Queen album by Album thread

I carried this idea in my head since years as well. But actually, just play Opera and then Races straight after it. It sounds just like a double album already.

 

I have very little to say about "A Day At The Races." Like "Sheer Heart Attack," I think it's a great album, but I can't qualify why I think that, though I know for a fact it's a step below "Queen II," my favorite Queen album.

I read with great interest the comments about combining "A Night At The Opera" and "A Day At The Races" into a double album. Sub-consciously, I have always thought of them this way. I bought most of my Queen albums off a friend's sister in 1980, and back when cassette tapes were a thing, these two always went back-to-back, even though logistically it didn't make sense, as ANATO should have been paired with SHA and ADATR paired with NOTW.

Oh, and I love "Drowse." Easily my favorite Roger Taylor track.

 

When I used to stick everything on cassette in the 80s and 90s I paired up the Queen albums like this, so do always think of them in pairs:
Gettin' Smile/Queen
Queen 2/SHA
NATO/DATR
NOTW/Jazz
Game/HS
Works/AKOM
Miracle/Innuendo

It's just occured to me the amount of time and effort I used to put in regarding the specifics of what albums I would pair together in my cassette collection - but knowing this forum...I expect I'm not the only one!

 

True enough - but still hidden in the depths overall

 

I gave your excellent review a like in spite of this.

 

Lousy?? Drowse???

Yet another magnificent Queen album.

 

A coin press is not a machine?

 

Superb review. I'd personally give Drowse more than 7. I liked it on first listen and along with Tenement Funster, think it's the best Queen track with Roger singing. It took me along time to like You Take My Breath Away & The Millionaire Waltz. I got this album when I was about 11 years old and didn't get those two at all! I love them both now. The Millionaire Waltz is a very complex and stunning arrangement. There's a lot going on in the 70s Queen albums with all band members providing sublime musicianship.

 

Wasn't a coin press moved manually? By hand?

 

Yes, that's how you machine a coin.

 

News of the World is the sixth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 28 October 1977. Containing the hit songs "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" and "Spread Your Wings", it went 4x platinum in the United States, and achieved high certifications around the world, selling over 6 million copies. News of the World is Queen's highest selling studio album to date.

News of the World was the band's second album to be recorded at Sarm West and Wessex Studios, London, and engineered by Mike Stone, and was co-produced by the band and Stone.



Contents
[1Production

• 2Song information
  • 2.1"We Will Rock You"
  • 2.2"We Are the Champions"
  • 2.3"Sheer Heart Attack"
  • 2.4"All Dead, All Dead"
  • 2.5"Spread Your Wings"
  • 2.6"Fight from the Inside"
  • 2.7"Get Down, Make Love"
  • 2.8"Sleeping on the Sidewalk"
  • 2.9"Who Needs You"
  • 2.10"It's Late"
  • 2.11"My Melancholy Blues"

• 3Cover

• 4Singles

• 5Reception

• 62011 re-issue

• 7In popular culture

• 8Track listing

• 9Personnel

• 10Tour

• 11Chart positions

• 12Certifications

• 13References

• 14External links

Production[edit source]
Having received some criticism that their first completely self-produced project, A Day at the Races, was a "boring" album,[2] Queen decided to shift their musical focus towards the mainstream but remain as the producers of the next album.

After completing the A Day at the Races tour, the quartet re-entered the studio to begin work on their sixth studio offering in July 1977, enlisting Mike Stone as assistant producer at the Basing Street and Wessex Studios in London. They scaled down their complex arrangements and focused on a "rootsier" sound (as Brian May put it). However the staple of the Queen sound, multi-tracked harmonies and guitar orchestrations, still exist on this album, albeit a bit more subtly. News of the World shows Queen's songwriting less dominated by May and Freddie Mercury, with Roger Taylor and John Deacon composing two songs each. The group completed recording and production of the album two months later in September and released the album on 28 October 1977.

Song information[edit source]
"We Will Rock You"[edit source]
Main article: We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" (sample (info)) was released as the B-side of "We Are the Champions", and became one of Queen's biggest songs worldwide as a staple of arena and stadium sports. It was a conscious decision by Brian May to make the song simple and anthemic ("stomp, stomp, clap, pause" twice per 4/4 measure), so that their live audience could be more directly involved in the show. In the video for "We Will Rock You" and "Spread Your Wings", May used a copy of his guitar. He supposedly did not want to commit his Red Special to the weather, as the videos for these songs featured the band performing in the snow in Roger Taylor's garden.

"We Are the Champions"[edit source]
Main article: We Are the Champions
According to Freddie Mercury, "We Are the Champions" had already been written in 1975 but it was not recorded until 1977.[3] Released as a single with "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" reached number two in the UK and number four in the US. "We Are the Champions" was the first promotional video for which fan club members were invited to participate in the filming. The video was filmed at the New London Theatre on 6 October 1977. Everyone received a free single of "We Are the Champions", a day before the single was released and Queen did a free concert after the shoot.

