Queen II, the band's second album, is comprised of bombastic, fantasy-based songs, soaring multi-layered vocal and guitar tracks and an iconic cover by Mick Rock that shows a band living up to their potential; it is a taster of what is to come. Recorded at Trident Studios in London, Queen, Roy Thomas Baker and Robin Cable took 16 track tape to its limit. Queen II was released by EMI in the UK on March 8, 1974; it served as their breakout album, reaching #5 and achieving Gold sales. Meanwhile, in the US, Elektra Records released the album a month later on April 8, 1974, peaking at #49 and also going Gold.

Seven Seas Of Rhye debuted in the UK February 23, 1974, two weeks before the album was released. Thanks to a last-minute cancellation by David Bowie on Top Of The Pops, Queen made their UK television debut, which skyrocketed the single to #10, giving the band its first hit. In the US, Elektra released Seven Seas Of Rhye on June 20, 1974, which failed to match the success it enjoyed in the UK. The single featured a non-album B-Side, a first from Queen, called See What A Fool I've Been. Written by Brian May, this bluesy track was inspired by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee's That's How I Feel. Freddie's vocal delivery is slightly tongue in cheek compared to his live vocal performances. The song was recorded again for Queen's second BBC session, featuring a vocal performance from Freddie that was more in line with the band's live shows.

Little is known of what outtakes and unreleased songs were recorded during sessions for this album. Alternative takes of some tracks appear on BBC sessions two, three and four.

...and nobody played synthesizer... again.





Father To Son (Album Version) 6:12
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Queen II, Track 2

Father To Son (Trident Acetate Version)
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Father To Son Trident 10" acetate
In 2006, a 10" Trident acetate of Father To Son was sold on eBay. It was described as different from the released album version. This has a supposed different vocal, a different overall mix, and a different ending.

Official Queen Archivist Greg Brooks on the Father To Son sessions: In Queen's tape archive of this song there are probably six or eight tracks featuring just guitars, along with numerous drum and percussion tracks, and guitar harmonies and kit work indicative of a band well on the road to mastering their craft. There is much rehearsal and live work, lots of 3.00 a.m. sessions, and many bridges crossed. Joyful the sound. - Record Collector, June 2002


White Queen (As It Began) (Album Version) 4:33
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Queen II, Track 3

White Queen (As It Began) (EP Version) 4:35
Written by Brian May
Appears on: UK Queen's First EP 7" vinyl, Japan Queen's First EP 3" CD single, UK Queen's First EP 3" CD single, UK The Singles Collection Volume 1, US Queen's First EP CD single
A mostly standalone version of the song that doesn't include the minor segue from Father To Son.

White Queen (As It Began) (East German Edit) 4:16
Written by Brian May
Appears on: German Queen Compilation vinyl
This relatively unknown edit of White Queen comes from a rare 1981 German compilation album. The track was edited down to fit onto vinyl, starting at Freddie's vocals.

White Queen (As It Began) (BBC Session 4) 4:54
Written by Brian May
Appears on: On Air
Queen's fourth BBC Radio session was recorded on April 3, 1974 at Langham 1 Studio in London. The session was produced by Pete Ritzema and engineered by John Sparrow. BBC Radio 1 broadcast the session on Bob Harris' Sounds Of The 70s on April 15, 1974. This is a beautiful recording of White Queen, which is performed as it was during live concerts of the time. It features piano throughout the track, including a 1 min. 20 sec. instrumental section that highlights Freddie's piano and Brian's guitar. Although it is not superior to the album version, this is a nice, alternative take on the song.

White Queen (As It Began) (BBC Session 4 with DJ Chatter) 5:00
Written by Brian May
Appears on: On Air - Deluxe Edition
The deluxe 6 CD edition of 2016's "On Air" includes additional dialogue from the various radio presenters on most BBC session songs. At the end of the song Bob Harris comments this is the last song persented by the band on tonight's program.

White Queen (As It Began) (Rumored home recording, 1969?)
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Unreleased
It is rumored that a home recording exists from Brian. Apparently this song existed in some form during the Smile era, probably known then as As It Began. So far no information has been presented by Brian, Queen, or private collectors as to its existence.


