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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Winning Combination As Quo Rocks into the 21st Century, January 13, 2006
For Quo, the Party certainly Ain't Over Yet.
Not content to rest on their laurels or be Rock and Roll Dinosaurs, Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Andrew Bown, Rhino Edwards and Matt Letley have produced an album that has the good old Quo Rock and Boogie kick of the 1970s and 1980s but with an equally fresh sound (just listen to the slinky bluesy feel of "The Bubble" - don't know what the song is about but there's this infectious guitar-based groove courtesy of Rossi - not to mention his interesting lead vocal).
The album's best moments are the songs that veteran British singer-songwriter John David has brought to the table. David, a wonderful power-pop musician of note with sterling credentials (longtime stalwart of Dave Edmunds in both Love Sculpture and the wonderful David Edmunds Band, as well as his own Airwaves) previously gave Quo major hits like "Rolling Home", "Red Sky" and "I Didn't Mean It". This time around David penned three tracks for this album, the Rocking title track, which opens with the high velocity mosquito-stinging sounding guitars of Rossi and Parfitt and rises to a crescendo of a stunning Rossi vocal mixed with the swirling keyboard artistry of Andy Bown, one of the two best keyboardists in Rock-n'-Boogie British Rock - the other being his "twin" and contemporary Ian McLagan - (Before Quo, Bown played with Peter Frampton in the Herd, while McLagan was with Steve Marriott in the Small Faces) - and once again those trademark guitars.
David also composed Quo's new power-pop single, "All That Counts is Love", and while there have been a few grumbling purists out there, the combination of a David composition with a Rossi vocal and a Quo background keeps the band healthy, wealthy and wise. Just as good as "Heavy Traffic" and "Jam Side Down" if not better. Even Rick Parfitt scores with the third song composed by David (this time co-penned by American rootsmeister Webb Wilder), "Kick Me When I'm Down".
IT is that winning combination of Quo's music and David's stellar songwriting skills that is a sure bet for Quo success!
As raucous as Rossi is, Rick Parfitt showed his introspective side a little while back with "Living on an Island". Having faced death with heart surgeries and most recently a throat surgery that caused a cancellation of Quo's current British tour, Parfitt bravely states his own life and mortality in the album closer "This is Me", and it is so.
Other songs worthy of note are Parfitt's "Familiar Blues" and "Bellavista Man", "Nevashooda" and Rossi's "old" Quo boogie sounding "Velvet Train".
"The Party Ain't Over Yet" is the best of the old Quo sounds coupled with the bite, energy, enthusiasm yet introspective sounds of the 21st Century Quo. It may be Power Pop, but it still bristles with Good Old Rock and Roll!
Now boys, when does Andy get a lead vocal - and when might we Yankee unfortunates get to see the best of British rock on our shores again?
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finally - they have nailed it, October 8, 2005
I've been a Quo fan for over 30 years now and of course I love everything they have put out during the seventies and early eighties. But I must say, I wasn't too impressed with their releases in the nineties up to 'Heavy Traffic' which brought them back to their more rocking roots. 'Riffs' was not too bad, but 'The Party Ain't Over Yet' finally is a great album again. It is not 'Heavy Traffic Part 2'. Where HT was more a 'rock' album, TPAOY is more 'pop-y' and also more 'blues-y'. The guys did not put any slow numbers on this CD (gladly, no 'Margarita Time' here) and there are a couple of new songwriter collaborations. There is even a 'Webb Wilder' contribution ('Kick me when I'm down) and three songs written by John David ('Kick me when I'm down, 'All that counts is love' and the title track 'The Party ain't over yet'). There are two Rossi/Young rockers ('Gotta get up and go' and 'Goodbye Baby') and three solid contributions from Rick Parfitt ('Familiar Blues', 'Belavista Man' and 'This is me'). There is even a track that is credited to the whole band 'You never stop'. The production of the whole album is tight and Rick and Francis' vocals sound great. Especially Rick sounds much better than he did on the previous releases. In my opinion, there is not a single weak track on here... If you like Quo's fast songs like 'Shady Lady' or the more blues oriented work like 'Down the Dustpipe', you will enjoy this album. Guys, you finally nailed it again !
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
If You're A Status Quo Fan Already...., December 10, 2005
and are debating buying this release, then this review was written for you. This is coming from a 30 year plus Status Quo fan who lives in the USA (I don't think there are many of us). I was disappointed by this release for the same reason the previous reviewer liked it. This is not "Heavy Traffic". This is not a re-return to the "classic" Quo sound which the band resurrected with "Heavy Traffic". This is an album which borders on "pop" and not "rock";
"The Party..." has more in common with albums like "Thirsty Work" than anything in the "classic" Quo catalog. No offense to the other review, but there is nothing truely "bluesy" (ie the song "In My Chair") to be found here. In fact it is not until we hit track number #9, "Goodbye Baby", we get to hear anything close to a classic Quo "4 Bar" raver. The overall sound/production is very tame and a bit thin too. I doubt the amps get turned up past 5. Francis Rossi's dirty tube guitar tone & Rich Parfit's crunching rhythms are totally MIA. Rememeber Rossi's classic lead guitar break in the song "Heavy Traffic", nothing even close here. I will give a strong nod to the vocal efforts here though; Rossi's & Parfit's pipes sound as good as they ever have in the bands 40 year career.
Please, do not get me wrong, this is a decent album. "The Party Ain't Over Yet" is just a personal disappointment to me after the huge smile "Heavy Traffic" brought to my face.
So if you're like me, and when you buy a Status Quo album.... you don't want pop...you want rock...you want "Backwater"...you want "Caroline"...you want "The Oriental", then you really need to think twice about this purchase. Look to zShops or eBay to save a few bucks. However, if your a true Status Quo fan like me, you'll probably purchase this regardless of my ramblings; but also, like me, you'll hope the boys can recapture a bit of the glory days on the next one.
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