"Sheer Heart Attack"[edit source]
Main article: Sheer Heart Attack (song)
"Sheer Heart Attack" was half-finished at the time of the 1974 album of the same name. Taylor sang lead on the demo but for the definitive version the band decided Mercury should sing lead vocals, with Taylor singing the chorus. Rhythm guitar and bass were played by Taylor, apart from some guitar "screams" by May during the instrumental section.[4]

During this time, the punk rock movement went into full effect, and this song was viewed as something of a jab at the musicians who felt bands like Queen were too self-indulgent. Of note is the lyric "I feel so inarticulate", and the fact that Taylor stated in interviews that he thought many of the 1970s punk bands had very little talent.

• Official YouTube videos: Video Competition winner, Live at The Bowl

"All Dead, All Dead"[edit source]
"All Dead, All Dead" was written and sung by May, and features Mercury on piano and backing vocals. On an episode of In the Studio with Redbeard, May confirmed rumours that the song is partially inspired by the passing of his boyhood pet cat.[5]

"Spread Your Wings"[edit source]
Main article: Spread Your Wings
"Spread Your Wings" was written by bassist John Deacon. The piano is played by Mercury, although Deacon mimes it in the music video. The video was filmed at Taylor's house at that time in his backyard, when the weather was freezing, and the band were performing in the snow. Mercury can be seen wearing star-shaped sunglasses in the video. May is seen playing a copy of his Red Special due to the cold weather conditions. Also, Taylor can be seen singing in the video despite the fact that there are no backing vocals in the song. It was the first Queen single without backing vocals.

"Fight from the Inside"[edit source]
"Fight from the Inside" was written and sung by Taylor. In addition to the drums, he also plays rhythm and bass guitar, the latter borrowed from Deacon himself.

The track is built around a jangly guitar riff and is amongst the first in the Queen catalogue to focus predominantly on the drums and bass, as opposed to the lead guitars.[6] It is also one of the few songs in the band's discography recorded almost entirely by one member, another being Sheer Heart Attack.

Guitarist Slash has cited the guitar riff to this song as one of his favourite riffs of all time.[7]

"Get Down, Make Love"[edit source]
"Get Down, Make Love", written by Mercury, is among the most sexually oriented songs in the Queen catalogue.

The song was introduced into the band's live show immediately after its release, and remained a staple of their "medley" until the end of the Hot Space Tour of 1982. On the Hot Space tour, the song was reduced to the first verse/chorus only as a way to lead into May's guitar solo. Live, this song featured Taylor's use of Latin-influenced percussion with timbales on the News of the World Tour, and tightly tuned Remo Roto-Toms on the Jazz Tour, Crazy Tour, The Game and Hot Space tours.

The distinctive 'psychedelic' sound effects heard in the song were not produced on a synthesiser, but on May's Red Special and an Electroharmonix Frequency Analyzer pedal, which he would often do live. The studio cut featured an Eventide Harmonizer. These sound effects, together with Mercury's moans and groans, were expanded upon during live renditions of the song, presenting the band an opportunity to show off the full potential of their stage lights and effects.

A more aggressive version of this song was covered by Trent Reznor's industrial rock project Nine Inch Nails as a B-side for the 1990 single, "Sin". It was later added as a bonus track to the 2010 remastered edition of Pretty Hate Machine.

"Sleeping on the Sidewalk"[edit source]
"Sleeping on the Sidewalk", a blues excursion, was written and sung by May. It was recorded (minus the vocals) in one take. Lyrically, it deals with an aspiring trumpet player's career, delivered in a "rags-to-riches" fashion. May sings with an American accent and measures the aforementioned trumpet player's success by "bucks" (as opposed to pounds). On a close inspection, Deacon can be heard playing the wrong notes in some bass parts, and May can also be heard laughing at the end of the song. It is also one of the few Queen songs that does not feature Mercury.[citation needed]

The band's web site states they were unaware that they were being recorded[8] but May has cast doubt on the authenticity of this, though confirming the first take of the backing track was used.[9]

"Who Needs You"[edit source]
"Who Needs You" was a song written by Deacon, who, along with May, plays Spanish guitar. Mercury's lead vocal is entirely panned on the right audio channel while the lead guitar is on the left channel. May also plays maracas and Mercury plays a cowbell.

"It's Late"[edit source]
Main article: It's Late
"It's Late", written by May, was the author's idea of treating a song as a three-act theatrical play. It makes use of the tapping technique before Eddie Van Halen of American rock band Van Halen made the technique widely known.

"My Melancholy Blues"[edit source]
"My Melancholy Blues" was composed by Mercury. There are no backing vocals or guitars. Despite the title, the track is more related to jazz. Deacon played fretless bass on stage during this song but used a regular fretted bass on the record.

Cover[edit source]

Astounding Science Fiction, October 1953
The album's cover was a painting by American sci-fi artist Frank Kelly Freas. Taylor had an issue of Astounding Science Fiction (October 1953) whose cover art depicted a giant intelligent robot holding the dead body of a man. The caption read: "Please... fix it, Daddy?" to illustrate the story "The Gulf Between" by Tom Godwin.[10] The painting inspired the band to contact Freas, who agreed to alter the painting for their album cover, by replacing the single dead man with the four "dead" band members (Taylor and Deacon falling to the ground with Taylor only visible on the back cover). The inner cover (gatefold) has the robot extending its hand to snatch up the petrified fleeing audience in the shattered auditorium where the corpses were removed.[11] Freas said he was a classical music fan and did not know Queen, and only listened to the band after doing the cover "because I thought I might just hate them, and it would ruin my ideas", but eventually liked their music.[10]

The cover is parodied in the Family Guy episode "Killer Queen" (also the name of a Queen song), in which Stewie is traumatized by the album cover. The robot reappears at the end of the episode, tearing the roof off of Chris' room, giving Stewie a thumbs up.

