Carátula del álbum Queen II de Queen

Queen II de Queen

Álbum de Queen

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Queen II es un álbum de Queen, publicado en 1974 por EMI. El disco incluye 11 canciones, entre ellas «Procession», «Father to Son», «White Queen (As It Began)» y «Some Day One Day».

Lanzado tan solo ocho meses después de su debut, Queen II es el álbum en el que la banda británica Queen desató por completo su creatividad sin concesiones. Es un trabajo denso, oscuro, operístico y conceptual que se aleja del hard rock más directo de su predecesor para sumergirse en un universo de fantasía, mitología y complejidad musical. A menudo citado como uno de los favoritos de los fans más acérrimos, es una obra fundamental que sentó las bases para su pieza redonda, A Night at the Opera.

Estructura conceptual

La estructura de "Queen II" es una de sus características más distintivas. El vinilo original estaba dividido en dos lados temáticos: el "Side White" (Lado Blanco), compuesto principalmente por Brian May, y el "Side Black" (Lado Negro), dominado por las composiciones de Freddie Mercury.

Esta dualidad no era solo musical, sino también conceptual. El Lado Blanco explora temas más emocionales y personales, como en la melancólica "White Queen (As It Began)". el Lado Negro es un torbellino de fantasía oscura, personajes malvados y paisajes mitológicos, reflejando el lado más teatral y extravagante de Mercury. Esta división convierte al álbum en una experiencia auditiva inmersiva y cohesiva.

Proceso de grabación

La grabación tuvo lugar en los Trident Studios en agosto de 1973. Con más confianza y un presupuesto ligeramente mayor, la banda, junto al productor Roy Thomas Baker, se propuso llevar las técnicas de estudio al límite. "Queen II" es un escaparate de la tecnología de grabación de la época, con un uso extensivo de sobregrabaciones de guitarras y voces para crear un sonido masivo y orquestal, a menudo descrito como un "muro de sonido".

Las complejas armonías vocales, que ya aparecían en el primer álbum, aquí se multiplican hasta alcanzar niveles operísticos, especialmente en las pistas del Lado Negro, sentando un precedente en la producción de rock.

Sonido y temática

Musicalmente, "Queen II" representa un avance estilístico significativo. Abandona las raíces de blues-rock para abrazar plenamente el rock progresivo y el art rock. Las estructuras de las canciones son complejas, con frecuentes cambios de tempo y dinámicas extremas. Los arreglos orquestales, creados únicamente con guitarras, piano, bajo y batería, son la norma, y el piano de Mercury se convierte en una pieza central que lidera muchas de las composiciones.

Análisis de las canciones

El Lado Negro se inicia con la arrolladora "Ogre Battle", una canción de heavy metal con una energía brutal que se convirtió en un clásico de sus directos. De ahí, el álbum fluye sin pausas a través de "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke", inspirada en una pintura de Richard Dadd, y la delicada balada "Nevermore".

"The March of the Black Queen" es la pieza central del álbum. Es una epopeya de más de seis minutos que prefigura directamente la estructura de "Bohemian Rhapsody", con múltiples secciones y una complejidad abrumadora. El álbum cierra con "Seven Seas of Rhye", una pieza vibrante y pegadiza que se convirtió en el primer éxito de la banda en el Reino Unido, dándoles su primera aparición en el programa "Top of the Pops".

Salida al mercado y resultados

Lanzado en marzo de 1974, "Queen II" tuvo un rendimiento comercial significativamente mejor que su predecesor, en gran parte gracias al éxito del sencillo.

Portada: La imagen icónica

La portada de "Queen II" es una de las imágenes más famosas de la historia del rock. Fotografiada por el legendario Mick Rock, la imagen está inspirada en una fotografía de la actriz Marlene Dietrich. Muestra las caras de los cuatro miembros emergiendo de la oscuridad, con una iluminación dramática que resalta sus rasgos. Esta pose se convertiría en un icono de la banda, siendo recreada años más tarde para el videoclip de "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Juicio de la crítica

La recepción crítica inicial fue polarizada. Algunos críticos lo encontraron pretencioso y excesivo. Con el paso de los años, "Queen II" ha sido reevaluado y ahora es aclamado como una creación notable audaz y única. Músicos como Axl Rose de Guns N' Roses lo han citado como una gran influencia.

