CHAD SMITH SAYS "QUEEN II" IS THE 1974 ALBUM THE BAND NEVER ABLE TO TOP

The 1974 album that Chad Smith believes Queen never surpassed is "Queen II," released on March 8 of that year. The Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer said this is his favorite Queen album and also one of his favorite albums of all time. For him, "Queen II" represents the band at a bolder, heavier and more unusual moment. The album begins with the instrumental "Procession" and ends with the single "Seven Seas of Rhye". The original vinyl structure was divided into two conceptual sides: the "Side White" and the "Side Black". "Side White" was dominated mainly by Brian May compositions, with the exception of Roger Taylor's "The Loser in the End". "Side Black" featured Freddie Mercury in a particularly theatrical phase, with songs like "Ogre Battle" and "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke". Chad Smith highlighted the sound strength of the album and stated that he always turns up the volume when listening to it. He said that when "Father to Son" comes on, that's the volume the band wanted the audience to hear the album at. The drummer also praised the fact that the album features the observation "No synthesisers", something he considers very striking. For Smith, "Queen II" shows a more cohesive band, with its own identity and a powerful sound. Even recognizing the greatness of albums such as "A Night at the Opera", "Sheer Heart Attack", "News of the World", "Jazz" and "A Day at the Races", Chad Smith considers that none of them surpassed "Queen II".