Audio CD review:
Queen - Jazz

Queen - Jazz

Band: Queen Title: Jazz Rating: Release Date: 17 June, 1991 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Mustapha 2: Fat Bottomed Girls 3: Jealousy 4: Bicycle Race 5: If You Can't Beat Them 6: Let Me Entertain You 7: Dead On Time 8: In Only Seven Days 9: Dreamers Ball 10: Fun It 11: Leaving Home Ain't Easy 12: Don't Stop Me Now 13: More Of That Jazz 14: Fat Bottomed Girls (1991 Bonus Remix By Brian Malouf) 15: Bicycle Race (1991 Remix By Junior Vaquez)

Customer Reviews Letting it all hang out... Queen released their seventh album in November of 1978 entitled 'Jazz' which in the chorus of the title track contained. "more of that jazz" meaning a another solid but unspectacular outing from the band critics loved to hate. An explosion of song styles as if Queen were trying to be all things to all people. . . or was this diversity only to please themselves. Pop, country, sappy ballads, funk/disco and even metal were showcased on this record along with a truly bizarre opener (what the hell was "Mustapha" anyway. . . arabic rock????!!!). 'Jazz' was no better than or worse than the previous two lps and did contain its share of hits. Favorites include "Fat Bottomed Girls" with its delicious harmonies and dynamite guitar sound. . . . just a skinny lad (not with those power chords). "Bicycle Race" was the quirky hit, similar in style to "Killer Queen" in which it contained pomp, outrageous (and dated) lyrics and diverse arrangements. "Don't Stop Me Now" should have been a bigger hit than it was with Freddie, a larger than life character, celebrating his party existence. . . too mister farenheidt for mainstream America? Metal and hard rock are served well in "Dead on Time" with another guitar workout from Brian and "Let Me Entertain You" another rhythmic hard rocker from Freddie. John Deacon offers "If You Can't Beat Them", his first true rocker and "In Only Seven Days", one of his typical ballads. Roger Taylor's songs are usually hit or miss. . . title track is darn good, "Fun It" just blows. Maybe Queen was trying to hard here, but their fans didn't care. . . football gives us thrills. . . . rock and roll just pays the bills. Queen's sadly overlooked gem from height of US popularity The album has always had the distinction of being Queen's worst album ever but I think it is great (as I found out when I first got the CD in April of 1992). Queen's seventh album Jazz was released in November of 1978. The album saw the band co-producing with Roy Thomas Baker for the first time since 1975's A Night at the Opera and was recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland and Superbear Studios in France. We begin with singer Freddie Mercury's "Mustapha" which is a Middle Eastern sounding track and a unique opener. Freddie singing in Arabic is a grand way to kick off a diverse Queen record. Next was the album's US Top 30 hit "Fat Bottomed Girls" and penned by guitarist Brian May and is a great rocker dedicated to Brian, Roger and John's wives (or in Roger's case girlfriend) and was a concert staple on the 1978/1980/1982 US tours. Freddie's ballad "Jealousy" follows and is a beautiful song. Next is the album's biggest US Top 30 hit "Bicycle Race" (which was the A-side to Fat Bottomed Girls) and this Freddie penned number was written whilst watching the Tour de France from his hotel suite. This song showed Queen did not ever take themselves too seriously. Next is bass player John Deacon's rocker "If You Can't Beat Them" which was John's first true rock number he wrote for the band. The first half ends with Freddie's homage to the excessive rock lifestyle called "Let Me Entertain You" which is a great rocker and was a staple live on the band's 1978/79 and 1980/81 tours. We begin the second half with a May rocker called "Dead on Time" which is one of his best rockers. Next is a Deaky ballad "In Only Seven Days" about meeting someone and falling in love while on vacation. The track would not have sounded out of place on either Billy Joel's The Stranger or 52nd Street albums. Next is Brian's jazzy "Dreamers Ball" which is a song which may sound lazy on studio version but live was better. Next is drummer Roger Taylor's "Fun It" with Freddie and Roger trading lead vocals. The rock-disco track sounds like a pre-cursor to Another One Bites the Dust. Next is Brian's "Leaving Home Ain't Easy" and has Brian May on lead vocals and is a nice, acoustic number. The big UK hit and song that stalled at #86 in the US "Don't Stop Me Now" is one of Freddie's classic pop rock songs and a great song. We end the album with Roger's rocker "More of That Jazz" which had Roger on EVERYTHING (including all vocals, drums, guitars and bass) and is a great song. Before the song ends, the abrupt appearance of collage 'soundbites' of most of the tracks over the course of the album, probably spliced in to give the false sense of sounding like a commercial for Queen's Jazz album which Elektra Records probably did for radio promotion in 1978. Jazz when released hit #6 in the US and went Platinum immediately. In 1991, Hollywood Records re-issued Jazz with two remixes, Fat Bottomed Girls (a rock re-mix) and a rappish Bicycle Race. Recommended! . Just like I remembered It is as good as I remembered and Queen is at their peak on this album. This album was one of Queen's last good albums. . . You can see a complete list of all Queen discography, or go back to the Queen tabs