Some Day One Day (Album Version) 4:21
Written by Brian May
Appears on: Queen II, Track 4


The Loser In The End (Album Version) 4:01
Written by Roger Taylor
Appears on: Queen II, Track 5


Ogre Battle (Album Version) 4:08
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen II, Track 6

Ogre Battle (Best 16 Edit) 4:06
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Japan Best 16 cassette
16 Best, a rare Japanese Queen compilation cassette, features this edit, which is simply the track fading out early before the segue into The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke.

Ogre Battle (Deep Cuts Version) 4:14
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK Deep Cuts CD
Appearing for the first time on the 2011 compilation Deep Cuts, this is the first proper stand-alone version of Ogre Battle. As opposed to fading into The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke, the track finishes with a proper ending.

Ogre Battle (BBC Session 3 with Lost Intro) 5:23
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Unreleased
Queen's third BBC Radio session was recorded on December 3, 1973 at Langham 1 Studio in London. The session was produced by Bernie Andrews and engineered by Nick Griffiths. BBC Radio 1 broadcast the session on John Peel's Sounds Of The 70s on December 6, 1973. Unlike some of their other sessions the band did not use any existing backing tracks, instead they opted to record all new versions in Langham 1. Queen II was still four months away from release when this session was aired, so Ogre Battle served as a nice preview of what was to come. The full version of this take included a guitar solo at the beginning. For the release of At The Beeb and At The BBC, the beginning intro is edited off because the BBC tape was damaged at that point in the song. In 2016, On Air was release and it featured a partially restored guitar intro. The intro is available on many bootlegs, but in very poor quality.

Ogre Battle (BBC Session 3 - On Air Version) 4:40
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: On Air
In 2016, Queen released the complete BBC Session compilation album called "On Air". All 6 BBC Sessions were finally officially available and as complete as possible. The stereo master of the third BBC session was damaged, effecting the guitar intro on Ogre Battle. The On Air release was able to restore some of that guitar intro. Although it is not the full version, it still works well.

Ogre Battle (BBC Session 3 - On Air Version with DJ Chatter) 4:48
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: On Air - Deluxe Edition
The deluxe 6 CD edition of 2016's "On Air" includes additional dialogue from the various radio presenters on most BBC session songs. At the end of the song John Peel says that Queen are a band of monsters and Ogre Battle would be available on an album due in March.

Ogre Battle (BBC Session 3 - No Guitar Intro) 3:57
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: At The Beeb
The version of Ogre Battle from At The Beeb and At the BBC is an edit of the full BBC Session 3 version. The opening guitar is edited out due to damage on the BBC master stereo tape. Freddie's vocals are a bit more relaxed, but in general, this version sounds very similar to the album cut.

Ogre Battle (BBC Session 3 - No Guitar Intro - 1995 Stereo Swap) 3:57
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: At The BBC
To capitalize on the success of The Beatles Live At The BBC, Hollywood Records released "At The BBC". Previously available in the UK as "At The Beeb", this release features recordings from Queen's first and third sessions at Lanham 1 Studio in London. For this CD the left and right stereo channels have been swapped.

Ogre Battle (BBC Session 3 Trident Acetate Version) 3:04
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK Ogre Battle 7" Trident acetate vinyl
This version of Ogre Battle is from an Trident acetate record that features an edit of the BBC version. It starts when the last scream is given (fade in) and fades out during the last scream. The guitar outro is not on the disc.

Ogre Battle (BBC Session 3 EMI Acetate Version) 3:42
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK Ogre Battle 7" EMI acetate vinyl
his version of Ogre Battle is from an EMI acetate record that features an edit of the BBC version. It starts when the last scream is given (fade in) and continues normally until the end.

Ogre Battle (Nicholas Sansano Remix) 3:29
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen II Hollywood Remaster (1991)
This remix of Ogre Battle was commissioned for Hollywood Records' 1991 re-release of Queen II. Nicholas Sansano is a producer, engineer and musician from New York City. He is most known for producing releases for Public Enemy and Sonic Youth. This is very similar to the album take, but with different guitar effects, added drums, and various added bits.


