being very confused when I heard it for the first time three years ago. Here is this magnificent album that I for some reason never even knew existed. Everyone kept on talking about A Night at the Opera, and I must've heard songs like "We Will Rock You" and "Another One Bites the Dust" thousands of times as I grew up, but this album was never played on the radio, and never mentioned in any discussion I ever took part in. I guess it all comes down to a bigger demand for short, catchy tunes instead of longer, more well thought out compositions. It makes me wonder just how much amazing music there is out there ready to be discovered, and how much of it will never receive the attention it deserves.
Indeed, this might be their most coherent album. While I like that they did never really narrow down on a specific idea, their other albums always have an anthology character (with the exception of A Kind Of Magic perhaps). Maybe that comes with having a group of four with each one being able to write songs instead of some clear bandleader or band leading duo.
Well said!
@GandalfGreyhame, in fact that's my favourite Queen album !!!!!!!
March of the Black Queen is undoubtedly their most complex and operatic song. You can clearly tell what May's guitar was imitating in different sections - trumpets and trombones, evoking court fanfares, there are even some reappearing motifs (like the marching motif built of descending semitones). The polyrhythms and vocal harmonies are even more complex than in Bohemian Rhapsody (Roger Taylor said in an interview that for both these songs, they would record choirs over and over until the tape became transparent), perhaps even a bit too complex for a general audience at the time. But my absolute favorite bit must be the part from around the 4:00, where they did that sick chromatic key change from a minor to c minor. Iy's a great rock or even metal song, but I think you could very easily orchestrate it and change it into a great dramatic orchestral/operatic piece!
Love how the production of these songs were so complex but so well planned...miss such grandiose experiences...Modern songs have just become A Mac with Audacity 4 chords a repetitive base line and/or someone flipping a light switch (u know who😉)
This is the one. Been wanting a Queen video essay that digs deeper into the mythos they created in their earlier records. Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack are masterful pieces of work.
Finally! Someone recognises how insanely good this album is! QII is just incredible from front to back, and given how limited their resources were at the time it's a production masterpiece. I play songs from this album (especially Fairy Feller's Master Stroke) to people who can't believe it's actually Queen doing all this crazy proggy, dense, complex music, it's so far removed from what they went on to achieve. The live performances from this era are incredible too, the Live at the Rainbow '74 release is a phenomenal gig.
Yes, yes, and yes 💜
absolutely. I would add that Queen's 'progginess' was pretty unique, as 'prog' style goes. Freddie just had a different style of composition from guys in Genesis or Yes or any of these bands - while also going for that epic feel and complexity - but again, in a not-so-obviously proggy way, like, he injected into it way more pop catchiness (in the Beatles/Beach Boys sense) than elaborate instrumental passages, weird meters etc. Which imho makes this period of Queen especially interesting. My Fairy King is a good example of that, too, as are some tunes from latter albums (Flick of the Wrist, Nevermore, Lap of the Gods, Death on Two Legs, Bo Rhap of course, Millionaire Waltz etc. Even on the 80s Queen albums there are bits in songs like Princes of the Universe or Was it all Worth it which are almost symphonic - definitely Freddie's 'proggy' instincts still very much influencing the band's music. (not to mention that Brian also loved bands like Yes and especially Led Zeppelin, who got proggy themselves at a certain point, so no wonder that his songs like Prophet's song have that quality too)
Queen II is also my favorite album by them as well, followed by their debut as my 2nd favorite. People are really missing out on their 1st 2 albums. Not a bad song in the bunch.
One song I recommend is the live version of White Queen from their live set at the Odeon. It is an amazing version that people need to hear to believe just how good that song is. It blew me away the 1st time I heard it and I’m surprised they didn’t continue playing this song through out their career. To me it’s the best live song they ever did and I’m including the Live Aid set. White Queen live at the Odeon was better than any song sung at Live Aid. I guarantee it. Give it a listen.
