Sir Brian May says Queen II “wasn’t that well received” by rock fans.
In a new YouTube series celebrating the A Night At The Opera vinyl reissue and 50th anniversary of Bohemian Rhapsody, the 78-year-old guitar god has admitted that while he has always been a fan of the 1974 record because it was the first time they felt they could truly experiment, not everyone was a fan of the heavier sound.
Speaking on episode two of Queen The Greatest, he said: “Queen II wasn’t that well received in the rock fraternity… in some places.
“I’ve always been a big advocate of that album because I think it was a giant step. We’re going from a band that is hardly allowed in the studio – except a few hours in dead time – to a band that actually has studio time. We can indulge ourselves. We can experiment, and we make a giant leap with painting pictures on the canvas of the tapes on Queen II. I love that album.”
Drummer Roger Taylor added: “Really, I think Queen II was the first time we were allowed a certain amount of freedom in the studio, whereas with the first album we weren’t, so basically it sounds better and more like the way we wanted it to sound. I don’t think it’s perfect by a long way, but we were building our confidence in the studio. It had a lot more light and shade.”
Regardless of the reception, Queen II made it to number five in the UK.
Late frontman Freddie Mercury was pleased that the record made it into the charts.
He once said: “The most important thing to me was the Queen II album going into the charts – especially satisfying that, since the first one didn’t do so well. It’s nice to see some recognition for your work though I don’t usually worry too much. Roger tends to worry more about what’s happening on that side.”
Queen The Greatest continues weekly throughout November.