Listado de Canciones

  1. Procession1:13

    Letra

    Instrumental
  2. Father to Son6:13

    Letra

    A word in your ear From father to son Hear the word that I say I fought with you Fought on your side Long before you were born Joyful the sound The word goes around From father to son to son And the voice is so clear Time after time it keeps Calling you calling you on Don't destroy what you see Your country to be Just keep building on the ground That's been won Kings will be crowned The word goes around From father to son to son Won't you hear us sing Our family song? Now we hand it on But I've heard it all before Take this letter that I give you Take it sonny hold it high You won't understand a word that's in it But you'll write it all again before you die A word in your ear From father to son Funny you don't hear A single word that I say But my letter to you Will stay by your side Thru' the years Till the loneliness is gone Sing if you will But the air you breathe I live to give you Father to son father to son Father to son father to son Joyful the sound Word goes around Father to son to son Kings will be crowned Earth goes around Father to son to son Joyful the sound Word goes around Father to son to son Kings will be crowned Earth goes around Father to son to son
  3. White Queen (As It Began)4:35

    Letra

    So sad her eyes smiling dark eyes So sad her eyes as it began On such a breathless night as this Upon my brow the lightest kiss I walked alone And all around the air did say My lady soon will stir this way In sorrow known The white queen walks And the night grows pale Stars of lovingness in her hair Heeding unheard pleading one word So sad my eyes she cannot see How did thee fare what have thee seen The mother of the willow green I call her name And 'neath her window have I stayed I loved the footsteps that she made And when she came White queen how my heart did ache And dry my lips no word would make So still I wait My goddess hear my darkest fear I speak too late It's for evermore that I wait Dear friend goodbye No tears in my eyes So sad it ends as it began
  4. Some Day One Day4:22

    Letra

    You never heard my song before The music was too loud But now I think you hear me well For now we both know how No star can light our way In this cloud of dark and fear But some day, one day Funny how the pages turn And hold us in between A misty castle waits for you And you shall be a queen Today the cloud it hangs Over us and all is grey But some day, one day When I was you and you were me And we were very young Together took us nearly there The rest may not be sung So still the cloud it hangs Over us and we're alone But some day, one day We'll come home
  5. The Loser in the End4:06

    Letra

    Mama's gotta problem She don't know what to say Her little baby boy just left home today She's got to be the loser in the end She's got to be the loser in the end Misuse her and you'll lose her as a friend She's ma on whom you can always depend She washed and fed, and clothed and cared For nearly twenty years And all she gets is 'goodbye ma' And the nightimes for her tears She's got to be the loser in the end She's got to be the loser in the end Misuse her and you'll lose her as a friend She's ma on whom you can always depend So listen mothers everywhere To just one mother's son You'll get forgotten on the way If you don't let them have their fun Forget regrets, and just remember It's so long since you were young You're bound to be the loser in the end You're bound to be the loser in the end They'll choose their new shoes that's not far to bend You're ma on whom they can always depend
  6. Ogre Battle4:08

    Letra

    Now once upon a time An old man told me a fable When the piper is gone And the soup is cold upon the table And if the black crow flies Find a new destination That is the sign Come tonight Come to the ogre site Come to ogre battle fight He gives a great big cry And he can swallow up the ocean With mighty tongue he catches flies And the palm of his hand incredible size One great big eye Has to focus in your direction Now the battle is on Yeah yeah yeah Come tonight Come to the ogre site Come to ogre battle fight Ah ah ah ah ah The ogre men are still inside The two way mirror mountain You gotta keep down Right out of sight You can't see in but they can see out Keep a look out The ogre men are coming out From the two way mirror mountain They're running up behind And they're coming all about Can't go east 'cause you gotta go south Ogre men are going home The great big fight is over Bugle blow, let trumpet cry Ogre battle lives for ever more Oh oh oh You can come along You can come along Come to ogre battle
  7. The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke2:40

    Letra

    He's a fairy feller The fairy folk have gathered round the new moon shine To see the feller crack a nut at nights noon time To swing his ace he swears, as it climbs he dares To deliver The master-stroke! Ploughman, Waggoner Will, and types Politician with senatorial pope, he's a dilly-dally-o Pedagogue squinting, wears a frown And a satyr peers under lady's gown, dirty fellow What a dirty laddio Tatterdemalion and a junketer There's a thief and a dragonfly trumpeter, he's my hero Fairy dandy tickling the fancy of his lady friend The nymph in yellow 'can we see the master-stroke' What a quaere fellow Soldier, sailor, tinker, tailor, ploughboy Waiting to hear the sound And the arch-magician presides He is the leader Oberon and titania watched by a harridan Mab is the queen and there's a good apothecary-man Come to say hello Fairy dandy tickling the fancy of his lady friend The nymph in yellow What a quaere fellow The ostler stares with hands on his knees Come on, mr. Feller, crack it open if you please
  8. Nevermore1:18

