- QUEEN
- QUEEN II
The formula of the band was absolutely great: hard rock +
opera = new music. Freddie Mercury with his "brutal-opera" style was an ideal
vocalist for this band, Brian May with his magic guitar did great hard solos,
John Deacon did his part perfectly. The only person in this band I really don't
like is Roger Taylor. He was a really good drummer, but his voice and his songs
SUCK.
So the band did two great albums with this formula, but soon changed the style
forever. Oh no, they changed their style, in fact, on every album. Sometimes
these changes resulted in catastrophes, sometimes in masterpieces...
OK, now we can go to the reviews!
This album and "Keep Yourself Alive" opens with a heavy May
riff, turned into some kind of cacaphonia with hundreds of echoes. But the song
itself is good, very good, with interesting lyrics and a more than interesting
May solo. Nothing can show us that the band is going to experiment with opera.
Seems that we have found another Uriah Heep or a Deep Purple clone.
But the second song, "Doing All Right" is an opera-style ballad with heavy middle
part. It's overlong, even if it lasts only four minutes. I don't like this song
very much. "Great King Rat" is the best song on here, with gothic-fantasy lyrics
and the great chorus line "Would you like to know? Oh would you like to know?"
The May and Taylor solos sound great. Deep Purple-level song. Unfortunately,
"My Fairy King" is not of that kind. Very-very boring opera/hard story with
that awful piano. Better go and listen "Liar". The opener is so-so, but the
middle part, the May solo and "Mammma I'm gonna be you slave" part are unforgetable.
Then goes the dull pop of "The Night Comes Down". You know, after listening
this song you can understand why Freddie died. Not because of AIDS, because
of tons of angry Queen fans and normals listeners... Well, "Morden Times Rock'n'Roll"
has great drive, fast Brian solo and everything else to be a fantastic song,
even Taylor sings it. "Son And Daughter" is pure heavy pop, but what heavy pop!
Guitar lines are majestic. "Jesus" is majestic too: great riff, great fast part,
GREAT, GREAT, GREAT!
And, finally, the dirty little instrumental "Seven Seas Of Rhye". Well...You
can get the CD out of your CD-player right after "Jesus".
Buy it or not? Yes, if you want to be really happy. And all DP and LZ fans must
get it too!
Send your comments and reviews of "Queen"
Are you ready for 40+ minutes of beautiful non-stop rock 'n'
roll? I'm ready, and it means that I' m ready for "Queen II"!!!!!
It opens with beautiful May solos and then the melody turns into "Father To
Son". Pure pop with good lyrics and a middle instrumental part that can destroy
all borders on your way to love early Queen. The sad "White Queen" is the best
song on here and it has the first May acoustic solo. That chorus is unforgetable.
By the way, Brian sings the next song, "Some Day One Day". Listen to this song
and you will love Queen for all your live. The "But some day, one day" lines
are a masterpiece.
"The Loser In The End". Oh, how I love this song! Now Taylor sings and this
is the only time his singing is really normal. Brian plays great. SO does he
on "Ogre Battle", which has bad opening, great chours and lyrics (Tolkien forever!!!).
"The Fairy Feller's Master Stoke" is funny, but the music is dumb. More dumb
music you can find on the piano-dominated "Nevermore". Vocals are dumb too.
"Nevermoooooooooooooore..." Brrrrr.
Some kind of epic "The March Of The Black Queen" isn't really epic, but big
experiment. Styles change at light speed, sometimes it turns into real march,
into waltz, into hard-rock, into pop, into opera... In other word "The March"
is the quintessential song of the album. By the way, listen carefuly to the
ending. Sounds like "Bohemian Rhapsody", doesn't it?
"Funny How Love Is" is the worst song on here. Vocals are... well, VERY BAD.
Music is dumb and doesn't change. Always the same riff and the same lyrics (I
don't count the opening).
The album closes with a new version of "Seven Seas Of Rhye", now with vocals.
It's much better, maybe because of the "Don't survive..." lines and the funny
guitarwork. This song is the first hit of Queen.
You need this album in your collection. Go and buy it!
Send your comments and reviews of "Queen II"