Do you believe that Queen had any input about the differences in the early vinyl releases?
Queen I and Queen II especially. I prefer the US versions of both vs the European look. The royal redness of Queen I and the darker Queen II covers give the band a deeper mysterious look in my opinion.
Do you think think this was just another case of what The Beatles went through where the record company had their own art direction dept that changed their releases?
I have no idea if it was their own input or, as you say, just a separate art dept with their own vision - but I agree that the early USA albums look better, art-wise. I really love the colours of the US version of the debut album, especially with that gold embossed look logo. Magic!