QUEEN II: Queen’s majestic second album, Queen II (1974), remixed, remastered and expanded in a lavish 5CD+2LP box Queen II Collector’s Edition For Release March 27th

Also released as 2xCD Deluxe Edition, Vinyl LP, Vinyl Picture Disc LP, 1xCD and cassette formats, all featuring a brand new 2026 mix

Click here to Pre-Order Queen II

“My God, we were such impatient boys” – Freddie Mercury
 
"Queen II was a vital step in the long journey to the explosion of marvellousness we eventually became” – Roger Taylor

“We had the desire to create something extraordinary. And we did.” – Brian May

Over half a century after it set them on the path to superstardom, Queen’s regal second album, Queen II, has been remixed, remastered and expanded for a lavish new box set.

Arguably the heaviest Queen album, Queen II was originally released in 1974 and widely heralded as their first true masterpiece. With Brian May and Roger Taylor as executive producers, the album has been stunningly mixed by the team of Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J Macrae and Kris Fredriksson.

The 5CD+2LP Queen II Collector’s Edition box set features the 2026 mix of the album, plus intimate fly-on-the-wall audio of Queen in the recording studio, previously unheard outtakes and demos, live tracks and radio sessions.  

The Queen II Collector’s Edition box set also comes with a 112-page book featuring previously unseen photographs, handwritten lyrics, diary entries, and special memorabilia, as well as memories of writing and recording the album from the band members.

“Queen II was the single biggest leap we ever made,” says Brian May. “That’s when we really started making music the way we wanted to, rather than the way we were being pushed into recording it.”

“With Queen II, I couldn’t believe how much work we put into it,” adds Roger Taylor. “I think we felt we were evolving our own sound. We were pioneering this sort of multitracking thing. It gave you a tremendous pallet, massive choral effects with just three of us singing.”

Queen II has been hailed as the band’s crowning glory by many fans over the years, among them legendary Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose, who said of the album: “With Queen, I have my favourite: Queen II. Whenever their newest record would come out and have all these other kinds of music on it, at first I'd only like this song or that song. But after a period of time listening to it, it would open my mind up to so many different styles. That's something I've always wanted to be able to achieve.”

 

 

 

 

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The task of remixing Queen II for this new edition was in the hands of the trusted team of Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J Macrae and Kris Fredriksson, who worked on the Queen I reissue as well as several other past releases from the band, with Brian May and Roger Taylor acting as executive producers. 

“The idea was to reveal more of the clarity of the songs,” says Justin Shirley-Smith of their approach. “Rather than add anything, we wanted to reveal more of what was there and get that desired sound.”

“The lengths the band went to achieve what they achieved with the technology they had at the time was incredible,” says Joshua J Macrae. “Some of it is so ahead of its time. Working on this was like entering a room of fabulousness.” 

Queen’s self-titled 1973 debut album had established the band as one of the boldest and most unique new voices in music. Even a troubled recording process, which resulted in a sound the band were unhappy with (subsequently rectified on the 2024 reissue), couldn’t mask the brilliance of the songs, nor the ambition of the band behind them.

For the follow-up, recorded once again at Soho’s Trident Studios with Queen I co-producer Roy Thomas Baker, Queen seized control of their own destiny. They were already incredibly well-drilled before they began, with Father To Son and Ogre Battle having featured in the live shows as far back as September 1973. The result was an album that didn’t so much tear up the blueprint as redraw it on a grand scale. 

“I wanted to give it everything – to be self-indulgent,” said Freddie Mercury at the time. “But the whole band in particular, we don't go in for half-measures and I'm pretty hard with myself. There are no compromises.”

Originally released in the UK on March 8, 1974, Queen II still sounds extraordinary today. Bold, brave and madly ambitious, it’s the work of a band whose self-belief, vision and ability were unmatched. Its songs range from the intricate and complex to the raw and heavy, with vocals stacked to near-operatic levels and Brian May’s fabled ‘guitar orchestra’ giving the band a sound like no other.

