2015: Accept No Substitute! The Definitive Hits ANS! CD 3 CD Edition CD 1: 1. Pictures Of Matchstick Men 2. Ice In The Sun [1,2 from “Picturesque Matchstickable Messages”] 3. Down The Dustpipe [Single] 4. In My Chair [Single] 5. Mean Girl 6. Gerdundula [5,6 from “Dog of Two Head”] 7. Don't Waste My Time 8. Big Fat Mama 9. Paper Plane [7-9 from “Piledriver”] 10. Claudie 11. Caroline 12. Softer Ride 13. Forty-Five Hundred Times [10-13 from “Hello!”] 14. Break The Rules [from “Quo] 15. Little Lady 16. Down Down [15,16 from ”On the Level”] 17. Roll over Lay Down (live) CD 2: 1. Rain 2. Mystery Song [1,2 from “Blue For You”] 3. Wild Side Of Life [Single] 4. Rockin' All Over The World 5. Dirty Water 6. Hold You Back [4-6 from “Rockin’ All Over the World”] 7. Again And Again [from “If You Can’t Stand the Heat…”] 8. Whatever You Want 9. Living On An Island [from “Whatever You Want”] 10. What You're Proposing 11. Rock 'N' Roll [10, 11 from ”Just Supposin'”] 12. Something 'Bout You Baby I Like [from “Never Too Late”] 13. Marguerita Time [from “Back to Back”] 14. The Wanderer [Single] 15. Red Sky [from “In the Army Now”] 16. Burning Bridges (On and Off and On Again) [from “Ain't Complaining”] 17. The Anniversary Waltz (Part 1) [Single] 18. The Way it Goes [from “Under the Influence”] CD 3: 1. Jam Side Down 2. Blues and Rhythm [1, 2 from “Heavy Traffic”] 3. Old Time Rock and Roll [from “Famous in the Last Century”] 4. The Party Ain't Over Yet [from “The Party Ain’t Over Yet”] 5. Beginning Of the End [from “In Search of the Fourth Chord”] 6. Two Way Traffic 7. Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘n’ You [6,7 from “Quid Pro Quo”] 8. In the Army Now – 2010 9. Looking Out for Caroline 10. GoGoGo 11. Bula Bula Quo (Kua Ni Lega) [9-11 from “Bula Quo!”] 12. Backwater [Frantic Four Live] ~ 13. Just Take Me [Frantic Four Live] 14. Is There a Better Way [Frantic Four Live] 15. Blue Eyed Lady [Frantic Four Live] 16. And It’s Better Now [Aquostic] 17. Don't Drive My Car [Aquostic] 18. Rock ‘Til You Drop [Aquostic] 19. Pictures of Matchstick Men [Aquostic] Yet another Quo compilation, and while the accompanying tour saw Quo return to the electric guitars, it didn't herald a set overhaul like “Pictures” had done. But at least this 3 CD set has a nice mix of big hit singles and album tracks (although why anyone would choose the 2010 remake of “In the Army Now” over the original recording is beyond me) and includes a nice smattering of recent recordings of four tracks each from the FF reunion (anybody know exactly from which gig(s)?) and the Aquostic album. Three tracks from Bula Quo and none from some other LPs? Whoa! The title was not well received after Quo had to perform a concert without Rick (Rhino’s son Freddie had stood in for him). That this gig could not be cancelled because of Rick’s health history and Quo not being insured against something happening to Rick was a sign of things to come. So, not really worth talking about, you might think? Wrong! Because there was also the… ANS! DVD 2 DVD Edition DVD 1: Promo Videos 1968 - 1999 1. Pictures Of Matchstick Men [Top of the Pops] 2. Down The Dustpipe 3. Paper Plane 4. Caroline [Top of the Pops] 5. Down Down [Top of the Pops] 6. Roll over Lay Down [Live EP Version) 7. Rain 8. Mystery Song 9. Wild Side Of Life 10. Rockin' All Over The World 11. Again And Again 12. Let Me Fly 13. Someone Show Me Home * 14. Accident Prone * 15. Whatever You Want 16. Living On An Island 17. Runaway 18. Who Asked You? * Promo Videos 1980s 19. What You're Proposin’ 20. Lies 21. Don't Drive My Car 22. Something 'Bout You Baby I Like 23. Rock 'N' Roll 24. Dear John 25. Ol’ Rag Blues 26. A Mess of Blues 27. Marguerita Time 28. Going Down Town Tonight 29. The Wanderer 30. Rollin’ Home 31. In The Army Now 32. Dreamin' 33. Ain’t Complaining 34. Who Gets the Love? 35. Running All Over the World 36. Burning Bridges (On and