Status Quo

Status Quo are one of Britain's longest-running bands, staying together for over six decades. During much of that time, the group was only successful in the U.K., where they racked up a string of Top Ten singles over 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.). Following that single, the group suffered a lean period for the next few years before the bandmembers decided to refashion themselves as a hard rock boogie band in 1970 with their Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon album. The Quo have basically recycled the same simple boogie on each successive album and single, yet their popularity has never waned in Britain. If anything, their very predictability ensured the group a large following. The origins of Status Quo lie in a London-based beat group called the Spectres.

This three-CD, 63-track set is the last word on Status Quo's early years, gathering not only every track the band did for Pye in the late '60s and early '70s, but also adding seven songs by the Spectres and two by Traffic Jam (the group's pre-Status Quo incarnations). As Status Quo were a psychedelic pop band in the late '60s before shifting to hard boogie rock at the turn of the decade, it might be a disappointment to much of their fan base, as prior to 1970 they sounded like an almost entirely different act. Conversely, though, to British Invasion and psychedelic fans who have little use for the band's long run as hard rock journeymen, this might be the most useful Status Quo collection of all. For it's psychedelic pop – of a resolutely trendy brand that's actually more "pop" than "psychedelic" – that dominates the first two discs, including of course their big hit "Pictures of Matchstick Men," as well as their follow-up U.K.

This three-CD, 63-track set is the last word on Status Quo's early years, gathering not only every track the band did for Pye in the late '60s and early '70s, but also adding seven songs by the Spectres and two by Traffic Jam (the group's pre-Status Quo incarnations). As Status Quo were a psychedelic pop band in the late '60s before shifting to hard boogie rock at the turn of the decade, it might be a disappointment to much of their fan base, as prior to 1970 they sounded like an almost entirely different act. Conversely, though, to British Invasion and psychedelic fans who have little use for the band's long run as hard rock journeymen, this might be the most useful Status Quo collection of all. For it's psychedelic pop – of a resolutely trendy brand that's actually more "pop" than "psychedelic" – that dominates the first two discs, including of course their big hit "Pictures of Matchstick Men," as well as their follow-up U.K.

Like the dog that titled Status Quo's fourth album, The Singles Collection 1966-1973 is very much a beast of two heads, the first (representing the band's output between 1966 and 1969) shifting its gaze between Kinks-ish beat and British psych and the second (wrapping up the band's releases and re-releases at the end of that span) sinking its teeth into the unapologetic boogie blues that have remained the band's stock in trade ever since. It's a misleading mélange, at least in terms of chronology. The Quo cut four albums for the Pye label, before departing in 1972 for Vertigo and fame – the last in that sequence, Dog of Two Heads, was released in December 1971. However, the moment "Paper Plane" gave the transplanted band a major hit in early 1973, Pye began digging into the vaults and the last six tracks on The Singles Collection represent the fruits of those labors. In terms of the band's own discography and development, they are meaningless. Nevertheless, the first complete roundup of all ten original Pye 45s (and B-sides) remains an essential compilation, both for Quo fans in general and for students of British psychedelia as it squirmed, post-1967, in search of new directions. The Quo eventually found theirs in the aforementioned boogie but, before that, the Bee Gees-esque ballad "Are You Growing Tired of My Life" and a rocking "Price of Love" both offered possible new avenues, and one cannot help but wonder where the band might have gone next, had "Down the Dustpipe" and "In My Chair" not struck gold during 1970-1971. While disc one is the A-Z of Quo's early work, disc two offers a more patchwork approach to the same period, first unearthing the four 45s the band cut under earlier identities the Spectres and Traffic Jam, then delving into 15 outtakes and alternate versions from across the board. Interestingly, the Bee Gees raise their head once again, via a Spectres-era cover of their own "Spicks and Specks," although previously unreleased renditions of other material is of little more than space-filling value. Nevertheless, The Singles Collection brings together a wealth of material that has long demanded such methodical treatment and, allied with the bonus track-stacked reissues of the four regular albums, rounds up Status Quo's Pye era output with becoming efficiency.

The Quo have basically recycled the same simple boogie on each successive album and single, yet their popularity has never waned in Britain. If anything, their very predictability ensured the group a large following. The origins of Status Quo lie in a London-based beat group called the Spectres. Francis Rossi (vocals, guitar) and Alan Lancaster (bass) were the core members of the Spectres from their inception; within a few years, the band had added drummer John Coughlan and organist Roy Lynes. The Spectres released three unsuccessful singles before changing their style to psychedelia, adopting the name Traffic Jam and releasing the unsuccessful single "Almost But Not Quite There." After it flopped, the group added Rick Parfitt (guitar, vocals), formerly of the cabaret band the Highlights. When Parfitt joined the band in August 1967, the group again changed its name, this time to Status Quo. At first, Status Quo backed British solo artists, including Tommy Quickly, while working on their own material. "Pictures of Matchstick Men," the group's debut single, was released at the beginning of 1968 and quickly shot to number seven on the U.K. charts; within a few months, it was number 12 in the U.S. as well.

Status Quo are one of Britain's longest-running bands, staying together for over six decades. During much of that time, the group was only successful in the U.K., where they racked up a string of Top Ten singles over 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.). Following that single, the group suffered a lean period for the next few years before the bandmembers decided to refashion themselves as a hard rock boogie band in 1970 with their Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon album.

"Quo Live" (2CD) - 27th - 29th October 1976 Apollo Theatre, Glasgow + "Tokyo Quo" - 17th November 1976 Sunplaza Hall, Tokyo, Japan + "Ausrtalia `74" - 29th November 1974 Hordern Pavilion Sydney.