Queen's magnificent second album, "Queen II" (1974), is now remixed, remastered and expanded, and available in lavish collector's, deluxe or standard editions - all with an all-new 2026 mix.
"My God, we were such impatient lads" - Freddie Mercury
"Queen II was a crucial step on the long journey to the explosion of 'awesomeness' we ended up becoming" - Roger Taylor
"We had a desire to create something extraordinary. And we succeeded" - Brian May
More than half a century after they stepped on the road to superstardom, Queen's second royal album, Queen II, has been remixed, remastered and now available in lavishly expanded editions.
Arguably Queen's fiercest album, it was originally released in 1974 and is widely regarded as their first true masterpiece. With Brian May and Roger Taylor as executive producers, behind the stunning sound of the release is the team of Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J Macrae and Kris Fredriksson, who worked on the 'Queen I' reissue as well as several other previous releases by the band.
"The idea was to give the songs even more clarity. Rather than adding anything, we wanted to bring out even more what was already in the recordings themselves and that's how we got the sound we wanted," Justin Shirley-Smith stated of the approach to working on this release, while Joshua J. Macrae added: "The paths the band took to achieve what they achieved with the technology they had at the time is incredible and some of it is extremely ahead of its time. Working on this was like walking into a room." fantastic", they concluded.
Their statements were joined by the members of Queen themselves: "'Queen II' is the biggest leap we've ever made," says Brian May, "That's when we really started making music the way we wanted to, not the way they forced us to."
"I couldn't believe how much effort we put into it," adds Roger Taylor, "I think even then we felt we were developing our own sound. We were pioneers in this kind of multi-channel recording. It gave us a huge palette and the opportunity for massive choral effects - with just the three of us singing."
At one time, Freddie Mercury also stated that he gave his whole self to the release. "I wanted to do my best - to be self-indulgent," he said at the time, "Except as a band we don't settle for anything half-hearted, and I'm hard on myself. There's no compromise."
Queen, photo: Johnny Dewe Mathews, Universal Music
Originally released in the UK on March 8, 1974, "Queen II" still sounds amazing today. Daring, bold and insanely ambitious, it's the work of a band whose confidence, vision and ability were unparalleled. The songs on the album range from intricate and complex to raw and ferocious, with almost operatic vocals and Brian May's famous 'guitar orchestra' giving the band a sound that no one else can imagine. Like the iconic photo of Mick Rock staring out from the front page, which the band themselves recalled in the groundbreaking promotional video for "Bohemian Rhapsody" - "Queen II" is just that: an album of shadow and light.
This album is considered by many to be the band's crowning glory, and many music stars are among its many fans. Among others, Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose admiringly stated: "When it comes to Queen, I have my favorite: 'Queen II.' Whenever their latest album comes out, with all the diversity of the music, at first I'd only like this or that song. But after listening to it for a while, they'd open my mind to so many different styles. That's something I've always wanted to achieve."
The song that stands out from the release even after so many years, this time as an official single, is "Father To Son", one of the songs that May says preceded the development of the ultimate hit "Bohemian Rhapsody". "Freddie's mind was simply operating on another level. On 'Father To Son' and 'The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke' you could already hear the seeds of what was to come."
The new 5CD + 2LP collector's package along with the mix album from 2026, also brings an intimate audio recording of the group Queen made in the studio at the time of recording, as well as a treasure trove of previously unreleased recordings and demos, along with songs recorded live and recordings from radio appearances. The "Queen II Collector's Edition box set" also comes with a 112-page book featuring never-before-seen photos, vintage posters, handwritten lyrics from the band members, diary entries, as well as special memorabilia, letters and some personal memories from the band members.
Even 52 years after its original release, "Queen II" remains one of the many great highlights of the band's career, sending the message to the world: "This is who we are and this is what we do."
The album "Queen II" is available in Serbia on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal and YouTube Music, as well as worldwide in all digital stores.