Singles[edit source]

• "We Are the Champions" released 7 October 1977 in the UK as the first single where it reached number 2. In the US it reached number 4.
• "Spread Your Wings" followed as the second single from the album. Released in the UK on 10 February 1978, it reached number 34.
• "It's Late" is the last single from the album and was only released as a single in the US, Canada, Japan and New Zealand in 1978. Only reached number 74 in the US, failing to chart everywhere else.

Reception[edit source]

News of the World initially received mixed reviews, mostly reflecting on the differences to the previous predominantly progressive rock sound produced by Queen, and this album's vast shift towards a more mainstream sound.[18] The Washington Post commended the band's experimentation within a range of hard rock to soft rock,[2] while Rolling Stone magazine's Bart Testa found the album's second side dull after highlights such as "We Will Rock You", "Sheer Heart Attack", and "Fight from the Inside".[16] In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said that one side of the album is devoted to "the futile rebelliousness of the doomed-to-life losers (those saps!) (you saps!) who buy and listen", while the other is devoted to songs about indecent women.[17]

In Creem magazine's annual poll, readers voted News of the World as the 19th best album of 1977.[19] In a retrospective review, BBC Music's Daryl Easlea said that the album is an exceptional showcase of "Queen's unerring ability to sound absolutely like no-other group – even when parodying other musical styles".[20] Brendan Schroer of Sputnikmusic called it "the great arena rock wonder" with very few flaws.[21]

2011 re-issue[edit source]
On 8 November 2010, record company Universal Music announced a remastered and expanded reissue of the album set for release in May 2011. This was part of a new record deal between Queen and Universal Music, which meant Queen's association with EMI Records would come to an end after almost 40 years. According to Universal Music, all Queen albums would be remastered and reissued in 2011. This reissue included a deluxe edition which contains five additional tracks. The second batch of albums (the band's middle five albums) was released in June 2011.

In popular culture[edit source]
The album's two opening tracks, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions", have been used many times in popular culture. The album as a whole has been released on Super Audio CD.[22] The Family Guy episode "Killer Queen" features and references the album cover in several scenes during which Stewie is scared of the monster pictured on the front cover, which Brian uses in numerous ways to scare him.

Track listing[edit source]
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "We Will Rock You" Brian May 2:01
2. "We Are the Champions" Freddie Mercury 2:59
3. "Sheer Heart Attack" Roger Taylor 3:26
4. "All Dead, All Dead" May 3:10
5. "Spread Your Wings" John Deacon 4:34
6. "Fight from the Inside" Taylor 3:03
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
7. "Get Down, Make Love" Mercury 3:51
8. "Sleeping on the Sidewalk" May 3:06
9. "Who Needs You" Deacon 3:05
10. "It's Late" May 6:26
11. "My Melancholy Blues" Mercury 3:29
[hide]1991 Hollywood Records CD reissue bonus tracks
No. Title Length
12. "We Will Rock You" (1991 bonus remix by Rick Rubin) 5:00
[hide]2011 bonus EP
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Feelings Feelings" (Take 10, July 1977) May[23] 1:54
2. "Spread Your Wings" (BBC session, October 1977) Deacon 5:25
3. "My Melancholy Blues" (BBC session, October 1977) Mercury 3:12
4. "Sheer Heart Attack" (Live in Paris, France, 28 February 1979) Taylor 3:34
5. "We Will Rock You" (Fast) (Live in Tokyo, Japan, November 1982) May 2:54
[hide]2011 iTunes bonus videos
No. Title Length
1. "My Melancholy Blues" (live at the Summit, 1977) 3:54
2. "Sheer Heart Attack" (live at Hammersmith, 1979) 3:13
3. "We Will Rock You" (Queen Rocks version, 1998) 2:04
Personnel[edit source]

• Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, piano, cowbell on "Who Needs You"
• Brian May – electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals on "All Dead, All Dead" and "Sleeping on the Sidewalk", maracas on "Who Needs You"
• John Deacon – bass guitar, Spanish guitar on "Who Needs You"
• Roger Taylor – drums, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Fight from the Inside", rhythm guitar and bass guitar on "Fight from the Inside" and "Sheer Heart Attack"

Tour[edit source]
Main article: News of the World Tour
Chart positions[edit source]
Chart (1977) Peak position
Austrian Albums Chart[24] 9
Canadian Albums Chart[25] 2
Dutch Albums Chart[26] 1
French Albums Chart[citation needed] 1
German Albums Chart[27] 7
New Zealand Albums Chart[28] 15
Norwegian Albums Chart[29] 4
Swedish Albums Chart[30] 9
UK Albums Chart[31] 4
US Billboard 200[32] 3
Certifications[edit source]
Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[33] 3× Platinum 300,000^
France (SNEP)[34] Gold 553,600[35]
Germany (BVMI)[36] Platinum 500,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[37] Platinum 100,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[38]
2008 Agora SA album reissue Platinum 20,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[39] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[41] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

 

News of the World is often thought of as a step down from the first five. But it has it's fans... like me, as it was the first Queen studio album I ever listened to end to end. I also hear that Kurt Cobain was a fan of this LP.