Agreed. Love the way they arranged the piano into the piece to replace the multilayered guitars from the studio version. Freddie's voice always overshadowed his musicianship. But he was a wonderful pianist and had great rhythm.
That's what I've been wanting the world to understand. Live aid was awesome and rightfully so.
But what non queen fans (who rave about Queen's epic performance at live aid) don't understand is that to Queen performance-wise...
...live aid was just another day at the office.
I feel like their early performances were never given the appreciation that they deserve. I can agree with you with this; White Queen at the Odeon is such a memorising and immersive performance that it's absolutely criminal to be underrated. I wish they'd mention performances like this in the movie so it could get more attention!
All their albums that said "No Synthesizers" in them were the best(in my opinion) when the synths & the mustache stepped in, the quality of the music dipped a little bit.
But there were still some great numbers in this era
Can we be friends? Cause you just said I wanted to say
My favorite album when I was 14, my favorite album now at 27. Gratuitously flamboyant, excessive but refined and sophisticated at the same time.
Good music still spanning the generations then. Long may it be so.
You have great taste!
My favorite album when I was 14 as well.....in 1974😊
May: I Don't wanna do fantastical songs. I wanna right more grounded stuff.
*Writes The White Queen*
The White Queen was about a girl he had a crush on in high school. Grounded - but I agree with you in principal - he’s got plenty of fantastical songs - that cal that quite into question - “39” for example.
One of the main reason for this album to remain "overlooked" or "confidential" (so to speak...) for so long, is because they didn't tour that much to support it: after very few dates, Brain May had contracted hepatitis and they were forced to cancel nearly all of their engagement. He was still convalescent when sessions of A Night at the Opera began. Touring was the main way a band had at the time to promote their records especially a newcomer act like Queen was then.
However, Queen II found its way among fans year after years, because... Come on! it's a groundbreaking masterpiece! The songs are flawless, the tracking is perfect, the vocal harmonies are unprecedented (Roger Taylor on 'The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke' at 1:08... 🖤) and the production is unrivalled to this day (did you notice that the introduction on Ogre Battle is every instrument and vocals played backwards and individually back flipping like a piece of music returning on itself? All of that without computer, software or sampler of any kind... Tape, scissors, glue and that's it). Procession opens with guitar and bass using volume pedal to mimic a string section introducing Father to Son and these tracks announce the grandiosity of things to come. White Queen is a pure moment of magic and Some Day On Day leaves space for the raw heavy rock of The Loser in the End. The sequence Ogre Battle/Fairy Feller's Master Stroke/Nevermore is absolutely flabbergasting and does not end there: March of the Black Queen a.k.a. "The Original Bohemian Rhapsody" terminates you! Then Seven Seas of Rhye gently brings you gently back to life...
I've been listening to this records for the last 35 years and I always find something new each time. A small detail, a little sound, a little note as if this record has been designed for endless discoveries.
Dedicated to Mary, the "White Queen" of my teenage years.
" And so say , all of us ".
That seems like a long time to convalesce, since "Sheer Heart Attack" was written and produced then toured between "Queen II" and "A Night At The Opera". "Sheer Heart Attack"- by the way - was the album that featured "Killer Queen" and finally got them the recognition they so deserved.
@@broeheemed32 My mistake! I meant Sheer Heart Attack of course...
and Funny How Love Is was also there.
you forgot to mention funny how love is
Queen II is my favorite Queen album, and seeing it get some recognition gives me pure euphoria. White Queen (As It Began) and The March Of The Black Queen are by far one of their most underrated songs, and one of my favorites as well. The album from start to finish is an absolute rollercoaster, giving off different kinds of emotions in each song. Overall, Queen II truly gives an unforgettable experience, and it shows just how legendary the band is, especially Freddie Mercury, even in the early stages of their music career. In my opinion, a hidden gem in their grand catalog.
