Queen II
Studio album by Queen
Released	8 March 1974 (UK) 9 April 1974 (USA)
Recorded	August 1973 Trident Studios
Genre	Experimental rock Hard rock Heavy metal Progressive rock
Length	40:42
Label	EMI/Parlophone (Europe) Elektra/Hollywood (USA)
Producer(s)	See Personnel
Professional reviews
AMG link
Queen chronology
Queen (1973) Queen II (1974) Sheer Heart Attack (1974)

Queen II is the second album by English rock band Queen, originally released in 1974. It was recorded at Trident Studios, London, England in August 1973, and engineered by Mike Stone. The two sides of the original LP were labelled "Side White" and "Side Black" (instead of the conventional sides "A" and "B"), with corresponding photos of the band dressed in white or in black on either side of the record's label face. The album is also a loose concept album, with the white side having songs with a more emotional theme and the black side almost entirely about fantasy, often with quite dark themes. Image File history File links Queen_Queen_II.png‎ [edit] Summary The band Queens cover for their 1974 Queen II album. ... A studio album is a collection of previously unreleased, studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by Brian May, Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor, with John Deacon joining the following year. ... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Art rock. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Heavy metals, in chemistry, are chemical elements of a particular range of atomic weights. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The EMI Group (LSE: EMI) is a British music company comprising of the major record company EMI Music which operates several labels, based in Kensington in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based in New York. ... Parlophone is a record label which was founded in Germany prior to World War I by the Carl Lindstrom Company. ... Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, and today operates under Atlantic Records Group. ... Hollywood Records is a record label owned by Disney. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by Brian May, Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor, with John Deacon joining the following year. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by Brian May, Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor, with John Deacon joining the following year. ... Trident Studios is a British recording facility, located at 17 St Annes Court in Londons Soho district. ... London — containing the City of London — is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England and a major world city. With over seven million inhabitants (Londoners) in Greater London area, it is amongst the most densely populated areas in Western Europe. ... Mike Stone (a. ... It has been suggested that Childrens gramophone records be merged into this article or section. ...

Mick Rock's album cover photograph was frequently re-used by the band throughout its career, most notably in the music video for the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975). There are two versions of this photograph, one with black for the background and foreground (right), the other with a brown foreground. Queen II album cover Mick Rock is a photographer best known for his iconic shots of 1970s glam rock icons such as Queen, David Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. ... An album cover is a cover used to package commercial audio recordings such as the printed cardboard covers that were typically used to package 12 gramophone records from the 1960s through to the 1980s when the 12 record was the major format for distribution of popular music. ... Bohemian Rhapsody is a song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. ...

Numerous problems beset the album's release. Its completion coincided with the 1973 oil crisis and consequently, government-enforced measures for energy conservation delayed its manufacture by several months. Once the long-overdue first pressing arrived in record shops, the band noticed a spelling error on the sleeve, and had to complain persistently to correct it.^[1] The 1973 oil crisis began in earnest on October 17, 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC, consisting of the Arab members of OPEC plus Egypt and Syria) announced, as a result of the ongoing Yom Kippur War, that they would no longer ship petroleum... For the physical concepts, see conservation of energy and energy efficiency. ...

The lead-vocalist Freddie Mercury composed the entire "Black" side, contributing virtuosic piano and harpsichord pieces and a wide range of distinctive vocal performances. The "White" side is very diverse: four of the five numbers were composed by Brian May, where one is instrumental, one is sung by Mercury and Taylor (with May at the piano), the next is sung by Mercury, and the last by May. The closing track of The "White" Side is Taylor's only composition in the album. John Deacon played acoustic guitar as well as bass on most of the album, except the songs "White Queen" and "Some Day One Day", which were performed by May — partly on an inexpensive Hairfred guitar that he had owned since his childhood. A short grand piano, with the top up. ... Harpsichord in the Flemish style A harpsichord is any of a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument currently called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ... Brian Harold May CBE (born July 19, 1947) is an English guitarist best known as the lead guitarist and backing (sometimes lead) vocalist for the English rock band Queen. ... For the medieval chroniclers named John, deacon of. ... Playing a steel-string guitar without a pick (fingerpicking). ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ...