Off and On Again) 37. Not At All 38. Little Dreamer Promo Videos 1990s 39. The Anniversary Waltz Part 1 40. The Anniversary Waltz Part 2 41. Can’t Give You More 42. Rock ‘Til You Drop * 43. Roadhouse Medley [Live] [Edit/Montage] 44. I Didn’t Mean It 45. Sherri Don't Fail Me Now 46. Restless 47. When You Walk in the Room 48. Fun Fun Fun 49. Don’t Stop 50. All Around my Hat 51. The Way it Goes DVD 2: Promo Videos 2000 – 2013 plus Bonus Features Promo Videos 2000 – 2013 1. Mony Mony [Live] 2. Old Time Rock and Roll [Live] 3. Jam Side Down 4. All Stand Up [Live] 5. You’ll Come Round 6. Thinking of You 7. The Party Ain't Over Yet 8. Beginning Of the End 9. It’s Christmas Time* 10. In the Army Now 2010 11. Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘n’ You * 12. Two Way Traffic * 13. Let’s Rock 14. Bula Bula Quo (Kua Ni Lega) 15. Looking Out for Caroline 16. GoGoGo Bonus Features*: Live at Wembley Arena 1996 (tracks omitted marked in [brackets]) 17. Paper Plane/Softer Ride/The Wanderer [Proud Mary/Fun Fun Fun] 18. Backwater [Mystery Medley] 19. Gerdundula [Get Back/Get Out of Denver/Whatever You Want/In the Army Now] 20. Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like/Don't Waste My Time [Rockin’ All Over the World/Roadhouse Blues/Caroline] 21. All Around My Hat [Anniversary Waltz/Rock ‘n’ Roll Music/Sweet Soul Music-Dizzy Miss Lizzy-Bye Bye Johnny] Live at Download Festival 2014 (as above) 22. Caroline/Paper Plane [Proposin’ Medley: What You’re Proposing/Wild Side of Life/Railroad/Again and Again] 23. Big Fat Mama [The Oriental/Creepin’ Up on You/In the Army Now] 24. Roll Over Lay Down/Down Down/Whatever You Want/Rockin’ All Over the World [Junior’s Wailing/Rock and Roll Music/Bye Bye Johnny] Live at Beat-Club Session 1970 (as above) [(April) Spring, Summer & Wednesdays/Spinning Wheel Blues] 25. Is It Really Me/Gotta Go Home *previously unreleased Roughly ten years after the onslaught of Quo DVDs in the shape of “XS All Areas”, “The One and Only” and “The Party Ain't Over Yet”, we got another compilation of videos. The difference to “XS All Areas” is that this DVD focuses almost exclusively on actual promo video clips. A couple of early ones (“Technicolor Dreams”, “Tune to the Music”) are missing, and the songs that had no video get Top of the Pops footage (most of which has been released before too), but it’s pretty close to a complete video anthology nonetheless. The second disc offers the biggest treasure trove: Excerpts from a live gig in 1996 are interesting, although this clearly wasn’t the best Quo line-up (Jeff Rich’s drumming sounds too synthetic and stiff). The recording from 2014 is probably the only professionally filmed gig with Rick and Leon and pretty representative of the band’s sound in the 2010s. Finally, the item that made most Quo fans rejoice must be the 27-minute (!) version of “Is It Really Me?”/”Gotta Go Home” recorded by the classic line-up soon after Roy’s departure for the legendary German “Beat-Club” TV show. Although the sound quality varies a bit and it’s an audience-free performance, thus not as barnstorming as they certainly could be, it’s still a very worthwhile watch for any fan of the 70s Quo. Basically, it’s a jam without limits (except the instrumental limits – mostly those of Alan, whose bass solos are rather basic), and it gives a good insight into what magic the FF line-up was capable of creating. I wonder how Francis feels about this early incarnation of his! Despite some tracks having notable quality issues (some of which could have easily been rectified, especially the audio on the early playback vids), the double DVD belongs into Quo fans’ collections.
Don't think I need to review Accept No Substitute, but it goes without saying that of all the Quo hits compilations this is probably the one people should buy. It has basically all you would ever want from this type of hits package.
