Customer Reviews

Jazz

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

At this point, Queen were on the verge of another makeover: this time toward a more funk/pop phase which was slightly hinted at here, but taken up even more on the next two albums following this one: _The Game_ and _Hot Space_ (excluding the Flash Gordon soundtrack.)

It seems that this album gets pretty mixed reviews from diehard Queen fans, and more casual ones. My opinion of the album? I tend to agree with both sides of the camp. I'm going to get to the negative stuff first, just to get it out of the way.

While I think it's a great album, I can't help feeling that some of it seems a bit lackluster, uninspired and forced for Queen's own typical high standards, particularly during the second half. First off, the album seems a bit uneven, mainly because the hard-hitting and upbeat numbers seem to play out consecutively throughout the first half, while the second half seems more subdued in dynamics and atmosphere. Listening to the transition from a (mostly) first half of upbeat numbers to a (mostly) second half of low-key numbers can be quite a tough pill to swallow for a listener. It probably would have been nicer if the track order was switched around and mixed up more, like they did on the majority of their earlier 70s albums. All of this gives the impression that Queen got a bit hasty and careless with the production of the album, as if they were on a quick deadline to release an album within a short period of time. The overall feel of the album comes across as a bit sloppily executed, when in fact Queen were one of THE bands/producers known for their precision, meticulousness and perfectionism.

Queen fans will probably want to see me fry in hell for all of these last comments, but Queen is only my all-time favorite band, and I say all of this because Queen were a band who set high standards for themselves, and it's hard not to notice when they've stepped down a bit.

Now the goods. This is definitely a fun (and elegant) album to listen to, especially when you're in need of a good cheer-up. Hard to not feel good after listening to the sensuous, lusty and jovial/celebratory vocals of Freddie Mercury, the hypnotic crunch of Brian's self-made guitar, the bombastic drumming of Roger Talyor and John Deacon's tasty basslines backing it all up. "Mustapha" is an Arabic-like number with Freddie singing mostly wordless (but hypnotic and engrossing) vocal lines which give the track an almost spiritual aura. The musicianship is intelligent and top-notch here as well. "Fat Bottomed Girls" many probably know. "Jealousy" is an excellent number featuring Brian May playing some guitar lines that sound almost eastern. Freddie's vocals as always are convincing. "Bicycle Race" shows off the kind of perfectionism and meticulousness Queen were known for perfectly: a number with a sheer amount of complexity crammed throughout it's short playing time. I always loved how Queen made tracks that sounded like "many songs played within a single song." They managed to make their complex musical point in quarter time of what most classic progressive rockers did, which puts the latter to shame. The intelligent chords & progressions, the abrupt switches in dynamics and other factors give this track an almost symphonic quality, as it plays out like an almost ultra-quick symphony - and not to mention those ultra-classy vocal harmonies soaked throughout. During the second half of the track, Brian May manages to slip in some licks based on ionian scales for three different keys - all of which are in ascending mode. This also adds to the "symphonic" quality the track possesses.

"Let Me Entertain You" and "Dead On Time" are hard-hitters in the Queen tradition. The former features some fairly risqué lyrics, with some of Freddie's more expressive vocals, while the latter seems to return to the proto-speed metal that Queen pretty much pioneered with "Stone Cold Crazy," particularly in Brian May's frenzied riffing. This track is somewhat scary, as well as exciting. "In Only Seven Days" is a fairly low-key number written by bassist John Deacon. Features some wispy orchestration (nope, Queen didn't use synths - mostly Brian's guitar) and Freddie gives an elegant and sexy vocal performance. "Dreamer's Ball" mixes lounge jazz and Renaissance attributes - the latter in an irreverent, inorganic fashion (reminds me a bit of Gentle Giant.) "Fun It" gives the hint of things to come on later albums, as it's a funk/disco track. "Leaving Home Ain't Easy" is a nice ballad with a nice use of Brian May's gentle vocals. "Don't Stop Me Now" is just downright exciting and sophisticated. "More Of That Jazz" is a mid-tempo rocker featuring some scorching guitar licks. There's a part near the end of the track where you get a recap of the album, as you hear quick bits of a few tracks spliced together for an almost mind-warping remix.

The uneven feel of the album is the only real flaw, which causes me to take off 1/2 star from the 5 scale, but on the whole, the strengths outweigh the flaws by a longshot, as the songwriting and musicianship are still strong.

