QUEEN II

Let's start with the weakest points: "Seven Seas Of Rhye" was the only hit from the album, nice rock tune but nothing of interest for proggers. "Funny How Live Is" uninspiring pop song. "The Loser In The End" is excellent hard rock tune sung by their drummer Roger, but it doesn't fit into the album perfectly.

Still, I think "Queen II" is a masterpiece. Why? Well, even the albums that most people consider masterpieces usually have at least one poor track or some sort of inconsistency: if you take for example excellent "Tarkus", there's "Jeremy Bender". If you take "Thick As A Brick", there's some inconsistency on B-side, and so on.

So, if you discard these three tracks on "Queen II" (they're not bad, they're just not on the same level as the rest of the CD), what is left? Seven great tracks, ranging from one to more than six minutes in length, each of them a little gem, a masterpiece in their own particular way. Yes, all these songs are a) undoubtedly progressive and b) excellent. I'm pointing this out because so many people question the "progressiveness" of the band. Well, this album is undoubtedly progressive. Actually more progressive than, let's say, 80% of JETHRO TULL's material (don't get me wrong, I adore both bands).

I'm not going to delve deep into the analysis of each track now. I must mention just one detail: the intro of "Ogre Battle" is one of the most impressive things ever invented in the history of music.

If you are not a QUEEN fan, get this album. If you are, you have it already.