mike hunt 27.12.2017 05:55 |
Listened to this album for the first time in over a year, and was reminded why I had it as my favorite for years until I started mentioning Opera as my favorite for longevity reasons. Just seems Opera has more all time favorites. Anyway, I think Opera gets it's due. How on earth does Queen 2 not get mentioned as an all time great? Father to son/white Queen....the whole Black side, especially Masterstroke/Nevermore/Black Queen...such a underrated masterpiece. I still think what a fool I been should have ended side White since it blows Loser in the end away, that's my only complaint.... I guess they figured see what a fool I been sounded too much like Zep, but that shouldn't have stopped them, everyone has Influences and the song kicked butt. |
master marathon runner 27.12.2017 08:11 |
Love it. See what a fool I've been, to me , has a sort of novelty, tongue in cheek air about it, more befitting a b- side. (Which it was of course) , have no problem with loser, it finishes side white nicely for me and opens the portal to the magnificent side black, which, to me, is perhaps the greatest concentration of power packed, subtle, sublime and original lightening bolt of rock music ever . |
Arnaldo "Ogre-" Silveira 27.12.2017 13:29 |
I love the album to bits. In my humble opinion, the greatest album of the greatest band ever! Cheers, Ogre- |
Saint Jiub 27.12.2017 20:06 |
I rate Queen II in my top 5 Queen albums, but certainly not the best. Side Black is the best album side by the band, but Side White leaves a bit to be desired for me, as Loser in the End is my favorite song on Side White. |
mike hunt 27.12.2017 20:59 |
master marathon runner wrote: Love it. See what a fool I've been, to me , has a sort of novelty, tongue in cheek air about it, more befitting a b- side. (Which it was of course) , have no problem with loser, it finishes side white nicely for me and opens the portal to the magnificent side black, which, to me, is perhaps the greatest concentration of power packed, subtle, sublime and original lightening bolt of rock music ever .Side Black, side 2 of ANATO and side 1 of Sheer Heart Attack could fight out what the best side of a Queen album is.....good luck with that one. |
Fly away 28.12.2017 01:17 |
I’ll prolly get crucified for this: side two of The Works. |
Vocal harmony 28.12.2017 14:05 |
mike hunt wrote:You seem to be at odds with your initial post. Having begun with Queen II then replaced it with Opera, mentioned Queen II again, you've now brought Sheer Heart Attack into the list. Do I guess Queen II is actually further down your lis then it ever has been? Good luck with that one indeed, maybe Races should be in there too!master marathon runner wrote: Love it. See what a fool I've been, to me , has a sort of novelty, tongue in cheek air about it, more befitting a b- side. (Which it was of course) , have no problem with loser, it finishes side white nicely for me and opens the portal to the magnificent side black, which, to me, is perhaps the greatest concentration of power packed, subtle, sublime and original lightening bolt of rock music ever .Side Black, side 2 of ANATO and side 1 of Sheer Heart Attack could fight out what the best side of a Queen album is.....good luck with that one. |
mike hunt 28.12.2017 16:03 |
Interesting you picked that up.......when someone asked me back then what my favorite Queen album was without hesitation I would say Queen 2. Now I can't really pick Just 1 album. Usually It's Opera/Queen2 I go back and forth with. But like you hinted other albums have Gained steam over the years, like A Day At The Races, which I like almost as much as those 2 and the self titled is close as well. SHA I always loved, but Queen 2 is still a top album for me, always in my top 2 or 3. |
The Real Wizard 28.12.2017 16:07 |
master marathon runner wrote: have no problem with loser, it finishes side white nicely for me and opens the portal to the magnificent side black, which, to me, is perhaps the greatest concentration of power packed, subtle, sublime and original lightening bolt of rock music ever .Nicely put, sir. |
Gregsynth 28.12.2017 16:10 |
My second favorite Queen album. A near flawless masterpiece! |
mike hunt 28.12.2017 16:17 |
Wouldn't say I'm at odds with anything....go a year or so without listening to one of your favorites and when you hear it again you get blown away all over again. That's what happened with Queen 2. Just a brilliant album. I'll say one thing though. Someday one day isn't as good as future Brian sung songs and loser In The End doesn't fit the album at all. That's probably the reason other albums caught up. Opera and Races every song I like. Even sweet lady is better than those 2 songs. |
mike hunt 28.12.2017 16:23 |
[Q |
mike hunt 28.12.2017 16:26 |
Gregsynth wrote: My second favorite Queen album. A near flawless masterpiece!what's you're #1? |
happyhippie 28.12.2017 19:52 |
mike hunt wrote:Probably a night at the operaGregsynth wrote: My second favorite Queen album. A near flawless masterpiece!what's you're #1? |
mike hunt 28.12.2017 20:42 |
Same here..with Queen 2 a very close 2nd. Black Side is perfection, still blows me away after 30 years of listening, but side 2 of Opera is equal in my opinion. After understanding the brilliance of Good Company I put it up there with side Black. The difference is side 1 Of Opera is more Consistent than side White. Procession/Father to son/White Queen is perfect. Some day one day is no 39 and loser In the end is no I'm in love with My Car. That's the difference for me. |