Words cannot describe how much I love and adore this album. I've lost count on how many times I've listened to the black side: Getting all hyped with the Ogre Battle, singing along "What a dirty ladio!" with Freddie on The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke, and pouring my heart out on Nevermore's "When you said you didn't love me anymore". Then the majestic March Of The Black Queen, that rollercoaster of emotions packed in less than seven minutes... Goosebumps at every new theme introduced by the band. I love Funny How Love Is so much that at one point I even considered learning piano just so I can play it and sing along lol. And then The Seven Seas Of Rhye wraps the whole thing. Those last moments when the "I love to be beside the seaside" fades in and out. I don't think the magic, the experience and the glory of this record will ever be demystified for me. Truly a life-changer.
I used to present a music group, and when I did as a topic “mini-epics” one of the first songs I chose to highlight was Seven Seas of Rhye, as the song in less than 3 minutes creates this entire world for the listener to explore. For anyone wondering, a few of the other songs I highlighted were Happiness is a Warm Gun by the Beatles, 2+2=5 by Radiohead, and while I don’t remember specifically I know I had a Bowie song in the mix. It was one of my favorite presentations in that group (especially of the shorter, 1 meeting only presentations; I did a 5 part one dissecting Hamilton song by song that I really loved even if everyone else in the group may have thought it a self-indulgent.)
7 seas is absolutely worth the deep dive
Thank you for all of your amazing uploads!
You know, this was actually genius. Brian May and Freddie Mercury knew that they had some good ideas. They respected the hell out of each other, and that's what made Queen's sound so fun to listen to.
This is what happens when people actually listen to each other. Beautiful things are created.
I have always championed this album as the dark horse of their discography, it’s one of my absolute favorites of theirs. Glad to know I’m not the only one who thinks so!
My brother texted me the link to this video, and I knew it was Queen II. Probably my favorite Queen album besides the debut album. Whenever I hear this, it reminds me of the Renaissance era. It has that aura about it.
Very timely video! I have been listening to Queen II on the daily for almost a month now after rediscovering it in the record store. Listened to the album extensively for a week online and literally rushed from work to the record store to get the last copy in the shop which was a 1975 US repress of the album.
What makes Queen II so special for me is that how the whole listening experience makes me feel like it's one cohesive song, a journey. A journey divided into two acts where each side has a story to tell about the White Queen and the Black Queen. Personally feel that the album is all Killer no Filler and my favorite is "Side Black". Most impressive track for me is Nevermore. Freddie's voice is so beautiful it's haunting.
March of the black queen is 🤌🤌🤌🤌
I'm literally so happy that you made a video about this record! It's my all time favourite. Perfection from start to finish. Thank you for this ❤
Bravo! I absolutely love this album as well as all of the early Queen albums. If you are a fan of this era of the band, I highly recommend listening to "Queen Live at the Rainbow '74" during which they play many of the songs from their first two albums.
I love this album, Queen II, it is my favorite Queen album. It takes on a journey of sorts , musically. There’s something for everyone from the hard rock of father to son to the ethereal white queen to the heavy metal of ogre battle to the piano ballad of nevermore and the grandiose of the march of the black queen. To me this album may be underrated to those who only know Queen for bohemian rhapsody and we will rock you but to the hardcore Queen fan, this is a masterpiece, an excellent body of work put forth by a band who was soon to take over the world with its anthemic songs and amazing concerts. Thanks for making this video and giving Queen II its just due.
It's all rock. Not exactly something for "everybody".
My all-time favourite Queen album, particularly the Black side! Queen's prog side - just glorious. March of the Black Queen NEEDS more recognition as one of the greatest Queen songs of all time, and the predecessor to Bohemian Rhapsody. (That anecdote about doing so many overdubs on the same tape that it went transparent is often attributed to the recording of Bohemian Rhapsody, but it's actually about Black Queen!)