The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke (Album Version) 2:39
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen II, Track 7


Nevermore (Album Version) 1:17
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen II, Track 8

Nevermore (Forever Version) 1:18
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Forever Deluxe Edition
The Forever Version of Nevermore differs very slightly from the album version. By cutting a fraction of piano at from the beginning, the segue from The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke does not exist here.

Nevermore (BBC Session 4) 1:29
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK/US 2011 Queen II Deluxe CD, On Air
Queen's fourth BBC Radio session was recorded on April 3, 1974 at Langham 1 Studio in London. The session was produced by Pete Ritzema and engineered by John Sparrow. BBC Radio 1 broadcast the session on Bob Harris' Sounds Of The 70s on April 15, 1974. At one time, this was one of the most sought-after rare recordings. It was finally officially released on the 2011 Deluxe Edition of Queen II and later on the 2016 BBC sessions release "On Air". This take features a new piano and vocal recording from Freddie that is very reminiscent of the familiar album version, however at 0:57 heavy drums and guitar come in, giving the song a heavier punch than the album version.

Nevermore (BBC Session 4 with DJ Chatter) 1:30
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: On Air - Deluxe Edition
The deluxe 6 CD edition of 2016's "On Air" includes additional dialogue from the various radio presenters on most BBC session songs. At the end of the song Bob Harris comments that the song was written by the band's vocalist, Freddie Mercury.

Nevermore (Early Instrumental Takes 3 and 4) 2:34
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Unreleased
This track premiered at the 20th International Fan Club Convention in Prestatyn. Take 3 begins with Freddie and John laying the backing track down on piano and bass. Take 3 ends with them mostly getting through the whole song. Take 4 is a complete piano/bass instrumental take that is more in line with the final album version.

Official Queen Archivist Greg Brooks on the Nevermore sessions: Little is documented about the recording of this song, and neither did Freddie mention it in interview. There are minimal out-takes in the archive and all early efforts, like most then, were recorded over in order to save tape and money. The song seemed to slip by unnoticed at the time in preference to others on Queen II. - Record Collector, June 2002


The March Of The Black Queen (Album Version) 6:33
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen II, Track 9

The March Of The Black Queen (UK 1st CD Pressing Version) 6:03
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK Queen II 1st CD Pressing
More of an indexing/mastering error as opposed to a unique version, The March Of The Black Queen ended prematurely on the 1st CD pressing of Queen II in 1986. The track ends before the "forget your sing a-longs and your lullabies..." outro.

The March Of The Black Queen (Deep Cuts Version) 6:39
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK Deep Cuts CD, Greatest Hits In Japan CD
Appearing for the first time on the 2011 compilation Deep Cuts, this is the first proper stand-alone version of The March Of The Black Queen. There is no segue into Funny How Love Is, instead the track ends with a final stand-alone vocal "ahhhhhh."

The March Of The Black Queen (BBC Radio 1 Edit) 6:38
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Unreleased
Queen's fourth BBC session was broadcast on Bob Harris' Sounds Of The 70s on April 15, 1974. Bob Harris comments after Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, that three songs are being played that evening. The March Of The Black Queen was also played that evening, but it was not part of the fourth BBC session. Rather, the album version was played with a fade-out at the end, before the segue into Funny How Love Is.

The March Of The Black Queen (Takes 3-5) 5:43
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Unreleased
This track premiered at the 20th International Fan Club Convention in Prestatyn. These takes are attempts at a backing track (piano, bass, drums/percussion). Takes 3 and 4 are unsuccessful attempts, while Take 5 is almost a complete attempt. Freddie Mercury counts-in every time.