Here's Taylor Hawkins and Slash on Queen's sixth (from Why I love Queen’s News Of The World, by Taylor Hawkins )

Taylor Hawkins: “I heard We Are The Champions and We Will Rock You on the radio a lot when I was six years old. I’m not sure why, but I thought at that age We Will Rock You was kinda screwy. I heard the whole album for the first time a few years later, when the brother of a friend of mine played it, and I loved it.

What I love about News Of The World is that it’s dark – really dark. Not just lyrically, but also musically. Roger Taylor’s drum sound is very dark, and some of Brian May’s solos have an edge that perhaps you didn’t get on their previous couple of albums. For me it was as if the band were returning to the style they had on their debut, sounding a lot more raw. The difference was they had become such great songwriters since then. So it was the best of both worlds – a live-sounding album combined with excellently constructed songs.

I genuinely feel that News Of The World was the band’s reaction to punk. There was a very basic approach on here, albeit the vocal harmonies were still obvious. Listen to a song like It’s Late. This comes across as the band going into the studio and playing together live. Which is what I think they actually did. The same is also true of Sheer Heart Attack. That song was a few years old by the time it appeared on this album, but when you listen back to it you know here were Queen saying to the punks: “We can be just as stripped-down and full on as you!”

There are times here when Queen sound more like the Faces or the James Gang; there are no frills, it is straight-ahead rock’n’roll. Fight From The Inside, Who Needs You and Spread Your Wings fit so well into this approach. And I love that sci-fi album cover. That was Roger’s idea. And it seems to capture the darkness I was talking about earlier. It’s striking, giving News Of The World a sense of mystery.

I don’t know why this isn’t regarded as real classic – one of Queen’s best albums. For me it certainly is. But perhaps we’ve gotten so used to We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions that we take them for granted, and therefore we also take the album for granted.

What they said at the time: “Late sons of the Empire though they may be, Queen has nothing to fear, or to do. In their moneyed superiority, they are indeed champions.” Rolling Stone

Slash: "Queen were always mad geniuses. They wrote a lot of songs that didn’t necessarily appeal to me, because they were so orchestrated. But when they dug in to do something mean or hard, they could do it better than anybody. News Of The World has Fight From The Inside, one of my favourite Queen songs, and also the brilliant Get Down Make Love. This is just my favourite end-to-end Queen record."

 

I never understood why Queen decided to open News Of The World with We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions, though I suppose these had yet to become the perfect way to end all of their shows (at least until the Magic Tour, when they suddenly threw fans a curve ball by splitting these up). Ideally, they should have started with the fast version of We Will Rock You, but I'd rather not focus on what this album doesn't provide...

Instead, I'll say that I love so much about News Of The World, and rather than dark or a step down, I'd describe it as what happens when a combination of factors shape the recording process, the most notable being Mike Stone asserting his input over the recently outed Roy Thomas Baker, who left after A Night At The Opera, and the band members feeling somewhat threatened by punk - regardless of their public disdain for this genre.

On that last point, Sheer Heart Attack would have been such a revolutionary track as opposed to simply being reactionary had it been released earlier as was once planned, while It's Late is an absolutely incredible showcase for Freddie's voice, which was quickly reaching its limits. At the turn of the decade, he'd take up light smoking and adopt a more macho delivery, although I'm getting ahead of myself by discussing this already.

Although I don't believe they were ever intended as such, I've always thought of All Dead, All Dead and Spread Your Wings as being a continuation of the same themes covered in Sheer Heart Attack, this trilogy forming a death-themed suite. Speaking of Spread Your Wings, the BBC Radio session is a blistering performance that shows what its studio counterpart might have been if only they'd allowed the tempo to briefly increase as opposed to fading early.

Fight From The Inside is another example of the grittier tone of this album, and I'm quite the fan of Get Down, Make Love in its live incarnation, where Brian made full use of his Eventide pedal to battle Freddie for who could deliver the highest notes, accompanied by Roger knocking ten bells out of his rototoms, all while the lights above them went into a frenzy. News Of The World isn't as theatrical as other Queen albums, yet its songs could easily keep up this particular expectation.

Of the remaining songs, Sleeping On The Sidewalk and Who Needs You are definitely the closest to filler, being similarly placed to their counterparts on The Miracle over a decade later. You may think I've left My Melancholy Blues until last because it's my favourite or due to it being so off my radar. In reality, it's up there as one of my more preferred tracks, though I prefer the radio version, ending with Freddie bursting into a chuckle.

If I have one further complaint, it's that Feelings, Feelings and Silver Salmon weren't revisited, as both were attempted during this period. For some reason, I never have a problem coming back to this album, yet it's not something I'd rate that highly if I was forced to rank Queen's studio output. I've no idea why this is the case, but for me there's little doubt that News Of The World is a solid, hard mid-era effort that holds up remarkably well.

 

NEWS OF THE WORLD:

As discussed earlier, for the first time in the band history there was little progress made between ANATO and ADATR, BUT that could be argued that it was closer to a double album. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing but it did lead to a point where the band had to decide...Were they going to be AC-DC like and start making the same record over and over perfecting their sound or would they try to go in a completely different direction.

