fbpx
Wikipedia

Jazz (Queen album)

Jazz is the seventh studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 10 November 1978 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, the album artwork was suggested by Roger Taylor, who previously saw a similar design painted on the Berlin Wall.[7] The album's varying musical styles were alternately praised and criticised. It reached number two in the UK Albums Chart and number six on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.

Jazz
Studio album by
Released10 November 1978
RecordedEarly July – 14 October 1978
Studio
Genre
Length44:39
Label
Producer
Queen chronology
News of the World
(1977)
Jazz
(1978)
Live Killers
(1979)
Singles from Jazz
  1. "Bicycle Race" / "Fat Bottomed Girls"
    Released: 13 October 1978
  2. "Don't Stop Me Now"
    Released: 26 January 1979[5]
  3. "Mustapha"
    Released: April 1979 (Germany)
  4. "Jealousy"
    Released: 27 April 1979 (US)[6]

Recording edit

Rehearsals for Jazz began during the first week of July 1978. The month before, in June, the band had received a hefty tax bill and subsequently decided to record outside of the United Kingdom. They had to make a swift decision, as Brian May would be forced out of the UK on 2 July due to these tax-related issues. This was shortly after the birth of his first child, Jimmy. As May relocated to Canada, the rest of the band flew to Nice, France, to begin rehearsing for the album. May soon joined the rehearsals.[8]

The band attended the nearby Montreux Jazz Festival, which likely inspired the title of the album. There, they ran into David Bowie, who was working on his 1979 album Lodger between tour dates. Bowie convinced them to record at Mountain Studios in Montreux.[8]

Before the band shifted to Montreux, they finished preliminary recordings of "Don't Stop Me Now", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "In Only Seven Days", and "More of That Jazz".[9] Production on the album was moved to Montreux the day after the jazz festival. On 19 July, May's 31st birthday, the band attended the 18th stage of the 1978 Tour de France, which inspired Freddie Mercury to write the lead single, "Bicycle Race".[10]

During the next three weeks the band were in Mountain Studios, they primarily worked on "Fun It", "Jealousy," "Leaving Home Ain't Easy," "Let Me Entertain You."[9] The band took a few days off, most notably on 26 July when they trashed a Montreux hotel whilst celebrating Taylor's 29th birthday. Mercury was reportedly seen swinging on a cut-glass chandelier in the hotel during the party.[8]

After a brief holiday in the middle of August, the band moved production back to France, where they worked at Super Bear Studios. They would spend the rest of the month recording "Mustapha", "Bicycle Race", "If You Can't Beat Them", "Dead On Time", and "Dreamer's Ball" (based on the previous lists of completed songs).

The band completed overdubbing the songs in September, and mixed the lead single early before sending it to New York City for mastering, which was completed on 14 September. They mixed the rest of the album beginning in the middle of the month. Jazz was officially completed on 14 October, during a mastering session at Super Bear Studios.[9]

Songs edit

Side one edit

"Mustapha" edit

"Mustapha" is a song written by Freddie Mercury. It was released as a single in 1979.

The lyrics consist of English, Arabic, Persian and possibly a number of invented words. Some understandable words are "Mustapha", "Ibrahim" and the phrases "Allah, Allah, Allah we'll pray for you", "salaam alaykum" and "alaykum salaam".

In live performances, such as the performance on Live Killers, Mercury would often sing the opening vocals of "Mustapha" in place of the complex introduction to "Bohemian Rhapsody", going from "Allah, will pray for you" to "Mama, just killed a man...". He also sang the intro before launching the band into "Hammer to Fall", as seen on We Are the Champions: Final Live in Japan. However, from the 1979 Saarbrücken Festival to the South American Game Tour, the band performed an almost full version of the song, with Mercury at the piano.

"Fat Bottomed Girls" edit

"Fat Bottomed Girls" was written by Brian May with lead vocals shared by Mercury and May, who sings lead on the chorus. On stage Mercury sang the entire song, with Roger Taylor and May doing harmonies. Both guitar and bass are played in drop-D tuning for this song, a rarity for Queen.

"Jealousy" edit

"Jealousy" was penned by Mercury and features May playing his Hallfredh acoustic guitar. The guitar had been given a replacement hardwood bridge, chiselled flat, with a small piece of fret wire placed between it and the strings, which lay gently above. The strings produce the "buzzing" effect of a sitar.[11] This effect had already been used on "White Queen (As It Began)", from Queen II. All vocals were recorded by Mercury.

"Bicycle Race" edit

"Bicycle Race" is a complex composition by Mercury. It features several modulations, unusual chord functions, a meter change (4/4 to 6/8 and back), and a programmatic section (a race of guitars emulating the bicycle race).

"If You Can't Beat Them" edit

"If You Can't Beat Them" is another hard rock composition by John Deacon and a live favourite for the band in the late 1970s. It is one of the few songs by Deacon where May plays all the guitars.

"Let Me Entertain You" edit

"Let Me Entertain You" was written by Mercury, directed towards the audience. The line "we'll sing to you in Japanese" is a reference to May's Teo Torriatte, from A Day at the Races (1976). The song also contains a reference to their tour manager, Gerry Stickells with the line "Hey! If you need a fix, if you want a high, Stickells will see to that." And then, on the very next line, Mercury mentions Queen's record labels at the time (Elektra, and EMI) with the line "With Elektra and EMI; we'll show you where it's at!". The idea of a guitar riff in parallel sixths was re-used later in the Innuendo track, "The Hitman".