@JulesRules Next round of Status Quo Deluxe Editions announced. 1+9+8+2 Disc: 1 1. She Don't Fool Me 2. Young Pretender 3. Get Out and Walk 4. Jealousy 5. I Love Rock and Roll 6. Resurrection 7. Dear John 8. Doesn't Matter 9. I Want the World to Know 10. I Should Have Known 11. Big Man Disc: 2 1. Calling the Shots 2. Break the Rules 3. When the Girl in Your Arms (Is the Girl in Your Heart) 4. Half-way to Paradise 5. Cathy's Clown 6. It's Only Make Believe 7. Walk On By 8. Singing the Blues 9. Jealous Heart 10. Down the Dustpipe 11. Wild Side of Life 12. Lover Please/Let's Twist Again/Rock 'N' Roll Music 13. He'll Have to Go/Pictures of Matchstick Men 14. Unspoken Words 15. Blueberry Hill 16. Gimme Some Lovin' 17. Time to Fly/Railroad 18. Umleitung 19. Someone's Learning 20. It Doesn't Matter Anymore 21. Red River Rock 22. Like a Good Girl/Mean Girl 23. Stay the Night Back To Back Disc: 1 1. A Mess of Blues 2. Ol' Rag Blues 3. Can't Be Done 4. Too Close to the Ground 5. No Contract 6. Win Or Lose 7. Marguerita Time 8. Your Kind of Love 9. Stay the Night 10. Going Down Town Tonight Disc: 2 1. The Wanderer (Single Version) 2. Going Down Town Tonight (Single Version) 3. I Wonder Why (Single Version) 4. Ol' Rag Blues (Extended Version) 5. A Mess of Blues (Extended Version) 6. Cadillac Ranch (LP Out-take) 7. Ol' Rag Blues (Alan Lancaster Version) 8. Modern Romance (Extended Version) 9. I Wonder Why (Extended Version) 10. The House - Francis Rossi & Bernard Frost 11. What Do You Want to Hear Today? - Francis Rossi & Bernard Frost 12. Modern Romance - Francis Rossi & Bernard Frost 13. I Wonder Why? - Francis Rossi & Bernard Frost 14. Jealousy - Francis Rossi & Bernard Frost 15. Where Are You Now? - Francis Rossi & Bernard Frost 16. That's All Right - Francis Rossi & Bernard Frost In the Army Now Disc: 1 1. Rollin' Home 2. Calling 3. In Your Eyes 4. Save Me 5. In the Army Now 6. Dreamin' 7. End of the Line 8. Invitation 9. Red Sky 10. Speechless 11. Overdose Disc: 2 1. In the Army Now (Remix) 2. Lonely 3. Keep Me Guessing 4. Don't Give It Up 5. Heartburn 6. Late Last Night 7. Long Legged Girls 8. Naughty Girl (Single Edit) 9. Rock 'N' Roll Floorboards 10. Naughty Girl (Extended Version) 11. Dreamin' (Wet Mix) 12. In the Army Now (Military Mix) 13. The Cake Mix 14. Overdose 15. Dreamin' 16. Blues Jam 17. La Grange/Rain Ain't Complaining Disc: 1 1. Ain't Complaining 2. Everytime I Think of You 3. One for the Money 4. Another Shipwreck 5. Don't Mind If I Do 6. I Know You're Leaving 7. Cross That Bridge 8. Cream of the Crop 9. The Loving Game 10. Who Gets the Love? 11. Burning Bridges 12. Magic Disc: 2 1. That's Alright 2. Lean Machine 3. Halloween 4. The Reason for Goodbye 5. The Greatest Fighter 6. Running All Over the World 7. Ain't No Complaining (Extended) 8. Who Gets the Love (Extended) 9. Rockin' All Over the World (1988 Re-recording) 10. Burning Bridges (Extended) 11. Running All Over the World (Extended) 12. The Fighter (Stand Up and Fight Remix) 13. The Fighter (Army Remix) Disc: 3 1. Whatever You Want (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988) 2. Little Lady (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988) 3. Roll Over Lay Down (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988) 4. Cream of the Crop (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988) 5. Who Gets the Love (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988) 6. Hold You Back (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988) 7. Don't Drive My Car (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988) 8. Dirty Water (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988) 9. In the Army Now (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988) 10. Rockin' All Over the World (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988) 11. Don't Waste My Time (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988) 12. Bye Bye Johnny (Live at Wembley, 07/07/1988)
@John Fell I know, I'd been pushing for them to release 'em for months! Hopefully I can post Aquostic II tomorrow.