The Real Wizard 29.12.2017 08:50 |
mike hunt wrote: Same here..with Queen 2 a very close 2nd. Black Side is perfection, still blows me away after 30 years of listening, but side 2 of Opera is equal in my opinion. After understanding the brilliance of Good Company I put it up there with side Black. The difference is side 1 Of Opera is more Consistent than side White. Procession/Father to son/White Queen is perfect. Some day one day is no 39 and loser In the end is no I'm in love with My Car. That's the difference for me.Bang on. |
TomP63 29.12.2017 12:08 |
Mike, that's too easy for me, stating that Some Day, One Day is no '39, given that thought, Who Wants To Live Forever is no '39 either, or Leaving Home Ain't Easy. Tenement Funster is no Drowse either. In that light, I'm In Love With My Car is also a tad out of place on Opera. Tom |
mike hunt 29.12.2017 17:02 |
I'm not sure what you mean tom.....why I feel Opera has the slight edge is side 1 is more consistent and side 2 is equal. Some Day is ok, but those Brian songs got better with 39, Good Company and long away. Loser In the End I neved liked. Nice drum work, but the song didn't fit the feel of the album. I'm not saying anyones wrong if they think Queen 2 is better, It's a brilliant album. I Just think Opera Has everything that is Queen. |
mike hunt 29.12.2017 17:09 |
TomP63 wrote: Mike, that's too easy for me, stating that Some Day, One Day is no '39, given that thought, Who Wants To Live Forever is no '39 either, or Leaving Home Ain't Easy. Tenement Funster is no Drowse either. In that light, I'm In Love With My Car is also a tad out of place on Opera. Tomyea, but if we were comparing Opera with Jazz it would be natural too say 39 is better than leaving home and love Of My life is better than Jealousy. Death on two legs is a better opener than Mustapha. That's usually how you compare albums. |
TomP63 29.12.2017 18:37 |
Mike, that's my point, what if Loser In the End was the opener for the Black Side? Tom |
mike hunt 29.12.2017 20:12 |
I agree you can't go only by that.....you also ask yourself over time....In our case a long time, if you were born in 63. What our all time favorite songs are and what album you keep going back to after years of listening. How do you decide which album is your favorite? I agree you can't say one album is better than another. We all like different things. Someone on this thread mentioned side 2 of The Works. That's his taste....let's grill him over that. How dare he like The Works over Queen 2 and Opera.....I think Roger and Brian liked SHA when asked what their favorite was. Slash It was NOTW.....I'm stating a reason why I put opera at 1 and Queen2 at a very close 2nd. In my opinion it was bit more consistent, and we also got many different styles of music on Opera. One thing we could agree on is Opera was the most Important record they ever made as per Roger Talyor. |
Sheer Brass Neck 29.12.2017 20:45 |
^^^ It would have sucked. Back then (not being a dick, just uncertain of reader ages here who may have never listened to anything but downloads or a CD), flipping a side meant something, it was the physical end of the side. Turn it over and the anticipation of the new side begins. The slow build, backward masking and vocal intro to Ogre Battle was sensational, LITE had none of the drama and would have been a lousy side opener. Queen were so good at great picks for side two the in the album days. |
Sheer Brass Neck 29.12.2017 20:46 |
^^^ Tom P63 It would have sucked. Back then (not being a dick, just uncertain of reader ages here who may have never listened to anything but downloads or a CD), flipping a side meant something, it was the physical end of the side. Turn it over and the anticipation of the new side begins. The slow build, backward masking and vocal intro to Ogre Battle was sensational, LITE had none of the drama and would have been a lousy side opener. Queen were so good at great picks for side two the in the album days. |
mooghead 29.12.2017 20:49 |
One album I just cannot have on in the background. It actually deserves to be listened to. On the very rare occasions I can sit back and close my eyes and give it my full concentration it never fails to astound. I always hear something in it that I didn't hear before. Imagine if Queen were always told 'forget singles, just do what you want'... It is the very essence of the band. |
dysan 29.12.2017 21:08 |
I haven't got Queen 2 yet or The Works so can't comment TBH! |
mike hunt 29.12.2017 22:42 |
Sheer Brass Neck wrote: ^^^ It would have sucked. Back then (not being a dick, just uncertain of reader ages here who may have never listened to anything but downloads or a CD), flipping a side meant something, it was the physical end of the side. Turn it over and the anticipation of the new side begins. The slow build, backward masking and vocal intro to Ogre Battle was sensational, LITE had none of the drama and would have been a lousy side opener. Queen were so good at great picks for side two the in the album days.I agree! I wouldn't trade buying records back in the 80's for nothing. I'm 46 so I did miss buying those early Queen records when they were new....but my Introduction to Queen was SHA and Queen 2 on Record In 1988, and yes It would have sucked If loser in the end opened side black. Thank god for Orge Battle! |
mike hunt 29.12.2017 22:44 |