Like the iconic Mick Rock photo that stares out from the cover – revisited by the band themselves nearly two years later in the groundbreaking promo video for Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen II is an album of shadow and light. 

Rather than the traditional sides one and two, in characteristically flamboyant Queen fashion the album is divided into Side White and Side Black. The former is dominated by Brian May’s songs, including soaring rocker “Father To Son” and the ethereal, celestial “White Queen (As It Began)”, with Roger Taylor’s raucous but bittersweet “The Loser In The End” capping off the white side. 

Side Black is given over to Mercury’s complex musical excursions, from the roaring “Ogre Battle” and the filigreed finery of “The Fairy Feller’s Masterstroke” (inspired by a 19th century painting by maverick artist Richard Dadd) to the quasi-mythical fanfare of “Seven Seas Of Rhye”, which gave the band their very first UK hit single. The centrepiece of Side Black was “The March Of The Black Queen”, a multi-part mini-epic that, like much of Queen II, pointed towards Queen’s glorious future.

“The March Of The Black Queen was definitely a forerunner of Bohemian Rhapsody,” says Brian May. “Freddie’s mind was just working on a different level, even at that point. Father To Son, The Fairy Feller’s Masterstroke – you can hear the seeds of what was to come in those songs.”

Even beyond the brand new 2026 mix, the Queen II Collector’s Edition reframes the album on a much bigger canvas.  

CD2: Queen II – Sessions is a treasure trove for Queen fans, presenting a completely different and 100% previously unreleased version of every song from the album in the form of outtakes from the original Trident sessions, complete with false starts, guide vocals, the odd mistake, and some fabulous studio banter between the four band members.

Individually and taken together, the Sessions CD presents an alternative tracklisting that shows how this most grandiose of albums took shape. Some songs, such as Father To Son and Some Day One Day, feature guide vocals and musical sections that are subtly different to the finished tracks, while others, such as The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke and The March Of The Black Queen, find the foursome striving to perfect the music they‘d written. 

“Those outtakes show how dedicated the band were, and how precise they were,” says Joshua J Macrae, who, together with Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson, sifted through dozens of hours of recordings to find the right takes to include. 

Most intriguingly, the Sessions CD also includes early versions of two songs: a solo Brian May version of “As It Began”, aka “White Queen”, dating from 1969, plus two solo demo versions of Roger Taylor’s “Loser In The End” which show the song’s evolution towards its final incarnation.

“The demos really show you what Brian and Roger were doing with the songs before the rest of the band got involved with them,” says Justin Shirley-Smith. “It’s a really fascinating insight into their creative processes.” 

Not only do these revelatory tracks lift the lid on the band’s creative process at the time, but the snippets of conversation and studio banter at the beginning and end of these tracks adds a fascinating new dimension not just to Queen II but to the band themselves. “This pop star lark is too much for me,” mock-sighs Freddie Mercury at one point. “I should go back to doing blue movies.” It shows the real-life personal and artistic friendships at the heart of this legendary band.

“The fans loved the banter and interaction on the Queen I reissue, and I’d say it’s probably even better here,” says Kris Fredriksson. “You get to hear how they relate to each other, and it’s really fascinating to hear.”

The Sessions CD also features the lilting, evocative “Not For Sale (Polar Bear)”, a song the band worked on during the Queen II sessions but never completed. “We knew that song was there, and that there were different takes, but they had never decided on a master backing track that they would have built on,” says Kris Fredriksson. “We have technology now that we didn’t have even a few years ago that meant we could get the best out of what they played and what Freddie sang.”

CD3: Queen II – Backing Tracks complements both the album itself and the Sessions CD by offering mixes of the songs from the album without lead vocals, highlight the stellar musical performances of the band members.

“Their performances are absolutely stunning,” says Justin Shirley-Smith. “It’s the sound of a band in total command of everything they’re doing.”

CD4: Queen II – At The BBC brings together tracks from three separate sessions the band did for BBC Radio 1 DJs and early Queen supporters John Peel and Bob Harris in late 1973 and early 1974. 

Two tracks, future b-side “See What A Fool I’ve Been” and a tantalising version of “Ogre Battle”, were recorded for Harris’ Sounds Of The Seventies programme and John Peel’s show respectively in September and December 1973, predating the release of Queen II by several months and showcasing the huge leap forward they’d made from their debut. Two more tracks, “Nevermore” and “White Queen (As It Began)”, were recorded for Harris in April 1974 and capture Queen in full flight for the BBC tapes.

The At The BBC CD is rounded out by the band’s set at the Golders Green Hippodrome on September 13, 1973, a full six months before Queen II was released. Once again, its eight tracks present a band who are ready on to seize the future.

The Collector’s Edition is completed by CD 5: Queen II Live, a showcase of the album’s songs from concerts at North London’s fabled Rainbow Theatre on March 31, 1974 and Hammersmith Odeon the following December. Highlights include a blistering “Father To Son”, the furiously fantastical “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke“ and the epic yin-yang of “White Queen (As It Began)” and “The March Of The Black Queen”, which show off every facet of the band’s distinctive personality.

“Our whole set is frantic, we come on, let rip, move around a lot then we’re off, leaving the crowds stunned and wondering what hit them,” said Brian May in 1974.

The incredible story of Queen II is further fleshed out by the 112 page book which is included in the Collector’s Edition. Shining a new light on both the album and the band that made it, it includes a host of previously unseen photographs of the band, including outtakes from Mick Rock’s legendary photo session for the Queen II cover. Queen devotees will be amazed to see Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor’s handwritten lyrics and musical notation for the songs on the album, as well as journal entries, letters to friends and supporters and a trove of memorabilia, including images of vintage adverts and gig posters, turning the Queen II Collector’s Edition into a multi-dimensional experience.

Fifty-two years after it was originally released, Queen II remains the first great of many great pinnacles of the band’s career, sending out a message to the world: “This is who we are, and this is what we can do.” 

“We were charging down the road of voices and orchestrating and all of that was a dream come true,” says Brian May. “It had been in our heads for so long, and finally we were able to make it happen."

“I don’t think the album sounds like anyone else,” says Roger Taylor. “We gained a mental identity, a group identity and we were just doing what we did.”

QUEEN II: Collector’s Edition 2026 Mix (5CD+2LP)
CD1: Queen II - 2026 Mix
1    Procession
2    Father To Son
3    White Queen (As It Began)
4    Some Day One Day
5    The Loser in the End
6    Ogre Battle
7    The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke
8    Nevermore
9    The March of the Black Queen
10    Funny How Love Is
11    Seven Seas Of Rhye

CD2: Queen II - Sessions
1    Procession (Stage Intro Tape - April 1973)
2    Father To Son (Takes 4 & 9 - with Guide Vocal)
3    As It Began (Brian's Studio Demo - October 1969)
4    Some Day One Day (Take 1 - with Guide Vocals)
5    The Loser In The End (Roger's First Demo)
6    The Loser In The End (Roger's Second Demo)
7    Ogre Battle (Takes 2 & 6 - with Guide Vocal)
8    The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke (Takes 4 & 9)
9    Nevermore (Take 6)
10    The March Of The Black Queen (First Section Takes 3 & 5)
11    The March Of The Black Queen (Second Section Take 1)
12    Funny How Love Is (Take 4)
13    Seven Seas Of Rhye (Takes 4, 5 & 6)
14    I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside (Take 4)
15    See What A Fool I've Been (B-side Version 2026 Mix)
16    Not For Sale (Polar Bear)