They chose to go the opposite direction and the songwriting doesn't suffer at all. When Deep Cuts came out it divided the band's work into 3 different 5-album periods and it made a ton of sense. The early period is done and a much different approach is taken for the next 5 (except maybe Jazz but I'll save that for that thread).

NOTW, it seems the band decided to see if they could strip back a lot of the production and go raw. Definitely a reaction to the punk movement although the band didn't stop being intricate writers - simply rawer production and less glitz. This is definitely fans of the bands rockier side were made quite happy with this album.

What the result is is one of my favorite albums from the band.

We Will Rock You - So simple. And yet here we are almost 40 years later and it's STILL heard worldwide at sports arenas. Yes I am a bit sick of it to be honest, but it doesn't negate the fact that it was groundbreaking. The more recently officially released BBC Fast version was a nice alternate. 9

We Are The Champions - Fred cutting loose with one of his best numbers. I love the studio ending which is unresolved. Like WWRY also it is amazing how it is still alive and well nearly 40 years later. It's the perfect concert closer as well. I feel no matter how the gig went, it's hard not to have a smile on your face waving your arms and singing along with your friends and the band to this song. 10

Sheer Heart Attack - Roger does punk as well as any punk band honestly. One of the most energetic tracks in band history - the only knock I give it is the damn feedback section in the middle which is unnecessary and really turns me off the song which is why I FAR prefer live versions of the track. 8

All Dead, All Dead - Despite being about a cat, this is a beautiful ballad and showcases why I love hearing the band do a bit of give and take with the vocals. Freddie and Brian's duet sounds gorgeous here. 9

Spread Your Wings - My favorite John Deacon tune. Something about it just makes it easy to relate to and cheer for. Beautiful, powerful, and highly underrated. (although I love the uptempo BBC ending better). 9

Fight From The Inside - LOVE this riff. A very underrated Rog track. I love the amusing anecdote when Slash named this as one of his fav riffs thinking it was a Brian riff. Fun rocking track. Wish Rog would have performed it on his solo tours...or even now instead of Magic/Days etc every time. 8

Get Down Make Love - One of the few missteps on the album if I'm honest. I like what it's trying to do, I just don't like the final outcome and the noisy live version is worse. The verses let this one down if I'm honest. 6

Sleeping On The Sidewalk - Gets higher points from me because it's Queen....and out of their comfort zone. It must have taken a lot to just jam loose and record it and then not mess with it too much. The result is a very loose bluesy and fun track. It honestly isn't a special track, but it's worth a listen. 7

Who Needs You - A very offbeat track that is surprising in it's inclusion. It feels like it might have fit better on ANATO or ADATR but in a way makes NotW very much a Queen album. A very different take than many Queen tracks prior, it is light and breezy and fun. 7

It's Late - I think this is a near perfect track - If I had to name one track that was an archetype of Queen tracks, this one would definitely be on the short list. It has everything a Queen track should have (at least rockers) - Tempo shifts, drama, THUNDERING drums from Rog, a great riff, some great fretwork from Bri and some throat bleeding vocals from Freddie. AND I love the upbeat ending as well. 10

My Melancholy Blues - Simply divine. Freddie at his best. Freddie's great vocals and piano stylings. It is a very diva-esque number that Freddie embraces. 10

Overall - to me this was the last of the truly great Queen albums They had a concept in mind and ran with it. They still made some wonderful music after News of the World, but aside from Innuendo, it became a far more hit and miss affair. 8.5

 

The run from Sheer Heart Attack to News Of The World, remains my favourite period of the band.
I can't explain why....News Of The World is my favourite Queen album.

 

For me, NOTW is the best ‘sounding’ of any Queen record, the production is great and the drums are fat and in your face – particularly on the rockers like ‘It’s late’

That said, I do think it’s the weakest of their 70s albums in terms of material, there are some classics on there but I don’t think it adds up to a cohesive whole like the previous records did – and it’s not as crazy and OTT as Jazz is either. However as with all other Queen albums, I still love it unconditionally!

There is less Freddie on this album than on any album previously – only three songs, ‘We are the champions’ is obviously a Queen standard but ‘Get down make love’ is the first move away from his classic writing style into something more rhythmic – an approach he would get into much in the 80s. Also, it’s a lot more aggressive and sexual than anything that had come previously, this also gets a bit more common from now on as Freddie’s delivery becomes more overtly ‘macho’ and he somewhat loses the more feminine sensitive side of his delivery (especially from ‘the Game’ onwards), which is a bit of a loss.

‘My melancholy blues’ is great, though seems unfinished in some way, it certainly sounds like the sort of thing George Michael may have been influenced by in his writing, it has the same shuffley-jazz rhythm as some of his later ballads. Also reminds me in a way of Elton John’s ‘Idol’ from Blue Moves which again sounds like a George Michael blueprint – and indeed George did cover ‘Idol’, though I would have loved to have heard him tackle ‘My melancholy Blues’.

‘Fight from the inside’ is one of my favourite Roger songs, what a great sound this song has, all sorts of intertwining guitar parts and vocals. Mention should be made of Roger’s solo single ‘I wanna Testify/Turn on TV’ which he recorded at the same time as ‘Fight from the inside’ and ‘SHA’. I’ve never particularly liked ‘SHA’ that much, I suppose I just find it a bit one dimensional, but can see why it appeals to those who like Queen’s rockers.

