d o m

While most people consider Queen's classic period started with Sheer Heart Attack, a dedicated few hold II as high. At this point, the band was still somewhat in debt to the hazy, numbing heavy rock spirit of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, but were gradually starting to show signs of a very unique identity. The first side of the record picks up where their debut left off, with plenty of big guitar riffs and powerful drumming. The arrangements are slightly cleaned up, and as a whole, the "White Side" of Queen II would have been a sufficient followup effort in and of itself. But they didn't stop there. The "Black side" is where things start to get interesting. Beginning with "Ogre Battle", the band heads into a suite of songs emphasizing their most capricious qualities. It's not quite prog, but the references to "fairy-fellers", ogres, and other folkloric legends opened the door to a whole new audience (and some seriously bad reviews). The critics never really got Queen's, er, grandiloquence, but this album marks the beginning of a wild ride. After a short introduction ("Procession"), we begin with "Father to Son": a weird cross between Black Sabbath, CSN&Y, and Blue Öyster Cult, which might be a fair categorization of the band's early sound except for the fact that it doesn't shed any light on their penchant for Renaissance fair whimsy. This song is seemingly about some kind of secret passed down through the generations from father to son (!), but what secret? And why was it so dangerous? These questions may never be answered, but one thing is for sure: this song rocks pretty well, and is one of the most underrated in the band's canon. Queen's petals start to bloom on the second side of this album, beginning with "Ogre Battle", about some kind of fight-to-the-death tournament. Beyond the Tolkienesque tendencies, the major attractions here are the cool production tricks (check the backwards intro that turns itself around mid-phrase), and the truly outlandish vocal exclamations - probably the first such on a Queen album, though certainly not the last. Later comes "The March of the Black Queen". This song is significant because it was a kind of blueprint for the highly theatrical mini rock-opera Queen would perfect a year later with "Bohemian Rhapsody." It's all here: the mysterious, understated introduction, the crescendo into a big rock stomp, a triumphant finale. This one even has a creamy middle with all kinds of cooing harmonies. I'd say it was Queen's most underrated tune, but I've already used that one up. This album usually polarizes listeners. Some fans dismiss it as an early means to the band's very popular mid-70s end, while Queen diehards often place it with their best. I tend to agree with the latter assessment, and say that for sheer warm-blooded excitement, the band rarely sounded better. review by Dominique Leone — 9-9-01 —

c o n r a d

When I first bought this album many years ago, all I knew about it was that it was the only Queen album that hadn't contributed to Queen's Greatest Hits. I was in for a pleasant surprise, and this has since become one of my favourite Queen albums. The concept of this album splits it into two distinct sides; Side White contains songs composed by Brian May, as well as one from Roger Taylor, while Side Black contains all Freddy Mercury compositions. Musically, Queen is still a little immature here. Freddy's voice hasn't quite blossomed, and Brian May seems happier belting a tune out of his guitar than using the finesse that he was later to become known for. There is, however, a lot of confidence in the way Queen go about their music here. On second thought, forget confidence: in places it's outright arrogance. This is most obvious on Side Black, where Freddy's fantasy-inspired lyrics provide the perfect setting for the pompous, regal attitude that made him famous. Another feature of this album is that the gap between the songs is very small, which gives you the feeling of one song hitting you after another with barely time to breathe. This is particularly effective on Side Black, whose songs are more frenetic than those of Side White. This is very much a foretaste of A Night at the Opera. Freddy Mercury's allusions to Victorian and Edwardian England are here both lyrically ("The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke" is based on a painting by the Victorian painter Richard Dadd) and musically; "March of the Black Queen" could be described as a prototype for "Bohemian Rhapsody", and Brian May's songwriting here is subtle and uderstated, as well as underrated. If A Night at the Opera is your type of Queen album, and you like a bit of heavy guitar work, then this will probably be your cup of tea as well. review by Conrad Leviston — 5-8-03 —