A Classic Album from the "Queens of Rock:" After 28 Years, Queens Ambitious Opus Still Thrills

For reasons that may never be explained, Queen seems to be one of the easiest bands for Generation Y to entirely write off. Maybe it's because you can't go to a party without listening to a group of drunken students shriek the lyrics of "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Or it could be sheer ignorance based on the "lifestyle" of front man Freddie Mercury. Regardless of the reason, it's a sad fact that some of the band's best tracks will most likely remain widely unknown by anyone under the age of 30. Case in point: Queen's seventh studio recording, Jazz.

True, the album does contain two of Mercury and crew's better known tracks, "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Race," but its depth is truly achieved through its under appreciated material. The album opens with the ominous Arabic chanting of "Mustapha." The song eventually elevates to a strange but gratifying combination of Islamic music and 1970s arena rock. The next 12 songs take the listener in a variety of directions.

From the typical classic rock rhythms of "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Dead on Time," to the lush ballad of "Jealousy," and the lazy, wandering pace of "Dreamer's Ball." While the album may jump from genre to genre, it never seems like Queen is aiming for a pretentious musical diversity as opposed to quality composition.

There's even enjoyment to be found in the "believe in yourself" themed lyrics of "If You Can't Beat Them," which could almost be considered a precursor to the slew of cliché pop-punk anthems that have flooded the musical landscape over the past few years.

The crowning gem of Jazz is without a doubt "Don't Stop Me Now" - you know, that song on the jukebox near the end of Shaun of the Dead. The song is a thrilling accumulation of Queen's signature traits. Mercury's flare for theatrically inspired music and guitarist Brian May's explosive riffs combine with clever (and perhaps a bit overly upbeat) lyrics.

Jazz is proof that Queen's work deserves to garner more respect than it presently does. Exhibition of their music seems to be limited both by the quantity of songs most people know and the locations in which one can frequently hear those songs (i.e.: bars, bowling alleys, any major sporting championship).

But this album stands as a testament to Queen's determination to avoid becoming stagnant by limiting themselves to one particular style. Jazz simultaneously shatters preconceived notions of the band's sound while maintaining their classic rock credibility.