Queen II

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Lore & Background

The album's two sides were labelled "Side White" and "Side Black" instead of the conventional sides A and B, with corresponding photos of the band dressed in black on the front cover and white on the inner gatefold. 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 "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975) and "One Vision" (1985). Queen II is not a concept album but a collection of songs with a loose theme running throughout. The band included the comment "and nobody played synthesiser... again" on the album sleeve, as some listeners had mistaken their elaborate multi-tracking and effects as synthesisers.

In Their Own Story

The needle drops on vinyl, crackling with anticipation before silence fills the room. Shadows stretch across the walls as the first notes swell, transporting listeners into a realm where knights and queens walk among mortals. It is not just sound; it is a ritual performed in the dark, binding the audience to the mythos woven by four musicians seeking something greater than mere fame.

Reader's Guide

Recorded at Trident Studios and Langham 1 Studios, London, in August 1973, Queen II was co-produced by Roy Thomas Baker and Robin Geoffrey Cable, and engineered by Mike Stone. The band approached David Bowie to produce, but he declined because he was then recording Pin Ups and working on songs for Diamond Dogs. Robin Geoffrey Cable, with whom Mercury had worked during the "I Can Hear Music" session, was asked to produce "Nevermore" and "Funny How Love Is", and collaborate with Roy Thomas Baker on "March of the Black Queen". 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. Released to an initially mixed critical reception, Queen II remains one of the band's lesser-known albums, but has retained a cult following since its release.

Did You Know?

• The album's working title was "Over The Top" in reference to the extensive overdubbing.
• Brian May contracted gangrene from a tainted inoculation needle in mid-December and couldn't attend some sessions.
• The band included the comment "and nobody played synthesiser... again" on the album sleeve because listeners had mistaken their multi-tracking and effects for synthesisers.
• Mick Rock's cover photograph was re-used for the music videos of "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975) and "One Vision" (1985).
• The album's two sides were labelled "Side White" and "Side Black" instead of the conventional sides A and B.