Side two edit

"Dead on Time" edit

"Dead on Time", written by May, contains two high belts by Mercury that top at C5. It was never played in concert; May would only incorporate snippets of it in his guitar solos during the Jazz Tour and the Works Tour.

The song ends with the sound of a thunderbolt, followed by Mercury screaming "You're dead!" The thunderbolt was actually recorded by May on a portable recorder during a thunderstorm. The album's liner notes credit the thunderbolt to God.

"In Only Seven Days" edit

"In Only Seven Days" is Deacon's other songwriting contribution on the album. Deacon also played acoustic and electric guitar on this song. It was the B-side on "Don't Stop Me Now".

"Dreamer's Ball" edit

"Dreamer's Ball" is Brian May's tribute to Elvis Presley, who died one year before the album was released. The arrangement for the concert version was completely different, with May and Taylor doing vocal brasses.

"Fun It" edit

"Fun It" is a funk track with a disco vibe by Taylor, where both he and Mercury shared the vocals. Taylor did the lead vocals, while Mercury was backup. Taylor used Syndrum pads and played most of the instruments. It can be seen as a precursor to "Another One Bites the Dust", especially with the intro of this track.

"Leaving Home Ain't Easy" edit

"Leaving Home Ain't Easy" is a ballad by May, who also sang all the vocals (lead and harmony). His voice was sped up for the bridge.

"Don't Stop Me Now" edit

"Don't Stop Me Now" was written by Mercury. It was a top ten hit single in the UK. May's only input is a short guitar solo and backing vocals. The song was used in the bar scene of the motion picture Shaun of the Dead, and in a fight scene in the 2015 motion picture Hardcore Henry. In addition, the BBC show Top Gear named it the top song in a viewer poll of Top Ten driving songs.[12] Google also used the song for their Google Doodle to commemorate Mercury's 65th birthday on 5 September 2011.[13]

"More of That Jazz" edit

"More of That Jazz", written by Taylor, is loop based and Taylor plays most instruments and sings all vocals, reaching some very high notes (peaking on an E5). The coda also contains short clips from many songs on the album, including "Dead on Time", "Bicycle Race", "Mustapha", "If You Can't Beat Them", "Fun It", and "Fat Bottomed Girls".

Release edit

Alternative artwork edit

A bicycle race with nude women was held to promote the album and the "Fat Bottomed Girls"/"Bicycle Race" single.[14] A poster of the start of the race was included with copies of the LP. A smaller portion of the poster image also used as an alternative single cover for "Bicycle Race".[14]

 
Fold out included in album

A small version of the poster was included with the Crown Jewels box set.

Singles edit

Four singles were released from the album:

  • "Bicycle Race"/"Fat Bottomed Girls (edit)" – Elektra E45541; released October 1978.
"Bicycle Race" and "Fat Bottomed Girls" were released in 1978 as a double A-side; the band staged a famous nude, all-female bicycle race to promote the single.[citation needed] The bicycle race took place on 17 September 1978 at Wimbledon Stadium in London. The picture sleeve showed a rear view of one of the ladies on her bicycle, but a pair of red panties were painted on to avoid public outcry. Legend has it that the band borrowed the bicycles from a store ("Halfords", according to the liner notes), but upon returning them were informed that they would have to purchase all the seats, as they had been used in an improper manner (i.e. without clothing).
  • "Mustapha" was released in 1979 only in Bolivia, Spain, Yugoslavia and Germany. Its B-side was "Dead on Time" ("In Only Seven Days" in Yugoslavia).
  • "Don't Stop Me Now"/"More of That Jazz" – Elektra E46008; released February 1979.
"Don't Stop Me Now" was released in 1979; its B-side was "In Only Seven Days" ("More of That Jazz" in the US and Canada).
  • "Jealousy"/"Fun It" – Elektra E46039; released April 1979.
"Jealousy" was released in 1979 in the US, New Zealand, Brazil, USSR, and Canada; its B-side was "Fun It" ("Don't Stop Me Now" in USSR, on a blue flexi disc).

Tour edit

Reception edit

Retrospective professional reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [15]
Chicago Tribune    [16]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[17]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [18]
The Guardian     [19]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [20]
Uncut     [21]
Rolling StonePositive[22]

Reviewing for Rolling Stone in 1979, Dave Marsh panned Jazz as "more of the same dull pastiche" from Queen, who he said displayed "elitist notions" with some of their musical choices and lyrics. Marsh said "Fat Bottomed Girls" treated women "not as sex objects but as objects, period (the way the band regards people in general)", and finished by famously tagging Queen "the first truly fascist rock band".[15][23] Mitchell Cohen of Creem gave another negative review, calling Jazz "absurdly dull" and filled with "dumb ideas and imitative posturing".[24] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said the album was not wholly bad, even finding "Bicycle Race" humorous, although he said Queen sounded like the band 10cc "with a spoke, or a pump, up their ass".[25]

In a retrospective assessment, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described it as "one of their sleekest albums." He cited that the album's diversity and exaggeration made it "more fun than any of their other albums."[15] Alexis Petridis wrote in The Guardian, "Jazz was hysterical in every sense of the word, but the music press comprehensively failed to get the joke, particularly in the US".[19] In 2006, Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times included it in his list of "The Great Albums," describing it as "a genre-hopping tour of diverse musical styles" and concluded that "What ultimately keeps me coming back to the album, however, is that ambiguous sexual energy running through all 13 tracks; the fact that each of them boasts more hooks than some bands have on an entire album, and the inviting sonic density of it all."[26] Chicago Tribune was less favorable, awarding the album 1 and a half stars.