Funny How Love Is (Album Version) 2:50
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen II, Track 10

Funny How Love Is (UK 3" CD Single Version a.k.a. UK 1st CD Pressing Version) 3:14
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK Seven Seas of Rhye 3" CD single, UK Queen II 1st CD Pressing
More of an indexing/mastering error as opposed to a unique version, this version of Funny How Love Is starts with the outro from The March Of The Black Queen (starting with "forget your sing a-longs and your lullabies.."). This version first appeared on the UK Queen II CD pressing in 1986, and is more commonly found on the UK Seven Seas Of Rhye 3" CD single.

Funny How Love Is (Japan 3" CD Single Version) 2:50
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Japan Seven Seas of Rhye 3" CD single
This Japanese 3" CD version is the only true stand-alone mix of the song. It begins with a piano chord and percussion background. The track ends like the Digital Master Sampler version with a fade out.

Funny How Love Is (Digital Master Sampler Edit) 2:51
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Digital Master Sampler
This is a great edit of the album version. It fades in with the last few vocal chords of The March of the Black Queen and segues nicely into the piano chord/percussion opening of Funny How Love Is. The track ends with a fade out. A really good sounding edit that is becoming easier to find among internet traders. The Digital Master Sampler CD itself is becoming hard to find in good condition due to a manufacturing defect in the disc.

Funny How Love Is (Takes 1-2)
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Unreleased
Greg Brooks played takes 3, 4, and 5 at the 20th International Fan Club Convention in Prestatyn. He described that Takes 1 and 2 are also on the same master tape. Take 1 is deemed to be too fast by Freddie and is stopped. Take 2 is started and it is too slow. At the start of Take 3 you can hear Freddie explaining what the tempo should be.

Funny How Love Is (Takes 3-5) 3:45
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Unreleased
This track premiered at the 20th International Fan Club Convention in Prestatyn. These three takes are attempts at a backing track (bass, drums, piano, acoustic guitar). The beginning of Take 3 starts with Freddie explaining the tempo of the song. Takes 3 and 4 are not successful at all. Freddie can be heard counting in the band and bantering in the studio between the takes. Take 5 is almost a complete successful instrumental take.

Official Queen Archivist Greg Brooks on the Funny How Love Is sessions: The various surviving pieces offer nothing very significant and remain close in all respects to the album version. This song will also benefit hugely from the 5.1 treatment, if Queen II is ever earmarked. - Record Collector, June 2002


Seven Seas Of Rhye (Album Version) 2:48
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen II, Track 11

Seven Seas Of Rhye (US Greatest Hits Video Version) 2:45
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: US Hollywood Records Greatest Hits VHS
The 1992 companion VHS to Hollywood Records' Queen Greatest Hits featured many videos with some minor audio edits. Seven Seas Of Rhye from that VHS fades-out roughly 3 seconds earlier than the album version.

Seven Seas Of Rhye (Days Of Our Lives Video Version) 2:26
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Days Of Our Lives DVD, Days Of Our Lives Blu-Ray
The excellent 2011 DVD/Blu-Ray documentary release Days Of Our Lives featured bonus material that included additional videos. Seven Seas Of Rhye was one of the featured videos. This version was edited quite a bit at the end, removing most the seaside outro.

Seven Seas Of Rhye (Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD Gallery Version) 2:22
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD
The photo gallery for the DVD video release Greatest Video Hits 1 featured an edited version of The Seven Seas Of Rhye as the background audio to the video. The track starts somewhat abruptly, editing off the piano intro and starting instead with the cymbal crash. The ending fades early, just starting the "seaside" portion of the track.

Seven Seas Of Rhye (Instrumental Mix 2011) 3:10
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK/US 2011 Queen II Deluxe CD
The Instrumental Mix 2011 is an excellent instrumental version made from the original multitrack. This instrumental version starts with Freddie's count-in and more notably ends with the original bass/drum/guitar outro.

Seven Seas Of Rhye (Top Of The Pops Version) 2:19
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Unreleased
An edited version of Seven Seas Of Rhye was used as the audio on Queen's mimed Top Of The Pops performance. The audio fades-out to the audience clapping right at the beginning of the "seaside" portion of the song.

