Em

Rip Freddie Mercury 🕊️

The fairy fellers master stroke

Queen II 1974

Written by Freddie Mercury

2:41 minutes long

Shortly before the start of the recording sessions in August 1973, Mercury took the rest of the group along with Roy Thomas Baker to visit the Tate Gallery (now Tate Britain) The singer's goal wasn't simply to strengthen the bond between the members of Queen with a cultural excur-sion, but also to share a discovery he had made during one of his visits to the museum. He wanted to show his fellow band members a painting by Richard Dadd called The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke. A nineteenth-century English painter, Dadd painted his masterpiece at the Bethlem Royal Hospital in Bromley, a psychiatric insti-tution in the suburbs of London commonly known as Bedlam. Dadd was incarcerated at Bethlem Royal Hospital after murdering his father in 1843, believing his actions were guided by the Egyptian god Osiris and con-vinced that his father was the devil in disguise. While in the hospital, the painter worked for nine years on his most famous work, which shows an outdoors scene pop-ulated by disturbing imaginary characters lurking behind the bushes. Mercury borrowed the painting's title for the second song on his Black Side. The title refers to characters as curi-ous as those of the painter and fits perfectly into the phan-tasmagorical universe that Mercury and May wanted to develop on the album. In his text, Freddie revels in the medieval world he loves, using vocabulary from another age: "Tatter-demalion and the junketer / There's a thief and a dragonfly trumpeter." Or again: "Pedagogue squint-ing wears a frown / And a satyr peers under lady's gown." The singer, who was developing his persona as a British dandy at this time, would henceforth address his interlocutors by calling them "my dear." He also deep-ened his taste for high culture by studying the writings of Tolkien and drawing inspiration from the works of Salvador Dalí, Alphonse Mucha, and Arthur Rackham. While Mercury's interest in art enriched his songwrit-ing throughout his career, in "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" the listener is given a vast number of references to decipher, leading Dee Snider, the singer from Twisted Sister and a huge Queen fan, to declare: "I needed an Encyclopaedia Britannica to look up that shit, because it wasn't words, it was phraseology. I found out that everything had meaning and was poetic. Just brilliant." (72-73)

Production

Freddie Mercury hated electric pianos. No one could get him to use a Fender Rhodes or a Wurlitzer EP200, like the one John Deacon would use on the future hit "You're My Best Friend." On the other hand, the sounds offered by mechanical keyboards delighted the singer, who was ready to abandon the Bechstein piano at Trident Studios for a Thomas Goff harpsichord, nicknamed the "Steinway of harpsichords." The English instrument manufacturer, who set up his workshop in 1933, is also famous for designing clavichords that are smaller and easier to trans-port. Freddie, who played the harpsichord on the intro-duction to this track, used its medieval sound to lend an old-fashioned color and feeling to his song. This was a subtle and mischievous choice, the keyboard leaving its mark on "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" just as the Mellotron organ had stamped its seal on "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beatles.(73)

All information from the book Queen: all The Songs The Story Behind Every Track

Happy Heavenly Birthday Freddie Mercury 🎙️

Ogre Battle

1974 Queen II

Written by Freddie Mercury

4:08 Minutes long

Undoubtedly one of the greatest songs composed by Freddie Mercury, "Ogre Battle" is also one of the band's heaviest tracks. The singer plunges us into a fantasy world, where ogres lay hidden in mountains made of two-way mirrors: "The ogre-men are still inside / The two-way mir. ror mountain." The members of Queen were huge fans of fantasy literature, and the world of J. R. R. Tolkien is very present in the lyrics of this song, whose protagonists are reminiscent of the characters in the Lord of the Rings tril-ogy, published in 1954-1955 and extremely popular in the mid-1970s. Freddie Mercury invites us into the song with the repeated line "Come to the ogre battle fight!" the met-aphor between this fight and Queen's show being barely concealed. The song, which had already been played at concerts in 1972, was initially intended for the band's first album, but its musical aesthetic didn't really fit with the themes and sounds of the first album. Written by Freddie on the six-string then handed on to May to be perfected by his Red Special, "Ogre Battle" stands out with its powerful guitar riff played in palm mute. The song has gone on to influence generations of musicians. (Page: 70)

Production:

"With "Ogre Battle" Queen attained a hitherto unreached level of perfection in their recording studio experiments. The work on the voice harmonizations is exceptional and perfectly accomplished. Roger Taylor's lead voice is crystal-line and accurate and perfectly matches those of his col-leagues. The verses sung by Mercury are supported by an unerring melody, and refrains of precisely measured power, backed by a question-and-answer between voice and gui-tar that works wonderfully. For the introduction to the track, Roger Taylor used the sixty-inch Paiste Symphonic Gong available at Trident Studios. Once the gong had been recorded, the group decided to play the recording backward to give it a so-called "reverse" effect, which creates a crescendo of sound. Fully satisfied with the result, May asked Roy Thomas Baker to apply the same treatment to the introductory guitar riff. "The riff is palindromic; it sounds the same forwards and backwards."5 Of course, the effect was immediate, and the group decided to keep it. The introduction was then played wholeheartedly with the inverted guitar gimmick, returning to its original direction at 0:47, before giving way to Freddie Mercury's melodic verse." (Page: 70 and 71)