As for John’s songs ‘Spread your wings’ is a good ‘traditional’ Queen ballad, ‘Who needs you’ is light and quirky, I don’t think either are as good as ‘You and I’ or ‘You’re my best friend’ and I would say I also prefer John’s songs on ‘Jazz’ more.

That leaves Brian’s songs, he gets the lions share with four – ‘Sleeping on the sidewalk’ is a bit of filler, I’m no fan of the Blues so this sort of thing leaves me cold, luckily it’s short and not as tedious as the later Bluesy B-side ‘Lost opportunity’. ‘All dead, all dead’ is nice and obviously ‘It’s late’ is great, probably the best on the album and certainly the most interesting in terms of arrangement. ‘We will rock you’ I sort of have no opinion on as I’ve heard it so much. I wonder – like many have said – if perhaps the tracklisting was a bit different if this may have ended the album with WATC. Certainly the inclusion of the fast version of WWRY (as in an intro) may have given the album some more end to end cohesion, you could throw in ‘Feelings Feelings’ as well as the album length could easily have taken it.

 

My Picks from NOTW...

We Are The Champions
Spread Your Wings
Fight From The Inside

Darryl

 

Are we going to intersperse the solo albums in this thread too? There's not that many of them - at least the ones that were done when Queen were still going. I thought they might be relevant as we know that some solo songs started off as Queen songs and vice versa.

 

I have no idea how this album was received on release in the US but clearly remember it being almost universally derided by the UK music press. The "kitchen sink" was often spoken of in the same sentence as the word Queen. From memory, both the NME and Melody Maker unfavourably contrasted Queen with punk acts.

Personally I enjoy the album but agree that it lacked the surprises that each album from Queen 2 to ADATR had unveiled.

 

sure, i'm not familiar with solo queen. do you want to be in charge of that?

 

I'll give it a go and try to remember to put them in!

Here's Roger's first solo single recorded at the same time as his NOTW tracks in 1977;

 

And it's B-side, an original song unlike the A-side.



I've never got into either of these songs particularly but they're not bad. Production-wise they sound good but aren't as good as either of his NOTW tracks I don't think. The only other solo stuff prior to this is the Larry Lurex single by Freddie (and Brian and Roger) but I think we posted that at the relevant point anyway.

 

Jazz is the seventh studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 10 November 1978. Roy Thomas Baker temporarily reunited with the band and became their producer; it was three years since he co-produced their 1975 album A Night at the Opera, but this album also was the last he co-produced for the band. The album's varying musical styles were alternately praised and criticised. It reached #2 in the UK Albums Chart and #6 on the US Billboard 200. Jazz has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.

Jazz was the first Queen album recorded outside the UK. Included in the liner notes is the humorous attribution "Thunderbolt courtesy of God", referring to the crash of thunder heard at the end of "Dead on Time," which Brian May recorded with a portable audio recorder during a thunderstorm. The album artwork was suggested by Roger Taylor, who previously saw a similar design painted on the Berlin Wall.[1]



Contents
[1Song information

• 1.1"Mustapha"
• 1.2"Fat Bottomed Girls"
• 1.3"Jealousy"
• 1.4"Bicycle Race"
• 1.5"If You Can't Beat Them"
• 1.6"Let Me Entertain You"
• 1.7"Dead on Time"
• 1.8"In Only Seven Days"
• 1.9"Dreamer's Ball"
• 1.10"Fun It"
• 1.11"Leaving Home Ain't Easy"
• 1.12"Don't Stop Me Now"
• 1.13"More of That Jazz"

• 2Alternative artwork

• 3Singles

• 4Reception

• 52011 re-issue

• 6Track listing

• 7Personnel

• 8Tour

• 9Chart positions

• 10Certifications

• 11References

• 12External links

Song information[edit source]
"Mustapha"[edit source]
Main article: Mustapha (Queen song)
"Mustapha" is a song written by Freddie Mercury. It was released as a single in 1979.

The lyrics consist of English, Arabic, Persian and possibly a number of invented words. Some understandable words are "Mustapha", "Ibrahim" and the phrases "Allah, Allah, Allah we'll pray for you", "salaam alaykum" and "alaykum salaam".

In live performances, such as the performance on Live Killers, Mercury would often sing the opening vocals of "Mustapha" in place of the complex introduction to "Bohemian Rhapsody", going from "Allah, we'll pray for you" to "Mama, just killed a man...". However, sometimes the band performed an almost full version of the song, with Mercury at the piano.

"Fat Bottomed Girls"[edit source]
Main article: Fat Bottomed Girls
"Fat Bottomed Girls" was written by Brian May with lead vocals shared by Mercury and May, who sings lead on the chorus. On stage Mercury sang the entire song, with Roger Taylor and May doing harmonies. Both guitar and bass are played in drop-D tuning for this song, a rarity for Queen.

"Jealousy"[edit source]
Main article: Jealousy (Queen song)
"Jealousy" was penned by Mercury and features May playing his Hairfred acoustic guitar placing small pieces of piano wire under the frets to produce the "buzzing" effect of a sitar. This effect had already been used on "White Queen (As It Began)", from Queen II. All vocals were recorded by Mercury.