When Loudersound ranked every Queen album from best to worst, Jazz came fourth, as they felt it presented "some of the most satisfying moments in Queen's career."[27] In a similar list of the band's greatest albums, Ultimate Classic Rock placed Jazz in third position. "Whenever discussions take place about Queen's incredible string of classic albums throughout the late '70s," they wrote, "1978's 'Jazz' is the one that often seems to get the shortest shrift, but tucked away behind its unusually nondescript cover art lies one of the band's finest albums. Never mind the reliable hit single double-whammy provided by 'Fat Bottomed Girls' and 'Bicycle Race,' Jazz is astonishingly deep with underrated Queen gems, ranging from Mercury's Eastern-spiced wig-out 'Mustapha,' to Deacon's head-banging beast 'If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them,' to Taylor's infectious disco tune 'Fun It'."[28]

Rolling Stone subsequently featured it on their list of 10 Classic Albums Rolling Stone Initially Panned, indicating they now regarded the album as a "classic." They poked fun at Marsh's original negative review of the album, quipping, "Sometimes a reviewer just seems to have a really, really low opinion of a band, which seems to be the case with Dave Marsh and Queen."[29]

2011 re-issue edit

In March 2011, a remastered and expanded reissue of the album was released. This was part of a new record deal between Queen and Universal Music, which meant Queen's association with EMI Records would come to an end after almost 40 years. All Queen albums were remastered and reissued in 2011. The deluxe edition contains five additional tracks on a separate EP. The second batch of albums (the band's middle five albums) were released in June 2011. The extra tracks included the single version of "Fat Bottomed Girls", an instrumental version of "Bicycle Race", a version of "Don't Stop Me Now" with "long lost guitars", a live version of "Let Me Entertain You", and an early acoustic take of "Dreamer's Ball".

The 2011 reissue corrected the tape glitch at the beginning of "Fat Bottomed Girls" which had been present on all previous compact disc editions of the album (as well as 1997 compilation album Queen Rocks); however, it also added a previously unused kick-drum part to the track "Jealousy", making the track sound drastically different from all previous releases.

Track listing edit

All lead vocals by Freddie Mercury unless noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Mustapha"Freddie Mercury 3:03
2."Fat Bottomed Girls"Brian MayMercury with Brian May4:14
3."Jealousy"Mercury 3:14
4."Bicycle Race"Mercury 3:04
5."If You Can't Beat Them"John Deacon 4:15
6."Let Me Entertain You"Mercury 3:01
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
7."Dead on Time"May 3:23
8."In Only Seven Days"Deacon 2:30
9."Dreamer's Ball"May 3:30
10."Fun It"Roger TaylorRoger Taylor with Mercury3:29
11."Leaving Home Ain't Easy"MayMay3:15
12."Don't Stop Me Now"Mercury 3:29
13."More of That Jazz"TaylorTaylor4:12
Total length:44:39
Bonus tracks (1991 Hollywood Records CD reissue)
No.TitleLength
14."Fat Bottomed Girls" (1991 bonus remix by Brian Malouf)4:22
15."Bicycle Race" (1991 bonus remix by Junior Vasquez)4:59
Total length:53:20
Disc 2: Bonus EP (2011 Universal Music CD reissue)
No.TitleLength
1."Fat Bottomed Girls" (Single Version)3:23
2."Bicycle Race" (Instrumental)3:09
3."Don't Stop Me Now" (With long-lost guitars)3:34
4."Let Me Entertain You" (live at the Montreal Forum, November 1981)2:48
5."Dreamer's Ball" (Early acoustic take, August 1978)3:40
Total length:16:34
Bonus videos (2011 iTunes deluxe edition)
No.TitleLength
6."Bicycle Race" (Promo Video[30])3:02
7."Fat Bottomed Girls" (Live at the Milton Keynes Bowl, June 5th 1982[31])4:26
8."Let Me Entertain You" (Live at the Budokan, Tokyo, April 1979[32])2:47
Total length:26:09

Personnel edit

Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album.

Queen

Production[33]

  • Queen, Roy Thomas Baker - producers
  • Roy Baker - deputy producer
  • John Etchells - assistant engineer
  • Geoffrey Workman - chief engineer

Charts edit

Chart (1978-1979) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[34] 15
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[35] 8
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[36] 13
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[37] 3
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[38] 15
French Albums (SNEP)[39] 7
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[40] 5
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[41] 5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[42] 20
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[43] 6
Portuguese Albums (Musica & Som)[44] 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[45] 6
UK Albums (OCC)[46] 2
US Billboard 200[47] 6
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[48] 167