(Also, my name is Ry. I kind of want to start an oceanic travelogue called The Seven Seas of Ry...)
Have you started your oceanic travelogue? Hahaha
I saw the thumbnail and literally yelled “FINALLY SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS!” There are Queen albums I love more, but song for song, Queen’s potential was fully crystallized with this album. My favorites from this album are…
- “Father to Son” (some of Freddie’s best vocals)
- “White Queen” (haunting and beautiful)
- “Some Day One Day” (a very sweet number from Brian)
- “The Loser in the End” (Roger Taylor really has one of the best rock and roll voices ever)
- “Ogre Battle” (the heaviest thing Queen ever made!)
- “Seven Seas of Rhye” (a fan favorite and classic)
Thanks for reminding me how many great songs from one of my favorite bands are found on this one album!
💜
Bless you.
in my opinion queens heaviest song is actually gimme the prize, which surprise surprise, is actually from the 80's (1986)
@@petermmm42 That’s another great one!
Great analysis. Queen II has always been my favorite Queen album and one of my all time faves I was a young teen when it came out and it hugely influenced my musical tastes and curiosity for my entire life. Bravo.
Happy Golden Jubilee to one of the greatest bands in history 🥳
Their first album came out 50 years ago today
Queen II has been my favorite Queen album since I first bought it, shortly after buying Sheer Heart Attack, which I bought shortly after listening to "Flick Of The Wrist", the B-Side of the "Killer Queen" single. What a ride, I was blown away. The debut wasn't too shabby either. Actually bought both albums at the same time but listened to the debut first because I had heard "Keep Yourself Alive" on my local album rock station once or twice, but didn't know who it was until seeing the track listing. My only complaint with Queen II is that "March Of The Black Queen" is joined at the hip to "Funny How Love Is", an okay song, but I prefer them to be separate.
0:09
Ogre Battle and March of the Black Queen are favorite Queen songs. It’s also one of my favorite Super Nintendo RPGS.
even till this day, this album hits as an experimental and ahead of time music, truly the greatest of the remains from the gold era of real rock 'n' roll, i always feel like this album is the limit of creativity and music, and the primary reference of how to incorpore the experimental and progressive music style. The fact that it had few expectation and comercial sucess back then, and we're still talking about it (almost 50y later) just proves how genius this album was, and honestly, i won't be surprised if it still hits after 200 or 300 years later just like bethooven's or mozart's pieces hits nowadays. Its just so original and unique, its queen.
This album has some of the best vocal harmonies ever recorded.
This is an album to listen to all the way through. It flows together like one story and not just individually tracks.
I have forever said this! Queen II IS A MASTERPIECE among masterpieces.
It is for me too, and demands to be listened side 1 end to end, flipped over and listened side 2 end to end. Over and over again. There was nothing those four boys couldn't do in the 70s. Post 81, well, less so for me!
I purchased Queen I & II from a used record store in the borough of Queens , in New York in 1980 , when I was 17 . The previous owner had affixed clippings of music reviews of the two albums . Suffice to say , none of the reviews were kind . Although , I enjoy them both , Queen II was revelatory for me . I couldn't believe someone could find fault with this album . I would blast the hell out of this on my stereo to demonstrate the lethal precision of this musical marvel for the whole neighborhood to hear ( whether they liked it or not ) . Now I'm 60 , and I still blast it , I still recommend it to anyone who has good ears and hasn't discovered it already , and if this record doesn't rock your foundation , there's a good chance you never had one to begin with . And so say ALL of us . For Queen II is a jolly good fairy fella , and " such a glady laddy 'o".
This album takes backing vocals and harmonies to the next level.
Live show queen at the rainbow highlights many of the songs
Simply awesome
I regret that I have never listened to this album. But I've always loved Seven Seas of Rhye, and as you began playing the Black Side I began to hear that style and suspected it was on it - and I was right. I will now definitely check out this overlooked treasure. Thank you!
