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Queen II
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News Of The World
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Live At Wembley '86
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Path: Queen Songs - Album Analysis: Queen II

Queen II

Recording Sessions

August 1973
- Location: Trident Studios.
- Technology: 16-Track.

Equipment Used

Acoustic Drums
- Ludwig
Acoustic Guitars
- Hairfred Double-Oh: White Queen.
- Ovation Pacemaker: The Loser in the End.
- Martin D-18: Everywhere else.
Acoustic Pianos
- Jangle (unknown brand): Seven Seas of Rhye.
- Bechstein III: Everywhere else.
Additional Percussion (various brands):
- Castanets: Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke.
- Cowbell: The Loser in the End.
- Gong: Ogre Battle.
- Tubular Bells: The March of the Black Queen.
- Tambourine: Seven Seas of Rhye.
Electric Bass
- Fender Precision
Electric Guitars
- Fender Stratocaster: The Loser in the End (possibly - rhythm part only).
- BHM Bespoke: Everywhere else.
Keyboards (other than piano)
- Dubreq Stylophone: Seven Seas of Rhye.
- Goff Harpsichord: The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke.
Microphones
- AKG C-12A (Vocals + Acoustic Guitar)
- AKG D-20 (Bass-Drum)
- beyerdynamic E-1000 (Sundry)
- Neumann KM-56 (Piano - High Range)
- Neumann KM-84 (Snare-Drum)
- Neumann U-67 (Piano - Low Range; Guitars; Bass)
- Neumann U-87 (Tom-Toms)
- Sony C-38 (Snare-Drum)
Mixing Consoles
- Sound Techniques 24:8 (Trident 2)
- Trident A 32:24 (Trident 1)
Tape Recorders
- 3M 16-Track
Amplifiers
- Deacon Bespoke (Guitar Choirs)
- H|H (Bass)
- Orange AD-200B (Bass)
- Vox AC-30 (Lead & Rhythm Guitars)
Sundry
- Dallas Rangemaster Effect Unit (Guitar)
- Dolby A Noise Reduction
- EMT 140 Plate Reverb
- fOXX Foot Phaser Pedal (Guitar)
- JBL D-175 Monitor Speakers (Trident 1)
- Lockwood-Tannoy Monitor Speakers (Trident 2)
- Maestro Echoplex (Guitar)
- Orange PPC-412 Cabinet (Bass)
- URei LA2A Limiter
- Vox AC-30 Amplifiers (Guitar)
- Vox Cry-Baby Wah-Wah Pedal (Guitar)

Discarded material (not included on the original release)

Recorded
- Brighton Rock: Saved for later.
- See What a Fool I've Been: B-Side of the single.
May or may not have been recorded, but already written
- Stone Cold Crazy

Creative Personnel

Music composed by:
- Freddie Mercury: 54.55%
- Brian May: 36.36%
- Roger Taylor: 9.09%
Lyrics written by:
- Freddie Mercury: 60%
- Brian May: 30%
- Roger Taylor: 10%

Performing Personnel

Roy Baker
- Castanets: The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke.
- Stylophone: Seven Seas of Rhye.
John Deacon
- Acoustic Guitar: The Loser in the End.
- Electric Bass: 10 tracks.
Brian May
- Acoustic Guitar: 4 tracks.
- Acoustic Piano: Father to Son.
- Backing Vocals: 8 tracks.
- Electric Guitars: 10 tracks.
- Lead Vocals: Some Day One Day.
- Tubular Bells: The March of the Black Queen.
Freddie Mercury
- Acoustic Grand Piano: 4 tracks.
- Backing Vocals: 9 tracks.
- Harpsichord: The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke.
- Jangle Piano: Seven Seas of Rhye.
- Lead Vocals: 8 tracks.
Roger Taylor
- Acoustic Drums: 10 tracks.
- Backing Vocals: 8 tracks.
- Cowbell: The Loser in the End.
- Gong: Ogre Battle.
- Lead Vocals: 3 tracks (2 only partly).
- Tambourine: Seven Seas of Rhye.
Unknown/Uncredited
- Backing vocals at the end of Seven Seas of Rhye.

Producers:

Roy Baker: 38.64%
Freddie Mercury: 27.27%
Brian May: 18.18%
Robin Cable: 11.36%
Roger Taylor: 4.55%

Engineers

Roy Baker (with Nick Bradford assisting): Father to Son & Seven Seas of Rhye.
Mike Stone (with Neil Kernon assisting): Everywhere else.

BAND/MUSIC TROPES FOUND ON THIS ALBUM

Beyond the impossible: Some of the high notes sung on the album, notably:

A 1046.50-Hz c"' Taylor sings on The March of the Black Queen just before the slow part.
- To give you an idea of how high it is, it's the highest note usually expected from a woman!
A 987.767-Hz b" Mercury sings during the 'battle' scene on Ogre Battle.
Several 880-Hz a" instances:
- Funny How Love Is: Taylor.
- Seven Seas of Rhye: Taylor.
- The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke: Taylor.
- The March of the Black Queen: Taylor.
- White Queen: Mercury.

Castling / A day in the limelight

Father to Son
- Brian May plays the piano instead of Freddie Mercury.
- Roger Taylor sings the outro.
Some Day One Day
- Brian May sings lead vocals instead of Freddie Mercury.
The Loser in the End
- John Deacon plays acoustic guitar instead of Brian May.
- Roger Taylor sings lead vocals instead of Freddie Mercury.

Cover versions (YMMV)

Seven Seas of Rhye ends with the band + crew singing I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside.

Early installment displacement

A song featuring harpsichord.
Little to no radio-friendly material.

Foreshadowing

The March of the Black Queen has complex form + harmony, loads of multi-tracked vocals, a guitar choir, classical-influenced piano, just like ... you know, Bohemian Rhapsody.

Octave vocals

Seven Seas of Rhye, at the end, has Mercury singing an octave lower than the rest of the choir (which possibly also features him, thanks to the magic of multi-tracking).

Second song introduction: While Procession is an instrumental intro with just bass-drum and guitars, Father to Son features the four band members.

Self-backing vocalist:

The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke: While May and especially Taylor are heavily featured on some parts, a lot of the song is just Mercury dueting with himself.
The Loser in the End: Roger Taylor sings his own harmony.
The March of the Black Queen: Mercury sings everything during the slow-down part.
White Queen: Freddie Mercury sings everything: lead and multi-tracked angelical choir.

FALSE CLAIMS & URBAN LEGENDS

The Prophet's Song having been originally for this album.

It was begun and finished in 1975 for A Night at the Opera.

Album having been done on 4- or 8-track.

16-track, the standard of London studios at the time.

LINER NOTES MISTAKES & OMISSIONS

No mention of the stylophone (which is technically a synth, making the 'nobody played synthesiser' claim wrong).
No mention of the additional backing vocalists at the end of the second side.