The Party 1980

For the last 20 years London-based author and party organiser Tim Lawrence has dedicated himself to excavating the history of New York City party culture and bringing some of the most powerful aspects of that culture to London’s dance scene, from where it has ricocheted around the world.

Status Quo are one of Britain's longest-lived bands, staying together for over 40 years. During much of that time, the band was only successful in the U.K., where it racked up a string of Top Ten singles across the decades. In America, the Quo were ignored after they abandoned psychedelia for heavy boogie rock in the early '70s. Before that, the band managed to reach number 12 in the U.S. with the psychedelic classic "Pictures of Matchstick Men" (a Top Ten hit in the U.K.).

A classic example of a second album delivering more of the same, at least on the surface, Absolutely does benefit from the kinetic energy of being recorded quickly in the aftermath of Madness’ immediate success with One Step Beyond. Absolutely does motor ahead on breakneck ska rhythms, but it never quite feels as raw as its predecessor, and that hint of gloss serves the three big hit singles very well: the schoolyard nostalgia of “Baggy Trousers” has a bit of a sepia-toned lilt with this extra dose or production, the terrific “Embarrassment” slides by so smoothly it’s possible to not realize what an expertly crafted piece of pop it is, and “The Return of the Los Palmas 7” has a nice element of swinging ‘60s lounge cinema.