You're in for a treat. Head phones in a darkened room.
Well, one year on, have you heard it? All Queen albums from Queen (1973) to A day at the races are incredible: daring, creative and bursting with variety.
God, they were four incredibly talented musicians
Queen II is so good. It's probably my favorite queen album
Dude you have GOT to do a video (series) on Quadrophenia. Your work is impeccable and that album deserves it. Great video here.
Queen II has IMO some of Queen's absolute best songs like Fairyfeller's Masterstroke, Nevermore, March of the Black Queen, and Seven Seas of Rhye
Thank you so much for making this video, I always wanted you to make this, its my favorite Queen album
Queen II is my favorite Queen album, too. So much imagination and technical skill. Roy Thomas Baker at the mixing desk deserves a mention.
I've been waiting for this video for 5 years! Queen II is where they peaked musically and March of the Black Queen is a top 5 song for me
Thank you for this video man. Queen II is my favourite album and I'm so happy that someone has finally shown its genius to people
Queen II is part of a short list of rock albums that I consider perfect. By this I mean I would never want skip a single track. Funnily enough there are a few 'second albums' on this list, including Led Zeppelin II and Origin of Symmetry by Muse. It often seems to me that artists will truly find and define their sound by the time of their second album, which is what Queen II is for Queen.
Queen II is Queen on steroids. The March of the Black Queen has been my all time favorite song since 1975.
Queen II was one of my favourite albums when as a teenager I began to explore Queen's discography. I'm glad it's getting some recognition.
Literally perfect timing, I’ve been listening to this album non stop the past few days, it’s too good!
My favorite Queen album! I highly recommend the live version of White Queen from the Hammersmith Odeon in 1975. The piano and guitar solo in the live version is insane
Easily my favorite Queen album, my favorite Queen songs lean into fantasy so having an album partly dedicated to those elements really does a lot for me
I have always said Queen II was their Crown Jewel. I first heard it 45 years ago, and still feel the same way. So Glad to see someone out there feels the same! Thanks!!!! 👍
I always loved the first two Queen albums, and I agree with you, they're very underrated - specially Queen II. Ogre Battle is simply amazing.
0:17 Queen IS a band, not "are." The band is one unit, singular.
Not only is it underrated...the album is also one of the greatest and best records in the world. Better than Jackson's thriller and bon jovi's slippery when wet.
It is indeed criminally underrated, but Queen II has always been my favorite Queen album - since I first heard it when I was 13. For me I like their hard rock phase, not the pop-rock style in the late 70s and the 80s, so I really love the first 3 albums, and while Queen I is very important too, for being also very heavy and influential for heavy metal, Queen II was just perfect - I love how it combines also more of the progressive rock elements, but the hard rock sound is still there. Definitely if I had to only choose one studio album from Queen it would be this one 100%.
Ever thought about making a video about the Ziggy Stardust.. I've always wanted to hear your take on the concept and story
Queen made the greatest album of all rock history before they came famous, it is sad how people don't know this masterpiece.
It’s about time someone makes a video about this album. This has been one of my favorite albums since I was six years old.
Hey Polyphonic, can you make a video about “Redeye” by Redeye and Michael Melvoin. It’s one of my favorite albums and I love the way that you describe albums as an experience. I’d love to watch you talk about it!
i love this video, i remember going through all of their albums and this one was definitely my favourite, thank you for giving it some much needed love
Thank you… this is also my favorite Queen album!
Thanks!
Queen II is one of the most brilliant and genius albums of all time. I’ve always thought that. Absolutely incredible, and they only had 16 track recording.
It is, and always has been, my favorite Queen album.