Bought probably 2 of Quo's worst albums at the weekend purely because the extras on the deluxe editions made them worth buying (I think I now have at least 3 cd versions and a vinyl version of them). those being Back to Back and 1982. Will buy the other 2 as well eventually. Makes a change for these things have something more interesting than just a poorly recorded live show thrown in as the extras.
Nice to hear - and this is the exact reason why I kept telling them to continue the series. Somewhat paradoxically, as soon as we move beyond the classic years the amount of interesting bonus material starts to increase!
2016: Aquostic II – That’s a Fact! 2016: Aquostic II – That’s a Fact! 1. That’s a Fact (Rossi/Young) 2. Roll Over Lay Down (Parfitt/Lancaster/Rossi/Young/Coghlan) 3. Dear John (Gustafson/McAuley) 4. In The Army Now (Bolland/Bolland) 5. Hold You Back (Parfitt/Rossi/Young) 6. One For The Road (Bown) [New Song] 7. Backwater (Parfitt/Lancaster) 8. One Of Everything (Bown) [New Song] 9. Belavista Man (Parfitt/Edwards) 10. Lover Of The Human Race (Rossi/Bown) 11. Ice In The Sun (Wilde/Scott) 12. Mess Of The Blues (Pomus/Shuman) 13. Jam Side Down (Britten/Dore) 14. Resurrection (Parfitt/Bown) Deluxe Edition Disc 2: Deluxe 2 CD Edition & 2 LP Vinyl Edition Bonus Tracks: 1. Lies (Rossi/Frost) 2. Little Dreamer (Rossi/Frost) 3. Living On An Island (Parfitt/Young) 4. Is Someone Rocking Your Heart? (Rossi/Young) [New Song] 5. Rockers Rollin’ (Parfitt/Lynton) 2 LP Vinyl Edition Only Bonus Track: 6. For You (Parfitt) Deluxe 2 CD Edition Only Bonus Tracks: Live @ SWR1 6. And It's Better Now 7. Pictures Of Matchstick Men 8. Don't Drive My Car 9. Claudie 10. Whatever You Want 11. Rocking All Over The World Additional Players: · Geraint Watkins – Accordion, Melodica · Martin Ditcham − Percussion · Amy Smith – Vocals · Hannah Rickard – Violin, Vocals · Richard Benbow − String Arrangements · Lucy Wilkins – Violin (leader) · Howard Gott − Violin · Nicky Sweeney − Violin · Alison Dods − Violin · Rick Koster - Violin · Sophie Sirota − Viola · Sarah Willson –Cello Every successful movie gets a sequel. Every successful publicity stunt gets repeated. I don't exactly know when it became public that there would be a second Aquostic album. From a manager’s point of view, it’s somewhat understandable; after all, the Aquostic album and tour (UK only) had been successful. But that was partially thanks to a large promo campaign, and of course the novelty had worn off second time around. Additionally, most of the big hits had already been on Aquostic I, and the promo campaign for the second record was lacklustre at best. I can imagine some band members not being particularly pleased with this turn of events either, especially since it was now explained that Status Quo would soon quit touring their electric set altogether! Obviously Francis had gotten bored and couldn’t bring himself to start working on a new “regular” electric Quo album either. So there was bound to be friction. Rick had participated in the “Rock Meets Classic” tour in one of Quo’s touring pauses and likely written most of what was supposed to become his solo album during that period (although this wasn’t made public then), so what used to be the nucleus of Status Quo was now clearly growing apart. Interviews and articles where both confirmed they didn't speak to each other privately underlined this impression. Francis actually suggested Rick should get together with Alan and John Coghlan and call it “Quo PLC”! (Some work actually started on this project, but I don’t think anything was properly finished.) Rhino, who does appear to be the glue that kept this line-up together so long, also seemed not really enthused about the end of “heavy Quo”, but he also talked about being a bit bolder with the arrangements this time. Aside from the acoustic bass guitar seen in the Roundhouse gig, he also started to play actual upright bass! Rhino also stated in an interview that Rick was actually more involved with the 2nd album (not sure I hear it) – this was still before the heart attack that almost killed Rick, but when the album came out it had already happened, so the rather anonymous drawing on the cover and the change of the album subtitle from “One (More?) For the Road” to “That’s a Fact!” was also interpreted as a sign of Quo continuing without Rick. So, given that it was recorded and released under rather tumultuous circumstances, it’s hard to evaluate it without thinking of the deteriorating “status of Quo”, but I’ll try it anyway. It was pretty clear from the get-go that Aquostic II wouldn’t be ordered chronologically, as most of