| Freddie-B 09.02.2005 04:45 |
Is Jazz Queen's most technically polished album? I think that musically it's as clever as they ever got with the key changes in Bicycle Race, time signatures in In Only Seven Days, If You Can't Beat Them, and tricky but clean, polished vocal block harmonies on Dreamer's Ball, Leaving Home Ain't Easy and Jealousy? There's the complexity of the drumming on Fun It, and most obviously on Dead on Time, a song which I think has a perfection and shine to it that you can rarely find on their other stuff, I mean the instrumental parts are so difficult, and the song is hardly straightforward, but it's all there and it's all perfect. The chords and structure of Leaving Home ain't easy are amazing, and the same goes for Dreamer's Ball. Fun it is a genuinely good funk track, and In Only Seven Days, for all it's lush cheese, is a lovely tune, I think. Mustapha and Bicycle Race are both a bit camp and comedy, but both brilliantly thought out and multi layered almost beyond belief, and Let Me Entertain You has an energy about it that I don't think any of their other rock anthems in later years (I'm thinking of Radio Ga Ga and Hammer To Fall specifically) can lay claim to. The weak points for me are If You Can't Beat Them, and More of That Jazz-and I'm not mad keen on Fat Bottomed Girls, although there's no denying the atmosphere and power to it. I know it sounds like I'm sucking it off a bit, but I think that even though the songs themselves may not basically be the best they ever put out, the quality and sheen to them is something to be really admired. What do you think? |
| Voice of Reason 2018 09.02.2005 05:08 |
I'm afraid I always thought this was their worst-produced album. It's difficult to articulate, but it sounds 'dull' to me - like listening to it when you have a cold! Maybe we could have a remaster produced by Mack! |
| The Mir@cle 09.02.2005 05:10 |
Jazz - A style of music, native to America, characterized by a strong but flexible rhythmic understructure with solo and ensemble improvisations on basic tunes and chord patterns and, more recently, a highly sophisticated harmonic idiom. How can an Jazz album be the technically most perfect album? |
| Freddie-B 09.02.2005 05:12 |
I wouldn't let Mack within a million miles of it. Or anything else for that matter. And it's not jazz on the album is it? Anywho, fair enough! |
| Teo_torriate04 09.02.2005 05:33 |
I remember getting Jazz for Christmas 1979 and opening up the accompianing poster in front of all my relatives (oops)! That was an extra special Christmas, because the following day I saw the band at the Hammersmith Odeon. Always liked Jazz a lot, and would have it in my top 5, faves are Jealousy, Dead On Time and Don't Stop Me Now. |
| The King Of Rhye 09.02.2005 05:55 |
I rather like the album myself......I wouldnt but in my top 5 really, but its close....(by the way, I rather like More of That Jazz.....very cool riffage in that tune, I say) |
| Daveboy35 09.02.2005 06:07 |
I also like jazz a some what departure from the earlier "over the top"songs on the first few albums it sounds great in places dead on time and if you cant beat them among my faves from the album and if my memory serves me right jazz is one album they more or less performed live, what i mean is almost every song has been performed in concert at one time or another. |
| GiantSpider 09.02.2005 06:44 |
Yeah I like More of That Jazz. |
| Sebastian 09.02.2005 06:47 |
Even if Jazz isn't as immediatly impressive as Opera or Races, I don't think it's inferior to either. Bicycle indeed compresses interesting harmonic and rhythmic values in such a short time, and if you check the DTS channels of Don't Stop Me you can note an amazing vocal work in both lead and harmonies. Of course there aren't any guitar "orchestras" as in Queen II but it doesn't mean the instrumental work is bad. Dreamer's Ball is flawless and Seven Days remains multi-layered yet easy listeneable. Even though the album isn't jazz or jazz-rock, there are indeed some subtle jazzy details here and there. Not many, but some, moe than in the other albums imho. |
| Freddie-B 09.02.2005 06:53 |
I think More of That Jazz is guilty of the same crime as Loser In The End, it doesn't really fit on the album they put it on. I don't know, I'm not a big fan of a lot of Roger's stuff, nothing personal, I think he's ace, but I'm not mad keen on his songs as a rule. |
| mike hunt 10.02.2005 00:56 |
i agree jazz is great. queens first 8 albums are truly vintage. 'jazz is less consistent than their first six albums, with my least favorite being 'more of that jazz' the album should have ended with 'don't stop me now' which was brilliant, and 'dreamers ball' is perfect and one of my favorites, it's the only song that has a touch of jazz in it. mustapha is brilliant songwriting, only freddie could come up with that one. |
