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Queen
– Jazz
***
In the annals of Queen’s history, Jazz is seen as their decadent, hedonistic
album. Whilst this is certainly true, there are also some beautiful love songs to counteract the bombast.
It’s just that the rockers were the biggest hit singles…
Lead double A-side Fat Bottomed Girls and Bicycle
Race pretty much set the pace right down to a video for the latter which contained elements of the former. Following
the nude pedalling was Don’t Stop Me Now, an ode to drug-fuelled hedonism with the similar Let Me Entertain You being
one of the more prominent album tracks.
As usual, the lighter stuff was mainly due to Brain May and John Deacon.
May contributed the pretty Leaving Home Ain’t Easy and acoustic jazz of Dreamer’s Ball whereas Deacon penned
my favourite song on the LP, the beautiful holiday romance which is In Only Seven Days. His other contribution
is the well-meaning but ordinary mid-paced rocker If You Can’t Beat Them. This though is far better
than Roger Taylor’s two efforts – the disco influenced Fun It and closing More Of That Jazz which has a Stars
On 45 type outro featuring a chorus line from many of the other tracks herein.
Jazz is far from being Queen’s best
album but still features enough good tracks, fine playing and variety to be a very worthwhile purchase for a fan of the group.
Released
- 1978
Acquired by me: 3.05 (Bought – by Naomi)
Queen - The Game
***1/2
"Less
is more" is a well known axiom in rock music though not one often associated with Queen. It is however one used to good effect
on The Game LP...
Rather than cramming the tracks with massed guitar overdubs Brian May mostly concentrates here on playing
a couple of parts really well. He is on fine form with his lead work on Crazy Little Thing Called Love among his best work
with the group.
John Deacon is also on excellent form with his simple bass riff being the backbone of Another One Bites
The Dust, a massive Deacon-penned hit which was the first Queen song to be played heavily on black US radio stations. The
seeds of the overtly funky follow-up LP Hot Space are also evident in Dragon Attack, an underrated number built around a simple
riff where Brian and John are again on excellent form.
The Game was a big commercial success for Queen with four hit singles-
Crazy Little Thing, Bites The Dust, Brian May's ballad Save Me and Play The Game, the first Queen single to include a synthesiser.
It was also quite an artistic success with Crazy Little Thing and Bites The Dust heavily influenced by 50’s rock’n’roll
and funk respectively but still having that distinct Queen sound.
The Game also has that sweet May-penned ballad present
on most Queen albums in Sail Away Sweet Sister though some of the other support songs are not so strong with Roger Taylor’s
ludicrous Rock It (Prime Jive) being the worst offender. Nevertheless, it is a good album and a successful reinvention
of sorts. Yes "less can be more" - even for Queen!
Released - 1980
Acquired
by me: 19.3.05 - Bought (By Naomi)
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