the hits had been on volume 1 and there would be three new tracks. Unfortunately, the track order on the released album makes no sense; even worse, some of the bonus tracks are actually better than several tracks on the standard CD! Overall, the effort to make this album a bit more interesting from a creative standpoint is noticeable, but that doesn’t mean it’s always successful. The sound is fatter and heavier than Aquostic I but it sounds too compressed and the guitars are still too thin, which means that they tend to disappear behind the bass and drums. That’s a Fact: They picked a good song to rearrange and put into the spotlight. While the new version can’t compete with the original, it’s nice and listenable. Francis plays a nice solo, which is followed by Rhino (who does some wicked things through the entire track) and the violin. Roll Over Lay Down: Well, you can’t complain about missing creativity, but I do NOT like what they did to this song! It’s a really weird deconstructed version, with a different rhythm, constant repetition of the title line and some percussive stuff at the end. Even if I didn't know the original, I don't think I'd like this. Dear John: This time, they have taken out the entire rhythm section and arranged it in an almost classical way, including a (forced-sounding, IMO) ritardando at the end of the first verses. Acceptable, but somewhat superfluous. In the Army Now: There’s that Melodica again (hey, not such a bad idea if you wanna replace the ubiquitous accordion). This is probably the most significant hit that was missing from Aquostic I, but apart from it not being an easy song to adapt to the acoustic format, they again mess around with chord sequences and change the order of verses. Unnecessary! It ruins the track’s build-up. Hold You Back: This had a jiggy feel in the original already, so it is well suited to the Celtic folk format. I quite like this version, although it lacks the electric version’s punch. One for the Road: The track that was originally intended to give the album its subtitle. Apparently Andy was asked to write something in the vein of “Rock ‘Til You Drop”… but I won’t complain, at least we have a new song, which is refreshing after Aquostic I's ‘Greatest Hits’ approach. Backwater: Speaking of Greatest Hits, like ROLD or HYB this is another song very popular with fans but not particularly well known to the casual fan. While it’s nice to hear Rick’s voice and the new riff drives the track along nicely (and I like the harmonica that gives it a swampy feel), the lack of the solo annoys me, as does the constant repetition of the title line by the female vocalists. Why invent a chorus for a track that isn’t meant to have one? One of Everything: Andy might have had God on the phone… this second new track is an oddity, it’s somewhat country-esque and quite catchy. Again, the repetition starts to annoy me after a while… very unusual track for Quo. Belavista Man: At last, here is the only track from the regular version I'd class as ‘excellent’ (despite – or because of? – the accordion!). Not sure whether it’s better than the original version, but it’s certainly faster and has the trademark Quo shuffle that has been pretty absent from the album up until now. Rick’s voice sounds slightly weak, but it doesn’t really matter. I would have liked the female singers to put a bit more passion into their singing, but hey… Lover of the Human Race: Even www.the-makers-of.com calls this track “unimpressive”. The mind boggles why they exactly chose this track from “Thirsty Work”. Ice in the Sun: The strangest thing about this is Rick literally phoning in his vocals (listen to the bridge)! Otherwise, a nice version. Like “Pictures of Matchstick Men”, this benefits from being a song coming from an era where string-heavy pop songs were very common. Mess of the Blues: Take out the sax parts played on the Emulator and Pete's awkward drum fills and you end up with... a great rendition of a song well-suited to Quo. Nice. Fun. Enjoyable. I prefer it to the 80s version. Jam Side Down: This is done pretty faithfully, but since I was never a fan of the song to begin with, this doesn't do much for me. Resurrection: Sort of ironic that this should be one of the last tracks Rick got to sing on an album released in his lifetime. I like it; it's not spectacular, but nice, bluesy (slide guitar!) and... actually stripped down. But then… Lies: What the heck? YOU ***ING IDIOTS! THIS IS NOT A BONUS TRACK! There is no logical reason why this couldn't be included on the "main album". One of the highlights of the entire project, a great song made even more attractive