Jazz (Queen album)

Occupation

• Freddie Mercury: Vocals, Piano
• Brian May: guitars, vocals
• Roger Taylor: drums, percussion, vocals
• John Deacon: bass, guitar

Jazz is the 1978 released, seventh studio album by British rock band Queen.

The album

After the previous two albums were produced by Queen themselves, it was during the recording of jazz again to - last - working with Roy Thomas Baker, the character defining co-producers of the first four Queen albums. For the first time found the shots outside the UK place: The album was recorded from July to October 1978 in Nice and in the situated directly on Lake Geneva in Montreux Mountain Studios - were taken over the following year by Queen - played.

Jazz contains a total of 13 titles in addition to Sheer Heart Attack ( and apart from the soundtrack album Flash Gordon) the highest number of pieces on a studio album by Queen. Are correspondingly short title: Only three songs take a little longer than four minutes. During the first part of the album, especially of Mercury's composition is dominated, the second half is stylistically and compositionally much more heterogeneous.

The title of the album and the cover with the concentric circles were inspired by a picture on the Berlin Wall, which had jumped the band members during a stay in Berlin in the eye. The concept for the cover design is by Queen, the design of Cream. The photographers were David Finch, Chris Hopper and Peter Hince. The plate was settled - with the exception of North America - a poster showing naked women on their road bikes. This photo was created on the occasion of the video footage to Bicycle Race at Wimbledon Stadium.

Jazz is dedicated to John Harris, a Queen roadie since the early 1970s. The auto racing enthusiasts Harris had already been considered Roger Taylor's dedication to I'm in Love With My Car on the album A Night at the Opera.

Jazz was released on 10 November 1978 during the lasting from 28 October until 20 December tour of the USA and Canada. It reached number two in the British charts in the United States rank sixth at the sales figures reached the album in the UK and gold in the United States platinum status. The already published on 13 October with the Bicycle Race and Fat Bottomed Girls double A-side single was released on, compared with the previous first singles, rather weak 11th place in the British charts; the second single Do not Stop Me Now came in 9th place

For the production of the next studio album the band had more time than before. Expired goods issued an album yet within less than one and a half years, and annually thereafter, the first three albums, so between Jazz and The Game just under 20 months ( which is already less than half a year later was followed by another album).

Title list

Page 1:

Page 2:

The lead vocals are in Fun It by Taylor and Mercury, in Leaving Home Is not Easy by May and More of That Jazz by Taylor.

The album was produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker. Engineers were Geoff Workman and John Etchells. Written and recorded the pieces were from July to October 1978 in Montreux ( Mountain Studios ) and Nice (Super Bear Studios).

Reviews in the media

"Queen abhor the music press. You deserve all the bitterness that is thrown at them, if this is to be an accurate view of the album. "

"Jazz Has been unfairly slagged in some quarters as to inconsistent and unfocused record; granted, there's a bit of filler cluttering the second half, [ ... ] Jazz emerges as one of Queensland 's most playful, maniacally entertaining records. There are a few Freddie Mercury piano ballads and unusually hopped -up metallic rockers, but about half of Jazz is givenName over to quirky lyrics and / or stylistic detours ( Which, oddly enough, do not include any jazz, Unless You count the music hall of swing, Dreamers ball ' ). [ ... ] It's difficult to discuss jazz without Referring to individual tracks one by one, since it can come off as a collection of moments, but its anything-goes diversity Actually helps tie it together. Plus, there 's a giddy sense of fun through most of the album, Which helps make it Queen's strongest since A Night at the Opera. "

"Jazz was branded in some quarters as unjustifiably inconsistent and unfocused album; added, the second half is a bit overloaded with filler [ ... ] Jazz turns out to be one of Queens most playful, in a crazy way most entertaining albums. There are some Freddie Mercury piano ballads and unusually abrupt metallic rock numbers, but about half of jazz to quirky lyrics and / or stylistic gaffes used (which, curiously, but do not include jazz, the music-hall Swing by, Dreamers Ball ' except ). [ ... ] It's hard to talk about jazz, without going into the songs in detail, because this results in a collection of moments results, but the all - goes - wealth of variety helps to hold together the album. In addition, a dizzying kind of fun runs through the whole album, which makes it the best of Queen since A Night at the Opera. "

" Despite everything, Freddie Has one of the best voices in rock, and Queen know how to change chords intelligently. Do they own EMI yet? "

" Despite everything Freddie has one of the best voices in rock, and Queen know how to alternating chords intelligent. Heard them already EMI? "

Alternative versions

Single Edit:

• Fat Bottomed Girls ( 1978, also included on the 1981 released album Greatest Hits )

5.1 surround sound mixes:

• Fat Bottomed Girls
• Bicycle Race
• Do not Stop Me Now ( all included on the DVD Greatest Video Hits 1, 2002)

Remixes ( Hollywood Records):

• Fat Bottomed Girls ( 1991 Bonus Remix ' by Brian Malouf )
• Bicycle Race ( 1991 Bonus Remix ' by Junior Vasquez )

7 Of the 13 songs on the album were also played live: Mustapha - Fat Bottomed Girls - Bicycle Race - If You Can not Beat Them - Let Me Entertain You - Dreamers Ball - Do not Stop Me Now.

Chart positions

Album

In the charts, the album Jazz reached the following placements:

• # 1 - Portugal.
• # 2 - Great Britain ( gold).
• # 4 - The Netherlands ( platinum).
• # 5 - Germany (Gold) / Japan ( gold).
• # 6 - Norway / Sweden / USA ( platinum).
• # 8 - Austria ( gold).
• # 36 - Italy.

Single - compilations taken

Bicycle Race / Fat Bottomed Girls (13 October 1978)

Do not Stop Me Now (26 January 1979)

Jealousy ( April 1979: Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, United States)

Mustapha (1979: Bolivia, Germany, Yugoslavia, Spain)