    Letra

    There's no living in my life anymore The seas have gone dry And the rain's stopped falling Please don't you cry any more Can't you see Listen to the breeze Whisper to me please Don't send me to the path of nevermore Even the valley's below Where the rays of the sun Were so warm and tender Now haven't anything to grow Can't you see? Why did you have to leave me? (nevermore) Why did you deceive me? (nevermore) You sent me to the path of nevermore When you say you didn't love me anymore Ah ah nevermore nevermore
  9. The March of the Black Queen6:32

    Letra

    Do you mean it Do you mean it Do you mean it Why don't you mean it Why do I follow you and where do you go Youve never seen nothing like it no never in your life Like going up to heaven and then coming back alive Let me tell you all about it - And the world will so allow it Ooh give me a little time to choose Water babies singing in a lily-pool delight Blue powder monkies praying in the dead of night Here comes the black queen, poking in the pile Fie-for the black queen, marching single file Take this, take that, bring them down to size Put them in the cellar with the naughty boys A little nigger sugar then a rub-a dub-a baby oil Black on, black on ever finger nail and toe Weve only begun - begun Make this make that, keep making all that noise Now I've got a belly-full You can be my sugar-baby, you can be my honey chile, yes A voice from behind me reminds me Spread out your wings you are an angel Remember to deliver with the speed of light A little bit of love and joy Everything you do bears a will and a why and a wherefore A little bit of love and joy In each and every soul lies a man And very soon hell deceive and discover But even till the end of his life, hell bring a little love I reign with my left hand, I rule with my right I'm lord of all darkness, I'm queen of the night I've got the power - now do the march of the black queen My life is in your hands, Ill for and Ill fie Ill be a bad boy - Ill be your bad boy Ill do the march of the black queen Walking true to style Shes vulgar buse and vile Fie-for the black queen tattos all her pies She boils and she bakes and she never dots her is Forget your singalongs and your lullabies Surrender to the city of the fireflies Dance with the devil in beat with the band To hell with all of you hand in hand But now its time to be gone - forever
  10. Funny How Love Is2:51

    Letra

    Funny how love is everywhere just look and see Funny how love is anywhere youre bound to be Funny how love is every song in every key Funny how love is coming home in time for tea Funny, funny, funny Funny how love is the end of lies when the truth begins Tomorrow comes tomorrow beings Tomorrow brings love in the shape of things Thats what love is, thats what love is Funny how love is can break your heart so suddenly Funny how love came tumbling down with adam and eve Funny how love is running wild and feeling free Funny how live is coming home in time for tea Funny, funny, funny From the earth below to the heavens above Thats how far and funny is love At any time, anywhere If you gotta make love do it everywhere Thats what love is, thats what love is Funny how love is everywhere just look and see Funny how love is anywhere youre bound to be Funny how love is every song and every key Funny how love is when you gotta hurry home cos youre late for tea Funny, funny, funny how love is Tomorrow comes, tomorrow brings Tomorrow brings love in the shape of things At any time, anywhere If you gotta make love do it everywhere Thats what love is, thats what love is
  11. Seven Seas Of Rhye2:48
    vídeo del tema Seven Seas Of Rhye
    Fear me you lords and lady preachers I descend upon your Earth from the skies I command your very souls you unbelievers Bring before me what is mine, the seven seas of rhye Can you hear me you peers and privy counsellors I stand before you naked to the eyes I will destroy any man who dares abuse my trust I swear that you'll be mine, the seven seas of rhye Sister, I live and lie for you Mister, do and I'll die You are mine, I possess you, I belong to you forever Storm the master-marathon, I'll fly through By flash and thunder-fire I'll survive, I'll survive, I'll survive I'll survive, I'll survive Then I'll defy the laws of nature and come out alive Then I'll get you Be gone with you, you shod and shady senators Give out the good, leave out the bad evil cries I challenge the mighty titan and his troubadours And with a smile I'll take you to the seven seas of rhye Oh I do like to be beside the seaside Oh I do like to be beside the sea Where the brass band plays, tidily, Om, pom, pom Oh I do like to be beside the seaside Oh I do like to be beside the sea Where they crowd beside the sea And besides themselves with glee beside the seaside