Jazz - Queen's Most Underrated Album?

[Leigh Burne]

I gave this a spin from end to end today for the first time in several years, and I was struck by how solid it is. It rarely seems to get mentioned among their best albums, and while it might not have a "Bohemian Rhapsody" or "The Sow Must Go On" on it, there really isn't a single track I don't like. Fantastic album.

[Young Music Fan]

No there isn't a single track, there's several I don't like!

[Kes]

I guess there's a tendancy to focus on the original sound on the album. First time they recorded in Montreux, and Super Bear in France. A return to working with RTB.

Bowie did Tonight in Montreux, Floyd did The Wall in Super Bear, so I'm not sure you can blame the acoustics of the studios. Baker got the sound more or less right on Two up to Opera, so that probably ain't it.

Writing wise, there's nothing there as hideous as Life Is Real, or Body Language. What can you say?

[Young Music Fan]

More Of That Jazz is so boring, I just don't understand it. Let Me Entertain You sounds rubbish on the album as does Dreamers Ball. There's several weaker songs which normally there is only one or two per album but I think you could easily say five songs and probably more. I think if the sound was better I'd rank it higher but I do believe the songwriting isn't as good as on previous albums.

[Kes]

Everybody can look at the songs from a different angle though.

I know people who think More Of That Jazz is the best guitar riff Roger's ever written. I, personally, rate Fun It as the precursor to AOBTD, and I think, a better song. Mustapha is one of Queen's most dynamic songs, and I think, VERY inventive. That's just picking tracks that some might easily shit-can.

I think if you go through Queen's studio albums, at 13 tracks, and nearly 50 minutes, it's the second longest, only to Innuendo, which many would argue had a couple of tracks it didn't really need.

[MyHumanZoo]

I really love Jazz, it’s one I listen to a lot. I’m not sure I’d say most underrated, as it has quite a few shortcomings, but it might be in the mix for it. Depends on what is also up for most underrated, I guess.

[TheMiracleMan]

It so happened that at the moment I am listening to this album. I like this album from the first to the last song.It seems to me alone that the remaster of 2011 did not give a new sound to this album? In my opinion, the sound remained the same, only the volume was raised.

[TheMiracleMan]

I really love Jazz, it’s one I listen to a lot. I’m not sure I’d say most underrated, as it has quite a few shortcomings, but it might be in the mix for it. Depends on what is also up for most underrated, I guess.

New remaster.

[Kes]

Purely a subjective opinion, but I think the 2011 remaster is a dramatic improvement on anything that came before it.

[Leigh Burne]

Yeah, I really liked the 2011 remasters. I don't collect vinyl and I'll be the first to say I'm no audiophile, but to me they sounded far better than any of the CDs I'd had before.