Customer Reviews

Quo

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yes, there is a God! After buying the dreadfully sounding "Quo/Blue For You" 2 on 1 import release, my prayers have been answered for the definitive version of this album!
I can finally crank "Slow Train" and "Back Water" in my car without worrying about blowing my tweeters due the the distortion. The high end frequencies on these classic Quo albums can run on the "bright" or even "harsh" side, but the person remastering these album did an awesome job of smoothing off the high end frequencies. This album is one of those no doubt, no brainer, add to cart ASAP purchases. Not only one of Status Quo's best albums, but one of the best rock albums ever.

Never has Quo rocked as hard or as good as on Quo...to me this is the ultimate Status Quo ablum...it even features a killer acoustic build up number called "Lonely Man" which I think is one of their best and most melodic sounding songs they've ever written...it's nothing like their usual boogie style...wish they did more tunes of this calibre...that tune added to the classic one two punch of Backwater & Just Take Me that get's the album of to a high octain start and the hard rockin' Drifting Away and the heavy boogie that is Don't Think It Matters make this a classic album IMO...if I were to recommend any Quo album to a friend I'd tell them to start with this one.

I can remember living in England when Status quo had just released "Caroline"...from then on it was all up hill for the lads who like to party,and so they should...no other band has the longevity including the "Rolling Stones"...no other band stuck to there 12 bar/boogie influences like QUO.
For all of you "Quo Army" fans out there, do yourself a huge favour,buy this cd.this is the epitome of blues/boogie/rock with a wonderful "Led Zeppelin" type song entitled "Lonely Man"..the lads open up with the legendary "Backwater" which is alone worth the purchase of this classic cd."Break the Rules".."Don't Think It Matters".."Slow Train" belong to the category of "Songs that are no longer writtten like this".
Sound quality is a little thin,but boy is it good!

Quo is a bit weaker songwriting-wise compared to Hello (in my opinion) but Quo does contain its share of party tunes that are pretty good and, what appears to be apparent now, created with the intention of being totally *fun*. In addition to that, Status Quo likes taking hard rock elements and adding the occasional bluesy guitar licks here and there to make the songs super melodic.

My favorite is the epic should-be classic "Slow Train". What makes it so great? Well for one thing, the melodic, anthemic guitar solo near the end. The vocal melody is SUPERB too- it appears in the very beginning and makes another exciting appearance right before the song finally concludes with the excellent line "I guess it doesn't matter, as long as I can get my head down in the sun". That line is part of an *awesome* melody.

"Backwater" and "Just Take Me" blend together with the immediately noticeable and upbeat party theme. I'm trying to compare these two songs to another artist so you have a general idea what they sound like, and the only comparison I can come up with is (and this is probably not entirely accurate) the vocal melodies from Sweet combined with the guitar playing from Poco, and it *sort of* sounds like this. Perhaps Slade would make a good comparison as well, but the music of Status Quo is NOT really glam rock.

You know, I'm not necessarily sure exactly what kind of person the music on Quo was intended for. I would guess those who live in the south and love to hear a mixture of country and rock, but I can't completely confirm that one. The reason I ask is because Status Quo sounds drastically different from most British rock bands and would actually fit in perfectly with the southern American audience (south being places like Georgia and Texas- not South America). But what really matters is that the music works for just about anybody. I just wonder exactly what group of people the band members of Status Quo were keeping in mind when they were writing this music.

"Lonely Man" is one of those upligting anthemic ballad type songs, and it's pretty good. In fact, had "Slow Train" not been a part of the album, "Lonely Man" would be the best song here. Melodic guitar solos in the middle and near the end are a welcome addition. "Drifting Away" is a heavy fast-paced rocker with more melodic guitar solos in the middle. These solos seem a bit more melodic than others, or perhaps I'm imagining things. "Don't Think It Matters" is a GREAT way of utilizing a bluesy guitar riff and a great vocal melody.

Overall, Quo is a solid party album. Yes, the band should have been more popular perhaps, but then again, how many similar rock bands WERE there back in the mid 70's just like this one? Alright, so they have a guitar player who's a notch above most (and their songwriting is pretty good too). I think that's why they weren't more popular- too many similarities to other bands.

This was quo still at their 1970-82 peak! Everysong on here kicks butt too, it was there hardest one with great songs like 'lonely man' , 'backwater' and it had hit singles of course every quo cd does! If you haven't discovered the boogie goodness of quo this is a good one to start on. I have listened to every quo cd from 70-86 probably 100's of times and this was at the top for me. OF course you want the remastered versions. These days people mainly download but it's not the same as owning the whole cd and I agree the back to back versions were not as good because they were not remastered. Quo's entire run was remastered and that's a good thing.

This is another fine CD by Status Quo, don't hesitate, just buy it. It really doesn't get any better than this group for Rockin.

5 Stars, Quo is the best, Great Cd hard to find in Australia.

QUO is unique among albums by Status Quo in that it's much darker and heavier than their other 70s albums. This album, like the others features plenty of rockin' good times, but there's a sense of foreboding in nearly every track. The album's overall tone seems to carry a message that even if you're self-indulgent, you might still make it alright, but don't bet on it. It's this cautionary feel that inspires me to look at pictures of TV and movie hotties as a deterrent to self-indulgent behavior. The band members' belief that the young Australian tourist jailed in Indonesia since last spring on drug-smuggling charges was unjustly convicted makes this CD an essential purchase for both your ears AND your conscience.

If "Pictures of Matchstick Men" is all you know about Status Quo, pick up on this 1974 gem. The third track, "Break the Rules" got the airplay, but this is worth purchasing for the track "Lonely Man" alone. It's amazing that we in the States have heard so little about this group- they really rock!