Thank you! I’ve been saying this for years about Queen II! You can hear the Jimi Hendrix influence on Ogre Battle when the backward opening flips forwards in time with the music (Jimi did this on Are You Experienced?)
more queen videos i love this the effort into these are insane
Fantastic work. You have a great talent for enriching the experience of music. I love learning more about the music I love with the where and how they came to be. Thank you for all the work that goes in to these films. Till next time☕
Finally a video about this amazing album, im so happy that its getting some recognition. Its truly a hidden masterpiece
Not by me and many older Queen fans, it isn't. Incredible, multi-layered and daring in its scope, like all early Queen. I'd go as far as choosing it as a top ten desert island album.
Back in the day people reffered to each side as 'side black' and 'side white'-just like the sleeve said . For the longest time all Queen albums had the synth disclaimer on the sleeve.Queen later said the synths of the era were cheesy and didn't want their sound associated with it. I was an original Queen fan back in the pre -punk days and can still remember how awestruck I was first hearing 'seven seas of Rhye' coming in through the airwaves one eveing. I had it taped on a reel to reel recorder and damn near wore the tape out. Popular opinion at the time had Queen 2 overshadowed by 'Sheer heart attck', which came with 'Killer Queen'(big hit ) and,best of all, 'Brighton rock'.The BBC broadcast Queen in concert and what May did with his guitar/echoplex was jaw-dropping by the standards of the day. Thanks for spotlighting this album !
Wish more people knew of Queens early catalogue. A lot only know of the major hits, like We Will Rock You, & Champions. Early Queens music was great. Wish more would check into their albums from 70’s. Queen 1 & 2 is awesome. Under rated, yes!
Great video essay as always… Queen 2 is also my favorite, I swear the Ogre Battle is the birth of Metal…. Turn it up to 11 and take it all in. It’s a masterpiece
I quite like a few songs from their first album. Doing Alright in particular is one of my favorite Queen songs.
I love Doin Alright, but it's amusing how that's the one Smile song that got to be on a Queen album.
Only recently have I finally acquired this album and I wish I had done so much earlier. After several listenings, I can certainly understand why it’s underrated. These non radio play songs are really starting to grow on me, just like some of the songs from their debut. Their more experimental side is definitely a refreshing change from the burned out songs by Queen. Thanks for the review !
The March of the Black Queen > Bohemian Rhapsody
No
I had to fall in and then out of love with Queen to find this album their most inspiring work. They don't sound there like these massive stadium hit makers, which very quickly become overplayed and kinda overshadow the original records they're from. This album is a work of art that doesn't stand out with a one song like ANATO does (at least to me), it's actually thier most comprehensive work in the whole catalogue. Probably Queen's greatest piece.
When I was little I liked the white side more but now I like the black more
Liked the artwork used in this clip - worked perfectly with these album tracks. This album always felt like a very separate experience for me - so much drama created in a very sophisticated way. The inner ‘white’ band photo also added to the intrigue.
This album is usually lumped as "another good 70s album", because of it being lumped in tour with the debut album and sheer heart attack releasing the same year with a much bigger hit than seven seas of rhye.
Summer of 1984, I walked into a record store in Nanuet NY and they were blasting The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke. I was floored; never heard anything like it. The arrangements and complexity sounded classical but the delivery was pure rock. To this day I still listen to this album with the same amazement and enjoyment.
My first Queen album was Night at the Opera. I was more than intrigued. Like other artists that caught my attention, I went back to their beginning, and purchased Queen. I then went on to buy Queen II, and subsequently, every other album - up to Jazz. It was definitely Queen II that sealed the deal. I was a fan! The production/engineering of this album is unmatched. The way Side Black begins - Ogre Battle, with its backward-tracked intro, and how the audio never stops - cascading from one song to the next - is just genius!
The summer before I entered high School I managed to get an internship at the local college radio station. Queen one was on the rotation and I really enjoyed it so when Queen 2 came out I got it immediately. I was listening to a lot of other things in sort of the same era where experimentation was almost expected of an artist. This fit so well into all of that and it's kept me listening to them ever since.
