Retro Reviews: Queen: Jazz

   I decided to launch a new series to imagine myself as a critic at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, and to rectify certain reviews from Rolling Stone magazine and Creem. This not meant to be contrarian, but to offer a more balanced perspective. All the albums reviewed are indeed classic albums.

Queen – Jazz (1978)

****1/4

Producers: Queen, Roy Thomas Baker

Musicians: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, Roger Taylor

Songs: Mustafa, Fat Bottom Girls, Jealousy, Bicycle Race, If You Can’t Beat Them, Let Me Entertain You, Dead On Time, In Only Seven Days, Dreamers Ball, Fun It, Leaving Home Ain’t Easy, Don’t Stop Me Now, More Of That Jazz

Reviewed By Matthew Anthony Allair

    First off, let’s address the comments by some peers that Queen is a ‘fascist band’, this is an utterly ridiculous comment that helps to drop the intelligence of certain critics. This all stems from the prior single ‘We Are Ther Champions / We Will Rock You.’ The ‘Champions’ track was a message to every misfit and outsider who didn’t belong or won very often. One could say that Queen are a band of misfits, too self-aware, smart, and willing to take a joke over their flamboyance. Their humor has always been one of the more refreshing aspects of the band at a time when there’s too much self-importance, this may be one reason why some in the punk community as less hostile to Queen.

    The optimum word here is ‘We’ as in a collective, not ‘I’, for people who understand the textbook and historical definition of ‘fascism’ would know that Queen represents the very opposite of that notion. The use of “I” is a dicey proposition, even John Lennon had enough sense to give “I Am The Greatest” to Ringo Starr. The members of Queen don’t seem any more ego centric than any other band.  Let’s get onto the album. Roy Thomas Baker was brought back as the producer, and some press kits describe this as a ‘European Flavored’ album, whatever that means. Every queen album is always a reaction to the prior album, this takes the striped down sensibility of News Of The World, and adds a little more flamboyance to the proceedings.

    The album opener “Mustafa” is playful and dynamic and takes a nod to Freddie’s Persian origins. The next perennial single, “Fat Bottom Girls” is a country ho down with a hard rock edge, they haven’t lost their ability to wink. Freddie’s lovely ballad “Jealousy” features an acoustic sitar flavor. The other perennial single “Bicycle Race” is about as camp as you can take. John’s “If You Can’t Beat Them” shies away from his RNB and into pop rock. Freddie’s “Let Me Entertain You” is not the number from the musical Gypsy, but a spry rocker that is designed for the stage.

    The strong second half opener, Brian’s “Dead On Time” has a fast and lifting groove that will remind one of “Stone Cold Crazy” from days of old, the song is also a biting comment on the pace of the corporate sector. John’s “In Only Seven Days” has some lovely piano and acoustic guitar interplay, and the song sounds like a Stevie Wonder pastiche – but in a good way. The music hall flavor of Brian’s “Dreamer’s Ball” has a whimsical vibe with Brian mimicking a swing jazz ensemble via the guitar. Roger’s “Fun It” has a surprising nod to disco and dance, but in their own way. Brian’s country flavored ballad “Leaving Home Ain’t Easy” has a nice brief exchange with Freddie. Then Mercury brings it back with his well- crafted ballad then up-tempo number, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, with a rousing brief guitar lead, this will probably be the other single from Jazz. Then Roger closes it out with his grove rocker “More Of That Jazz”, a track that features a collage of songs from the album, why? I don’t know - probably to just sum up the experience.

    The last two albums haven’t reached the heights of A Night At The Opera, but then again that album would be difficult to duplicate, they haven’t tried to. This is a solid entry that offers some entertaining material, but there is the feeling that they are going to have to expand the parameters of what they are capable of. Freddie, Brian and Roger are three of the best rock singers out there when they sing in unison, and the band as a unit does some very good work as players, even great moments. They are all steady song writers, and I suspect the production embellishments are there for coloring, there’s a good share of substance within the jest. Ignore the critics on this one – it’s a good time.