It was today in 1978 that Queen gave us the album Jazz and the infamous naked women poster/video for ‘Bicycle Race’.
Universally panned at the time of its release, one subsequent UK reviewer said ‘Jazz was hysterical in every sense of the word, but the music press comprehensively failed to get the joke, particularly in the US’.
Even Rolling Stone magazine changed their tune after many years, when in their list of ‘10 Classic Albums Rolling Stone Initially Panned’, they chose to regard the album as a "classic." They also poked fun at the 1979 release review from Dave Marsh, quipping, "Sometimes a reviewer just seems to have a really, really low opinion of a band, which seems to be the case with Dave Marsh and Queen”
Despite reviewers not getting the joke, the album featured three successful singles and made the top 20 on the Kiwi charts (just). One song that remains a contentious track is Fat Bottomed Girls.
Here’s the official video for the track, without a fat bottom in sight!
