If you want to turn me onto anything you really want to
Continuing my trip back in time through the album charts
11/11/73 : Hello! - Status Quo
The last time we met Status Quo, things didn't end well - but I'm hoping here we're meeting them in natural habitat and things go somewhat better.
"Roll Over Lay Down" is a somewhat hopeful opener, even if it does feature a dreadful guitar solo (it's interesting to compare it with this previous opener, where the guitar work is simply on a different planet). And "Caroline" is a track I know and like - yes, in a kinda ironic way, but I still like it. The rest of the album is fine if you like that sort of thing - I can't say I particularly do and I found a whole album of it to be quite tiresome. It was also recorded in a very "fuzzy" style - I assume this was intentional (or just cheaper) but I don't like it. I don't think they're the most skilled musicians, but I'm much happier seeing them here doing what they do well and obviously enjoying it.
We're at #5 in the charts this week on its seventh week of a 13 week run. It then had a couple of weeks off and managed another run of nine weeks. And then, bizarrely, it had six more single week runs over the next year and a half. All very odd. The rest of the top five were Bowie, The Who (a new entry), Elton John and Perry with no other new entries in the top ten - the next highest was Rory Gallagher at #32. And I wonder who could be the highest woman in the charts this week? Oh look - it's Karen! Sneaking into the top ten this week at #10 - and at #23, #45 and #49 as well. But - we have a new woman in the charts with Suzi Quatro at #40 (that's FOUR this year now!) and I wouldn't mind listening to a bit of Suzi Q at some point.
Wikipedia surprised me by telling me something that actually interested me - this was the first Quo album that featured their famous font, which has been used on every album since. And it's funny looking at their previous albums - there's all sorts of nonsense fonts used. It also tells me it got to #6 in Finland and Norway - I bet the 1973 Finnish charts are quite something to behold.
"Customers also listened to" Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt and John Coghlan and I had no idea who John was, but he was their drummer - he only played on their first FOURTEEN albums so I can be forgiven for my ignorance. This is pretty rubbish, but it's their rubbish and so enjoyable at least in parts - a whole album is a bit of a stretch though.
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