New Wax Wednesday

Let’s not beat around the bush: Queen are absolute kings when it comes to putting together historical box sets. Current case in point is what they’ve done for March 1974’s Queen II, which was just released by Hollywood in a legitimately lavish 5CD/2LP Collector’s Edition on March 27, 2026.

The key to this deluxe box set’s overall excellence begins from the literal source material, not to mention the expertise of the trusted group of aural caretakers handling it all. To that end, Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J Macrae, and Kris Fredriksson comprise the team that has remixed all the Queen II material for both its vinyl and digital incarnations, akin to how they did so for October 2024’s similarly in-depth Queen I 6CD/1LP box set that celebrated and expanded upon September 1973’s Queen (which was originally released back in the day without the I designation after its self-title). As they do for all Queen releases, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor serve as active, hands-on executive producers.

To the obtainment stats now, before getting into the sonic weeds. The Queen II Collector’s Edition is currently sold out at Music Direct and at Queen’s official U.S. store — but fear not because, as of this posting, it is still available via Queen’s official UK online store here for £194.99. You can also find it on Amazon for $174.98, and I highly recommend you get your hands on it via your preferred provider ASAP, if not sooner, before it gets snapped up. True, the 2026 mix of the core album is available on 180g vinyl via Music Direct here for $29.99, while a picture disc is available for pre-order here for $45.99, if you want to go the more economical route in both cases, and skip the bonus material entirely — the latter of which would be a mistake, imo. (Or just go ahead and get ’em all, if you’re one of those completist types like yours truly.)

In a press statement that detailed how they handled the material for Queen II, the production team clarified their overall roles in broadstroke terms. “The idea was to reveal more of the clarity of the songs,” Shirley-Smith noted about their approach, then continued, “Rather than add anything, we wanted to reveal more of what was there, and get that desired sound.” Added Macrae, “The lengths the band went to achieve what they achieved with the technology they had at the time was incredible. Some of it is so ahead of its time. Working on this was like entering a room of fabulousness.”

These comments are critical for a pre-understanding, if you will, as to why you will likely hear something different with Queen II upon your first listen to its 2026 mixes — or during your first few listens. A number of us had similar reactions when we initially cued up the 2024 mix of the Queen I LP, but I think it’s safe to say that, upon what I’m going to call “modern-ear burn-in,” I am now able to better appreciate the new Queen II right out of the sleeve — or in this case, sleeves plural. For comparison with what I heard on Queen I in 2024, once I had a better understanding of the production M.O., tracks like “Keep Yourself Alive,” “Great King Rat,” and even the brief album-closing instrumental teaser “Seven Seas of Rhye. . .” all came across wider, fatter, and fuller.

Before I get into more of what that means in relation to Queen II, the credits section of the included 120-page hardback (counting covers, that is!) reveals even more about the process. On page 109, said credits confirm that the multi-track tape transfers were done by Fredriksson, Declan O’Regan, and Graham Meek. Speed stabilization and editing was done by Jamie Howarth and John K. Chester of Plangent Processes, with additional audio restoration by James Clarke at the Audio Research Group; mastering was done by Adam Ayan at Ayan Mastering, and (quite importantly) half-speed mastering was done by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. The back of the box set has a mini “Made in Germany” sticker, similar to the one the Queen I box has. (Note that European pressings will feature EMI as the label, but it’s the same source material all around.)

I should note that the hardback is its own epic marvel, featuring scores of previously unseen photographs (including outtakes from Mick Rock’s beyond-iconic photo session for the album cover), handwritten lyrics, diary entries, gig posters, of-era ads, and other related memorabilia, plus notes about writing and recording the album from all Queen bandmembers.

Finally, a not-short aside regarding Queen’s master tapes. When I spoke exclusively with the very same production troika back in December 2022 about the deep dive 1LP/5CD/1DVD/1BD Collector’s Edition box set they had put together for Queen’s May 1989 LP The Miracle, this is how they described the process to me, word for word.

Fredriksson: The thing we can say about [the master tapes] is that they’re stored in a very secure environment. I mean, it’s basically built to withstand a dirty bomb. There are multiple locations, actually, and they all have fire-suppression systems in them that will suck the oxygen out of the room if a fire is detected, rather than flooding it with water. We tend to work in there with the door open.
Shirley-Smith: A lot of thought has gone into our process, in terms of any Queen project we approach. All the original tapes come out, and they all get copied onto our working systems. Everything’s digitized.
Macrae: Obviously, we have played the original tapes beyond just transferring them, but a lot of them have already been transferred.
Fredriksson: Everything’s being preserved for the future by moving it onto new formats that are more malleable, rather than playing the original tapes over and over again.

If you can’t get past the “D word” there, I’m sorry, but considering how precious — and, at times, precarious — Queen master tapes have proven to be over the years, this way of doing things is quite acceptable to me.

Let’s now take Queen II Mach 2026 one disc at a time — quite literally. (Each LP shows EMI on its label, as noted earlier.) When Queen II was originally released, Side 1 was actually designated as the “Side White,” and Side 2 was dubbed “Side Black,” each designation foreshadowing the lighter/darker approach to each flip. In the Collector’s Edition, they’ve taken it one step further by separating each side onto its own individual LP. Thus, Side White is on the first side of a white vinyl disc (LP1) that’s housed in a white plastic-lined inner sleeve, and Side Black is on the first side of a black vinyl disc (LP2) housed in a black plastic-lined inner sleeve; both LPs leave their respective second sides blank save for an artistic etching. Box set folly? Nah, I can dig it. You’d still have to get up to flip sides anyway, so I’m down with going all-in on the thematic design vibes.

