Originally produced as a Long Play on vinyl, it was first released in 1974.
It was recorded at Trident Studios in London in August 1973, and was conducted by Mike Stone.
The title of the work denotes with Roman numerals its subsequent date to the first album of the group with the same title Queen II.
The album's photography was taken by Mick Rock and was reused by the band throughout their career; for example in the video for the song "Bohemian Rhapsody", "One Vision" and "I Want to Break free" and is considered a classic and mythical image in the history of the English band.