Great Rock Albums of 1979: Queen- Jazz



Coming off the success of the 1978 smash, "News of the World," Queen proved with the follow up album, "Jazz," why they were a force to be reckoned with back in the late 70s. For me, "Jazz" was every bit as good as their last albums and some of the predecessors as well. Track after track on this album is consistently good and has me bobbing my head along each time I listen to it.
I remember when I heard the very first track, "Mustapha," I wondered whether or not they were taking the proverbial. Maybe Freddie Mercury was doing a Frank Zappa bit and I had the paranoid worry that they were going disco. However, down the line of the song, the guitars kicked in and all was well after that. Then came my favourite track on the album, "Fat Bottomed Girls" and the hit "Bicycle Races" as well as some other fine songs climaxing with "Don't Stop Me Now." A very good album indeed and I'm glad I'm paying tribute to it here.

Track Listing:

1. Mustapha

2. Fat Bottomed Girls

3. Jealousy

4. Bicycle Races

5. If You Can't Beat Them

6. Let Me Entertain You

7. Dead On Time

8. In Only Seven Days

9. Dreamer's Ball

10. Fun It

11. Leaving Home Ain't Easy

12. Don't Stop Me Now

13. More of That Jazz

Queen

Freddie Mercury- lead and backing vocals, piano

Brian May- guitars, lead and backing vocals

Roger Taylor- drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals, electric guitar, bass

John Deacon- bass, electric and acoustic guitar

I have to confess, back in 1979, I tried very hard to dislike Queen, due to my homophobic views back then. Something I regret now. However, when I heard the singles from this album, I couldn't help liking them. The music of Queen has the aura that is very hard not to like and today, I am a full fledged fan.

Next post: Dire Straits

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Rock Albums of 1978: Queen- New of the World

Yes, this is another abum, which was actually released in 1977, but "News of theWorld" by Queen was one of the albums that made my spring in 1978. The hit singles "We Will Rock You" and "We are the Champions" spear headed Queen's push for rock and roll dominance in the early months of that year. Both songs were used as a motivation for my high school basketball team when it want to the South Jersey final. Unfortunately, they lost that game, but those songs still were true rock anthems.

I have always liked the sound of Queen and this album was one of the reasons. The operatic harmonies were groundbreaking at the time and I'm not just talking about "Bohemian Rhapsody." Furthermore, as I said before, Brian May is truly up their with the guitar playing elite. However, the problem I had with Queen back in 78 and 79 was Freddie Mercury and my own homophobic views. The fact that I know I wasn't the only one who had them doesn't justify it at all. My fears of being branded gay kept me from openly saying that I liked Queen's music. I'm just glad I have become much more open minded in my adult years and can truly appreciate what a great band Queen are and what a great album "News of the World" was. In the spring of 1978, Queen surely were the champions of the rock world.

Track Listing:

1. We Will Rock You

2. We Are the Champions

3. Sheer Heart Attack

4. All Dead All Dead

5. Spread Your Wings

6. Fight From the Inside

7. Get Down Make Love

8. Sleeping on the Sidewalk

9 Who Needs You

10. It's Late

11. My Melancholy Blues

Queen

Freddie Mercury- lead vocals, piano, percussion, cowbell

Brian May- electric and accoustic guitars, lead vocals on "All Dead All Dead" and "Sleeping on the Sidewalk," backing vocals

Roger Taylor- durms, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Sheer Heart Attack" and "Fight From the Inside"

John Deacon- bass, accoustic guitar, Spanish guitar

The best thing to say about this album is that it triumphed in spite of homophobia. Not only the hits, but other great tracks like "Get Down, Make Love" and "Sheer Heart Attack" make this album such a great classic. Queen are another act that has stood the test of time and have given us great rock memories.

To prove I'm completely over my homophobia, here's a picture of Freddie Mercury in his body stocking, which in 1978, I thought was very gay.

 Next post: Frank Zappa- Zappa in New York

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes& Noble and Froogle