Queen II by Queen

One of the greatest albums of all time, by one of the greatest bands of all time, without a shadow of a doubt. Their debut album had had a lot of promise, but for the follow up they really turned everything up to a metaphorical 11. If those rock riffs and production techniques sound familiar now, it’s because they invented them and showed everyone else how it was done. This is the sound of a band determined to make a name for themselves, regardless of genre - were they glam, metal, prog or what? The answer is all of the above.

It’s still a mystery quite how Brian May nailed those unique guitar sounds that had people convinced that they must have been using synthesisers or studio tricks, until he would get up on stage and play them live, note for note.

Lyrically and vocally, the songs verge on the fantastical, especially on the second side with more ogres, fairies and mythical lands than a game of Dungeons and Dragons, but they are never po-faced about it. Indeed, the final track dissolves into a drunken chorus of ‘I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside’ which is the perfect ending.

Quaere-fellow-tastic!