Certifications and sales edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[49] Gold 25,000*
Belgium 55,000[50]
Canada (Music Canada)[51] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[52] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[54] Gold 330,000[53]
Japan (RIAJ)[55] Gold 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[56] Platinum 100,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[57] Platinum 20,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[58] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[60] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ Lhooq, Michelle (2018). Queen. Enslow Publishing, LLC. p. 59. ISBN 9781978505261.
  2. ^ Marsh, Dave (8 February 1979). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 3 August 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2018. tight guitar/bass/drums heavy-metal clichés...
  3. ^ "Queen: Queen 40 Limited Edition Collector's Box Set Volumes 2 & 3". PopMatters. Retrieved 19 June 2018. which continues to mix the group's noted pop works...
  4. ^ Nick Deriso (25 October 2018). "The Best Song From Every Queen Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 26 June 2019. ...it was a curious album that found Queen traveling deeper into stadium rock...
  5. ^ "Queen singles".
  6. ^ "Queen singles".
  7. ^ "Jazz". Queenonline.com.; select "Jazz" from the scrolling header
  8. ^ a b c Blake, Mark (25 October 2010). Is This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen. Aurum. ISBN 978-1-84513-659-8.
  9. ^ a b c "Jazz :: Queen Songs". www.queensongs.info. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  10. ^ Sutcliffe, Phil (2009). Queen : the ultimate illustrated history of the crown kings of rock. Peter Hince. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-3719-6. OCLC 308175415.
  11. ^ "Guitar Player magazine US Jan 83". www.brianmay.com.
  12. ^ Queen win Top Gears Best Driving Song ever poll 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Queen Zone. Retrieved 1 January 2013
  13. ^ Freddie Mercury Google doodle celebrates Queen singer's birthday. The Mirror. Retrieved 1 January 2013
  14. ^ a b "Jazz - Queenpedia.com". Queenpedia.
  15. ^ a b c "Jazz - Queen - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  16. ^ Kot, Greg (19 April 1992). "An 18-record, 80 Million-copy Odyssey". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  17. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: Q". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 10 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  18. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 2248. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  19. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (15 December 2011). "Queen: Jazz; The Game; Flash Gordon; Hot Space – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  20. ^ "Queen: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  21. ^ "Queen – Jazz CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  22. ^ "10 Classic Albums Rolling Stone Originally Panned". Rolling Stone. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  23. ^ Marsh, Dave (8 February 1979). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 21 March 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  24. ^ Cohen, Mitchell (March 1979). . Creem. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  25. ^ Christgau, Robert (25 December 1978). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  26. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (19 March 2006). "A wild ride with Queen". Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  27. ^ "Queen albums ranked from worst to best". Loudersound. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  28. ^ "Queen Albums Ranked Worst to Best". Ultimate Classic Rock. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  29. ^ Greene, Andy; Stone, Rolling (25 July 2016). "10 Classic Albums Rolling Stone Originally Panned". Rolling Stone.
  30. ^ "Bicycle Race - Promotional Video - Queenpedia.com". Queenpedia.
  31. ^ "Queen "Queen On Fire - Live At The Bowl" album and song lyrics". www.ultimatequeen.co.uk.
  32. ^ "Queen Miscellaneous Live Song Lyrics". www.ultimatequeen.co.uk.
  33. ^ a b "Jazz :: Queen Songs". www.queensongs.info. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  34. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  35. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Queen – Jazz" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  36. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0306". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  37. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Queen – Jazz" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  38. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  39. ^ . Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Queen from the menu, then press OK.
  40. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Queen – Jazz" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  41. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  42. ^ "Charts.nz – Queen – Jazz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  43. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Queen – Jazz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  44. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 3 February 1979. p. 78. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  45. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Queen – Jazz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  46. ^ "Queen | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  47. ^ "Queen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  48. ^ "Ultratop.be – Queen – Jazz" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  49. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Queen – Jazz" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  50. ^ Anthonissen, Juul (14 April 1979). "From the Music Capitals of the World - Brussels". Billboard. p. 65. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  51. ^ "Queen Receives Canadian Platinum" (PDF). Cash Box. 13 January 1979. p. 26. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  52. ^ "French album certifications – Queen – Jazz" (in French). InfoDisc. Select QUEEN and click OK. 
  53. ^ "Dateline: Hamburg - Electrola Takes Honours" (PDF). Music Week. 25 August 1979. p. 10. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  54. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Queen; 'Jazz')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  55. ^ "Queen – Freddie Mercury's Japanese in-house presentation awards". 18 August 2023.
  56. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Queen – Jazz" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Jazz in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  57. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2009 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. 8 July 2009.
  58. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Queen; 'Jazz')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  59. ^ "British album certifications – Queen – Jazz". British Phonographic Industry.
  60. ^ "American album certifications – Queen – Jazz". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links edit

  • "Discography: Jazz". Queen official website. includes lyrics of all non-bonus tracks except "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Don't Stop Me Now"
  • "Jazz album versions". Discogs. 1978.