mooghead wrote: One album I just cannot have on in the background. It actually deserves to be listened to. On the very rare occasions I can sit back and close my eyes and give it my full concentration it never fails to astound. I always hear something in it that I didn't hear before. Imagine if Queen were always told 'forget singles, just do what you want'... It is the very essence of the band.It's brilliant.....Just think In only 8 more years they would release Hot Space. |
dysan 30.12.2017 05:52 |
Add to the 80s memories spooling to the end of the tape. Some tapes rejigged the tracklists to even up the side lengths (most notably Queen 1) but those that didn't really ate into your personal stereo batteries :) |
Invisible Woman 30.12.2017 08:13 |
This album is great, of course, but I don't listen to it often. |
Thrill Yeti 30.12.2017 15:46 |
I'm in the minority here, but I don't think it's THAT brilliant. It's really ambitious, and brave, and wonderfully creative, but I don't think it's as melodic as the stuff that came shortly after, and ultimately great melodies are my favourite part of Queen. Side 1 - Father to Son is a decent heavy song, but it's no It's Late. White Queen is touching, though melodically doesn't do it for me. Some Day One Day is boring (we're talking She Makes Me levels of dull here). Loser in the end is meh. Side 2 is better, for sure. However, I can't get on board with the lyrical themes of Fairy Feller; Seven Seas is good, though probably the weakest lead single they released until Jazz came along; MOTBQ is great, and brilliantly ambitious, but it doesn't have the impact of Bohemian Rhapsody (I'd probably take The Millionaire Waltz over it, too, if we're comparing those kinds of Freddie songs). Nevermore is beautiful and probably my favourite song on the album. Please don't hate me. |
Vocal harmony 30.12.2017 16:47 |
Thrill Yeti wrote: I'm in the minority here, but I don't think it's THAT brilliant. It's really ambitious, and brave, and wonderfully creative, but I don't think it's as melodic as the stuff that came shortly after, and ultimately great melodies are my favourite part of Queen. Side 1 - Father to Son is a decent heavy song, but it's no It's Late. White Queen is touching, though melodically doesn't do it for me. Some Day One Day is boring. . . Side 2 is better, for sure. However, I can't get on board with the lyrical themes of Fairy Feller; Seven Seas is good, though probably the weakest lead single they released until Jazz came along; MOTBQ is great, and brilliantly ambitious, but it doesn't have the impact of Bohemian Rhapsody (I'd probably take The Millionaire Waltz over it, too, if we're comparing those kinds of Freddie songs). Nevermore is beautiful. . . Please don't hate me.I'm afraid I disagree. I think the song writing and production is amongst the most adventurous ever put out, with real depth and breadth. I love It's Late but it's a much simpler sounding melody, arrangement and lyric than Father To Son. Listening to the album it's pretty clear Seven Seas Of Rhye is the obvious and probably only choice for a single, but being early in their career it would be pretty bad If itwas the strongest single ever. The album paved the way for things like Bo Rhap. I really like the unpredictable direction the writing and arrangements take the listener. A great album that goes far deeper than catchy melodies and chorus lines. |
mike hunt 30.12.2017 18:52 |
No hate here....we all have different taste and I could understand a person not liking those first 2 albums. It's mostly in fantasy land. My Fairy king and Black Queens, lol. It's awsome though. I still like the hits as well, but stuff like Queen and Queen 2 are brilliant in my opinion. Father to son is Just as good as It's Late in my View. I might even like it better. Great vocals, love the guitar solo and it gets pretty heavy and melodic at the same time. |
Thrill Yeti 30.12.2017 20:46 |
Thing is, I wouldn't say catchy melodies and depth are mutually exclusive. My favourite Queen songs are probably the ones that have both. I agree that Queen II paved the way for the stuff that came after, but it does feel like a stepping stone to me, in a way. Fairy Feller is definitely doing some adventurous and skillful things, I'm just not sure it all amounts to that much. Death on Two Legs has similar complexity, but it adds up to make a much tighter and better song, in my opinion. Basically I feel like they applied all that creativity a bit better for the following three albums. Weirdly, I probably like Queen 1 almost as much as Queen II, if not equally. KYA, Doing Alright, Liar and Night Comes Down are all great. I'd take Liar over Father to Son anyday actually, as a 6 minute heavy song. |
Dr Magus 30.12.2017 21:37 |
Considering they recorded most of Queen 2 just weeks after releasing Queen, they managed to record one one orgasm after another. John's bass sounds amazing. |
mike hunt 30.12.2017 21:51 |
And after releasing those first 2 albums within months, both great albums, they release Another Gem in Sheer Hear Attack in the same year as Queen 2. Back in those days most bands released albums every year, but 3 strong albums in a 2 year period is Impressive. |
Saint Jiub 31.12.2017 01:05 |
mike hunt wrote: And after releasing those first 2 albums within months, both great albums, they release Another Gem in Sheer Hear Attack in the same year as Queen 2. Back in those days most bands released albums every year, but 3 strong albums in a 2 year period is Impressive.Actually it is 3 albums in 16 months ... |