NEW LP
New sealed copy. 2022 remastered reissue on 180 gram black vinyl. Half speed mastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios.
Queen II is the second studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 8 March 1974 by EMI Records in the UK and Elektra Records in the US. It was recorded at Trident Studios and Langham 1 Studios, London, in August 1973 with co-producers Roy Thomas Baker and Robin Geoffrey Cable, and engineered by Mike Stone. It is significant for being the first album to contain elements of the band's signature sound of multi-layered overdubs, vocal harmonies, and varied musical styles.
Described as "arguably the heaviest Queen album", Queen II marked the end of the first phase of the band's career. The album combines a heavy rock sound with art rock and progressive rock elements, and has been called "a pillar of grandiose, assaultive hard rock" by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Queen II is not a concept album but a collection of songs with a loose theme running throughout. The two sides of the original LP 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 white side has songs with a more emotional theme and the black side is almost entirely about fantasy, often with quite dark themes. Mick Rock's cover photograph was frequently re-used by the band throughout its career, including the music videos for the songs "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975), and "One Vision" (1985).
Released to an initially mixed critical reception, Queen II remains one of the band's lesser-known albums. Nonetheless, it has retained a cult following since its release, and garnered praise from critics, fans, and fellow musicians alike.
TRACKLIST:
A1 Procession
A2 Father To Son
A3 White Queen (As It Began)
A4 Some Day One Day
A5 The Loser In The End
B1 Ogre Battle
B2 The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke
B3 Nevermore
B4 The March Of The Black Queen
B5 Funny How Love Is
B6 Seven Seas Of Rhye