Although the album was largely panned by critics, it is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die^[2]. 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery. ...

History

With their debut album recorded and mixed by the end of November 1972, Queen set about touring and promoting it. Management problems forced the album to be released under the independent Trident label, but only after eight months had gone by since completion. During that time, Queen were writing new material and anxious to record it. Several new songs were written immediately after the first album, and some dated from even earlier. "See What A Fool I've Been" was left over from the Smile days (and was actually built around May's recollection of a blues diddy he had heard on a television program; the song was "That's How I Feel" by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, which May finally re-discovered in 2004 after an eager fan tracked it down for him). "Ogre Battle" was written during the debut album sessions, as was "Father To Son", but the band decided to wait on recording them until they had more ample studio time. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Sonny Terry performing live at Nambassa festival 1981. ... Walter Brownie McGhee (November 30, 1915 - February 16, 1996) was a folk-blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry. ...

August 1973 found the band back in Trident, now allowed to book proper hours there, with an album under their belts. For what is generally considered a complex album (with layered vocals, harmonies and instruments), it took a very short time — only one month — to record Queen II. A full version of "Seven Seas of Rhye" was laid down, recorded with the specific intention of being the album's leading single. After the commercial failure of "Keep Yourself Alive", which was taken from the first album, Queen decided it needed a single that did not take "too long to happen" (without a lengthy guitar intro). So, Queen and Baker made sure that "Rhye" began in a way which would grab people. Mythology and art were passions of Mercury's, and Richard Dadd's painting "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" (which currently hangs in the Tate Gallery) sparked his creativity. This scene from Dadd's imagination was inspired by characters from faery myths, which in the painting are gathered around the Feller of Trees to watch him crack a walnut for Queen Mab's new carriage. The word mythology (from the Greek μυολογία mythología, from μυολογείν mythologein to relate myths, from μύος mythos, meaning a narrative, and λόγος logos, meaning speech or argument) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and... The Tate Gallery in the United Kingdom is a network of four galleries: Tate Britain (opened 1897), Tate Liverpool (1988), Tate St Ives (1993), Tate Modern (2000), with a complementary website Tate Online (1998). ... In mythology and in fiction, Faerie (also Faery) is an otherworldly realm, home to the Fae or fairies. ... In English folklore, Queen Mab is a fairy. ...

Mick Rock was employed to do the photography for the album's artwork. Mercury was inspired by a picture of Marlene Dietrich looking into a white spotlight in the dark, as smoke from her cigarette swirled about her.^{[citation needed]} This single picture of Queen, used on the Queen II album cover, would become one of the band's most iconic images, revisited and brought to life for the "Bohemian Rhapsody" promotional film. Marlene Dietrich IPA: ; (December 27, 1901 – May 6, 1992) was a German-born actress, singer, and entertainer. ...

Robin Cable, with whom Mercury had worked during the "I Can Hear Music" session, was recruited to reproduce the Spector production sound for "Funny How Love Is". I Can Hear Music is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. ...

The album was completed by the end of August 1973. Queen added "Ogre Battle", "Procession" and "Father to Son" to their live setlists immediately and toured extensively. Once again, however, Trident delayed the record since Queen's first album had only just been released in the UK and had yet to be issued in the US. Queen II finally entered stores in the UK on March 8, 1974.

The only single released from the album worldwide in 1974 (February 23rd in the UK) was "Seven Seas Of Rhye", with the non-album B-Side "See What A Fool I've Been" in most territories. Japan's B-Side was album track "The Loser In The End". This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

In 1977, Queen's First E.P. was released, featuring a version of "White Queen" which is a stand-alone version, eliminating the segue (from "Father To Son") which appears on the album. Stand-alone is a loosely defined term used to sort computer programs. ...

In 1987/1988 the UK three-inch CD single reissue of "The Seven Seas Of Rhye" featured "See What A Fool I've Been" and a unique edit of "Funny How Love Is" (featuring the last verse of the album track "The March Of The Black Queen" as an intro). A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc. ...

In 1991 the same three-inch singles as previously released in the UK are issued in Japan. "The Seven Seas Of Rhye" single in this set features the standard "See What A Fool I've Been" track and a stand-alone version of "Funny How Love Is" (different from the UK CD3 release).