Right from the jump of Side White, Track 1, the instrumental “Procession,” sets the more delicate table of this side’s May/Taylor-penned tracks. More importantly, what I’ve found upon repeat listens to the entire 2026 mix is that while each track on Queen II has an anchor/bed track, instrumental placement is unique and individual to each song and its intent. May’s riffs pan super-wide on “Procession,” then somewhat left-center before being reversed, with a buildup that might recall some of The Who’s Tommy in terms of the thematic callbacks and uplifts.

“Father and Son,” Track 2, is a study in restraint, as Freddie Mercury’s layered lead vocal is measured and deliberate — it’s also clear and precise, and intent on relaying the tale at hand rather than relying on histrionics. The brief, sunny harmonies may make you want to substitute “Wilson” for Freddie’s last name. And May’s far, far right solo has more impact than it did on my 1974 original Elektra LP (and a later reissue from EMI/Parlophone around 2008, for that matter).

The acoustic nature of Tracks 3 and 4, “White Queen (As It Began)” and “Some Day One Day,” again take their time to build to payoff moments, none of them bombastic but all of them felt inside. The side closer, “The Loser in the End,” opens with Taylor’s attention-grabbing drum intro, and May’s subsequent headbang-inducing guitar crunch signaling that the notches are getting turned up for what’s to come next on the next physical disc. (“Loser” is the lone Taylor songwriting credit on this side; May gets credited with all the rest.)

And then things get dark, really dark, on Side Black, the Mercury-penned side. Track 1 on LP2, “Ogre Battle,” fades in and leads right into, shall I say, a full-bore “whippet and chug,” to be onomatopoeic about it (when you hear it, you’ll know exactly what that means). Mercury’s lead vocal here is more raw, bare, and deliberate than it was on Side White — and keep an ear out for the panned, back-in-the-mix screaming sections ahead of “the ogre-men.”

Track 2, “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke” — said to have been inspired by a 19th century painting by the nonconformist artist Richard Dadd — is an operatic tale following Mercury’s opening harpsichord gallop, paying off with the enunciated “mahh-ster-stroke” punchline, soon enough leading into the piano-led coda of “Nevermore,” Track 3.

“The March of the Black Queen,” Track 4, is the linchpin of the LP, the true “Bohemian Rhapsody” precursor if ever there was. It starts in a “piano, lower” drawl, with Freddie’s simmering, seething vocal and far-left “aahs” countering May’s far-right riffage that threatens to go beyond your right channel’s ascribed farthest-field. The call-and-response vocal section is a layered marvel, and best to let it all unfold as a reminder of what studio amazement was to come a few years later. “Black Queen” ultimately bleeds its way directly into Track 5, “Funny How Love Is,” a Wall of Sound-like ’60s platitudinal callback that fades out to, well, black.

The full-on “The Seven Seas of Rhye,” Track 6, closes the dark proceedings, with each bandmember locking in to bring on that soon-patented Queen power-epic mode, a veritable wave of sound (replete with piano!) that hits like a tsunami with May’s most potent riffs dominating the stage at points, with the layered, harmonic vocalizing doing so at others. And this is only Queen’s second album, you might muse to yourself as the chattery end comes to a close. What a rush! I had to play both White/Black LPs’ first sides in full a few more times just to bask in the core album’s self-contained brilliance.

As a completist, naturally, I quite loved listening to all the tracks on CDs 1-5 as well, which can be summarized as a collective of the same 2026 mix, “fly-on-the-wall audio” (their words, but quite accurate) of Queen in the recording studio, previously unheard outtakes and demos, live tracks, and radio sessions. In effect, these discs gave me a better understanding of the in-progress moments — such as what I heard with 1969’s “As It Began,” which was May’s “White Queen” precedent (CD2, Track 3); the ultimate B-side “See What A Fool I’ve Been” (CD2, Track 15); the incomplete but fascinating “Not for Sale (Polar Bear)” (CD2, Track 16); the backing track for The March of the Black Queen” (CD3, Track 9); and a litany of live tracks from the BBC (like “Ogre Battle”; CD4, Track 2) and Rainbow performances (among them, “Seven Seas Of Rhye”; CD5, Track 7). To go into all of this even more would be another review entirely — and, hey, I’d love to get an Atmos mix on Blu-ray at some point as well, for that matter (just like they wound up doing for Queen I).

As for my ratings, the Music found within the Queen II Collector’s Edition gets a 9.5. It really is quite fabulous, and only portends what greater and greater things are to come from this band. If you’ve not familiarized yourself with the arc of this album, there is no better time to get into it than with the 2026 mix on wax. As for the Sound, it rounds out to an overall 10. (The core album is a clear 10, while the additional material veers amongst 9, 9.5, and 10.) It’s really, really something.

Suffice it to say, Queen fans owe it to themselves to dive into all of this glorious music found within the Queen II Collector’s Edition. Joyful the sound, the word goes around. . . cue it up if you can.

QUEEN
QUEEN II: COLLECTOR’S EDITION
180g 2LP/5CD (Hollywood)

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

*No music is on the second side of either LP, only an etching

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)