{"id":140418,"date":"2026-02-20T21:05:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T21:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/140418\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T21:05:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T21:05:12","slug":"as-it-began-queen-ii-to-be-remixed-expanded-in-new-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/140418\/","title":{"rendered":"As It Began: ‘Queen II’ to Be Remixed, Expanded in New Box"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\"Queen<\/a>BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM<\/p>\n

Following a similar remixed and expanded box set for their debut album in 2024<\/a>, Queen will give the deluxe treatment to their second album<\/a>, 1974\u2019s aptly titled Queen II.<\/p>\n

Available March 27, the reissue arrives in multiple formats, all of which are centered around a new mix of the album by engineers and longtime archival overseers Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J. McRae and Kris Frederiksen. The biggest version is a 5CD\/2LP box set that adds two discs of mostly unreleased studio material (including session takes, B-sides and backing tracks) along with two discs of live cuts sourced from previous archival releases. The remix will also be available physically on vinyl (standard black and picture disc), cassette and cut-down CD sets. The big box will also include a 2LP pressing of the album (one black disc and one white, mirroring the original album\u2019s side distinctions), a 112-page book of liner notes, new and archival interviews, rare photos and other ephemera, and four art prints of each band member taken from the photo on the original LP sleeve. A Dolby Atmos mix will also be available on streaming partners on the same date.<\/p>\n

Queen II, again made by the band and returning producer Roy Thomas Baker (with a new co-producer, Robin Geoffrey Cable, in the mix for several tracks), expanded on the progressive metal style of its predecessor, adding sharper focus to guitarist Brian May\u2019s dense, distinctive tone; the rhythm section of bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor and the vocal harmonies of lead singer Freddie Mercury (with May and Taylor often backing him). The album\u2019s first half, the \u201cwhite side,\u201d was almost entirely written by May and featured tracks like the dynamic \u201cFather to Son\u201d and \u201cWhite Queen (As It Began),\u201d while the darker \u201cblack side\u201d offered more fantastical lyrics from Mercury, including \u201cOgre Battle\u201d and closer \u201cSeven Seas of Rhye.\u201d Originally excerpted as an instrumental at the end of the band\u2019s debut, the completed, piano propelled \u201cSeven Seas\u201d sailed into the hearts of British record buyers, becoming Queen\u2019s first of nearly two dozen Top 10 hits at home. The album sleeve also featured a notable, distinctive image of the group by photographer Mick Rock, the visual aesthetic of which was utilized by the group several years later for an early music video to their megahit \u201cBohemian Rhapsody.\u201d<\/p>\n

The set\u2019s bonus session material (which will also be available as part of a smaller 2CD set) takes fans through the creation of the album, offering unreleased outtakes and demos of every song on the album along with the unheard \u201cNot for Sale (Polar Bear)\u201d (one of six songs recorded by May and Taylor\u2019s pre-Queen band Smile) and a new mix of the \u201cSeven Seas\u201d B-side \u201cSee What a Fool I\u2019ve Been.\u201d The live discs replicate material taken from other Queen anthologies or archival releases, including Live At The Rainbow \u201974<\/a> and the BBC recordings box On Air<\/a> (albeit sticking only to songs from those sets that first appeared on\u00a0Queen II). Most of the material from the album would be phased out on later tours, and, happily, there is nothing not carried over from the band\u2019s 2011 reissue campaign<\/a>, which paired each remastered album with an EP\u2019s worth of bonus tracks).<\/p>\n

Queen II\u2019s bevy of buying options are coming online, with Amazon links below (as an affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases) as well as band-exclusive links to picture disc and cassette variants. Check them out and peruse the full track listing, too.<\/p>\n

Queen II (Collectors Edition) (Virgin (U.K.)\/Hollywood (U.S.), 2026)<\/p>\n

5CD\/2LP: Amazon U.S.<\/a> \/ Amazon U.K.<\/a> \/ Amazon Canada<\/a>
2CD: Amazon U.S.<\/a> \/ Amazon U.K.<\/a> \/ Amazon Canada<\/a>
1CD: Amazon U.S.<\/a> \/ Amazon U.K.<\/a> \/ Amazon Canada<\/a>
LP: Amazon U.S.<\/a> \/ Amazon U.K.<\/a> \/ Amazon Canada<\/a>
Picture Disc: Official Store<\/a>
Cassette: Official Store<\/a><\/p>\n

CD 1\/LP 1-2: Original album \u2013 2026 mix\u00a0(originally released as EMI EMA 767 (U.K.)\/Elektra EKS-75082 (U.S.), 1974)<\/p>\n

