Queen in Review: Queen II

Queen almost named this album "Over the Top" which would really be a fitting title for any of their records since they never did write anything that could be described as subtle or subdued. Freddie Mercury had an infamous affection for pomp and always seemed to be playing to the cheap seats, even on his ballads. Queen II was completed in August 1973 but due to a government enforced conservation of energy due to the oil crisis at the time, it wasn't actually released until 1974. It was a semi-concept album based around fairies, myths and light vs. darkness and got some pretty terrible reviews at the time, including this gem from Record Mirror: "This is it, the dregs of glam rock. Weak and over-produced, if this band are our brightest hope for the future, then we are committing rock and roll suicide." Makes one curious to hear the album, for sure.

All 4 members of Queen wrote songs over the years but Brian May and Freddie Mercury dominate this album with nothing by John Deacon and only one song written by Roger Taylor, the drummer, fittingly titled "The Loser in the End." Side A (Side White as the label says) features May and Taylor's songs while Freddie Mercury gets Side Black all to himself and his whimsical fantasies. I remember in high school, a friend of mine leant me her cassette copy of this album and told how much she had fallen for it. I took it home and gave it a listen and even though I had played D&D for years earlier in my life, somehow the ogres and such turned me off. If it didn't involve a 100-sided die, I wanted nothing to do with it.

It also didn't help that I didn't recognize a single song since nothing from Queen II made Greatest Hits which is odd since this may be their most consistent and least schizophrenic album. The listenability must be due to the fact that they allow straight sets by the songwriters where all their other records jarringly switch between the members resulting in uneven song quality and a patchwork quilt of sounds and ideas that I never seem to get used to. Side Black is particularly solid, probably because Mercury was so comfortable in the milieu of magical and fantastical imagery. Before he got drunk on his own fame and power he was happiest prancing around with forest beings and whimsical sprites. Once you've delved deep into the world of gnomes and such, you don't think twice about wearing unitards apparently.

Weirdest song: "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke"