Today, another classic ’70s rock gem turns 50. On April 15, 1974, Lynyrd Skynyrd released their sophomore album Second Helping. To the casual listener, it’s best known for Sweet Home Alabama, which became the group’s biggest hit single. While it hasn’t exactly suffered from obscurity on radio waves and I still enjoy it, there’s more to the album than its defining song, so let’s take a closer look!
Since I’d like to do this celebratory post in the order of the tracks, ironically, we’re right back to Sweet Home Alabama, the album’s opener. It was co-written by Skynyrd guitarists Ed King and Gary Rossington with lyrics by lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, none of whom were from Alabama. The song was a response to Neil Young’sSouthern Man, which they felt unfairly had characterized all Southerners as rednecks. Ol’ Neil in subsequent interviews agreed, and despite the public dissing, they remained good friends. Turn it up!
With one of Skynyrd’s signature songs out of the way (the other one being Free Bird), let’s highlight some of other great great tracks on the album. Don’t Ask Me No Questions, a fun boogie rocker and the album’s first single, was co-written by Van Zant and Rossington. Unlike Sweet Home Alabama, it missed the charts altogether, which is a shame. Yeah, it’s a simple riff and in that sense perhaps less sophisticated than Alabama but rock doesn’t need to be complicated to be neat!
Closing out Side one is Workin’ for MCA. Co-written by King and Van Zant, the song recalls Skynyrd’s signing with the record label. The “Yankee slicker” is Al Kooper, the man who discovered and signed the band, and who produced their first three albums. The reference to “seven years of hard luck” acknowledges Skynyrd’s early period from 1966 to 1973 when they didn’t have a label deal. They also went through a series of names before becoming Leonard Skinnerd in 1969, which subsequently was changed to Lynyrd Skynyrd.
This brings us to Side two and the great The Ballad of Curtis Loew. Co-written by co-founder and Skynyrd’s third guitarist Allen Collins and Van Zant, the song is about a composite of different people, including Skynyrd lead guitarist Ricky Medlocke‘s grandfather, Shorty Medlocke, according to Songfacts. Medlocke wasn’t part of Skynyrd’s line-up at the time they recorded it. “The original version of the band only played ‘Curtis Loew’ one time on stage,” recalled Ed King. “We were playing in a basement in some hotel and thought we’d try it. We never played it again until the Tribute Tour with Johnny Van Zant.”
The lyrics of The Needle and the Spoon, a deep cut penned by Collins and Van Zant, leave no doubt what the song is about. Van Zant who was struggling with addictions to heroin and cocaine himself knew what he was writing about. Songfacts notes, In 2015, Guitar World honored guitarist Allen Collins’ solo, and his use of the wah-wah pedal to inject the Southern rock song with a hit of ’70s psychedelia, by ranking it at #19 on the magazine’s list of greatest wah solos of all time.
This leaves us with one more track, Skynyrd’s great rendition of J.J. Cale’sCall Me the Breeze. Cale included the song on his October 1971 debut album Naturally. Songfactsexplains, When Lynyrd Skynyrd covered this song, it once again financed Cale’s lifestyle, allowing him to release albums in a leisurely fashion and without concern for hit potential. Another key supporter was Eric Clapton, who not only helped Cale get his first record deal but who also covered some of the Oklahoma guitarist’s songs, most notably After Midnight.
While reviews of Second Helping at the time of its were mixed, contemporary assessments are more favorable. The album climbed to no. 12 in the U.S. on the Billboard 200 and no. 9 in Canada. It also quickly reached Gold status (500,000 certified sold units) in the U.S. by September 1974 and hit 2x Platinum (2 million certified sold units) in July 1987. As such, ranks among Skynyrd’s most successful albums.
The other day, fellow blogger Max from PowerPopfeaturedSweet Little Sixteen by Chuck Berry, and we started exchanging comments about Berry’s importance in shaping early guitar-driven rock & roll. When I heard the iconic intro to Johnny B. Goode for the first time as a young cat, I wanted to be able to play like that. Once I got my first electric guitar at around 14 or 15, I tried very hard, but my fretting fingers just wouldn’t cooperate very well.
Berry’s playing was actually pretty crude, but it just sounded cool. And what a terrific showman he was. Only much later did I realize how great his lyrics were. I also learned that like many of my music heroes, Berry was no angel. All of this made me think of a post I first published in August 2017. Instead of writing about Berry’s original recordings, I thought it would be fun to feature great covers of his songs performed by other artists. So, here is that post again, slightly edited and with a Spotify playlist added as a bonus.
Chuck Berry Classics Performed By Other Artists
A list of covers from AC/DC to The Yardbirds
A few days ago, I coincidentally came across a previously created iTunes playlist I had completely forgotten about: Covers of Chuck Berry classics performed by other music artists. I thought it would be fun to develop a post around this theme.
While no one artist can claim they created an entire genre of music, there is a reason why Berry was known as Mr. Rock & Roll. In any case, the number of other artists who covered his tunes sure as heck is impressive.
Maybelline/Foghat
English blues and boogie rock band Foghat included a killer version of Maybelline on their 1972 eponymous album. The tune was written and recorded by Berry in 1955, and first released as a single in July that year. It also appeared on his 1959 iconic third study album Chuck Berry Is On Top, which also included many of his other major hits. Hereās a great clip of the tune from a Foghat live performance.
School Days/AC/DC
AC/DC recorded a cool cover of School Days for their second Australian studio album T.N.T., which appeared in December 1975. Originally, Berry released the song as a single in March 1957, two months ahead of his debut studio album After School Session.
Too Much Monkey Business/The Yardbirds
Too Much Monkey Business is the first track on Five Live Yardbirds, the bandās terrific debut live album from 1964. Berry released the song as his fifth single in September 1956. It was also included on the After School Session album.
Sweet Little Sixteen/John Lennon
John Lennon recorded a nice Memphis soul-style cover of Sweet Little Sixteen for Rock ānā Roll, his sixth studio album from 1975. Berry released the track as a single in January 1958. It was also included on his second studio album One Dozen Berries, which appeared in March 1958.
Rock & Roll Music/The Beatles
Rock & Roll Music is among my favorite rock & roll covers by The Beatles. They included it on their 1964 fourth studio album Beatles For Sale. Berry initially released the tune as a single in September 1957. It also appeared on the One Dozen Berrys studio album. Unfortunately, I couldnāt find a clip of the Beatlesā studio version, so here is a live performance captured from a 1965 performance in Paris. [Actually, nothing unfortunate about it. Rock & Roll Music is now available on YouTube, but I decided to keep that live clip – CMM]
Carol/The Rolling Stones
Iāve always loved the cover of the song The Rolling Stones recorded. Initially, they included it on their 1964 eponymous debut album, but my favorite version appeared on the fantastic 1970 live record Get Yer Ya-Yaās Out!. First released in 1958 as a single, Carol is also one of the gems from Chuck Berry Is On Top. Hereās a great clip of the Get Yer Ya-Yaās Out version. [Damn, I’ve said it before and I say it again, the Stones never sounded as great as on that live album – CMM]
Johnny B. Goode/Jimi Hendrix
If I only had one classic rock & roll tune to choose, it would be Berryās 1958 gem Johnny B. Goode, which first appeared as a single in March that year and is yet another highlight from Chuck Berry Is On Top. Who could possibly do a better cover of it than Jimi Hendrix? Here is a great clip of Hendrix absolutely killing it live ā not sure whether it is the same performance that was also captured on Hendrix in the West, a 1972 posthumous live album. [Kind of funny how Hendrix asks the audience whether his music is too loud! – CMM]
Little Queenie/The Kentucky Headhunters with Johnnie Johnson
Frankly, I do not quite remember how I came across this cover of Little Queenie when I put together the above iTunes playlist, but I find it pretty awesome. Itās performed by country and southern rock band The Kentucky Headhunters featuring Johnnie Johnson, a jazz, blues and rock & roll pianist, and was included on a 2015 release titled Meet Me In Bluesland. Originally, Berry released Little Queenie as a single in 1959, another tune from Chuck Berry Is On Top.
Roll Over Beethoven/Electric Light Orchestra
Itās safe to say this is one of the most unique covers of the track performed by Electric Light Orchestra. Blending elements of classical music with rock & roll and other styles of rock, ELO is one of the weirdest ā70s bands, in my opinion. While most of their productions were bombastic and completely over the top, I still have to admit there is something intriguing about their music. Their 8-minute-plus cover of Roll Over Beethoven was included on their eponymous second studio album, which was released in 1972. Berry first recorded the tune as a single in May 1956. It also appeared on Chuck Berry Is On Top. The following clip is an abbreviated live version of the song, captured from a 1973 performance on The Midnight Special, an American late-night music variety show that aired during the 1970ās and early ā80s.
Memphis/The Hollies
This cover from The Hollies was included on the bandās debut album Stay With The Hollies, which appeared in the U.K. in January 1964. The track was also included on the U.S. version of the album titled Here I Go Again, released in June that year. Berry first recorded Memphis as a single in 1959.
ā END-
The original post, which was published on August 26, 2017, ended here. Man, this is classic rock & roll, and I hope you guys had as much fun revisiting these tunes as I did! Following is the aforementioned Spotify playlist.
Recently, I came across a post from September 2018 about British boogie rockers Status Quo and felt it deserved to be republished. So here we are and here we are and here we go, all board and we’re hittin’ the road, here we go, with a Spotify playlist added at the end.
Three Chords, Straight Beats And Catchy Hooks
Status Quo have stayed true to their trademark boogie rock for more than 45 years
The other day, I spotted a live album from Status Quo called Down Down & Dirty At Wacken, (a place in northern Germany of an annual open air heavy metal festival), which was released only a couple of weeks ago. While starting to listen, I was reminded what a fun live band they are and how theyāve pretty much stuck with the same formula since 1970 when they changed from psychedelic to boogie rock. This brilliant insight inspired the idea of a post and playlist!
The origins of Status Quo date back to 1962 when high school mates Frances Rossi (guitar), Alan Lancaster (bass), Jess Jaworski (keyboards) and Alan Key (drums) formed a band called The Scorpions in London (not related to and predating the German hard rock band Scorpions by three years). In 1965, Rossi met guitarist Rick Parfitt. They became friends and later that year started what would become a longtime collaboration until Parfittās untimely death in December 2016 at the age of 68. The following summer, the band, which had changed their name to The Spectres, got their first record deal, with Piccadilly Records, and released various commercially unsuccessful singles.
By 1967, the band had embraced psychedelic music, became Traffic, then Traffic Jam to avoid confusion with Steve Winwoodās Traffic, and eventually Status Quo in August that year. Parfitt had joined them as rhythm guitarist the previous month. January 1968 saw the release of Status Quoās first hit single Pictures Of Matchstick Men. This was followed by their debut studio album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages From Status Quo in September ā gee, what a memorable title!
Status Quo circa 1977 (from left): John Coghlan (drums), Rick Parfitt (rhythm guitar, vocals), Alan Lancaster (bass, vocals), and Francis Rossi (lead guitar, vocals)
After the release and commercial failure of Status Quoās second album Spare Parts in September 1969, the band decided to change their musical style to straight boogie-oriented rock ā a decision that is safe to assume they didnāt regret! Piledriver, their fifth studio record from December 1972, finally brought the breakthrough, peaking at no. 5 in the U.K. charts. Since then, Status Quo have released 27 additional studio albums. Their impressive catalog also includes 10 live records and nine compilations.
Given the bandās faithful adherence to the three-chord boogie rock formula, their music starts sounding repetitive after a little while. But so do Chuck Berry and The Beach Boysā surf rock, to name two artists who spontaneously came to mind! Besides, if itās fun, who cares! Okay, enough of the blah-blah-blah and time for some of that repetitive music!
While the bandās psychedelic phase was comparatively short, itās still part of their long history, so Iād be amiss not to acknowledge it. My favorite tune I know from that phase is the above-mentioned Pictures Of Matchstick Men, which was written by Rossi. It climbed to no. 7 on the U.K. Singles Chart and reached the top 10 in many other European countries. In the U.S., it peaked at no. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, the only Status Quo song that got noticed in America. In addition to its release as a single, it was also included on the bandās debut album.
Next Up: Paper Plane from the Piledriver album. The song was co-written by Rossi and Bob Young. Since 1969, Young had contributed to writing Status Quoās music and was often called their unofficial fifth member. He frequently joined the band during live performances in the ā70s and also occasionally thereafter.
Another co-write by Rossi and Young is Caroline, which became a no. 5 hit in the U.K. in August 1973, Status Quoās highest charting single at the time. The tune was also included on the bandās sixth studio album Hello!, which appeared in September that year.
In November 1974, Status Quo scored their first of two no. 1 singles in the U.K. with Down Down. Yet another Rossi/Young co-write, the song also appeared on the bandās eighth studio record On The Level from February 1975.
Perhaps my favorite Status Quo tune is Rockinā All Over The World. As a boogie rock fan, how can you not love that tune, which was written and first recorded by the great John Fogerty in 1975! Status Quo released their cover as a single in September 1977. It also became the title track of their tenth studio album that came out in November of the same year. Since this tune is made for live performances, I chose the following clip captured during a 1990 concert in Knebworth, England.
Whatever You Want is another Status Quo classic. It was co-written by Parfitt and keyboarder Andy Bown, who has performed on all of the bandās albums since Rockinā All Over The World and became a full member in 1982. One of the things Iāve always liked about this tune is the cool-sounding guitar intro.
Status Quoās biggest hit in the ā80s was their cover of Bolland & BollandāsIn The Army Now from September 1986, which topped the charts in various European countries, including Austria, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. In the U.K., the tune peaked at no. 2. Since Iām not particularly fond of it, Iām highlighting another cover instead: The Wanderer from October 1984. Written by Ernie Maresca, the tune was first recorded and released by Dion in November 1961. While I prefer the original, Quoās cover isnāt bad either.
To make this playlist career-spanning, I also like to touch on Status Quoās music beyond the ā80s. Since Iām basically not familiar with it, itās a bit of a challenge. As such, the remaining selections for this playlist are somewhat arbitrary. Hereās Canāt Give You More from the bandās 20th studio album Rock āTil You Drop, which appeared in September 1991. Written by Bown, the tune is another typical Status Quo boogie rocker ā if you like Quoās ā70s music, you canāt go wrong with this one.
Jumping to the current century, in September 2002, Status Quo released Heavy Traffic, their 25th studio record, which peaked at no. 15 on the charts in the U.K. and earned them silver status there. Hereās Creepinā Up On You, which was co-written by Parfitt and then-Quo bassist John āRhinoā Edwards. Itās shuffling along nicely!
The final studio release Iād like to touch on is called Acoustic (Stripped Bare) from October 2014. Itās a compilation of stripped-down versions of previously recorded Status Quo songs. While thereās no new material here, Iām kind of intrigued by this album and will probably further explore it. The record became another success for Quo in the U.K., climbing to no. 5 on the charts and earning Gold certification there ā not too shabby for a band that by then had been around for 52 years, if you include their 1962 origins; if you start counting from when they became Status Quo, it still adds up to a mighty 47 years! Hereās Again And Again, a tune credited to Parfitt, Bown and Jackie Lynton, and first recorded for the bandās 11th studio album If You Canāt Stand The Heat from October 1978. Itās got a nice Cajun feel to it!
So whatās going on with Status Quo these days? Well, itās more three chords, straight beats and catchy boogie rock ā in other words the status quo ā that was clever, huh? Rossi remains the only founding member. Bown (keyboards) and Edwards (bass) are still around as well. The current lineup, pictured on top of the post, is rounded out by Leon Cave (drums) and Richie Malone (rhythm guitar), who replaced Parfitt in July 2016, after he had suffered a stroke and could no longer perform.
I already mentioned the new live album. In addition, a look on setlist.fm revealed the band has been pretty busy touring Europe since May. The current tour schedule on their website shows upcoming gigs in Lisbon, Portugal (Sep 29); Innsbruck, Austria (Oct 4); Kempten, Germany (Oct 5); and Zurich, Switzerland (Oct 6).
ā END-
The original post, which was published on September 7, 2018, ended here. In September 2919, Status Quo released their 33rd studio album Backbone. Remarkably, it debuted at no. 6 on the UK albums chart. Not only was it their highest-charting album of original material since 1+9+8+2 (1982), but it also marked their 25th album in the UK that charted in the top 10. Between February and December 2022, Quo toured Europe. According to Wikipedia, over some 48 years of touring activity, they have played at least 3,700 documented gigs. Including undocumented gigs, the band estimates the real total is over 6,000 shows. Any of the two figures is pretty impressive!
Last but not least, here’s the previously mentioned Spotify list featuring the above and some additional tunes.
Over his nearly 50-year recording career, Bruce Springsteen has amassed an enormous catalog. He could easily fill up his 3 to 4-hour shows he routinely plays with just his own songs and still not even perform half of the tunes he has written over the decades. Yet The Boss has always liked to mix up his sets with covers. Why? I think it’s because Springsteen loves great music and to honor the artists behind it.
The latest reminder is The Live Series: Songs Under Cover Vol. 2, a new album released on March 5 as part of Springsteen’s ongoing series of concert releases. It’s available via digital download at https://live.brucespringsteen.net and on music streaming services. With The E Street Band, Springsteen has the perfect group of road-tested warriors to back him. Just like Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers used to do, these guys can play anything. The new album triggered the idea to do a post on covers, B.r.u.c.e. style.
In the Midnight Hour
I couldn’t think of a better tune to kick things off than with a Stax gem. Here’s Springsteen’s version of In the Midnight Hour. Apparently, this was captured at Nassau Veterans Coliseum on Long Island, N.Y. in 1980 during The River Tour. Written by Wilson Pickett and Steve Cropper, the song was first recorded by Pickett, one of my favorite Stax artists, and appeared in June 1965. It also became the title track of Pickett’s second studio album that appeared in the same year.
Who’ll Stop the Rain
Who’ll Stop the Rain is one of my long-time favorite tunes by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Written by John Fogerty, the track was included on the band’s fifth studio album Cosmo’s Factory from July 1970. It’s one of the covers included on Springstreen’s new live release. This was recorded at London’s Wembley Arena in June 1981. Great version. I love the sax work by “The Big Man” Clarence Clemons – just wish his solo would have been longer!
Sweet Soul Music
Here’s an amazing version of Sweet Soul Music, another soul classic. Co-written by Sam Cooke, Arthur Conley and Otis Redding, the tune was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and first released by Conley in 1967. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band were on fire that night in Stockholm, Sweden in July 1988. It was around the same time I saw Springsteen first in Frankfurt, Germany. I will never forget that show. Springsteen and the E Street Band belted out one cover after the other for more than one hour. Technically, I guess this was the encore. If I recall it correctly, they also played Sweet Soul Music in addition to gems like In the Midnight Hour, Land of a Thousand Dances and Shout. It was just unbelievable!
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited is another highlight from Springsteen’s latest live release. For this rendition at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in December 1990, Springsteen got a little help from his friends Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt. It really doesn’t get much better! Written by Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited became the title track of his sixth studio album from August 1965. Check this out – this is to die for!
Twist & Shout/La Bamba
This fantastic medley of Twist & Shout and La Bamba was captured during the Human Rights Now! Tour, a series of 20 benefit concerts conducted in 1988 to raise awareness of Amnesty International during the year of the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Twist & Shout, co-written by Bert Berns and Phil Medley, was first recorded and released by American R&B vocal group The Top Notes in 1961. La Bamba, a Mexican folk song, became broadly popular in 1968 through the amazing rendition by Ritchie Valens – one of the artists who died in that plane crash near Mason City, Iowa in the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, together with Buddy Holly.
Rockin’ All Over the World
Let’s wrap up this post with another John Fogerty classic that became the title track for Status Quo’s 10th studio album from November 1977, and a huge hit for the British boogie rockers. Fogerty originally recorded Rockin’ All Over the World for his self-titled sophomore solo album that came out in September 1975. Bruce and the boys played the song during a gig at Olympiastadion in Helsinki, Finland in July 2012. As Springsteen said, “let’s do it right – alright!” Man, would I have loved to be there!
“In late October 1984, I came home at about six o’clock in the evening and turned on the television to watch the television news. And I saw something on the screen that put my pathetic personal problems into a horrifying perspective. There in front of me were elegant men and women, moms and dads, holding their children. But they were hardly recognizable humans at this point. They were just about alive. They had the swollen heads and the bloated stomachs of children who are dying of starvation.”
“The thing is you don’t actually die of hunger. You die of a collapse of all your immune system, so you catch all sorts of diseases, but your muscles are so weakened you can’t even make a noise. And all these children were silently screaming at me in agony to die. To die of hunger is to die in complete agony. And here were these mothers and fathers in the last seconds of their children’s lives in utter despair as to what to do. And these people stared at me in my pop star live in Chelsea in London.”
The above is an excerpt from Bob Geldof’s introduction to Live Aid 35, which you can watch in its entirety on a dedicated YouTube channel, along with plenty of footage from the actual benefit concert that took place on Saturday, July 13, 1985 – just a little over 35 years ago. I’m envisaging to commemorate the 35th anniversary in a two or three-part series over the next few days – not sure yet how much time I will have to write.
Organized by Geldof, lead vocalist of Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats, and his friend Midge Ure, frontman of Britsh new wave outfit Ultravox, to raise funds of the famine in Ethiopia, the event featured concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. It was attended by an estimated 72,000 people in London and close to 89,500 folks in Philly. The live broadcast was watched by an estimated 1.9 billion people in 150 countries. I was one of them and still remember it pretty well.
Queen’s performance at Wembley Stadium was one of the highlights of Live Aid
The concerts are believed to have raised around Ā£150 million for famine relief, though the initial numbers included in news reports the day after the event were significantly lower, putting the total between Ā£40 and Ā£50 million. There was also some controversy over the distribution of the aid, including allegations funds had been diverted to the Ethiopian government for the purchase of arms – a truly disgusting thought!
In 2010, the BBCapologized for statements made in a previous investigation, saying there “was no specific evidence [money had been diverted to buy arms] and we’re apologising today to the Band Aid Trust and we’re also apologising personally to Bob Geldof.” I’d like to leave it at that and get to some music.
Live Aid kicked off at Wembley Stadium on July 13 at 12:00 pm British Summer Time. The first act were British boogie rockers Status Quo. Here’s their rendition of John Fogerty’sRockin’ All Over the World, the title track off their 10th studio album from November 1997, and one of their biggest hits. Perhaps the ideal tune to start a rock & pop marathon!
Of course, in addition to organizing the event, Messrs. Geldof and Ure also got to perform. Here are The Boomtown Rats with I Don’t Like Mondays, their biggest hit, initially released as a single in July 1979 ahead of their third studio album The Fine Art of Surfacing, which came out in October that year.
I’d like to wrap up part 1 with Sting and a great stripped back version of Roxanne, featuring jazz saxophone player Branford Marsalis. Written by Sting, the tune first appeared as a single by The Police in April 1978. It was also included on their debut studio album Outlandos d’Amour from November 1978.
Status Quo have stayed true to their trademark boogie rock for more than 45 years
The other day, I spotted a live album from Status Quo called Down Down & Dirty At Wacken, (a place in northern Germany of an annual open air heavy metal festival), which was released only a couple of weeks ago. While starting to listen, I was reminded what a fun live band they are and how they’ve pretty much stuck with the same formula since 1970 when theyĀ changed from psychedelic to boogie rock. This brilliant insight inspired the idea of a post and playlist!š¤
The origins of Status Quo date back to 1962 when high school mates Frances Rossi (guitar), Alan LancasterĀ (bass),Ā Jess Jaworski (keyboards) and Alan Key (drums) formed a band called The Scorpions in London (not related to and predating the German hard rock band Scorpions by three years). In 1965, Rossi met guitarist Rick Parfitt. They became friends and later that year started what would become a longtime collaboration until Parfitt’s untimely death in December 2016 at the age of 68.Ā The following summer, the band, which had changed their name to The Spectres, got their first record deal, with Piccadilly Records, and released various commercially unsuccessful singles.
By 1967, the band had embraced psychedelic music, became Traffic, then Traffic Jam to avoid confusion with Steve Winwood’s Traffic, and eventually Status Quo in August that year. Parfitt had joined them as rhythm guitarist the previous month. January 1968 saw the release of Status Quo’s first hit single Pictures Of Matchstick Men. This was followed by their debut studio album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages From Status QuoĀ in September – gee, what a memorable title!
Status Quo circa 1977 (from left): John Coghlan (drums), Rick Parfitt (rhythm guitar, vocals), Alan Lancaster (bass, vocals), and Francis Rossi (lead guitar, vocals)
After the release and commercial failure of Status Quo’s second album Spare Parts in September 1969, the band decided to change their musical style to straight boogie-oriented rock – a decision that is safe to assume they didn’t regret!Ā Piledriver, their fifth studio record from December 1972, finally brought the breakthrough, peaking at no. 5 in the U.K. charts. Since then, Status Quo have released 27 additional studio albums. Their impressive catalog also includes 10 live records and nine compilations.
Given the band’s faithful adherence to the three-chord boogie rock formula, their music starts sounding repetitive after a little while. But so do Chuck Berry and The Beach Boys’ surf rock, to name two artists who spontaneously came to mind! Besides, if it’s fun, who cares! Okay, enough of the blah-blah-blah and time for some of that repetitive music!š
While the band’s psychedelic phase was comparatively short, it’s still part of their long history, so I’d be amiss not to acknowledge it. My favorite tune I know from that phase is the above mentioned Pictures Of Matchstick Men, which was written by Rossi. It climbed to no. 7 on the U.K. Singles Chart and reached the top 10 in many other European countries. In the U.S., it peaked at no. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, the only Status Quo song that got noticed in America. In addition to its release as a single, it was also included on the band’s debut album.
Next Up: Paper Plane from the Piledriver album. The song was co-written by Rossi and Bob Young. Since 1969, Young had contributed to writing Status Quo’s music and was often called their unofficial fifth member. He frequently joined the band during live performances in the ’70s and also occasionally thereafter.
Another co-write by Rossi and Young is Caroline, which became a no. 5 hit in the U.K. in August 1973, Status Quo’s highest charting single at the time. The tune was also included on the band’s sixth studio album Hello!, which appeared in September that year.
In November 1974, Status Quo scored their first of two no. 1 singles in the U.K. with Down Down. Yet another Rossi/Young co-write, the song also appeared on the band’s eighth studio record On The Level from February 1975.
Perhaps my favorite Status Quo tune is Rockin’ All Over The World. As a boogie rock fan, how can you not love that tune, which was written and first recorded by the greatĀ John Fogerty in 1975! Status Quo released their cover as a single in September 1977. It also became the title track of their tenth studio album that came out in November the same year. Since this tune is made for live performances, I chose the following clip captured during a 1990 concert in Knebworth, England.
Whatever You Want is another Status Quo classic. It was co-written by Parfitt and keyboarder Andy Bown, who has performed on all of the band’s albums since Rockin’ All Over The World and became a full member in 1982. One of the things I’ve always liked about this tune is the cool-sounding guitar intro.
Status Quo’s biggest hit in the ’80s was their cover of Bolland & Bolland’sIn The Army NowĀ from September 1986, which topped the charts in various European countries, including Austria, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. In the U.K., the tune peaked at no. 2. Since I’m not particularly fond of it, I’m highlighting another cover instead: The Wanderer from October 1984. Written by Ernie Maresca, the tune was first recorded and released by Dion in November 1961. While I prefer the original, Quo’s cover isn’t bad either.
To make this playlist career-spanning, I also like to touch on Status Quo’s music beyond the ’80s. Since I’m basically not familiar with it, it’s a bit of a challenge. As such, the remaining selections for this playlist are somewhat arbitrary. Here’s Can’t Give You More from the band’s 20th studio album Rock ‘Til You Drop, which appeared in September 1991. Written by Bown, the tune is another typical Status Quo boogie rocker – if you like Quo’s ’70s music, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Jumping to the current century, in September 2002, Status Quo released Heavy Traffic, their 25th studio record, which peaked at no. 15 on the charts in the U.K. and earned them silver status there.Ā Here’s Creepin’ Up On You, which was co-written by Parfitt and then-Quo bassist John ‘Rhino’ Edwards. It’s shuffling along nicely!
The final studio release I’d like to touch on is called Acoustic (Stripped Bare) from October 2014. It’s a compilation of stripped down versions of previously recorded Status Quo songs. While there’s no new material here, I’m kind of intrigued by this album and will probably further explore it. The record became another success for Quo in the U.K., climbing to no. 5 on the charts and earning Gold certification there – not to shabby for a band that by then had been around for 52 years, if you include their 1962 origins; if you start counting from when they became Status Quo, it still adds up to a mighty 47 years! Here’s Again And Again, a tune credited to Parfitt, Bown and Jackie Lynton, andĀ first recorded for the band’s 11th studio album If You Can’t Stand The HeatĀ from October 1978. It’s got a nice Cajun feel to it!
So what’s going on with Status Quo these days? Well, it’s more three chords, straight beats and catchy boogie rock – in other words the status quo – that was clever, huh?š¤ Rossi remains the only founding member. Bown (keyboards) and Edwards (bass) are still around as well. The current lineup, pictured on top of the post, is rounded out byĀ Leon Cave (drums) and Richie Malone (rhythm guitar), who replaced Parfitt in July 2016, after he had suffered a stroke and could no longer perform.
I already mentioned the new live album. In addition, a look on setlist.fm revealed the band has been pretty busy touring Europe since May. The currentĀ tour schedule on their website shows upcoming gigs in Lisbon, Portugal (Sep 29); Innsbruck, Austria (Oct 4); Kempten, Germany (Oct 5); and Zurich, Switzerland (Oct 6).
Sources: Wikipedia, Status Quo official website, setlist.fm, YouTube
Over the weekend, I came across this smoking hot soulful boogie rocker Soul Shake performed by Tommy Castro & The Painkillers. If this doesn’t get you moving, frankly, I don’t know what will!
Apparently co-written by songwriters Margaret Lewis and Mira Ann Smith, the tune was first recorded by Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson in 1969. It was also covered by Delaney & BonnieĀ on their fourth studio album To Bonnie From Delaney, released in September 1970.
Castro & The Painkillers included the song on Stompin’ Ground, their most recent studio album that appeared in September 2017. I understand the entire record is soul-oriented rock, which sounds like right up my alley, so I’m going to further check it out.
The idea to put together this playlist came to me yesterday, after I had spotted this clip on Facebook. It shows John Fogerty and Billy Gibbons rocking out together to some Creedence Clearwater Revival and ZZ Top tunes to promote their upcoming Blues & Bayous Tour. While nothing is spontaneous here as it seems they want folks to believe, and I just wish they would have played more of each song than just the opening bars, hey, it’s still fun to watch these guys. And the thought of them doing a double-headliner that also will be right in my backyard sure as heck is very tempting!
I don’t want to pretend I’m a ZZ Top expert, but I have a good deal of their songs in my iTunes library – certainly more than enough material to inform this playlist. I think the first time these Texan rockers entered my radar screen was in 1983, when seemingly out of nowhere, they were all the rage on the radio with songs like Gimme All You Lovin, Sharp Dressed Man and Legs. At the time, my parents didn’t have cable, which wasn’t as popular in Germany as in the U.S., so it wasn’t until much later that I also got to watch some of ZZ Top’s hilarious music videos, such as the rotating guitars in Legs!
ZZ Top were formed in 1969 in Houston, TX, when Gibbons (guitar), Lanier Greig (organ) and Dan Mitchell (drums) got together. That formation recorded the single Salt Lick, but record companies weren’t receptive, and it didn’t go anywhere. Greig and Mitchell left shortly thereafter. In late 1969, bassist, keyboardist and co-vocalist Dusty Hill joined, replacing then-bassist Billy Ethridge. Hill subsequently introduced Gibbons to drummer Frank Beard with whom he had played in various other bands in the past. The classic line-up was in place and still is to this day, more than 45 years later – frankly, I don’t know of any other band that hasn’t changed its line-up over such a long time!
ZZ Top in 1975, with Dusty Hill (left) and Billy Gibbons
Due to continued lack of interest from U.S. record companies, ZZ Top finally signed a contract with UK label London Records and released their debut album. Cleverly called ZZ Top’s First Album, the record appeared in January 1971. While it established the band’s blend of blues, boogie, hard rock and southern rock, it didn’t get much attention. The sophomore Rio Grande Mud from April 1972 entered the U.S. Billboard 200, peaking at no. 104 in June 1972, while the single Francine climbed to a respectable no. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100.