Procession
\nFather to Son
\nWhite Queen (As It Began)
\nSome Day One Day
\nThe Loser in the End
\nOgre Battle
\nThe Fairy Feller\u2019s Master-Stroke
\nNevermore
\nThe March of the Black Queen
\nFunny How Love Is
\nSeven Seas of Rhye<\/p>\n

CD 2: Sessions\u00a0(previously unreleased except where noted)<\/p>\n

Procession (Stage Intro Tape \u2013 April 1973)
\nFather to Son (Takes 4 & 9 \u2013 With Guide Vocal)
\nAs It Began (Brian\u2019s Studio Demo \u2013 October 1969)
\nSome Day One Day (Take 1 \u2013 with Guide Vocals)
\nThe Loser in the End (Roger\u2019s First Demo)
\nThe Loser in the End (Roger\u2019s Second Demo)
\nOgre Battle (Takes 2 & 6 \u2013 with Guide Vocal)
\nThe Fairy Feller\u2019s Master-Stroke (Takes 4 & 9)
\nNevermore (Take 6)
\nThe March of the Black Queen (First Section Takes 3 & 5)
\nThe March of the Black Queen (Second Section Take 1)
\nFunny How Love Is (Take 4)
\nSeven Seas of Rhye (Takes 4, 5 & 6)
\nI Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside (Take 4)
\nSee What a Fool I\u2019ve Been (2026 Mix) (original mix released on \u201cSeven Seas of Rhye\u201d single \u2013 EMI 2121 (U.K.)\/Elektra EK-45891 (U.S.), 1974)
\nNot for Sale (Polar Bear)<\/p>\n

CD 3: Backing Tracks\u00a0(same track list as CD 1)<\/p>\n

CD 4: Queen At The BBC<\/p>\n

See What a Fool I\u2019ve Been (BBC Session \u2013 7\/25\/1973 \u2013 2011 Mix)
\nOgre Battle (BBC Session \u2013 12\/3\/1973)
\nNevermore (BBC Session \u2013 4\/3\/1974)
\nWhite Queen (As It Began) (BBC Session \u2013 4\/3\/1974)
\nProcession \u2013 Intro Tape (Live At Golders Green Hippodrome, London, England \u2013 9\/13\/1973)
\nFather to Son (Live At Golders Green Hippodrome, London, England \u2013 9\/13\/1973)
\nSon and Daughter (Live At Golders Green Hippodrome, London, England \u2013 9\/13\/1973)
\nGuitar Solo (Live At Golders Green Hippodrome, London, England \u2013 9\/13\/1973)
\nSon and Daughter \u2013 Reprise (Live At Golders Green Hippodrome, London, England \u2013 9\/13\/1973)
\nOgre Battle (Live At Golders Green Hippodrome, London, England \u2013 9\/13\/1973)
\nLiar (Live At Golders Green Hippodrome, London, England \u2013 9\/13\/1973)
\nJailhouse Rock (Live At Golders Green Hippodrome, London, England \u2013 9\/13\/1973)<\/p>\n

Tracks 1 and 3 released on\u00a0Queen II (Deluxe Edition) \u2013 Island 276 425 0 (U.K.)\/Hollywood D0013642-02 (U.S.), 2011
Track 2 released on\u00a0Queen At The Beeb \u2013 Band of Joy BOJLP 001 (U.K.), 1989
Tracks 4-12 released on\u00a0On Air \u2013 Virgin EMI 0602557082319, 2016<\/p>\n

CD 5: Live<\/p>\n

Procession \u2013 Intro Tape (Live At The Rainbow Theatre, London, England \u2013 3\/31\/1974)
\nFather to Son (Live At The Rainbow Theatre, London, England \u2013 3\/31\/1974)
\nOgre Battle (Live At The Rainbow Theatre, London, England \u2013 3\/31\/1974)
\nWhite Queen (As It Began) (Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London, England \u2013 12\/24\/1975)
\nThe March of the Black Queen (Live At The Rainbow Theatre, London, England \u2013 3\/31\/1974)
\nThe Fairy Feller\u2019s Master-Stroke (Live At The Rainbow Theatre, London, England \u2013 3\/31\/1974)
\nSeven Seas of Rhye (Live At The Rainbow Theatre, London, England \u2013 3\/31\/1974)
\nSee What a Fool I\u2019ve Been (Live At The Rainbow Theatre, London, England \u2013 3\/31\/1974)<\/p>\n

Tracks 1-3 and 5-8 released on Live At The Rainbow \u201974 \u2013 Virgin EMI 0602537910687 (U.K.)\/Hollywood D0020449-02 (U.S.), 2014
Track 4 released on Queen II (Deluxe Edition) \u2013 Island 276 425 0 (U.K.)\/Hollywood D0013642-02 (U.S.), 2011<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM Following a similar remixed and expanded box set for their debut album in 2024,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140419,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-140418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}