Queen: Jazz - 1978

By 1978, I was listening to Queen only out of loyalty to the band that had been my favourite from 1974-76, from Queen II through to A Day At The Races. Now, however, they seemed almost totally irrelevant. Bands like The Clash, The Jam, The Ramones, Blondie, The Stranglers and Stiff Little Fingers and artists like Elvis Costello and Ian Dury had completely taken over my listening habits to the detriment of poor old Queen. 

This was the last Queen album I bought upon release, furtively hiding it as I scurried home in case any of my fellow punkers saw me. It didn't work, though, I was caught in flagrante with the album in my possession and my lack of credibility duly outed. What made it all worse for me was that I had also bought, upon request for a friend who couldn't make it to the shops (yes, really), Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene. My excuse that I had "bought it for a friend" just didn't wash. 

Anyway, this was the album that finally saw much of the music media of the time turn on Queen, led by Dave Marsh in Rolling Stone, who, incredibly unfairly, denounced them as "sexist" and "fascist". To me, there wasn't much sexist in openly gay Freddie Mercury singing with tongue firmly in cheek about Fat Bottomed Girls. The song was simply grossly silly, not remotely offensive. The same applies to the inner sleeve picture of lots of naked girls on bikes. All jolly good seventies fun. 

What the media had not got wrong, though, was the fact that the Queen formula of multi-style indulgence was now wearing a bit thin and the camp vaudeville just seemed out of place now. I still bought this album though, and had to admit that If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, the now totally iconic Don’t Stop Me Now (but at the time not really give much attention) and the beautiful Leaving Home Ain’t Easy got the old Queen fan juices flowing again, just don’t tell those punk mates of mine. 

Pardon me as I diversify a little here about Don't Stop Me Now. The song is now up there as one Queen's most timelessly popular songs. Everyone seems to love it. Actually, in 1978, although a hit, it wasn't as universally popular as it is now. These days it is sung on endless karaoke nights out and is beloved of "call me Mr. Fahrenheit" Freddie Mercury impersonators and partygoers everywhere. I challenge anyone not to feel just a little bit upbeat when they hear it. "Hey hey hey" indeed. You tell 'em Freddie.

Anyway - back to the album as a whole. 

Further listens found me gaining a little respect for the camp liveliness of Let Me Entertain You and the heavy-ish Dead On Time, but only a little. In Only Seven Days is a pretty feeble John Deacon song about a teenage summer romance and Brian May's Dreamer's Ball almost sounds like a Mercury "whimsy" song. To think I bought The Clash's Give 'Em Enough Rope and The Jam's All Mod Cons around the same time as this stuff probably sums it up. 

The double 'A' side single from the album contained two somewhat preposterous tracks - the nonsense that was Bicycle Race and the slightly better, rock romp of the afore-mentioned Fat Bottomed Girls. The latter track was always strangely mastered in that the beginning is really quiet and then the chorus is much louder. No amount of remastering changes this. Exactly the same problem occurs in the strange, Arabic chant-influenced Mustapha. Quite what possessed Queen to record in this fashion is unclear. We Are The Champions on the previous album was the same. Guess that was just how they wanted them to sound. For me, it just doesn't work at all. 

Let me briefly witter on (again!) about these two songs a bit - while Fat Bottomed Girls was a ludicrously-titled and lyricked (is that a word?) song, it was an admittedly powerful and anthemic rocker. That chorus is a great singalong one and the riffs are chunky as hell. I still can't help but love it. 

Bicycle Race was even more preposterous than Fat Bottomed Girls as Mercury frittered on about riding his bicycle. I have never really liked it, and, as a Queen fan from 1974 onwards, I also found it embarrassing. This wasn't my Queen as I wanted them to rock. It was redeemed by a great May guitar solo, though. I have to also admit that it is infuriatingly catchy.

The Roger Taylor tracks are just that, Roger Taylor tracks. Indeed, Fun It is just about ok, I suppose, but More of That Jazz is an unlistenable waste of time. It's total shit, basically. As for the rest of it, all these years later I still don't feel they have much to offer. Mercury's ballad Jealousy is ok. I suppose. 

I was underwhelmed then and I still am now. Sorry (not for the first time re: Queen in this period).