Fun Facts:

(1)Like his idol John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, Roger Taylor was quick to adopt the gong as an element of musical decoration used to back up his drums. It made its first appearance during the A Night at the Opera tour and was used during the finale of "Bohemian Rhapsody," after Freddie Mercury's legendary "Anyway the wind blows." (Page: 71)

All information from the book Queen: all The Songs The Story Behind Every Track

Happy Birthday To John Deacon 🎸

The Loser in the end

1974 Queen II

Written by Roger Taylor

4:04 minutes long

Roger Taylor's admiration for Led Zeppelin's drummer is evident from the very first bars of this song. He makes no bones about it: "The best drummer? Easy. John Bonham is better than everyone else. It's really quite simple. "16 from the album Led Zeppelin IV, is obvious in the intro-It's true that the allusion to "When the Levee Breaks." away. This is the second song written and sung by Taylor to duction of "The Loser in the End," but this quickly fades appear on an album by the group. The drummer also wrote a number of songs that he set aside for his various personal projects, notably his solo albums, the first of which, Fun in Space, was released in 1981. "The Loser in the End" acts as a transition within the album, marking the end of the so-called White Side and the beginning of the Black Side. While the first listening may surprise, because the track's musical fingerprint is clearly not from the same school as that of May and Mercury (who was often missing from songs written by Taylor), the song ultimately finds its place within the larger concept album, even though opinions are divided about its effectiveness. Even the Record Mirror, always ready to give Queen an amiable review, declared that "["The Loser in the End'] must be the worst piece of dross ever committed to plastic." (Page 66)

Production:

Taylor hammered out a powerful drum sound right from the opening moments of the track, shedding the muffled mixing that displeased him so much on the first album. A long delay effect was added on the crash cymbal, and a sim-ilar effect was added to the drummer's voice, which became his signature when singing with Queen. The effect had pre-viously been used on "Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll." Roger Taylor also played marimbas, which was not at all in keep-ing with the musical aesthetic of the group, but which con-firmed the "kitchen sink" label given to the album by Baker. Drummer or not, Roger Taylor was also a huge collector of six-string guitars. Brian May testified to this several times when asked about the number of instruments in his posses-sion: "How many guitars I've got? Not as many as Rog'!"(Page 66)

Fun fact:

(1) The Loser in the End" was never played in concert but did appear on the B-side of the Japanese pressing of the "Seven Seas of Rhye" single. (Page 66)

All information from the book Queen: all The Songs The Story Behind Every Track

Queen Fact: Roger cuts his own hair, And before photo sessions, when the rest of the band are smartening themselves up, he just roughs up his hair a bit to make it stand on end even more than it usually does

Some Day One Day

1974 Queen II

Written by Brian May

4:22 minutes long

This love song, far from the thunderous Hendrix riffs that May liked to study, reveals all of the Queen guitarist's romanticism, as well as his ability to write simple and effec-tive songs. The guitar rhythm in this track is a prologue of sorts to the future folk song ""39," which became one of the masterpieces of the monumental 1975 album, A Night at the Opera. In the lyrics we find the common fantasy tales that were so specific to the May/Mercury duo. Appearing to con-tinue the comparison between his beloved and a fantasized queen, which began on the previous track "White Queen (As It Began)" Brian sings, "A misty castle waits for you /And you shall be a queen." He confirms his nature as a gen-uine sentimentalist, stating: "['Some Day One Day'] was born of my sadness that a relationship seemingly couldn't be perfect on earth." (Page: 65)

Production:

Reminiscent of the great years of folk music, "Some Day One Day" doesn't quite find its place on Queen's second album, despite the brilliant performance from Brian May, who appears for the first time as lead singer on a track. The psychedelic aspect of the track is underlined by gui-tar improvisations that seem to scroll backward and a clev-erly deployed phaser effect that, though present throughout the mix, doesn't really contribute to the cohesiveness of the record. It must be admitted, however, that the naiveté of the track corresponds rather well with the spirit of May's White Side. The guitarist has given very little information regard-ing the instruments used during the recording sessions of Queen II. Having acquired his first acoustic Martin D-18 at this period, the musician has confirmed that it was used to create the very folk Americana rhythm of "Funny How Love Is." It is a safe bet that it is also this American beauty we hear on "Some Day One Day. (Page: 65)

Fun Fact:

(1)Romanticism and melancholy were the hallmarks of the talented guitarist's compositions during this period.(Page: 65)

All information from the book Queen: all The Songs The Story Behind Every Track

Queen Fact: One day Freddie rejected a woman and Roger ran after her, asking if she wanted to sleep with him instead.