Seven Seas Of Rhye (Alternative Mix)
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: UK Seven Seas of Rhye 7" vinyl promo
According to the official band biography "As It Began", this is one of the rarest Queen promos ever released. This promo release features an alternative mix of Seven Seas of Rhye with a different (and incorrect) backing track. The promos were quickly recalled and destroyed; only 5 or so are now rumored to exist.

Seven Seas Of Rhye (Freddy Bastone Remix - Version 1) 6:35
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen II Hollywood Remaster (1991)
A dance mix by New York producer and DJ Freddy Bastone for Hollywood Records' 1991 re-release of Queen II. The remix has a fairly typical dance track backbeat and features samples from Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Mustapha, White Man, and other Queen songs. A huge departure from the album track.

Seven Seas Of Rhye (Freddy Bastone Remix - Version 2) 6:20
Written by Freddie Mercury
Appears on: Queen - The Unauthorized Club Record 10 track promo CD-R
This is an alternative version of the dance mix by New York producer and DJ Freddy Bastone. This remix is mostly the same as the one that appears on the 1991 Queen II release, but with some minor differences. The track opens with a bit of God Save The Queen and has a different ending than the official release. There is also some minor rearranging of other samples as well.


See What A Fool I've Been 4:38
Written by Brian May
Appears on: US Seven Seas of Rhye 7" vinyl, UK Seven Seas of Rhye 7" vinyl, Queen II Hollywood Remaster (1991), UK Seven Seas of Rhye 3" CD single, Japan Seven Seas of Rhye 3" CD single, UK The Singles Collection Volume 1, UK/US 2011 Queen II Deluxe CD
The start of Queen's B-side discography begins with their first UK top ten hit, The Seven Seas Of Rhye (UK 10). See What A Fool I've Been got its roots from Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry’s song The Way I Feel. Brian heard the song from a television performance. He remembered the chord sequence and some of the lines, but not in their entirety. From the bits he could remember, Brian worked out a version of the song for his pre-Queen band Smile. The track was used sporadically as a live Queen track during early concerts and was finally released as a proper studio recording in February of 1974. Freddie provided a very tongue-in-cheek, campy vocal performance for this version. When performed live and for the BBC, Freddie's vocal was straight forward, which serves the song better. A very interesting track and worth having.

See What A Fool I've Been (BBC Session 2) 4:21
Written by Brian May
Appears on: On Air
Queen's second BBC Radio session was recorded on July 23, 1973 at Langham 1 Studio in London. The session was produced by Jeff Griffin and engineered by Chris Lycett and John Etchells. BBC Radio 1 broadcast the session on Alan Black's Sounds Of The 70s on August 13, 1973. This BBC recording of See What A Fool I've Been was actually recorded before the proper B-Side version from the Seven Seas Of Rhye 7" vinyl. This take is a departure from the B-Side version, highlighted by Freddie's excellent, proper vocal performance. The lyrics are different in places, especially in the middle of the song. As can be heard on the Rainbow and Hammersmith releases, these lyrical differences were mostly retained for live performances. The backing track retains the blues sound with some punchier drumming from Roger.

See What A Fool I've Been (BBC Session 2 with DJ Chatter) 4:28
Written by Brian May
Appears on: On Air - Deluxe Edition
The deluxe 6 CD edition of 2016's "On Air" includes additional dialogue from the various radio presenters on most BBC session songs. At the end of the song Alan Black comments that this is the first song from Queen's session and the audience will enjoy the rest of the songs as well.

See What A Fool I've Been (BBC Session 2 - Remix 2011) 4:22
Written by Brian May
Appears on: UK/US 2011 Queen II Deluxe CD
On July 23, 1973, Queen recorded their second radio session for the BBC. Before leaving Langham 1 Studio, Brian made the decision to take the band's multi-track recording of See What A Fool I've Been. This precious, saved tape was used to provide the source material for the 2011 Mix of See What A Fool I've Been (BBC Session 2). The performance, remastering, and remixing breathes new life into this track; making it the definitive version of the song. There are slight differences from the standard BBC Session 2 version, but mostly you'll notice how great the track sounds.