| goinback 10.02.2005 01:34 |
Actually "More Of That Jazz" is probably one of my favorite songs on there. I like the album, but don't like how it's not very album-oriented like their earlier ones (IE it's a bunch of individual songs in seemingly no particular order). I think they could have made it more like that by putting the songs in a better order, and getting rid of the gaps between some of them. The end of FBG would have sounded great going directly into the beginning of Dead On Time, and maybe something with a quiet piano intro (LHAE or Jealousy) directly after the loud ending of Mustapha to contrast. |
| mike hunt 10.02.2005 14:30 |
i wonder if the order of the songs has anything to do with 'jazz' being not liked. there's no filler, but they might have put one or two many songs on it. some people say they think 'fun it' is filler i disagree, it's not a all-time great song but it's still decent, 'you can't beat them' is also in that pretty good category. 'more of that jazz' could have been left off the album and you still would have had 12 solid songs. i think jazz is slightly behind the first six. jazz, the game and innuendo i always have a hard time picking which one i like better, and 'made in heaven' is also in that category. |
| My Melancholy Blues 10.02.2005 14:45 |
I'm afraid Jazz has been kind of underrated. Personally I love it as same as ADATR. It includes many numbers which make live stages more lively especially FBG, Let Me Entertain You, If You Can't Beat Them and Dreamer's Ball. And almost all of its numbers prove their skills honed through some years. Besides the order of Mustapha-FBG-Jealousy-Bicycle Race is so impressive. |
| mike hunt 10.02.2005 14:58 |
i agree jazz is very underated. |
| runner70 10.02.2005 15:53 |
Voice of Reason 2005 wrote: I'm afraid I always thought this was their worst-produced album.Completely agree - if a Queen album should be remixed (not remastered) it's "Jazz" - very flat sounding - especially the drums! |
| Proko 10.02.2005 17:01 |
I agree with you. The whole album sound is so dull! As if it was recorded on an old tape cassette ! The drums sound like shit and very different from the usual "BIG" drums sound. I even sent an e-mail to Brian regarding the sound of the album. Never got an answer.... |
| Awesome-O _4000 10.02.2005 17:27 |
I myself would acredit Jazz as being the strangest and most different of all Queen albums, it's so random! |
| lyricalassasin77 10.02.2005 17:45 |
I agree with the post above me. Its a very "at random" album so it seems. Its funny cuz I find a song on every Queen album that is so underrated its not funny and could have been a hit. On this album it would have to be "If you can't beat em".......as well on another current post on here where people are judging the album "The Game" for that one I put "Need Your Loving Tonight"........Both songs have a catchy feel to them and its one of those "feel good" songs......I've always been one to stray away from preordained Hits of a band, I like to dig into the albums and find my own hits.......so that's why when I listen to a album like Jazz the first thing I'll do is skip past the Bicycle Race (worst hit Queen ever had) and Fat Bottomed Girls because I know them and have them thourougly already and dive into the other songs and see what I like..........Peace |
| nino trovato 11.02.2005 08:13 |
I bought this album the day it came out and saw the band just the night before. I've always enjoyed it but it's not their most technically perfect album in my opinion. I think that would be a toss up of Queen II or Innuendo. But most of the songs are enjoyable. Dead on Time is musically Brians' best song on there. Johns' If You Can't Beat Them should have been a hit, More of That Jazz is a personal fave of mine. Especially Rogers' falsetto at the end and Let Me Entertain You is fun because Freddie is basically paying homage to the people who helped with the band. I never liked the drum sound at all. Would have prefered them to sound like the drums on Queen II or News of the World. But it's still a fun album to listen to and it brings back good memories. |
| JDL2nd 11.02.2005 15:48 |
Jazz is a very good and cool album. It's got a lot of diversity and difficult songs. But I don't think it's their most technically perfect album. |
| maxpower 11.02.2005 15:56 |
i dont like the drum sound on Jazz, a pit too crisp for me |
| RainMustFall2 11.02.2005 16:55 |
Ahhh... Dreamer's Ball. I can't compliment this song enough as a musician! If Bohemian Rhapsody is the Shakespeare of chord structures then Dreamer's Ball is... uh, Shakespeare... but slightly less so. Still, I personally count it as one of my technical favorites. |
| Freddie-B 12.02.2005 11:16 |
Funny, I sent an e-mail to Brian about the sound of Jazz, never got a reply either. Mine was saying how good it was. Maybe he doesn't like talking about it! |