White Queen (As it Began)

1974 Queen II

Written by Brian May

4:37 Minutes Long

Brian May wrote "White Queen (As It Began)" on the benches at Imperial College when he was still a student. Spellbound by one of his classmates, Brian spent three years not daring to speak to her. He finally paid tribute to her through this song. Did this muse ever know that she was the inspiration for a song by one of the biggest rock bands in the world?While he was writing, May was also immersed in Robert Grave's work The White Goddess, which deals with the figure of women in art according to their social position, sometimes depicted as a virgin, a mother, or a queen. As he wrote, a link between his young student crush and the archetype of the idealized women was created in the mind of the young May: "I saw [her] every day at College, and [she] was to me the ultimate goddess." This secret love gave birth to one of the band's first rock ballads, which would find its place in opposition to "The March of the Black Queen," on the Black Side of the album. (Page: 66)

Production:

The song is structured in two very distinct parts. The repet-itive introduction reveals the subject: "So sad her eyes / As it began" and comes back at the end of the track at 4:04 for a smooth coda. But the greatest achievement of "White Queen (As It Began)" is its poignant melodic verse, which would go on to inspire the biggest FM rock bands of the 1980s, when the slow-rock style was in vogue. Equipped with his famous 1930s Hallfredh acoustic guitar, Brian May supports the melancholic aspect of the song with a very effective chord descent reminiscent of the 1984 hit: "Still Loving You," by the Scorpions. Roger Taylor maintains a heavy tempo thanks to his twenty-inch Premier Super Zyn Ride cymbal, on which he plays rolls with mallets. It is the baize finish on Taylor's mallets that provides this matte sound featured on the album, similar in style to the percus-sive sounds created by a symphony orchestra. "White Queen (As It Began)" was to remain one of May's most personal songs, as he explained: "White Queen's got a lot of real emotion in it for me. Though it wasn't really a hit, it's one of the songs I'd like to be remembered for. (Page: 66)

Fun Facts:

(1)"In order to make it sound like a sitar, Brian May mod-ified the bridge of his cheap Hallfredh guitar. It was this modification that gave his notes their metallic coloring, which can be heard more distinctly on "Jealousy," included on the album Jazz in 1978." (Page: 66)

(2)"Many hardcore Queen fans will argue that you have to listen to the "White Queen" take recorded during the BBC Sessions of April 3, 1974, to experience all the romanticism and melancholy of this song." (Page: 66)

All information from the book Queen: all The Songs The Story Behind Every Track

Queen Fact: Roger and John had a major fight over the song "you're my best friend. Roger didn't want the line "I'm happy at home" because it didn't represent rock and roll.

Father to Son

1974 Queen II

Written by Brian may

6:14 minutes long

Following the "Procession" instrumental prelude, "Father to Son" is the first song on the album that fully delves into the themes of transmission and cultural heritage that are prev-alent throughout the disc. May had always been very close to his father, Harold, and the listener can easily imagine that he is referring to his relationship with his father in this song's lyrics, which constitute a dialogue between a child and his father, focusing on a letter the father gives to his son, the meaning of which the son will only grasp when he is an adult. While the subject had been brilliantly addressed in Cat Stevens's unforgettable "Father and Son" in 1970, May makes this track his own, giving it a simultaneously lyrical and serious tone. The band opened its concerts with the "Procession" /"Father to Son" duo between September 1973 and October 1974, the first bars of the second song being perfectly suited to the musicians' entrance to the stage. (Page 65)

Production:

While the introduction may be reminiscent of "Baba O'Riley" by the Who, which was featured on the Who's Next album in 1971, the remaining bars of "Father to Son" are unique. Influenced by the violin harmonizations he stud-ied as a teenager via his crystal radio set, Brian May wanted to find a way to use this method within the band, leading the quartet to stack their vocal tracks, thereby creating the unmistakable Queen sound that everyone knows today. While May also performed the piano parts on "Father to Son," it was John Deacon, the retiring bass player that liked to stay on the periphery within the band, who played acous-tic guitar on the track. His rhythmic guitars are particularly present at the end of the track, where "Father to Son" takes on a Flower Power aura, marked by the final, repeating cho-rus, which was so reminiscent of John Lennon's "All we are saying / Is give peace a chance," which was released in 1969. Before reaching this melodic end, Brian himself plays incisively, and at the 2:11 point, he even manages to slip in a small nod to the riff from "Son and Daughter" which appeared on the band's first album. (Page 65)