Also in 1991, Hollywood Records re-released Queen II in the US and Canada with "See What A Fool I've Been" as a bonus track plus updated remixes of "Ogre Battle" and "Seven Seas Of Rhye". Hollywood Records is a record label owned by Disney. ... In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. ...

Queen II was Queen's first UK Top 5 album, while it sold poorly on the US peaking in the lower reaches of the Top 100 on Billboard's album chart and remains the only 1970s era Queen album not to be certified either Gold or Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

Track listing

Side White

1. "Procession" (May) - 1:12
2. "Father to Son" (May) - 6:14
3. "White Queen (As It Began)" (May) - 4:33
4. "Some Day One Day" (May) - 4:21
5. "The Loser in the End" (Taylor) - 4:01

Side Black

1. "Ogre Battle" (Mercury) - 4:08
2. "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" (Mercury) - 2:41
3. "Nevermore" (Mercury) - 1:17
4. "The March of the Black Queen" (Mercury) - 6:33
5. "Funny How Love Is" (Mercury) - 2:48
6. "Seven Seas of Rhye" (Mercury) - 2:48

Bonus tracks

1. "See What A Fool I've Been" (May) (1991, original B-side of Seven Seas of Rhye)
2. "Ogre Battle" (1991, Remix by Nicholas Sansano)
3. "Seven Seas of Rhye" (1991, Remix by Freddy Bastone)

There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

Procession

"Procession" was performed by Brian May on multi-tracked guitar. He recorded it by playing overlapping parts on the Red Special through John Deacon's custom-made amplifier (the Deacy Amp). This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Deacy Amp is an amplifier created and named after Queen bassist John Deacon and used by guitarist Brian May. ...

Father to Son

"Father to Son" was written by May, being musically influenced by The Who^{[citation needed]}. It features heavy metal sections as well as quiet piano parts, some of which May played (Mercury took over for more complicated work). This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Heavy metal (sometimes referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ...

White Queen (As It Began)

"White Queen" was composed by May while he was studying astronomy at Imperial College^{[citation needed]}. It concerns his feelings about a girl whom he had a crush on — he never had the courage to express his feelings to her. A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant Astronomy is the science of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earths atmosphere (such as auroras and cosmic background radiation). ... Imperial College London (also known as Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a British university institution and a constituent college of the University of London. ... Unrequited love is love that is not reciprocated, even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired. ...

Contrary to what many people believe, it was never performed by May's former band Smile. All of the vocals were sung by Mercury, including some multi-tracked harmonies emulating an angelic choir. Smile were a London-based rock band best known as the predecessor to renowned rock band Queen. ...

Many people the world over believe this song to be queen's greatest ever song, due to its raw emotion.

Some Day One Day

May got the inspiration for "Some Day One Day" from the idea of a place where relationships could be perfect. May would revisit that theme many years later on his solo record Another World. Another World is the second full studio album delivered by Queen guitarist, Brian May. ...

This is the first song sung entirely by May on lead vocals. It features May on acoustic guitar and electric guitar and the last guitar solo (during the fade-out) features three solo guitars. This kind of complex guitar arrangement is typical of May, however, usually the guitars are harmonious, but in this case all the guitars are all playing different parts. It almost sounds like the guitar plug is being plugged into the guitar as the last solo begins just before the fade-out. Left: Rosa Hurricane, a heavy metal-style solid body guitar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the volume of a source, such as when a song is gradually reduced to silence at its end (fade-out), or gradually increases from silence at the beginning (fade-in). ...

The Loser in the End

"The Loser in the End" was Taylor's sole contribution on the album as a songwriter and lead singer. Although Queen II is not a true concept album, all of the songs seemed to be connected, either lyrically or in general tone (or both), this one seems to be lone track lacking either attribute. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Ogre Battle

Mercury wrote "Ogre Battle" on guitar in 1972 and played it remarkably fast in its original form^{[citation needed]}. The band didn't want to record it for their first album, but rather waited until they could have more studio freedom to do it properly. The ogre-like screams in the middle are Mercury's, and the high harmonies at the end of the chorus hook are sung by Taylor. The introduction is simply the last few bars of the song played in reverse. Hop o My Thumb, illustrated by Gustave Doré An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a large and hideous humanoid monster. ... A hook is a musical idea, a passage or phrase, that is believed to be catchy and helps the song stand out; it is meant to catch the ear of the listener (Covach 2005, p. ...