jazz, queen, album, jazz, seventh, studio, album, british, rock, band, queen, released, november, 1978, records, united, kingdom, elektra, records, united, states, produced, thomas, baker, album, artwork, suggested, roger, taylor, previously, similar, design, . Jazz is the seventh studio album by the British rock band Queen It was released on 10 November 1978 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States Produced by Roy Thomas Baker the album artwork was suggested by Roger Taylor who previously saw a similar design painted on the Berlin Wall 7 The album s varying musical styles were alternately praised and criticised It reached number two in the UK Albums Chart and number six on the US Billboard Top LPs amp Tape chart JazzStudio album by QueenReleased10 November 1978RecordedEarly July 14 October 1978StudioMountain Montreux Studio Miraval Correns Super Bear Berre les Alpes GenreHard rock 1 heavy metal 2 pop 3 arena rock 4 Length44 39LabelEMIElektraAriola France ProducerQueenRoy Thomas BakerQueen chronologyNews of the World 1977 Jazz 1978 Live Killers 1979 Singles from Jazz Bicycle Race Fat Bottomed Girls Released 13 October 1978 Don t Stop Me Now Released 26 January 1979 5 Mustapha Released April 1979 Germany Jealousy Released 27 April 1979 US 6 Contents 1 Recording 2 Songs 2 1 Side one 2 1 1 Mustapha 2 1 2 Fat Bottomed Girls 2 1 3 Jealousy 2 1 4 Bicycle Race 2 1 5 If You Can t Beat Them 2 1 6 Let Me Entertain You 2 2 Side two 2 2 1 Dead on Time 2 2 2 In Only Seven Days 2 2 3 Dreamer s Ball 2 2 4 Fun It 2 2 5 Leaving Home Ain t Easy 2 2 6 Don t Stop Me Now 2 2 7 More of That Jazz 3 Release 3 1 Alternative artwork 3 2 Singles 3 3 Tour 4 Reception 5 2011 re issue 6 Track listing 7 Personnel 8 Charts 9 Certifications and sales 10 References 11 External linksRecording editRehearsals for Jazz began during the first week of July 1978 The month before in June the band had received a hefty tax bill and subsequently decided to record outside of the United Kingdom They had to make a swift decision as Brian May would be forced out of the UK on 2 July due to these tax related issues This was shortly after the birth of his first child Jimmy As May relocated to Canada the rest of the band flew to Nice France to begin rehearsing for the album May soon joined the rehearsals 8 The band attended the nearby Montreux Jazz Festival which likely inspired the title of the album There they ran into David Bowie who was working on his 1979 album Lodger between tour dates Bowie convinced them to record at Mountain Studios in Montreux 8 Before the band shifted to Montreux they finished preliminary recordings of Don t Stop Me Now Fat Bottomed Girls In Only Seven Days and More of That Jazz 9 Production on the album was moved to Montreux the day after the jazz festival On 19 July May s 31st birthday the band attended the 18th stage of the 1978 Tour de France which inspired Freddie Mercury to write the lead single Bicycle Race 10 During the next three weeks the band were in Mountain Studios they primarily worked on Fun It Jealousy Leaving Home Ain t Easy Let Me Entertain You 9 The band took a few days off most notably on 26 July when they trashed a Montreux hotel whilst celebrating Taylor s 29th birthday Mercury was reportedly seen swinging on a cut glass chandelier in the hotel during the party 8 After a brief holiday in the middle of August the band moved production back to France where they worked at Super Bear Studios They would spend the rest of the month recording Mustapha Bicycle Race If You Can t Beat Them Dead On Time and Dreamer s Ball based on the previous lists of completed songs The band completed overdubbing the songs in September and mixed the lead single early before sending it to New York City for mastering which was completed on 14 September They mixed the rest of the album beginning in the middle of the month Jazz was officially completed on 14 October during a mastering session at Super Bear Studios 9 Songs editSide one edit Mustapha edit Main article Mustapha song Mustapha is a song written by Freddie Mercury It was released as a single in 1979 The lyrics consist of English Arabic Persian and possibly a number of invented words Some understandable words are Mustapha Ibrahim and the phrases Allah Allah Allah we ll pray for you salaam alaykum and alaykum salaam In live performances such as the performance on Live Killers Mercury would often sing the opening vocals of Mustapha in place of the complex introduction to Bohemian Rhapsody going from Allah will pray for you to Mama just killed a man He also sang the intro before launching the band into Hammer to Fall as seen on We Are the Champions Final Live in Japan However from the 1979 Saarbrucken Festival to the South American Game Tour the band performed an almost full version of the song with Mercury at the piano Fat Bottomed Girls edit Main article Fat Bottomed Girls Fat Bottomed Girls was written by Brian May with lead vocals shared by Mercury and May who sings lead on the chorus On stage Mercury sang the entire song with Roger Taylor and May doing harmonies Both guitar and bass are played in drop D tuning for this song a rarity for Queen Jealousy edit Main article Jealousy Queen song Jealousy was penned by Mercury and features May playing his Hallfredh acoustic guitar The guitar had been given a replacement hardwood bridge chiselled flat with a small piece of fret wire placed between it and the strings which lay gently above The strings produce the buzzing effect of a sitar 11 This effect had already been used on White Queen As It Began from Queen II All vocals were recorded by Mercury Bicycle Race edit Main article Bicycle Race Bicycle Race is a complex composition by Mercury It features several modulations unusual chord functions a meter change 4 4 to 6 8 and back and a programmatic section a race of guitars emulating the bicycle race If You Can t Beat Them edit If You Can t Beat Them is another hard rock composition by John Deacon and a live favourite for the