[Review] Queen: Jazz (1978)

Jazz isn’t bad, it just smells funny for the first few minutes.

Kronomyth 7.0: To thrill you, they’ll use any device.

Mustapha is a mess: the mix, the arrangement, the idea, everything. You might wonder why I would begin on such a negative note, but you should be asking that question of Queen. “Mustapha” isn’t a mere misstep; the band falls flat on their face trying to pull off an Arabic epic with nonsensical words while clearly abusing the volume knobs. Fortunately, the band gets right back up again and delivers a volley of brilliant tunes, but as a listener I remained wary of Jazz lest another “Mustapha” be lurking in its midst. (There isn’t, although the decision to vomit out bits and pieces of Jazz on the closing More of That Jazz is almost as jarring.) Maybe the band was in a restless mood after attending the Montreux Jazz Festival (an event that inspired the album’s title), but it’s clear that Queen is best when in their established element. Fat Bottomed Girls, Bicycle Race, Don’t Stop Me Now, Jealousy, Let Me Entertain You… those are classic Queen tracks. The remaining half of the album is forgettable over a long career but not half-bad. Honestly, I was into “More of That Jazz” until the ending. The difference between a great Queen album and a good one lies in its defense. I never felt the need to defend A Night at the Opera or News of the World; their greatness was obvious. I do, however, find myself defending A Day at the Races and Jazz. Or maybe it’s a partial pardon for those album’s tasteless excesses. The production on Jazz is also clearly over the top. As much as I wasn’t prepared for the disco-informed The Game (foreshadowed on Fun It), perhaps Queen had taken their staged rock & roll to its logical extreme. It was a great run while it lasted, but “Teo Torriate” and “Mustapha” reveal the folly of trying to follow up “Bohemian Rhapsody,” since thunderbolt and lightning of that magnitude rarely strike twice.

Original elpee version

A1. Mustapha (Freddie Mercury)
A2. Fat Bottomed Girls (Brian May)
A3. Jealousy (Freddie Mercury)
A4. Bicycle Race (Freddie Mercury)
A5. If You Can’t Beat Them (John Deacon)
A6. Let Me Entertain You (Freddie Mercury)
B1. Dead on Time (Brian May)
B2. In Only Seven Days (John Deacon)
B3. Dreamers Ball (Brian May)
B4. Fun It (Roger Taylor)
B5. Leaving Home Ain’t Easy (Brian May)
B6. Don’t Stop Me Now (Freddie Mercury)
B7. More of That Jazz (Roger Taylor)

All songs arranged by Queen.

CD reissue bonus tracks
14. Fat Bottomed Girls (1991 remix)
15. Bicycle Race (1991 remix)

Original 8-track version
A1. Mustapha
A2. In Only Seven Days
A3. Bicycle Race
A4. Let Me Entertain You
B1. Fun It
B2. Leaving Home Ain’t Easy
B3. If You Can’t Beat Them
C1. Dead on Time
C2. Jealousy
C3. Fat Bottomed Girls
D1. Dreamers Ball
D2. Don’t Stop Me Now
D3. More of That Jazz

The Players

John Deacon (bass guitar), Brian May (guitar, vocals), Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano), Roger Taylor (percussion, vocals). Produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker; engineered by Geoff Workman with additional engineering by John Etchells.

The Pictures

Photography by David Finch, Chris Hopper and Peter Hince. Sleeve concept by Queen. Sleeve design by Cream.

The Plastic

Released on elpee, cassette and 8-track on November 14, 1978 in the UK (EMI, EMA/TC-EMA 788), the US (Elektra, 6E/TC5/ET8-166), France (EMI Pathe Marconi, 2C 070 61820), Germany (EMI, 1C 064-861 820), Italy (EMI, 3 C 064-61820) and Japan (Elektra, P-10601E) with gatefold cover and picture innersleeve. Reached #2 on the UK charts and #6 on the US charts (RIAA-certified platinum record).

1. Re-issued on compact disc in 1986 in West Germany (EMI, CDP 746210 2).
2. Re-issued on expanded, remastered compact disc and cassette on June 18, 1991 in the US (Hollywood, HR-61062-2/4) with 2 bonus tracks [cassette only features one bonus track, “Fat Bottomed Girls (1991 remix)”].
3. Re-issued on cassette in 1992 in Turkey (Kent Elektronik, TCP-2553).
4. Re-issued on remastered compact disc on November 21, 2001 in Japan (EMI, TOCP-65847).
5. Re-issued on compact disc on February 11, 2004 in Japan (EMI, TOCP-67347).
6. Re-issued on half-speed mastered 180g vinyl elpee in 2018 in the US (Hollywood).
7. Re-issued on expanded, remastered CD+CDEP on May 19, 2021 in Japan (Universal, UICY-79543/4) with bonus CDEP.