![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Queen-II-Album-Cover.jpg\")
More than half a century after its original 1974 release, Queen\u2019s second album, Queen II, has been remixed, remastered and expanded for a lavish 2026 boxed set.<\/p>\nMore than half a century after its original 1974 release, Queen\u2019s second album, Queen II, has been remixed, remastered and expanded for a lavish 2026 boxed set.<\/p>\n
Arguably the heaviest Queen<\/a> album, Queen II was widely heralded as the band\u2019s first true masterpiece. With band members Brian May and Roger Taylor as executive producers, the 5-CD\/2-LP Queen II Collector\u2019s Edition box, coming March 27, 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. See the complete track list below. [It\u2019s available to order in the U.S. here<\/a>, in Canada here<\/a> and in the U.K. here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n It\u2019s also available as a 2-CD Deluxe Edition, vinyl LP, vinyl picture disc LP, and in 1-CD and cassette formats, all featuring the new mix. Many of the configurations are available in the U.S. here<\/a>, in Canada here<\/a> and in the U.K. here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cQueen II was the single biggest leap we ever made,\u201d\u00a0says guitarist Brian May.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s when we really started making music the way we wanted to, rather than the way we were being pushed into recording it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith Queen II, I couldn\u2019t believe how much work we put into it,\u201d\u00a0adds Roger Taylor.\u00a0\u201cI think we felt we were evolving our own sound. We were pioneering the multitracking thing. It gave you a tremendous pallet, massive choral effects with just three of us singing.\u201d<\/p>\n The task of remixing Queen II for this new edition fell to Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J. Macrae and Kris Fredriksson, who worked on the reissue of the self-titled debut as well as several other past releases from the band.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to give it everything\u2014to be self-indulgent,\u201d\u00a0said Freddie Mercury at the time of the album\u2019s initial release.\u00a0\u201cBut the whole band doesn\u2019t go in for half-measures and I\u2019m pretty hard with myself. There are no compromises.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n I interviewed Freddie Mercury twice: once in Beverly Hills in 1974 for the now defunct U.K. music periodical Melody Maker, and subsequently in the summer of 1975 in his publicist\u2019s office in the UK. The first time, Mercury waltzed into the room, stuck out his hands and greeted fellow journalist Justin Pierce and me with, \u201cHello, darlings. What do you think of my black fingernail polish?\u201d<\/p>\n I quickly replied to him, \u201cFreddie, I grew up in Hollywood. I know what kind of fingernail polish real queens wear.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercury immediately poured a glass of champagne and requested \u201cto please put the tape machine on.\u201d He thoroughly enjoyed trumpeting Queen and discussing the machinations of their mid-\u201970s career. But we must have spent the first 10 minutes just talking about Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland.<\/p>\n Mercury had an air of confidence and mega-stardom destiny about him. He had a keen sense of the pop music process and being a star on and off the stage. Mercury reflected on Queen\u2019s latest tour of the States, in support of the band\u2019s third album, Sheer Heart Attack.<\/p>\n Queen\u2019s 3rd album, 1974\u2019s Sheer Heart Attack<\/p>\n Related: Our Album Rewind of Sheer Heart Attack<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe tour has been going just great,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only drawback has been the problems with my voice, which I\u2019ve been overtaxing. But since I\u2019ve been taking care of it and resting more, it\u2019s been fine. The problem is that when you do a tour, you try to schedule the concerts as close as possible. Therefore, it\u2019s like a constant workout. However, at this moment it\u2019s raring to go and at the conclusion of this tour, we\u2019re going to take a rest in Hawaii, which we really deserve. From there it\u2019ll be on to Japan and Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n What did Mercury see as being the key to their phenomenal following? \u201cI can\u2019t pinpoint it, but there\u2019s something about our music that\u2019s different and unlike anybody else\u2019s,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe that\u2019s our major strong point. But there\u2019s other ingredients. Besides the fact that our timing has helped, there is the fact that we take risks. We\u2019re not one of those groups that go through every stage, for we skipped a few hurdles and we\u2019re willing to take the chances that brought us to our level of acceptance.