CD3: Queen II - Backing Tracks
1    Procession
2    Father To Son
3    White Queen (As It Began)
4    Some Day One Day
5    The Loser in the End
6    Ogre Battle
7    The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke
8    Nevermore
9    The March of the Black Queen
10    Funny How Love Is
11    Seven Seas Of Rhye

CD4: Queen II - At The BBC
1    See What a Fool I've Been (BBC Session 2, July 1973 - 2011 Mix)
2    Ogre Battle (BBC Session 3, December 1973)
3    Nevermore (BBC Session 4, April 1974)
4    White Queen (As It Began) (BBC Session 4, April 1974)
5    Procession - Intro Tape (Live at Golders Green Hippodrome, 13th September 1973)
6    Father To Son (Live at Golders Green Hippodrome, 13th September 1973)
7    Son And Daughter (Live at Golders Green Hippodrome, 13th September 1973)
8    Guitar Solo (Live at Golders Green Hippodrome, 13th September 1973)
9    Son And Daughter - Reprise (Live at Golders Green Hippodrome, 13th September 1973)
10    Ogre Battle (Live at Golders Green Hippodrome, 13th September 1973)
11    Liar (Live at Golders Green Hippodrome, 13th September 1973)
12    Jailhouse Rock (Live at Golders Green Hippodrome, 13th September 1973)
    
CD5: Queen II - Live
1    Procession - Intro Tape (Live at the Rainbow, March 1974)
2    Father To Son (Live at the Rainbow, March 1974)
3    Ogre Battle (Live at the Rainbow, March 1974)
4    White Queen (As It Began) (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, December 1975)
5    The March Of The Black Queen (Live at the Rainbow, March 1974)
6    The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke (Live at the Rainbow, March 1974)
7    Seven Seas Of Rhye (Live at the Rainbow, March 1974)
8    See What A Fool I've Been (Live at the Rainbow, March 1974)

LP1: Queen II - 2026 Mix (Side White)
1    Procession
2    Father To Son
3    White Queen (As It Began)
4    Some Day One Day
5    The Loser in the End
    
LP2: Queen II - 2026 Mix (Side Black)
1    Ogre Battle
2    The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke
3    Nevermore
4    The March of the Black Queen
5    Funny How Love Is
6    Seven Seas Of Rhye

Additional Formats:

2x CD: Queen II: Deluxe Edition
    CD1: Queen II - 2026 Mix
    CD2: Queen II - Sessions

1x CD: Queen II - 2026 Mix CD 

1x LP Queen II – 2026 Mix

1x LP Queen II: Picture Disc – 2026 Mix
    Queen Online Exclusive

1x Cassette: Queen II – 2026 Mix
    Queen Online Exclusive

Also available in Download / Streaming / Atmos.

***

Original QUEEN II album credits:

FREDDIE MERCURY – VOCALS, PIANO/HARPSICHORD BRIAN MAY – GUITARS, PIANO, VOCALS, BELLS JOHN DEACON – BASS GUITAR, ACOUSTIC GUITAR ROGER TAYLOR – PERCUSSION, VOCALS 

PRODUCED BY ROY THOMAS BAKER AND QUEEN ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION BY ROBIN GEOFFREY CABLE AND QUEEN ENGINEERED BY MIKE STONE AT TRIDENT STUDIOS, LONDON 

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART DIRECTION BY MICK ROCK
SLEEVE CONCEPT BY MICK ROCK AND QUEEN TYPOGRAPHY BY RIDGEWAY WATT

MANAGEMENT BY JACK NELSON 

Virtuoso castanets by Roy Thomas Baker... and nobody played synthesizer...again

QUEEN II 2026 Collector’s Edition Credits

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: BRIAN MAY AND ROGER TAYLOR 

QUEEN MANAGEMENT: JIM BEACH AND MATILDA BEACH 

CONTENT SUPERVISED BY - KRIS FREDRIKSSON, JUSTIN SHIRLEY-SMITH AND GREG BROOKS

PROJECT MANAGED BY: EMMA DONOGHUE