by a wonderful little guitar solo. Little Dreamer: This also isn't bad at all, without all the synthesized stuff and taken at a higher tempo (perhaps a bit too fast?), plus yet another sweet little solo. Living on an Island: OK, but I'm kinda glad they didn't include it on part 1. It's just a too obvious choice and there isn't much benefit of this version over the many live versions - or, indeed, the Fiji Style re-recording. Is Someone Rocking Your Heart: Catchy, catchy. The only new Rossi/Young song released since Bula Quo is one of the highlights of Aquostic II, in my opinion. It's not one of the best Rossi/Young things ever, but a well-written pop song that could be a hit single with a better production. Rockers Rollin': This is one of the last songs I'd expected to resurface in an Aquostic manner. It's slower than the original, which doesn't work so well with the lyrics. But I'm glad to hear Rick singing again, and as with all of "his" songs here we get a distinct bluesy vibe that I wish had dominated the Aquostic albums more. For You: Only on vinyl. Release policy = Annoying as hell! Live @ SWR1: I said I was unhappy with the mixing and mastering of the two SWR1 tracks on the previous live release, right? Well, it’s even worse here! The sound is muddy and compressed. And for whatever reason, it’s again just a few bits of the gig – and “Rain” isn’t among the tracks again… So, what’s my verdict this time, then? “Guilty of directionlessness”, I guess. The amount of tracks that I like is roughly the same as on the 1st Aquostic album, though (both boil down to ~ 50 good minutes in my book), so the difference isn’t really that huge. But it was always going to be a problem that they had used almost all the big hits on the first volume. One interesting point is that while there are a few post-1991 songs here, the track selection stops at 2005. So did they try to avoid the most recent albums (ISOTFC, QPQ, BQ) for a reason? Francis said that “if Aquostic II sells well, there may be a volume 3” – and he teased acoustic versions of tracks such as “Can’t Give You More”, “Someone Show Me Home” or “Runaway”, neither of which ended up on the album(s). But after the commercial failure (due to many reasons) of Aquostic II, this seems very unlikely.
Here is my little review. Think I am at odds here with you Jules as I think this is really good and an improvement on the first one. 2016: Aquostic II – That’s a Fact! 1. That’s a Fact (Rossi/Young) A surprise when I first heard it and a very pleasant one at that. 2. Roll Over Lay Down (Parfitt/Lancaster/Rossi/Young/Coghlan) Love what they have done with this. This is what I want from the Acoustic stuff - do the song differently and in a refreshing way 3. Dear John (Gustafson/McAuley) Again love how they have done this one 4. In The Army Now (Bolland/Bolland) Exclellent arrangement for me 5. Hold You Back (Parfitt/Rossi/Young) Same again. Love it 6. One For The Road (Bown) [New Song] This is good but not amazing 7. Backwater (Parfitt/Lancaster) Love this one too. Great arrangement and love that is different to the original 8. One Of Everything (Bown) [New Song] Like this one. Very good 9. Belavista Man (Parfitt/Edwards) Was never a favourte and this confirms that 10. Lover Of The Human Race (Rossi/Bown) I actually really like the original on Thirsty Work and was pleasantly surprised that I like this version too 11. Ice In The Sun (Wilde/Scott) Don't like this one 12. Mess Of The Blues (Pomus/Shuman) It's ok 13. Jam Side Down (Britten/Dore) Not Bad 14. Resurrection (Parfitt/Bown) Pretty good Overall for me this is so much better than the first one. Very enjoyable
I thought maybe somebody else might want to add their thoughts on Aquostic II, but the thread echoes the lack of general success... Plus Rick's solo album, and maybe we can do some discussions about the other solo material too. But yeah, if nobody has anything more to say about Aquostic II, LNOTE will be next.
I felt the whole Aquostic project was a let down, it could easily have been brilliant, but wasn't. The second album just felt like a set of left overs to me... Probably time to move to LNOTE. Gra
Although it wasn't - except in the sense that, well, it's songs that weren't done on the first one (OK, I realize this is probably what you mean). But still, they reconvened and wrote new arrangements for the 2nd one after all the success of the 1st one. Whether they were successful or not is very much subjective, as you can see from the comments. Commercially it failed clearly, but as I said this was also down to poor promotion... Yes, I'm off to change my avatar now... stay tuned.