As the title suggests, it tells the story of a battle between ogres, and features a May guitar solo and sound effects to simulate the sound of a battle. The guitar riff along with Roger Taylor's drumming give it a very "thrash" sound. It is one of Queen's heaviest works. Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of movies, video games, music, or other media. ... Riff is also an alternate spelling of Rif, a region of Morocco. ...

The song is complex musically including an acyclic structure and some strange harmonic modulations. For the recording sessions many progressive effects were included at the request of Mercury to producer Roy Thomas Baker. Those effects include reversed snare rolls, wild screaming, and a heavily reverbed gong.

The song was a longtime live favorite, although on stage Queen played it a lot slower than in the studio. They stopped playing the song somewhere around 1977-1978, playing it on almost every concert up until then. The song remains popular among Queen fans.

The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke

The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke by Richard Dadd.

Mercury was inspired to write "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" after seeing Richard Dadd's painting The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke. For the intricately-arranged studio recording, Mercury played harpsichord as well as piano, and Roy Thomas Baker played the castanets. Taylor called this song Queen's "biggest stereo experiment", referring to the intricate use of panning in the mix. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 459 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1127 × 1471 pixel, file size: 477 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Richard Dadd. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 459 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1127 × 1471 pixel, file size: 477 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Richard Dadd. ... Richard Dadd. ... Richard Dadd. ... Richard Dadd. ... Richard Dadd. ... Renoirs 1909 painting Dancing girl with castanets Castanets A castanet is a percussion instrument (idiophone), much used in oriental (Moorish and Ottoman music), Roman music, Spanish music and Latin American music. ... Panning is the spread of a monaural signal in a stereo or multi-channel sound field. ...

The song, like most of the songs on the album, features medieval fantasy-based lyrics, and makes direct reference to the painting's characters as detailed in Dadd's poem, such as Queen Mab, Waggoner Will, the Tatterdemalion, and others. Apparently whenever Queen had spare time, Mercury would drag them to the London's Tate Gallery, where the painting was, and still is today. In English folklore, Queen Mab is a fairy. ... A relaxing afternoon of leisure: a young girl resting in a pool. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Tate Gallery in the United Kingdom is a network of four galleries: Tate Britain (opened 1897), Tate Liverpool (1988), Tate St Ives (1993), Tate Modern (2000), with a complementary website Tate Online (1998). ...

The complex arrangements are based around a backing track of piano, bass guitar and drums, but also included harpsichord, multiple vocal overdubs, and overdubbed guitar parts. The lyrics follow the claustrophobic atmosphere of the painting, and each of the scenes are described. The use of the word "Quaere" has no reference to Mercury's sexuality, according to Taylor. The band never performed this song live.

Nevermore

The previous track ends with a three-part vocal harmony from May, Mercury, and Taylor which flows into Mercury playing the piano on this track. All the vocal parts were by Mercury, who added some contemporary piano 'ring' effects as well. These effects were widely suspected to be synthesizers, however they were created by someone plucking the piano strings while Mercury played the notes. Nevermore is quite a short ballad about the feelings after a heartbreak. The term synthesiser is also used to mean frequency synthesiser, an electronic system found in communications. ...

The March of the Black Queen

Many point to this song as evidence that Queen has always been a progressive rock band; it changes mood and tempo numerous times throughout, contains fantastic lyrical themes and is over six minutes long. Because of this and the complex vocal and guitar harmonies many compare it to their hit "Bohemian Rhapsody". This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The first two measures of Mozarts Sonata XI, which indicates the tempo as Andante grazioso and a modern editors metronome marking: = 120. “Andante” redirects here. ... Bohemian Rhapsody is a song written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. ...

