Queen II: japan remastered

Queen's second album, 1974's Queen II, is their heaviest and also darkest release. Upset by the lashing the critics bestowed upon their underrated self-titled debut a year earlier (and its underachieving chart performance), the band were determined to hit the big time with their second try. And succeed they did — the album reached number five on the U.K. charts, while its breakthrough single, "Seven Seas of Rhye," reached number ten. The band also created a buzz stateside by opening a tour for Mott the Hoople, and in return received FM radio support. The first side of the record was titled the "white" side, while the second was the "black" side; still, both include an equal amount of rockers and ballads. Opening with the lush guitar orchestration of Brian May's "Procession," the album kicks into high gear with one of Queen's most underrated tracks, the haunting "Father to Son." Like the debut, the album switches from style to style throughout ballads ("White Queen," "Nevermore"), pop ("Some Day One Day"), heavy metal ("Ogre Battle," "Seven Seas of Rhye"), and mutated prog-rock ("The March of the Black Queen," "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke"). A stellar release that has only improved over the years, Queen II also proved to be an influential album for future musicians — Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan considers it an all-time personal favorite. — Greg Prato.