2017: Last Night of the Electrics 2017: Last Night of the Electrics 1. Caroline 5:28 (6:30) 2. The Wanderer 2:46 3. Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like 2:17 4. Rain 4:36 (6:48) 5. Softer Ride 4:02 6. Beginning of the End 3:57 7. Hold You Back 4:45 (5:59) 8. Proposin’ Medley 7:26 a. What You’re Proposing b. Down the Dustpipe c. Wild Side of Life d. Railroad e. Again and Again ~9. Paper Plane 3:31 10. The Oriental 5:14 11. Creepin’ Up On You 4:59 (5:30) 12. Gerdundula 5:03 (6:45) 13. In the Army Now 4:09 (4:27) 14. The Caveman (Drum Solo) 3:10 15. Roll Over Lay Down 5:59 16. Down Down 7:18 17. Whatever You Want 5:03 18. Rockin’ All Over the World 4:03 (5:17) 19. Burning Bridges 3:52 20. Rock and Roll Music/Bye Bye Johnny [incl. Red Sky] 6:31 Recorded live at the O2 London, 11th December 2016 DVD / Blu-Ray bonus: Audio from 2nd December 2016, Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam Blu-Ray exclusive bonus: Audio from 15th December 2016, Hallenstadium, Zürich + 16th December 2016, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham Francis Rossi: Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar Andy Bown: Keyboards, Rhythm Guitar, Harmonica, Backing Vocals, Lead Vocals on “Whatever You Want”, Co-Lead Vocals on “The Wanderer” John “Rhino” Edwards: Bass Guitar, Co-Lead Guitar on “Gerdundula”, Backing Vocals, Lead Vocals on “Rain”, “Again and Again”, “Creepin’ Up on You”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music”, Co-Lead Vocals on “Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like” Leon Cave: Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals Richie Malone: Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals "Liquor flooooooow......." Quo and/or the management came up with an idea how to go on about their career. After all the problems with Rick, they thought it would be a good idea to do an “electric farewell” tour and then carry on as an acoustic band! But Quo’s plans were thwarted in many ways. Rick’s heart attack meant that he couldn’t fulfil obligations and once again, Freddie Edwards had to stand in for him. When it became obvious that Rick had to seriously take things easier, they found a permanent replacement for him in the form of Richie Malone, a young guitarist who had already met the band some years earlier. Then Rick announced that he would not return to the band in any case (and the official reason was that he didn't like acoustic Quo), and guess what? The acoustic performances meant to promote Aquostic II were performed… standing up. This left Quo in a pretty helpless situation - they had already scheduled the recording of the live album and video, which was to be the first live video after the FF reunions and the first one with the "regular" line-up since 2009 (and the first one with Leon on board) – if you don’t count the Download Festival footage on the “XS All Areas” DVD. Negative aspects: Well, there had been complaints about the stagnant set list for years, and even then LNOTE is simply a huge disappointment. While everybody has different ideas of how the Quo set could be changed, there is one thing that pretty much everyone agrees on: "The Wanderer" and "Something 'Bout You Baby I Like" have long since overstayed their welcome and need to go IMMEDIATELY! But what do Quo do? Put both of them into the set, back-to-back! Argh! The big hole in the sound is, surprisingly, not so much the rhythm guitar (Richie does a very good job at that, although he certainly has less power and is also mixed too low), but the vocals. Rick's voice is sorely missed right from the first harmony vocals on "Caroline". Rhino does an OK job with the backup vocals but his and Francis' voice don't blend nearly as good together as Rick's and Francis' did. The songs which feature Rhino singing lead range from quite good ("Rain", although they had to drop the key to make it work, "Again and Again" and "Creepin' Up on You" which now sound bluesier) to rather awful (parts of "Something 'Bout You Baby I Like"). Andy's lead vocals ("The Wanderer", "Whatever You Want") are uniformly horrible, though. Shortly after recording this live album, they finally let Richie sing some songs. And he's proven to be a far better vocal replacement for Rick than both Andy and Rhino… Given the sound quality of previous live releases, that this wouldn't be an aural delight was to be expected. Still, the unbelievably muddy sound on the DVD (and likely the Blu-Ray as well) came as a shock to many. Holy crap does this sound bad. Funnily enough, the CD sounds decent to my ears, even if it's also somewhat boomy and nowhere near as good as "Pictures". Also, for the umpteenth time Mike Paxman seemed to think it was a good idea to simply cut out all of Francis' stage banter - and not smoothly by crossfading audience noise, but in a way that makes the edits very obvious (even if you haven't watched the DVD, which is uncut)! How can the band continue to allow butchery like that?! (Timings above are from the CD, with the