band in the late 1970s It is one of the few songs by Deacon where May plays all the guitars Let Me Entertain You edit Let Me Entertain You was written by Mercury directed towards the audience The line we ll sing to you in Japanese is a reference to May s Teo Torriatte from A Day at the Races 1976 The song also contains a reference to their tour manager Gerry Stickells with the line Hey If you need a fix if you want a high Stickells will see to that And then on the very next line Mercury mentions Queen s record labels at the time Elektra and EMI with the line With Elektra and EMI we ll show you where it s at The idea of a guitar riff in parallel sixths was re used later in the Innuendo track The Hitman Side two edit Dead on Time edit Dead on Time written by May contains two high belts by Mercury that top at C 5 It was never played in concert May would only incorporate snippets of it in his guitar solos during the Jazz Tour and the Works Tour The song ends with the sound of a thunderbolt followed by Mercury screaming You re dead The thunderbolt was actually recorded by May on a portable recorder during a thunderstorm The album s liner notes credit the thunderbolt to God In Only Seven Days edit In Only Seven Days is Deacon s other songwriting contribution on the album Deacon also played acoustic and electric guitar on this song It was the B side on Don t Stop Me Now Dreamer s Ball edit Dreamer s Ball is Brian May s tribute to Elvis Presley who died one year before the album was released The arrangement for the concert version was completely different with May and Taylor doing vocal brasses Fun It edit Fun It is a funk track with a disco vibe by Taylor where both he and Mercury shared the vocals Taylor did the lead vocals while Mercury was backup Taylor used Syndrum pads and played most of the instruments It can be seen as a precursor to Another One Bites the Dust especially with the intro of this track Leaving Home Ain t Easy edit Leaving Home Ain t Easy is a ballad by May who also sang all the vocals lead and harmony His voice was sped up for the bridge Don t Stop Me Now edit Main article Don t Stop Me Now Don t Stop Me Now was written by Mercury It was a top ten hit single in the UK May s only input is a short guitar solo and backing vocals The song was used in the bar scene of the motion picture Shaun of the Dead and in a fight scene in the 2015 motion picture Hardcore Henry In addition the BBC show Top Gear named it the top song in a viewer poll of Top Ten driving songs 12 Google also used the song for their Google Doodle to commemorate Mercury s 65th birthday on 5 September 2011 13 More of That Jazz edit More of That Jazz written by Taylor is loop based and Taylor plays most instruments and sings all vocals reaching some very high notes peaking on an E5 The coda also contains short clips from many songs on the album including Dead on Time Bicycle Race Mustapha If You Can t Beat Them Fun It and Fat Bottomed Girls Release editAlternative artwork edit A bicycle race with nude women was held to promote the album and the Fat Bottomed Girls Bicycle Race single 14 A poster of the start of the race was included with copies of the LP A smaller portion of the poster image also used as an alternative single cover for Bicycle Race 14 nbsp Fold out included in albumA small version of the poster was included with the Crown Jewels box set Singles edit Four singles were released from the album Bicycle Race Fat Bottomed Girls edit Elektra E45541 released October 1978 Bicycle Race and Fat Bottomed Girls were released in 1978 as a double A side the band staged a famous nude all female bicycle race to promote the single citation needed The bicycle race took place on 17 September 1978 at Wimbledon Stadium in London The picture sleeve showed a rear view of one of the ladies on her bicycle but a pair of red panties were painted on to avoid public outcry Legend has it that the band borrowed the bicycles from a store Halfords according to the liner notes but upon returning them were informed that they would have to purchase all the seats as they had been used in an improper manner i e without clothing Mustapha was released in 1979 only in Bolivia Spain Yugoslavia and Germany Its B side was Dead on Time In Only Seven Days in Yugoslavia Don t Stop Me Now More of That Jazz Elektra E46008 released February 1979 Don t Stop Me Now was released in 1979 its B side was In Only Seven Days More of That Jazz in the US and Canada Jealousy Fun It Elektra E46039 released April 1979 Jealousy was released in 1979 in the US New Zealand Brazil USSR and Canada its B side was Fun It Don t Stop Me Now in USSR on a blue flexi disc Tour edit Main article Jazz TourReception editRetrospective professional reviewsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 15 Chicago Tribune nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 16 Christgau s Record GuideC 17 Encyclopedia of Popular Music nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 18 The Guardian nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 19 The Rolling Stone Album Guide nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 20 Uncut nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 21 Rolling StonePositive 22 Reviewing for Rolling Stone in 1979 Dave Marsh panned Jazz as more of the same dull pastiche from Queen who he said displayed elitist notions with some of their musical choices and lyrics Marsh said Fat Bottomed Girls treated women not as sex objects but as objects period the way the band regards people in general and finished by famously tagging Queen the first truly fascist rock band 15 23 Mitchell Cohen of Creem gave another negative review calling Jazz absurdly dull and filled with dumb ideas and imitative posturing 24 Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said the album was not wholly bad even finding Bicycle Race humorous although he said Queen sounded like the band 10cc with a spoke or a pump up their ass 25 In a retrospective