Wow. Simply, wow. This album slams you from the very beginning of the first song, "Mustapha," and keeps beating you over the head mercilessly with Queen's absolutely masterful rocking. The entire album is one of their most cohesive, and highlights all the members' insane musical abilities, from Brian May's intense guitar work ("Dead On Time" is an excellent example) to Freddie Mercury's piercing vocals. This album is just good fun and good music. Queen's tongue-in-cheek sense of humor is rampant ("Let Me Entertain You" and "If You Can't Beat Them"), and this album is polished and sharp in its manic pace. This album is for the listener looking for an album to just let loose and rock out to. It's not a casual listening album, but it is guaranteed to entertain you, no pun intended! With the possibility of redundancy on my part, it's GREAT!

"Jealousy" is one of Freddie's most beautiful and heart wrenching ballads ever. The way those soaring harmonies sing "if only you could see just what you do to me..oh jealousy" make it hard for me to phathom why this song wasn't a worldwide smash hit single. The other is John Deacon's hauntingly gorgeous "In Only Seven Days". Freddie pours his heart out into the vocals of this upbeat love song. Most people think of this as "oh yeah, the album with fat bottom girls and bicycle race on it", but the two songs i've talked about are far better than either of these two more well known songs. The other big hit off this album "Don't stop me now" was deservedly so; it is just plain great.

This CD was Queen's last 70's studio offering.And what a package it is!Freddie's vocals and Brian's guitar playing at the forefront steer you through the many and diverse tracks while theirs and John's and Roger's creativity cap it royally and gracefully.If you like rockers there's DEAD ON TIME and FAT BOTTOMED GIRLS,if you like pop there's BYCICLE RACE.JEALOUSY and IN ONLY SEVEN DAYS are two of their greatest ballads showcasing Freddie's incredibly gifted pipes.To top it all off,they adventure into a blues-oriented DREAMERS BALL where you can picture Freddie moving and singing like Josephine Baker would.A Great album overall!

if you are a Queen fan listen to this album ten times through headphones..then tell me it is not the greatest rock album of all time! If you don't get it then you are missing the point! Imagine Brian Freddie Roger and John knocking these tracks out in the studio and you will possibly get the point of this seminal, beautiful album!!! If you don't get it then I for one don't get it!!! And 'In Only Seven Days' is the most beautiful holiday romance song ever written.....

This album seems to get mixed reviews from a number of people, and I can't really understand it. From Mustapha to More of That Jazz, this album is Queen at its finest, to this fan's ears. You get theatrical, you get over the top, you get subtle and emotional, you get absurd, you get rocked incredibly hard, you get gently swayed, and through it all you get the band itself at full force. Freddy sings like it's his last album and the band is ferocious. Most of the songs are 5-star quality (with a couple of so-so filler tracks like Fun It...but not abysmal filler tracks!).

Don't be swayed by some of the negative reviews here -- give Jazz a chance. I stand by the opinion that it is one of the finest Queen albums out there.

Layers of talent, varied content, completely original and fun. This is Queen at their best. No one has heard this album before (I just got it myself for the first time) and that makes it a great find. Buy it and enjoy it (Mustapha!Mustapha!). Awesome stuff.
I literally can't stop playing the damn thing, it's making my girlfriend nuts!
I only wish there were more Queen albums to discover.

From the middle-eastern Mustapha to the wrap-up medley More Of That Jazz, this is Queens lost classic, very underrated and highly recommended to those who want to hear an excellent Queen album that not many except the true fans know about.

This album by Queen was released in 1978. Despite the album's title, it has no jazz influences on it whatsoever. It sounds like a typical Queen album. There are a number of classic Queen songs on it, like "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Bicycle Race" and "Don't Stop Me Now". There are some other good songs, and a few that aren't that good. The CD features a useless remix of "Fat Bottomed Girls", which sounds virtually identical to the original version, and a remix of "Bicyle Race", which actually does sound a lot different from the original version. Most Queen fans will enjoy this album.

It allways amazes me that this album didn't sell as well as the others. Like most of the early Queen albums, it has everything: rockers, ballads, weird multi-tracked constructions, ...

If you like guitars and rock, two tracks on this album are outstanding: crank up the volume and listen to "Fat Bottom Girls" and "More of That Jazz". Awesome.