<\/p>\n \u201cThis American tour is a perfect example,\u201d he continued. \u201cTo undertake this kind of massive tour is not unheard of, but it is a risk. People were constantly telling us about the American economy and how the biggest groups are having trouble filling venues. And for us to come on as strong as we are, headlining after only half a previous tour, shows how confident we are, or what you can put across unless you were a headliner. And now we\u2019ve proved we can do it. Here we are, the first time in L.A. and we\u2019ve sold out two shows, and it\u2019s simply an amazing feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n Queen had only recently broken into the American record charts with \u201cKiller Queen,\u201d a track from Sheer Heart Attack; the single peaked at #12. The gentleness and buoyancy of the tune is in marked contrast to the high level of energy that characterized their first two albums. It was only on the third album that the diversity really became apparent. However, Mercury didn\u2019t look at it as a great change: \u201cThe thing I hate is trying to pinpoint everything for everybody,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople always ask questions like, \u2018Why did you write such and such a lyric and what does it mean?\u2019 That\u2019s now what it\u2019s all about. The one thing the British press has been trying to do for years is to categorize. It really annoys us.<\/p>\n \u201cWe came out with \u2018Keep Yourself Alive\u2019 [1973] as a single, which is raunchy, and then we decided on \u2018Killer Queen\u2019 for a latter release. The first thing they do is ask, \u2018What are you up to?\u2019 This is our music and it\u2019s up to the individual to interpret it. It\u2019s not up to us to come out with a product and label it. It would be boring if everything was laid out and everybody knew what it was all about all the time. I like people to make up their interpretation.<\/p>\n \u201cThey also want to categorize stage image,\u201d he continued. \u201cI remember an interview where I said, \u2018I play on the bisexual thing.\u2019 Of course I play on it. It\u2019s simply a matter of wherever my mood takes me. If people want to know and ask me if I\u2019m gay, I tell them it\u2019s up to themselves to find out. I\u2019m just being my flamboyant self and having a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n Even though Mercury preferred not to analyze Queen\u2019s music, he discussed their cumulative work in a logical manner: The first LP, he said, was very raw and full of freshness.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was simply a reflection of what we\u2019d been doing for so long and we just wanted to get it out of our system. On the second album we found out that even though we had a formula we didn\u2019t necessarily have to keep it. Therefore, we dabbled at other things. Sheer Heart Attack was something different again. We wanted to make it interesting for ourselves as well as the listener. Hopefully, we succeeded on both counts. When we\u2019re on stage we try to do the same thing. We\u2019re perfectionists. Although all of us write, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that every song composed will appear on an album.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving all the members write adds to our versatility, and that\u2019s another strong point,\u201d he said. \u201cOn the last album we wanted to create a certain feel, and did. However, there were so many ideas and things that we wanted to do and have yet to carry out. You simply can\u2019t do everything on one album. Lots of groups eventually burn themselves out due to lack of new ideas. But at this point, there\u2019s no way we\u2019re going to burn out. In fact, presently we\u2019re stronger than ever.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, and our presentation is just a way of putting across the music. We view albums and concerts as two spheres of work. There\u2019s a different level in the studio as compared to when you\u2019re on stage. But when we\u2019re before an audience, we let loose.\u201d<\/p>\n I asked Mercury how he felt the English music market differed from the American.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though singles may have been more important at one time in Britain, I feel that the stress on the singles and the albums is becoming pretty even,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you play too much on singles you can quite easily become a singles group. At that point it\u2019s almost impossible to revert back to albums. I feel we\u2019re in a fortunate position for we\u2019ve only released four singles, including our new one. Therefore, we\u2019ve achieved a balance. I think the same thing is true in America, though we\u2019ve had to rely on response to our albums to carry us through. It wasn\u2019t really till \u2018Killer Queen\u2019 that we received mass exposure on a commercial level.