"Bicycle Race"[edit source]
Main article: Bicycle Race
"Bicycle Race" is a complex composition by Mercury. It features several modulations, unusual chord functions, a metre change (4/4 to 6/8 and back), and a programmatic section (a race of guitars emulating the bicycle race).

"If You Can't Beat Them"[edit source]
"If You Can't Beat Them" was another hard rock composition by John Deacon and a live favourite for the band in late 1970s. It is one of the few songs by Deacon where May plays all the guitars and contains a guitar solo of over two minutes, making it one of the longest guitar solos in a Queen song.

"Let Me Entertain You"[edit source]
"Let Me Entertain You" was written by Mercury, directed towards the audience. The line "we'll sing to you in Japanese" is a reference to May's Teo Torriatte, from A Day at the Races. The song also contains a reference to their record labels at the time (Elektra and EMI Records) with the line "With Elektra and EMI we'll show you where it's at". The idea of a guitar riff in parallel sixths was re-used later in the Innuendo track, "The Hitman".

"Dead on Time"[edit source]
"Dead on Time", written by May, features some of the fastest and most aggressive guitar work by its author, as well as intense drumming by Taylor. The song contains two high belts by lead singer Freddie Mercury that top at C#5. Performed at high tempo for Queen, it was considered by fans to be an ideal live number, but was curiously never played in concert; May would only incorporate snippets of it in his guitar solos during the Jazz Tour.

The song resembles "Keep Yourself Alive" from Queen's self-titled debut album. In the last chorus, the words "keep yourself alive" are sung, and in the lyrics attached to the album, those words are written in capitals.

The song ends with the sound of a thunderbolt, followed by Mercury screaming "You're dead!" The thunderbolt was actually recorded by May on a portable recorder during a vicious thunderstorm. The album's liner notes credit the thunderbolt to God.

"In Only Seven Days"[edit source]
"In Only Seven Days" is Deacon's other songwriting contribution on the album, and shares similarities with one of his previous songs, "Spread Your Wings". Deacon also played acoustic and electric guitar on this song. It was the B-Side on "Don't Stop Me Now".

"Dreamer's Ball"[edit source]
"Dreamer's Ball" is May's tribute to Elvis Presley, who had died one year before. The arrangement for the concert version was completely different, with May and Taylor doing vocal brasses.

"Fun It"[edit source]
"Fun It" was a funk track with a disco vibe by Taylor, where both he and Mercury shared the vocals. Taylor did the lead vocals, while Mercury was backup. Taylor used Syndrum pads and played most of the instruments. It can be seen as a precursor to "Another One Bites the Dust", especially with the intro of this track.

"Leaving Home Ain't Easy"[edit source]
"Leaving Home Ain't Easy" was a ballad by May, who also sang all the vocals (lead and harmony). His voice was sped up for the bridge.

"Don't Stop Me Now"[edit source]
Main article: Don't Stop Me Now
"Don't Stop Me Now" was written by Mercury. It was a top ten hit single in the UK and is one of Queen's most famous songs. May's only input is a short guitar solo and backing vocals. The song was used in the now-famous bar scene of the motion picture Shaun of the Dead. In addition, the BBC show Top Gear named it the top song in a viewer poll of Top Ten driving songs.[2] Google also used the song for their Google Doodle to commemorate Mercury's 65th birthday on 5 September 2011.[3]

"More of That Jazz"[edit source]
"More of That Jazz" is loop based and Taylor plays most instruments and sings all vocals, reaching some very high notes (peaking on an E5). The outro also contains short clips from many songs on the album, including "Dead on Time", "Bicycle Race", "Mustapha", "If You Can't Beat Them", "Fun It", and "Fat Bottomed Girls".

Alternative artwork[edit source]
A bicycle race with nude women was held to promote the album and the "Fat Bottomed Girls"/"Bicycle Race" single.[4] The American release did not include the poster, but did include an order form for it.[1] It was also used as an alternate single cover for "Bicycle Race."[4]


Fold out included in album
A small version of the poster is included with the Crown Jewels box set.

Singles[edit source]
Four singles were released from the album:

• "Bicycle Race"/"Fat Bottomed Girls (edit)" – Elektra E45541; released December 1978.

"Bicycle Race" and "Fat Bottomed Girls" were released in 1978 as a double A-side; the band staged a famous nude, all-female bicycle race to promote the single. The bicycle race took place on 17 September 1978 at Wimbledon Stadium in London. The picture sleeve showed a rear view of one of the ladies on her bicycle, but a pair of red panties were painted on to avoid public outcry. Legend has it that the band borrowed the bicycles from a store ("Halfords", according to the liner notes), but upon returning them were informed that they would have to purchase all the seats, as they had been used in an improper manner (i.e. without clothing). "Fat Bottomed Girls" also contains one of Taylor's most memorable drum fills at about 2:52 on Jazz, but at 2:16 on Greatest Hits.

• "Mustapha" was released in 1979 only in Bolivia, Spain, Yugoslavia and Germany. Its B-side was "Dead on Time" ("In Only Seven Days" in Yugoslavia).
• "Don't Stop Me Now"/"More of That Jazz" – Elektra E46008; released February 1979.