Mercury composed it at the piano in 1973, and the song is the only Queen song containing polyrhythm (two different time signatures simultaneously 8/8 and 12/8), which is very advanced for popular music. A short grand piano, with the top up. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ... Polyrhythm is the simultaneous sounding of two or more independent rhythms. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The full piece was too complicated to perform live by the band, however the uptempo section containing the lines "My life is your hands, I'll foe and I'll fie..." etc was sometimes included in a live medley during the 1970s.

This track flows seamlessly into the next song, "Funny How Love Is". This song ends with an ascending note progression, which climaxes in the first second of the following track.

Funny How Love Is

"Funny How Love Is" was born in the studio. Mercury wrote it and played the piano while Robin Cable produced. It was produced using the "wall of sound" technique. The song was never performed live. Wall of Sound is a phrase used to describe the effect created by the music production techniques of record producer Phil Spector. ...

Seven Seas of Rhye

Main article: Seven Seas of Rhye

"Seven Seas of Rhye" had been half-written at the time of recording for Queen's first album, so a short clip of it was included there. However, when Queen finished the song, it ended up being much different from what they'd first envisioned. It was the band's first hit single, peaking at #10 in the UK charts. Seven Seas Of Rhye is a song performed by British rock group Queen and written by Freddie Mercury. ... A song which has charted in one of the worlds music charts, or (if a specialist genre of music) had proven popularity. ...

The song, like "My Fairy King" from the debut album, Queen, is about Freddie Mercury's childhood fantasy world named Rhye. The song became a live favourite throughout Queen's existence. It features a distinctive arpeggiated piano introduction — on the Queen II recording, the arpeggios are played with both the right and left hands, an octave apart, whereas on the Queen recording, and most live performances, Mercury played the simpler one-handed version of these arpeggios. The theme also appears at the end of "It's a Beautiful Day (Reprise)".

This version ends with a cross fade, instruments blending into a "singsong"-style rendition of "I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside".

The Seven Seas of Rhye are also mentioned in another Queen song, "Lily of the Valley" from Sheer Heart Attack; in the lyric "Messenger from Seven Seas has flown/To tell the king of Rhye he's lost his throne".

Unreleased songs

Unreleased songs from these sessions include Deacon's first song, titled "Fly By Night", as well as two songs called "Deep Ridge" (by May) and "Surrender To The City" (by Mercury). It can be inferred that "Surrender To The City" became the ending to "The March of the Black Queen" as the line "Surrender to the city of the fire flies" is very similar to that title. Initial ideas for "Brighton Rock" and "The Prophet's Song" were laid down during these sessions. Brighton Rock is a song recorded and performed by English rock band Queen, and written by their guitarist Brian May. ... The Prophets Song is a song by the British band Queen that was featured on the album A Night at the Opera. ...

Queen about the record

Charts

Press reviews

Melody Maker: "It's reputed Queen have enjoyed some success in the States, it's currently in the balance whether they'll really break through here. If they do, then I'll have to eat my hat or something. Maybe Queen try too hard, there's no depth of sound or feeling." Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was (until its closure) the worlds oldest weekly music newspaper. ...

Sounds: "Simply titled Queen II, this album captures them in their finest hours." Sounds was a British music magazine, published weekly from October 10, 1970 – April 6, 1991. ...

Disc: "The material, performance, recording and even artwork standards are very high."

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." Record Mirror was a British weekly music newspaper. ... David Bowie as Glam superstar Ziggy Stardust on the cover of his 1973 Album Aladdin Sane Glam rock (also known as glitter rock), is a style of rock and roll music, which initially surfaced in the post-Hippie early 1970s. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

New Musical Express on the single Seven Seas Of Rhye: "This single showcases all their power and drive, their writing talents, and every quality that makes them unique."^[3] The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a weekly magazine about popular music published in the UK. It is unlike many other popular music magazines due to its intended focus on guitar-based music and indie rock bands, instead of mainstream pop acts. ...

Personnel

• Freddie Mercury: Lead vocals, background vocals, piano, harpsichord, organ.
• Brian May: Guitars, bells on "The March of the Black Queen", lead vocals on "Some Day One Day", background vocals, some piano on "Father to Son."
• Roger Taylor: Drums, gong, marimba, background vocals, lead vocals on "Loser in the End."
• John Deacon: Bass guitar, acoustic guitar.
• Roy Thomas Baker: Castanets on "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke."
• Robin Cable: Piano effects (with Freddie Mercury) on "Nevermore."