assessment Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described it as one of their sleekest albums He cited that the album s diversity and exaggeration made it more fun than any of their other albums 15 Alexis Petridis wrote in The Guardian Jazz was hysterical in every sense of the word but the music press comprehensively failed to get the joke particularly in the US 19 In 2006 Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun Times included it in his list of The Great Albums describing it as a genre hopping tour of diverse musical styles and concluded that What ultimately keeps me coming back to the album however is that ambiguous sexual energy running through all 13 tracks the fact that each of them boasts more hooks than some bands have on an entire album and the inviting sonic density of it all 26 Chicago Tribune was less favorable awarding the album 1 and a half stars When Loudersound ranked every Queen album from best to worst Jazz came fourth as they felt it presented some of the most satisfying moments in Queen s career 27 In a similar list of the band s greatest albums Ultimate Classic Rock placed Jazz in third position Whenever discussions take place about Queen s incredible string of classic albums throughout the late 70s they wrote 1978 s Jazz is the one that often seems to get the shortest shrift but tucked away behind its unusually nondescript cover art lies one of the band s finest albums Never mind the reliable hit single double whammy provided by Fat Bottomed Girls and Bicycle Race Jazz is astonishingly deep with underrated Queen gems ranging from Mercury s Eastern spiced wig out Mustapha to Deacon s head banging beast If You Can t Beat Them Join Them to Taylor s infectious disco tune Fun It 28 Rolling Stone subsequently featured it on their list of 10 Classic Albums Rolling Stone Initially Panned indicating they now regarded the album as a classic They poked fun at Marsh s original negative review of the album quipping Sometimes a reviewer just seems to have a really really low opinion of a band which seems to be the case with Dave Marsh and Queen 29 2011 re issue editIn March 2011 a remastered and expanded reissue of the album was released This was part of a new record deal between Queen and Universal Music which meant Queen s association with EMI Records would come to an end after almost 40 years All Queen albums were remastered and reissued in 2011 The deluxe edition contains five additional tracks on a separate EP The second batch of albums the band s middle five albums were released in June 2011 The extra tracks included the single version of Fat Bottomed Girls an instrumental version of Bicycle Race a version of Don t Stop Me Now with long lost guitars a live version of Let Me Entertain You and an early acoustic take of Dreamer s Ball The 2011 reissue corrected the tape glitch at the beginning of Fat Bottomed Girls which had been present on all previous compact disc editions of the album as well as 1997 compilation album Queen Rocks however it also added a previously unused kick drum part to the track Jealousy making the track sound drastically different from all previous releases Track listing editAll lead vocals by Freddie Mercury unless noted Side oneNo TitleWriter s Lead vocalsLength1 Mustapha Freddie Mercury 3 032 Fat Bottomed Girls Brian MayMercury with Brian May4 143 Jealousy Mercury 3 144 Bicycle Race Mercury 3 045 If You Can t Beat Them John Deacon 4 156 Let Me Entertain You Mercury 3 01 Side twoNo TitleWriter s Lead vocalsLength7 Dead on Time May 3 238 In Only Seven Days Deacon 2 309 Dreamer s Ball May 3 3010 Fun It Roger TaylorRoger Taylor with Mercury3 2911 Leaving Home Ain t Easy MayMay3 1512 Don t Stop Me Now Mercury 3 2913 More of That Jazz TaylorTaylor4 12Total length 44 39 Bonus tracks 1991 Hollywood Records CD reissue No TitleLength14 Fat Bottomed Girls 1991 bonus remix by Brian Malouf 4 2215 Bicycle Race 1991 bonus remix by Junior Vasquez 4 59Total length 53 20 Disc 2 Bonus EP 2011 Universal Music CD reissue No TitleLength1 Fat Bottomed Girls Single Version 3 232 Bicycle Race Instrumental 3 093 Don t Stop Me Now With long lost guitars 3 344 Let Me Entertain You live at the Montreal Forum November 1981 2 485 Dreamer s Ball Early acoustic take August 1978 3 40Total length 16 34 Bonus videos 2011 iTunes deluxe edition No TitleLength6 Bicycle Race Promo Video 30 3 027 Fat Bottomed Girls Live at the Milton Keynes Bowl June 5th 1982 31 4 268 Let Me Entertain You Live at the Budokan Tokyo April 1979 32 2 47Total length 26 09Personnel editTrack numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album Queen Freddie Mercury vocals acoustic piano 33 Brian May electric and acoustic guitars vocals Roger Taylor drums vocals percussion electric guitar bass guitar John Deacon bass guitar electric and acoustic guitarsProduction 33 Queen Roy Thomas Baker producers Roy Baker deputy producer John Etchells assistant engineer Geoffrey Workman chief engineerCharts editChart 1978 1979 PeakpositionAustralian Albums Kent Music Report 34 15Austrian Albums O3 Austria 35 8Canada Top Albums CDs RPM 36 13Dutch Albums Album Top 100 37 3Finnish Albums The Official Finnish Charts 38 15French Albums SNEP 39 7German Albums Offizielle Top 100 40 5Japanese Albums Oricon 41 5New Zealand Albums RMNZ 42 20Norwegian Albums VG lista 43 6Portuguese Albums Musica amp Som 44 6Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 45 6UK Albums OCC 46 2US Billboard 200 47 6Chart 2019 PeakpositionBelgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 48 167Certifications and sales editRegion Certification Certified units salesAustria IFPI Austria 49 Gold 25 000 Belgium 55 000 50 Canada Music Canada 51 Platinum 100 000 France SNEP 52 Gold 100 000 Germany BVMI 54 Gold 330 000 53 Japan RIAJ 55 Gold 100 000 Netherlands NVPI 56 Platinum 100 000 Poland ZPAV 57 Platinum 20 000 Switzerland IFPI Switzerland 58 Platinum 50 000 United Kingdom BPI 59 Gold 100 000 United States RIAA 60 Platinum 1 000 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone References edit Lhooq Michelle 2018 Queen Enslow Publishing LLC p 59 ISBN 9781978505261 Marsh Dave 8 February 1979 Queen Jazz Rolling Stone Archived from the original on 3 August 2011 Retrieved 19 June 2018 tight guitar bass drums heavy metal cliches Queen Queen 40 Limited Edition Collector s Box Set Volumes 2 amp 3 PopMatters Retrieved 19 June 2018 which continues to mix the group s noted pop works Nick Deriso 25 October 2018 The Best Song From Every Queen Album Ultimate Classic Rock Retrieved 26 June 2019 it was a curious album that found Queen traveling deeper into stadium rock Queen singles Queen singles Jazz Queenonline com select Jazz from the scrolling header a b c Blake Mark 25 October 2010 Is This the Real Life The Untold Story of Queen Aurum ISBN 978 1 84513 659 8 a b c Jazz Queen Songs www queensongs info Retrieved 14 February 2022 Sutcliffe Phil 2009 Queen the ultimate illustrated history of the crown kings of rock Peter Hince Minneapolis Minnesota Voyageur Press ISBN 978 0 7603 3719 6 OCLC 308175415 Guitar Player magazine US Jan 83 www brianmay com Queen win Top Gears Best Driving Song ever poll Archived 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Queen Zone Retrieved 1 January 2013 Freddie Mercury Google doodle celebrates Queen singer s birthday The Mirror Retrieved 1 January 2013 a b Jazz Queenpedia com Queenpedia a b c Jazz Queen Songs Reviews Credits AllMusic Kot Greg 19 April 1992 An 18 record 80 Million copy Odyssey Chicago Tribune Retrieved 19 April 2016 Christgau Robert 1981 Consumer Guide 70s Q Christgau s Record Guide Rock Albums of the Seventies Ticknor amp Fields ISBN 089919026X Retrieved 10 March 2019 via robertchristgau com Larkin Colin 2011 Encyclopedia of Popular Music 5th ed Omnibus Press p 2248 ISBN 978 0857125958 a b Petridis Alexis 15 December 2011 Queen Jazz The Game Flash Gordon Hot Space review The Guardian London Retrieved 19 April 2016 Queen Album Guide Rolling Stone Retrieved 10 June 2012 Queen Jazz CD Album CD Universe Retrieved 19 April 2016 10 Classic Albums Rolling Stone Originally Panned Rolling Stone 25 July 2016 Retrieved 10 May 2023 Marsh Dave 8 February 1979 Queen Jazz Rolling Stone Archived from the original on 21 March 2011 Retrieved 28 January 2023 Cohen Mitchell March 1979 Jazz Creem Archived from the original on 18 June 2018 Retrieved 18 June 2018 Christgau Robert 25 December 1978 Christgau s Consumer Guide The Village Voice New York Retrieved 19 April 2016 DeRogatis Jim 19 March 2006 A wild ride with Queen Retrieved 18 August 2019 Queen albums ranked from worst to best Loudersound 29 August 2016 Retrieved 18 June 2018 Queen Albums Ranked Worst to Best Ultimate Classic Rock 7 August 2015 Retrieved 18 June 2018 Greene Andy Stone Rolling 25 July 2016 10 Classic Albums Rolling Stone Originally Panned Rolling Stone Bicycle Race Promotional Video Queenpedia com Queenpedia Queen Queen On Fire Live At The Bowl album and song lyrics www ultimatequeen co uk Queen Miscellaneous Live Song Lyrics www ultimatequeen co uk a b Jazz Queen Songs www queensongs info Retrieved 2 September 2021 Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book ISBN 0 646 11917 6 Austriancharts at Queen Jazz in German Hung Medien Retrieved 22 April 2022 Top RPM Albums Issue 0306 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved 22 April 2022 Dutchcharts nl Queen Jazz in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved 22 April 2022 Pennanen Timo 2006 Sisaltaa hitin levyt ja esittajat Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 in Finnish 1st ed Helsinki Kustannusosakeyhtio Otava p 166 ISBN 978 951 1 21053 5 Le Detail des Albums de chaque Artiste Q Infodisc fr in French Archived from the original on 22 October 2014 Retrieved 9 June 2012 SelectQueenfrom the menu then pressOK Offiziellecharts de Queen Jazz in German GfK Entertainment Charts Retrieved 22 April 2022 Oricon Album Chart Book Complete Edition 1970 2005 in Japanese Roppongi Tokyo Oricon Entertainment 2006 ISBN 4 87131 077 9 Charts nz Queen Jazz Hung Medien Retrieved 22 April 2022 Norwegiancharts com Queen Jazz Hung Medien Retrieved 22 April 2022 Hits of the World PDF Billboard 3 February 1979 p 78 Retrieved 9 November 2021 Swedishcharts com Queen Jazz Hung Medien Retrieved 22 April 2022 Queen Artist Official Charts UK Albums Chart Retrieved 22 April 2022 Queen Chart History Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved 22 April 2022 Ultratop be Queen Jazz in French Hung Medien Retrieved 22 April 2022 Austrian album certifications Queen Jazz in German IFPI Austria Anthonissen Juul 14 April 1979 From the Music Capitals of the World Brussels Billboard p 65 ISSN 0006 2510 Retrieved 27 April 2022 Queen Receives Canadian Platinum PDF Cash Box 13 January 1979 p 26 Retrieved 20 July 2022 French album certifications Queen Jazz in French InfoDisc SelectQUEENand clickOK Dateline Hamburg Electrola Takes Honours PDF Music Week 25 August 1979 p 10 Retrieved 27 April 2022 Gold Platin Datenbank Queen Jazz in German Bundesverband Musikindustrie Queen Freddie Mercury s Japanese in house presentation awards 18 August 2023 Dutch album certifications Queen Jazz in Dutch Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld en geluidsdragers EnterJazz in the Artiest of titel box Wyroznienia Platynowe plyty CD Archiwum Przyznane w 2009 roku in Polish Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry 8 July 2009 The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community Awards Queen Jazz IFPI Switzerland Hung Medien British album certifications Queen Jazz British Phonographic Industry American album certifications Queen Jazz Recording Industry Association of America External links edit Discography Jazz Queen official website includes lyrics of all non bonus tracks except Fat Bottomed Girls Don t Stop Me Now Jazz album versions Discogs 1978 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jazz Queen album amp oldid 1181414010, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.