A little disappointed that you skipped over funny how love is, I just played that for my current girlfriend. It is now her new favorite Queen song
This is one of those very select few albums that make me choke up and tear up slightly every single time I listen to it for reasons that I can't nor I would want to be able to explain. But it helps to remind me of how unexplainably religious-like music can be to us sometimes...
Great take and subject. I love the old Queen albums. My favorite is Sheer Heart Attack, but Queen II is very close behind it. The first album also is great, with Night at the Opera in forth place. The early albums need to be listened to more.
Absolutely love the variety on this album, especially love white queen
A unique work of unparalleled genius full of ambition, imagination and incredible musicianship. Joyful the sound.
Great review. This album and Sheer Heart Attack are my favorite Queen albums.
Queen II I'd say was one of the most pivotal albums in Glam rock and art rock because so many glam metal and alternative rockers cite it as being their favorite.
Queen II is my favorite album from my favorite band. I absolutely adore the folkloric quality of it and it feels like it is fantasy elements that are at the core of all of my tastes---it is such a storytelling and EPIC album. YESSSSS YESSSS!
Thank you for making this !!
Love this album - never tire of it! I didnt hear it when it came out but upon hearing it it has remained my favorite. March of the Black Queen” is without doubt their best song. Both sides are amazing and after years of listening to it - the complexity of the music and (at times) mysterious lyrics still yield new discoveries - although I can do without “The Loser in the End”. Thanks!
This is my favorite Queen album!! Also their debut, Sheer Heart Attack, and literally anything else underrated by Queen!
Their debut was Queen. Sheer Heart Attack was their 3rd
@@mrswilbert I know I meant like, I like their debut and sheer heart attack
@@BigLabels ahhh...I love them all (except Hot Space, epic fail). I can't decide on a favorite album.
@@mrswilbert Hot Space does have its moments, but Queen II is sadly there least successfully album, barely making a profit
Queen has been my favorite band for over 12 years, and for a long time Queen II was my favorite. It's really uniquely them, and when I hear March of the Black Queen, I always think of Roger's description: "the complexity of it is staggering". Sheer Heart Attack is my favorite album now and the one I tell people to start with, because I feel it showcases their wide variety of sounds best. But Queen II is a close second.
this video made me a dedicated fan of queen. I had heard the greatest hits, but after I watched this video, I decided to actually listen to queen ii. it took me months to actually sit down and listen to it, but it was incredible! I ended up listening to queen's entire discography over the next three days and I've never looked back since
You can almost get a Medieval-like vibe listening to this classic
The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke is one of the best Queen songs ever
Funnily enough, when I saw the notification and the title, my slow ass net didn't load the thumbnail, but in my head I was guessing Queen II. Lo and behold, there it is!
I should add that there's one song that deserves a mention here, despite being a B-side for Seven Seas of Rhye: See What a Fool I've Been. This shows a bluesy, early Led Zeppelin side of Queen you won't hear anywhere. Before We Are The Champions, they would close out their shows with that or Jailhouse Rock, sometimes both. I recommend the live performance from the Rainbow in March. Speaking of Rainbow, if you wanna hear Queen at their rawest, Live At The Rainbow is the album to listen.
Queen II is their best album in my book. I listened to it for the first time almost two years ago, I had heard Seven Seas of Rhye and March of the Black Queen before. I was going through a phase of playing old SNES tactical games and came on to Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen and said "I gotta hear the album that inspired this game's name" and it has been a wonderful mainstay in my rotation ever since.
Queen 2 is my favorite Queen album. The others have bigger hits and maybe even a few better songs but #2 is a work of art from start to finish.
8:20 Yep, May is a guitar ace, an astrophysicist who's collaborated with NASA, and a few moths ago was knighted for his services to music and charity!
May is one of those people who you get the impression anything he decides to become great at he can. He just chose to be a great guitarist and astrophysicist.
Yup, the best time to upload this video. Thank you for sharing man!