C or D: Queen "Jazz"

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Queen brought back Roy Thomas Baker to produce this, their 1978 effort. While there are some moments that many would consider clumsy (e.g. Mustapha, Bicycle Race), there was this overblown rockstar ego sensibility about it that I think really well represents the period for Queen and arena rock in general at the time. And of course, it didn't hurt that Queen's relentless sense of humor was as much the centerpiece of this record as Mercury's vocals or May's ax.

"Just take a look at the menu
We give you rock a la carte
We'll breakfast at Tiffany's
We'll sing to you in Japanese
We're only here to entertain you"

― Ric C Stone, Monday, 25 October 2004 02:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic. It's been a while since I've listened to it, but "Mustapha" always struck me as a snappy opening. And the "Get on your bikes -- ride!" bit in "Fat Bottomed Girls" is my all-time favorite karaoke moment.

― John Fredland (jfredland), Monday, 25 October 2004 09:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmph - I've never found "Fat-bottomed Girls" at karaoke even though I've tried, my god, I've tried.

Jazz = difficult, aimless mid-career album. Some highlights ("Jealousy"), lots of medicority. Not a favourite, but not dud either.

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 25 October 2004 09:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Leaving Home Ain't Easy is a strange but lovely naive Brian song. And In Only Seven Days is a cute forerunner of the only decent thing The Darkness ever did too.

Plus, hey, it's got Don't Stop Me Now on there. That's enough for instant classicness.

The biggest problem with it though is Fun It...Roger Taylor funk? No thanks. It's ideas like that which led to the Hot Space nightmare...

― JimD (JimD), Monday, 25 October 2004 09:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Mustapha is proto Mr Bungle genius!

― mzui, Monday, 25 October 2004 09:59 (twenty-one years ago)

an argument reigned between me and my brother last night as to whether 'Don't Stop Me Now' was Queen's best single... I believe it might be (though i have *such* a soft spot for 'save me'), he thought it was 'too camp'...

― stevie (stevie), Monday, 25 October 2004 10:47 (twenty-one years ago)

of course, the correct answer is 'somebody to love'

― stevie (stevie), Monday, 25 October 2004 10:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic. Lots of great moments on this record, though the one that occurs to me now is the timeless refrain, "don't shun it, fun it!"

― Dominique (dleone), Monday, 25 October 2004 11:05 (twenty-one years ago)

People, It's got "Mustapha" on it.... OF COURSE IT'S A CLASSIC!!!!!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 25 October 2004 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I love it!

― sometimes i like to pretend i am very small and warm (ex machina), Monday, 25 October 2004 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

With typical perversity I think Hot Space is their best album, maybe even their Tusk.

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 25 October 2004 14:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Yep I'm saying classic.

― Piers (piers), Monday, 25 October 2004 14:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah marcello, I do admire your daftness. :)

To be fair, I always liked Put Out The Fire, and that Las Palabras... thing, and Under Pressure's on there too, and even Life is Real had a naive cuteness to it. But the rest is so much try-hard disco nonsense!

― JimD (JimD), Monday, 25 October 2004 16:37 (twenty-one years ago)

if it says "without syntesizers", then classic

― Anonymous Coward, Monday, 25 October 2004 22:33 (twenty-one years ago)

The only times that I've seen "Fat Bottomed Girls" on karaoke has been in Japan (twixt all of those Mr. Big and Carpenters' numbers...). I'll have to look for it when I get back to the USA.

― John Fredland (jfredland), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 09:20 (twenty-one years ago)

"Back Chat" invents Franz Ferdinand.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 26 October 2004 09:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Really, I detest Queen.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:49 (twenty-one years ago)

jazz will always be special-the album is height of their powers before they started turning that corner...one of their tightest records musically., dead on time is brilliant and over the top!

― tim carosi, Thursday, 28 October 2004 03:52 (twenty-one years ago)

thirteen years pass...

'More of that Jazz' is a pretty odd tune for 1978. It is almost a remix as it is built up from some loops and then has that big tape edit at the end with all of the little pieces of tunes by Queen.

― earlnash, Thursday, 15 February 2018 23:36 (seven years ago)

Classic!

― Full of bile and Blue Nile denial (Turrican), Thursday, 15 February 2018 23:39 (seven years ago)

Well, apart from 'Fun It', which is crap.

― Full of bile and Blue Nile denial (Turrican), Thursday, 15 February 2018 23:43 (seven years ago)

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