All information from the book Queen: all The Songs The Story Behind Every Track

Happy Birthday to Roger Taylor 🥁

Happy Belated Birthday to Brian May 🎸

Procession

1974 Queen II

Written by Brian May

1:13 Minutes long

Coming across as a blend between a wedding march and funeral procession, the introduction to Queen II bears Brian May's clear stamp. Its gravity underlines the solemn tone of the entire disc, and its title evokes the religious aspect of the themes soon to be addressed. The band's dark and myste-rious faces appear on the album's cover, giving the listener an idea of the album's baroque character, with Freddie Mercury even laying his hands folded on his chest, as if at his own wake. On future albums, May would regularly add such interludes to Queen's catalog, creating famous melo-dies with his own trademark. This was the case in 1980 with "The Wedding March" on Flash Gordon, where an extract from the opera Lohengrin, by Richard Wagner, is magnified by the guitarist's renowned Red Special. It was also the case in 1975, when the group closed A Night at the Opera with aremarkable version of "God Save the Queen."Procession" is a brilliant prelude to the White Side of Queen II, marked at the beginning by weak beats that announce the pattern of the march to come, and quoting the next track "Father to Son" in its end riff. This piece of music would also serve as the introduction the band used to take the stage for all of their concerts between September 1973 and May 1975. Page (64)

Production:

With the help of his Red Special, Brian May used this track to build a monument to contemporary music. May used har-monic techniques on the guitar that had never been heard before. And even more surprising, the guitarist was able to simulate a variety of instruments (organs, violins, brass...), which he would do again during the recording of "Good Company in 1975. May had already started recording the guitars for "Procession" using his traditional Vox AC30 amps, but he chose to use the small one-watt Deacy amp made by John Deacon for the harmonization portion of the track, which, thanks to its germanium transistors, caused a natural dis-tortion of sound that was amazing to hear and that couldn't be imitated. Subsequently the guitarist regularly used this amp during the band's recording sessions. Page (64)

Fun Facts:

1.A year earlier, in March 1973, another concept album had been released, beginning with heartbeat simulations similar to those on "Procession." It was The Dark Side of the Moon, the eighth Pink Floyd album Page (64)

2.Even before the credits rolled, viewers of the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody got the opportunity to rediscover Brian May's signature sound. As a special surprise for the film, the guitarist rerecorded Alfred Newman's famed theme music, which plays over the 20th Century Fox studio's logo, adding his famous guitar harmonizations. Page (64)

All information from the book Queen: all The Songs The Story Behind Every Track

Queen Fact: A few days after Queen released their first album, they stormed into a record shop and announced, "Have you got the Queen album?" They answered disappointing the poor boys, "Queen, who?"

Mad The Swine

1973 Queen

Written by Freddie Mercury

3:23 Minutes long

Recorded during the Queen sessions in 1972, "Mad the Swine" was intended to appear on the album, placed between "Great King Rat" and "My Fairy King." Rumors abound regarding its eviction from the track listing. Quarrels over the mixing of the drums and percussion were at first held responsible, until the lyrics of the song were more thoroughly studied by the fans. The text does indeed offer a few points worthy of discussion. First of all, it deals with religion, and when the band members took stock of the composition of the upcoming album, they realized that a few other tracks also touched on the same subject. There was "Jesus," of course, whose title speaks for itself, but there was also "Liar," which narrates the confession of a sinner to his priest. Queen came to the conclusion that unless they started claiming to be a Christian rock band, there was just too much religion for one record. The lyrics alone, however, are quite enough to have the song discarded. "They call me Mad the Swine," says the narrator, who appears to be Jesus Christ, come to save mankind. Did Mercury imagine the reincarnation of Christ as a pig, or was this another one of his fantasies that no one could grasp? Either way, even at this highly contentious period, this type of comparison between Jesus Christ and a pig was just too controversial, and the band decided to put the song on the back burner.

Production:

Although it lacks precision in its execution, this track fits perfectly with the spirit of Queen's first album. An acous-tic guitar accompanies the opening vocals (probably Brian May's cheap Hallfredh, which had already been used on "The Night Comes Down"), but the real originality of the song lies in Roger Taylor's use of percussion, particularly on the introduction and on the guitar solo, which begins at 2:15. From a listener's standpoint, it's impossible to say whether he is using congas or bongos, but one thing is cer-tain: Their presence on Queen's first album would have taken aback many a listener. These instruments give the song a world music vibe that's totally absent from the rest of the album!

All information from the book Queen: all The Songs The Story Behind Every Track

Queen Fact: Once the band was fighting in an hotel room as Roger throw a television at someone's head. Luckily, the tv flew out of the window and missed the target.