different DVD timings in brackets.) Positive aspects: Well, there are two big ones. The rhythm section sounds tight and Leon seems to have grown into his role (although he still can’t play “Down Down” at the proper speed). The big surprise, to me, was Francis' lead playing; that he was being inspired by this young guitarist on stage (and perhaps also feeling more pressure on him, now being the only original member left) to kick it up a notch isn't just some empty talk - his playing sounds a lot better than what I've heard on countless live recordings from the previous ~ 20 years. The song that benefits most from this new-found inspiration is "Roll Over Lay Down", which he finally stops destroying and actually plays more or less the way it's meant to. But also hearing him spontaneously throw in an improvised guitar solo into "Bye Bye Johnny" or open "Down Down" with some fooling around (that actually sounds like a good idea for a new song) is simply a delight. I also like that "Beginning of the End" now has a proper ending. All in all, I'd still class this one as more of a completist item. There are too many of these songs available in better-mixed and better-played/sung versions available, and it’s a far, far cry from the legendary status of the ’76 live album. If you want some Quo hits on CD, grab an older live album or any good compilation. This one is only recommended if you already have a serious interest in the band.
That was the show I signed up for. Don't worry, not a negative post. Just disappointed. Went to the London show with Johns. Most annoying part was the price of beer at 02. Decent show but clearly lacking Mr P. And the whole "this is not really our last electric show," did annoy. Not likely to go see them live again but you never know, may get persuaded at some point. Must've seen them a good 12-14 times I reckon, cant remember exact number. First show was Rock til you drop - Wembley Arena 1991 and end with this 25 years later. Great band. R.I.P. Rick tho, miss him to even things up a bit.
I remember feeling very ill at ease about the whole thing. In the end I decided not to go. Turns out this was the right decision since they've basically taken everything back they said (although they did actually do the right thing and leave out the winter tour this year). I think I'll be seeing them again at some point though, after playing together in this line-up for two years now they are onto something. I just wish things had gone a bit more smoothly. I did see Francis on his own this year though, starring at the "Rock Meets Classic" tour and appearing extremely motivated. This also led to a collaboration with Gotthard on their new single (which I've yet to hear).
I went with my son to the Manchester show on this tour, the arena had large swathes of seating covered over, and the place had an odd feel to it. The band sounded empty, my son was not impressed at all but we agreed it wasn’t necessarily Ricks absence causing this. Francis, however was outstanding , I can’t understand how a world class (yes, I stand by that) frontman can be happy with this pedestrian line up! I have nothing to add about the album really, it sounds appalling. Gra
Was really different without Rick there, but Rich Malone has done a great job settling in and is now looking more and more comfortable on stage. The DVD is excellent and I thought one of Quo's best until I saw Down Down and Dirty at Wacken (which is amazing). I really enjoyed the show that night and had my voice of sensibility there (Almost Simon). I'm sure I'll coerce him into another one at some point. I really thought that was it after the O2, however when they changed the last tour to an electric one, boy oh boy was I happy. Saw them at the Hexagon in Reading, supported by the superb Cats in Space. Quo were simply on fire. Loud and raw and while it maybe sacrilege I quickly forget that it was a Rick-less Quo. To be honest they seem more like one unit now as opposed to Rick and Francis and the others. Everyone has the spotlight on them now. And yes while it is strange not having Rick sing, in fairness his voice was getting ropier with every tour. Rich has a great voice, Andy is now getting a chance to shine and despite what others think I really like Rhino's vocals. Francis himself looks like he is having more fun than he has had in recent years. Roll on the new studio album.
Going back to the Aquostic albums. The first album was a huge success for Quo and gave them their first Top 5 album in a long, long time. The second one while not selling as many copies was still a top 10 album. I think the difference between the 2 in terms of success was that the first one was really well promoted, whereas the second one wasn't pushed as much in terms of advertising and radio play.
Apologies for the hijack but does anyone know of any significant differences between the MELS 1st press of the UK vinyl and the BILBO/BAGGINS-mastered version (also 1st press). I just picked up the latter. I couldn’t say which one I had as a kid.
