QUEEN queen ii EMS-81797

Queen’s Progressive Masterpiece: ‘Queen II’ Rare Reissue (EMS-81797)

Today’s entry highlights perhaps the most highly regarded album among hardcore Queen devotees. We are examining the 1987 Japanese White Label Promo reissue of Queen II, released on the EMI label with the catalog number EMS-81797.

White Side vs. Black Side

Released in 1974, Queen II is the band’s most complex and conceptually ambitious work. Structured not as Side A and Side B, but as “Side White” (dominated by Brian May’s emotional, melodic compositions like “White Queen (As It Began)” and “Father To Son”) and “Side Black” (dominated by Freddie Mercury’s dark fantasy epics), it is a tour de force of glam-prog. The album features the thunderous “Ogre Battle,” the band’s first major hit “Seven Seas Of Rhye,” and the intricate “The March Of The Black Queen,” widely considered the direct musical precursor to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The cover art, captured by Mick Rock, created the iconic “diamond formation” image that the band would later recreate for the “Bohemian Rhapsody” music video.

The Holy Grail of 80s Reissues

Like the other entries in this specific series, this 1987 reissue is exceptionally difficult to locate. Produced during the twilight of the vinyl era in Japan, production numbers were low. However, this specific copy is even more exclusive as it is a White Label Promo. Unlike standard commercial copies, the vinyl disc features clean white labels with promotional text, a detail highly prized by collectors for both its rarity and the potential for superior audio fidelity from early stampers.

Collector’s Specifications

This copy is the ultimate package for the Queen completist. It is distinguished by a “Sample” sticker on the back cover and the aforementioned white labels. Manufactured by Toshiba EMI, it comes complete with the rare late-80s Obi strip and a 4-page insert containing lyrics in both English and Japanese. The barcode (T4988 006 61252 5) and matrix runouts (YAX-4735-U 1S 1) confirm its identity as a genuine late-period Japanese press, making it a scarce artifact of the band’s history.