"Don't Stop Me Now" was released in 1979; its B-side was "In Only Seven Days" ("More of That Jazz" in the US and Canada).

• "Jealousy"/"Fun It" – Elektra E46039; released April 1979.

"Jealousy" was released in 1979 in the US, New Zealand, Brazil, USSR, and Canada; its B-side was "Fun It" ("Don't Stop Me Now" in USSR, on a blue flexi disc).
Reception[edit source]

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, Dave Marsh panned Jazz as "more of the same dull pastiche" from Queen, who he said displayed "elitist notions" with some of their musical choices and lyrics. Marsh said "Fat Bottomed Girls" treated women "not as sex objects but as objects, period (the way the band regards people in general)".[12] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said the record was not wholly bad, even finding "Bicycle Race" humorous, although he said Queen sounded like the band 10cc "with a spoke, or a pump, up their ass".[11] Alexis Petridis later wrote in The Guardian, "Jazz was hysterical in every sense of the word, but the music press comprehensively failed to get the joke, particularly in the US".[8]

2011 re-issue[edit source]
On 8 November 2010, record company Universal Music announced a remastered and expanded reissue of the album set for release in March 2011. This was part of a new record deal between Queen and Universal Music, which meant Queen's association with EMI Records would come to an end after almost 40 years. All Queen albums were remastered and reissued in 2011. The deluxe edition contains five additional tracks on a separate EP. The second batch of albums (the band's middle five albums) was released in June 2011. The extra tracks included the single version of "Fat Bottomed Girls", an instrumental version of "Bicycle Race", a version of "Don't Stop Me Now" with "long lost guitars", a live version of "Let Me Entertain You", and an early acoustic take of "Dreamer's Ball".

The 2011 reissue corrected the tape glitch at the beginning of Fat Bottomed Girls which had been present on all previous compact disc editions of the album (as well as 1997 compilation album Queen Rocks), however it also added a previously unused kick-drum part to the track Jealousy, making the track sound drastically different from all previous releases.

Track listing[edit source]
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Mustapha" Freddie Mercury 3:01
2. "Fat Bottomed Girls" Brian May 4:16
3. "Jealousy" Mercury 3:14
4. "Bicycle Race" Mercury 3:01
5. "If You Can't Beat Them" John Deacon 4:15
6. "Let Me Entertain You" Mercury 3:01
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
7. "Dead on Time" May 3:23
8. "In Only Seven Days" Deacon 2:30
9. "Dreamer's Ball" May 3:30
10. "Fun It" Roger Taylor 3:29
11. "Leaving Home Ain't Easy" May 3:15
12. "Don't Stop Me Now" Mercury 3:29
13. "More of That Jazz" Taylor 4:16
[hide]Bonus tracks (1991 Hollywood Records CD reissue)
No. Title Length
14. "Fat Bottomed Girls" (1991 bonus remix by Brian Malouf) 4:22
15. "Bicycle Race" (1991 bonus remix by Junior Vasquez) 4:59
[hide]2011 bonus EP
No. Title Length
1. "Fat Bottomed Girls" (single version) 3:23
2. "Bicycle Race" (instrumental) 3:09
3. "Don't Stop Me Now" (with long-lost guitars) 3:34
4. "Let Me Entertain You" (live in Montreal, November 1981) 2:48
5. "Dreamers Ball" (early acoustic take, August 1978) 3:40
[hide]2011 iTunes bonus videos
No. Title Length
6. "Bicycle Race" (promo video performance, 1978)
7. "Fat Bottomed Girls" (live at Milton Keynes Bowl, 1982)
8. "Let Me Entertain You" (live in Japan, 1979)
Personnel[edit source]
Queen

• Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, piano, bicycle bells on "Bicycle Race"
• Brian May – electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals, piano, co-lead vocals on "Fat Bottomed Girls" and lead vocals on "Leaving Home Ain't Easy", bicycle bells on "Bicycle Race"
• Roger Taylor – drums, percussion, backing vocals, electric guitar and bass guitar on "Fun It" and "More of That Jazz", lead vocals on "Fun It" and "More of That Jazz", bicycle bells on "Bicycle Race", tambourine on "Don't Stop Me Now"
• John Deacon – bass guitar, electric and acoustic guitar on "In Only Seven Days", bicycle bells on "Bicycle Race"

Production

• Geoff Workman – engineer
• John Etchells – engineer

Tour[edit source]
Main article: Jazz Tour
Chart positions[edit source]
Chart (1978) Peak position
Austrian Albums Chart[13] 8
Canadian Albums Chart[14] 13
Dutch Albums Chart[15] 3
French Albums Chart[16] 7
German Albums Chart[17] 5
New Zealand Albums Chart[18] 20
Norwegian Albums Chart[19] 6
Swedish Albums Chart[20] 6
UK Albums Chart[21] 2
U.S. Billboard 200[22] 6
Certifications[edit source]
Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[23] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[24] Gold 176,300[25]
Germany (BVMI)[26] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[27] Platinum 100,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[28] Platinum 20,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[29] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[31] Platinum 1,000,000^
*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

 

Jazz is a good album, but the worst sound album since the first album, the drums are really crazy, my favorites: Jealousy, Dead On Time and In Only Seven Days.