ZZ Top’s commercial breakthrough came with the follow-up album Tres Hombres from July 1973. While the reception from music critics was lukewarm at the time, the album climbed all the way to no. 8 on the Billboard 200. The single La Grange, which has since become a classic, peaked at no. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1974. The band’s fourth album Fandango! from April 1975 brought another successful single, Tush, which peaked at no. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became ZZ Top’s highest charting single in the ’70s.
The band has since released 11 additional studio records, four live albums and various compilations. Eliminator from March 1983, which includes the above mentioned tunes Gimme All You Lovin, Sharp Dressed Man and Legs, became ZZ Top’s best-selling album, thanks to a more commercial sound the band had adopted in the early ’80s. Their 15th and most recent studio release La Futura appeared in September 2012. I haven’t seen any reports about a new album. La Futura was the first new record in nine years, so if that’s any guide, fans may need to have patience for a few more years. Time for some music!
Let’s start off the playlist with ZZ Top’s debut single Salt Lick, a nice blues rocker written by Gibbons, an early showcase of his outstanding guitar skills. I also like Greig’s organ work.
Brown Sugar, another tune by Gibbons to whom most of the band’s early songs are credited, appears on ZZ Top’s First Album. I like how the song begins slowly with just Gibbon’s vocals and his guitar, before it launches into a groovy blues rocker.
Tres Hombres may be best known for La Grange, but the tune I’d like to highlight from that album is the fantastic opener Waitin’ For The Bus, which is credited to Gibbons and Hill. I just totally dig the guitar riff and groove on that track, and also like the blues harp solo.
If I had just one ZZ Top tune to select, it would be Tush from the Fandango! album. To me it’s perhaps the ultimate guitar blues rocker. I love the riff and how tight the band is playing – there’s not one second being wasted here! Starting with this record, the band’s songs typically are credited to all three members.
In November 1976, ZZ Top released their fifth studio album Tejas. It includes this nice Stonesy tune called It’s Only Love.
Next up: Tube Snake Boogie from El Loco, ZZ Top’s seventh studio album from July 1981. It’s the first record on which the band started experimenting with a more commercial sound, introducing synthesizers on some of the tracks.
Even though it sounds more commercial than their ’70s records, no ZZ Top playlist would be complete without music from the Eliminator album. Despite the somewhat monotonous drum beat, which sounds more like a drum machine, Sharp Dressed Man is just a cool song. And the official video is too hilarious to leave out, so here it is!
And ‘coz it’s so much fun watching ZZ Top music videos from that time, here’s Legs. No doubt, the rotating guitars have become an unforgettable part of music video history.
I would also like to acknowledge a couple of the band’s later songs. Here’s Fearless Boogie, a tune from XXX, ZZ Top’s 13th studio album released in September 1999. And just in case, the title is a reference to the band’s then-30th year in business.
I’d like to close out this playlist with Chartreuse. The tune, which sounds a bit like a remake of Tush, is from ZZ Top’s most recent studio record La Futura. It surely proves these guys still know how to rock.
With total domestic record sales of some 25 million copies, ZZ Top are among the top 100 selling artists in the U.S. Internationally, the band has sold more than 50 million albums. In 2004, the Texan rockers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Asked during a Rolling Stoneinterview in November 2017 whether he still wants to be in ZZ Top at age 80, Gibbons said, “Well, yeah, I could do it. We are smack dab in the middle of a technological breakthrough that is making life extension quite a bit of the day-to-day norm.”
As for that double-headliner with Fogerty, the Blues & Bayous Tour kicks off in Atlantic City on May 25. Currently, there are 24 additional dates on the schedule, with the final gig being in Welch, Minn. on June 29.
Sources: Wikipedia, U.S. Billboard Charts, Rolling Stone, YouTube
The music of Status Quo may be relatively simple, but it surely rocks, in my opinion. Above is a nice clip of two of their biggest hits performed live back-to-back, Whatever You Want and Rockin’ All Over The World. It’s just fun to see how the band and the audience are having a great time. This is really what music should be all about!
Fellow blogger Hotfox63 reminded of the British psychedelic turned boogie rockers earlier today, when he mentioned to me their great cover version of Roadhouse Blues by The Doors. Sadly, the band’s long-time rhythm guitarist Rick Parfitt, who is in the clip, passed away just a little over a year ago at age 68. He had been with Status Quo from 1965 until his death. Lead guitarist and vocalist Francis Rossi remains the only original member of the band, which originated fromĀ The Spectres he co-founded in 1962 with school friend and future Status Quo bassist Alan Lancaster.
Written by John Fogerty (formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival) and first recorded for his second solo album in 1975, Rockin’ All Over The World became the title track of Status Quo’s 10th studio record, which was released in November 1977. Whatever You Want, co-written by Parfitt and Quo keyboarder Andy Bown, was the title track of the band’s 12th studio album that came out in October 1979. The two songs were also released separately as singles. I still remember repeatedly hearing both tunes on the radio in Germany in the late ’70s.
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