<\/p>\n \u201cBack home, you have to be very careful of what you say or do because you\u2019re in a position of immense responsibility. In fact, it can sometimes get ridiculous,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe have this black-and-white theme that we carry out in England and it\u2019s very strong. It has even got to the point where the audiences dress and look like me to a t. They\u2019re very faithful and it\u2019s beautiful. On this tour, in Dallas, there was even a fan dressed with black makeup on one side of his face and white on the other, and it was marvelous.\u201d<\/p>\n As for his own musical taste, Mercury said, \u201cI listen to all kinds of music from Hendrix to Liza Minnelli, all the way back to Mae West. I also enjoy Flo and Eddie [of the Turtles and the Mothers] when I hear them on the radio. They\u2019re simply a riot. I also enjoy Joni Mitchell tremendously, and am constantly awed by her vocal phrasing as well as the amazing things she writes. She\u2019s simply beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n After Justin Pierce and I interviewed Mercury, I mentioned I was planning a summer 1975 trip to London. Mercury quicky suggested, \u201cIf you come to London do call my publicist. We must do this again!\u201d And we did, but on my \u201975 visit, Freddie was wearing green fingernail polish.<\/p>\n Watch a 1977 live performance of \u201cKiller Queen\u201d<\/p>\n Author Harvey Kubernik\u2019s 21st book, Screen Gems: Pop Music Documentaries & Rock and Roll TV Scenes, published in Feb. 2026 by BearManor Media, dives deep into 24 noteworthy productions. The book is available in the U.S. here<\/a>, in Canada here<\/a> and in the U.K. here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Queen II Collector\u2019s Edition 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. It\u2019s available to order in the U.S. here<\/a>, in Canada here<\/a> and in the U.K. here<\/a>.<\/p>\n QUEEN II: Collector\u2019s Edition 2026 Mix (5-CD+2-LP) CD2: Queen II \u2013 Sessions CD3: Queen II \u2013 Backing Tracks CD4: Queen II \u2013 At The BBC CD5: Queen II \u2013 Live LP1: Queen II \u2013 2026 Mix (Side White) LP2: Queen II \u2013 2026 Mix (Side Black)![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Queen-II-Box-Set-Pack-Shot.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/queen-sheer-full-size-1024x1024.jpg\")
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CD1: Queen II \u2013 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\u2019s Master-Stroke
8 Nevermore
9 The March of the Black Queen
10 Funny How Love Is
11 Seven Seas Of Rhye<\/p>\n
1 Procession (Stage Intro Tape \u2013 April 1973)
2 Father To Son (Takes 4 & 9 \u2013 with Guide Vocal)
3 As It Began (Brian\u2019s Studio Demo \u2013 October 1969)
4 Some Day One Day (Take 1 \u2013 with Guide Vocals)
5 The Loser In The End (Roger\u2019s First Demo)
6 The Loser In The End (Roger\u2019s Second Demo)
7 Ogre Battle (Takes 2 & 6 \u2013 with Guide Vocal)
8 The Fairy Feller\u2019s 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\u2019ve Been (B-side Version 2026 Mix)
16 Not For Sale (Polar Bear)<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Master-Stroke
8 Nevermore
9 The March of the Black Queen
10 Funny How Love Is
11 Seven Seas Of Rhye<\/p>\n
1 See What a Fool I\u2019ve Been (BBC Session 2, July 1973 \u2013 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 \u2013 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 \u2013 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)<\/p>\n
1 Procession \u2013 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\u2019s 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\u2019ve Been (Live at the Rainbow, March 1974)<\/p>\n
1 Procession
2 Father To Son
3 White Queen (As It Began)
4 Some Day One Day
5 The Loser in the End<\/p>\n
1 Ogre Battle
2 The Fairy Feller\u2019s Master-Stroke
3 Nevermore
4 The March of the Black Queen
5 Funny How Love Is
6 Seven Seas Of Rhye<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More than half a century after its original 1974 release, Queen\u2019s second album, Queen II, has been remixed,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141498,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-141497","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\/141497","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=141497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}