NEW LP
New sealed copy. 2018 remastered reissue on 180 gram vinyl. Remastered at Abbey Road studios by Miles Showell. Embossed gatefold jacket.
Jazz arrived in November 1978 and remains one of the most varied records in Queen’s catalogue. Recorded between France and Switzerland after the band faced a sudden tax issue in the United Kingdom, the sessions brought them to Mountain Studios in Montreux, a location that influenced both the album title and the shift in atmosphere that runs through the record. Roy Thomas Baker handled production, and the final sequence moves between rock, pop, disco leaning tracks, and more eccentric ideas that were unusual even by Queen standards.
Work began in early July 1978, with the first set of songs taking shape in Nice before the group settled into Mountain Studios. The period included their visit to the Montreux Jazz Festival and a chance meeting with David Bowie, who encouraged them to record in the city. Key tracks such as “Bicycle Race,” “Mustapha,” “If You Cannot Beat Them,” and “Let Me Entertain You” were completed during these sessions, while “Fun It,” “Jealousy,” and “Dreamers Ball” were shaped in the later stretch of work at Super Bear Studios.
The singles from the album created a lasting impact. “Bicycle Race” and “Fat Bottomed Girls” formed a well known double A side supported by the now famous promotional photo shoot. “Do not Stop Me Now” became one of the band’s most enduring songs and continues to reach new listeners decades later.
At release, critical reaction was sharply divided. Some reviewers dismissed the stylistic range, while others noted the ambition behind the sequencing and production. Over time the album’s reputation has grown considerably. Writers have highlighted its depth, the strength of its melodies, and the way it captures Queen at a point when they were experimenting freely. Later assessments often place Jazz among the band’s most interesting late seventies records, with several publications ranking it near the top of their studio work.
TRACKLIST:
A1 Mustapha
A2 Fat Bottomed Girls
A3 Jealousy
A4 Bicycle Race
A5 If You Can't Beat Them
A6 Let Me Entertain You
B1 Dead On Time
B2 In Only Seven Days
B3 Dreamer's Ball
B4 Fun It
B5 Leaving Home Ain't Easy
B6 Don't Stop Me Now
B7 More Of That Jazz