All songs produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker excluding: A backing vocalist or backing singer (or, especially in the U.S., backup singer or sometimes background singer) is a singer who sings in harmony with the lead vocalist, other backing vocalists, or alone but not singing the lead. ... A gong is any one of a wide variety of metal percussion instruments. ... The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. ... Roy Thomas Baker is a English record producer who helped create a number of extremely popular pop and rock records in the 1970s and 1980s. ...

• "Nevermore" and "Funny How Love Is": Robin Cable and Queen.
• "The March of the Black Queen": Roy Thomas Baker, Robin Cable, and Queen.

Equipment

• Percussion
  • Ludwig Superclassic drum kit: 13" x 9" rack tom, two floor toms (16"x 16" & 18"x 16") and 26" x 14" bass drum.
  • Ludwig and New Era tambourines and cowbells
  • Paiste Symphonic Gong
  • Musser Marimba and Bells
  • Ludwig Castanets
• Strings
  • Fender Precision Pre-CBS Electric Bass, Orange OR120 amplifier
  • Martin D-18 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar ("Funny How Love Is")
  • Hairfred Acoustic Guitar ("White Queen")
  • Ovation Pacemaker 12-String Acoustic Guitars (elsewhere)
  • Red Special Electric Guitar, using John Deacon's homemade bespoke amplifier (for guitar choirs and effects) and Vox AC30 Amplifiers (for solos and straight rhythm parts)
• Keyboards
  • Bechstein D Concert 9'2" Acoustic Grand Piano, recorded via Neumann U87 mics
  • Harpsichord (unknown brand)
  • Hammond Organ^{[citation needed]}

Ludwig-Musser is a drum and percussion instrument manufacturer owned by Conn-Selmer, Inc. ... A floor tom is a double-headed tom-tom drum usually equipped with legs (usually three) mounted along the side, though they are quite often attached to a cymbal stand by using a clamp. ... A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. ... The New Era is a term used in political and communications media to describe the time of American response to terrorism following the September 11 Terrorist Attacks. ... The tambourine, also known as the Marine, is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a a wooden or plastic frame with pairs of small metal jingles. ... The cowbell is a percussion instrument. ... A gong is any one of a wide variety of metal percussion instruments. ... Ludwig-Musser is a drum and percussion instrument manufacturer owned by Conn-Selmer, Inc. ... Ludwig-Musser is a drum and percussion instrument manufacturer owned by Conn-Selmer, Inc. ... The Fender Precision Bass, known as P-bass for short, is the first model of the electric bass designed by Clarence Leonidas Fender and brought to market in 1951. ... Fender Precision Bass Bass Guitar is a commonly spoken phrase used to refer to the electric bass and horizontal acoustic basses, a stringed instrument similar in design to the electric guitar, but larger in size, commonly fretted and sometimes fretless and with a lower range. ... The twelve string guitar is an acoustic or electric guitar with twelve strings, which produces a richer, more ringing tone than a standard six string guitar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A collection of Vox AC30 amplifiers The Vox AC30 is a guitar amplifier manufactured by Vox. ... C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik AG (FWB:BEP) (Bechstein) is a German manufacturer of pianos, especially grand pianos. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

• Tate Gallery: Richard Dadd's "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke"
• Queen Picture Hall: Queen II
• Melody Maker, August 14, 1993: Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins talks about the records that changed his life
• Rolling Stone, 20 June 1974, Issue 163 - album review by Ken Barnes

Ken Barnes is a Writer, producer, broadcaster, musicologist, film historian, film maker, songwriter and music publisher who has worked with such greats as Bing Crosby, Peter Sellers and Fred Astaire. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.queenzone.com/queenzone/bio_view.aspx?q=6
2. ^ http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/1001albums.htm
3. ^ Quoted in Jacky Gunn, Jim Jenkins (1992): Queen. As It Began. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, pp. 75-77. ISBN 0-283-06052-2