Which Quo track would you remix

[dublinquo]

Many Quo fans responded quite positively after they first heard John Eden's audio remix of the RAOTW album.

Lately, I was thinking.....supposing you won a competition whereby you were granted the opportunity to remix 'one' Quo track out of their entire catalogue, which one would you pick?

For me, it would be Riverside.  While I love the tune, each time I listen to it, I always wish the vocals could be heard more clearly.... to the extent of wishing I could adjust the various elements of the recording by using sliders on a mixing desk - similar to the one below.  




Is there any particular Quo track that you wish you could remix.... and in the process, make sound better than the original?


.  

[gogs]

Nice idea dublinquo. I'd go for Na Na Na and rock it up. I'd add electric piano, beef up the guitars and hooliganise the drums ie less high hat and snare, more toms and side drum. Akin to the hooligan mix of I Didn't Mean It. Yeah I know, not everyone's favourite album by a long chalk, but a great single mix. Plenty more I'd like to have a go at as well.

Resurrection
Dear John
Little White Lies
R&R&Y
uva/etc

[snakelady]

'hooliganise'    guess it's Ok as long as you don't throw stones at it ..

I've no idea about mixing, so am completely unable to go into detail, but IMO the one great song on the Party album - Gotta Get Up And Go - has the potential of a superb rock song. 

And add a longer solo to Dust To Gold ! - Does that count too ?

[mortified]

Pretty much any track where those nasty synths replace the main guitar riff. 

I can't stand Going Downtown Tonight for that very reason (nails down a blackboard spring to mind) but there is a cracking little song tucked away in there. It just needs beefed up and let loose. 

I've actually got a really good dance remix of In The Army Now which I'd love to put up here but I've no idea how to to it. I think it's on You Tube so I might try that. 

Good topic, Mr Dublin. 

[craydarr]

Accident Prone
Perfect Remedy
Halloween
One Man Band
Reason For Goodbye
Never Too Late album (raise the vocals at least)

[Rick Roper]

Who Gets The Love
Tommy's In Love / Tommy
Bring It On Home

Hound Dog

In each case I'd Extend the silent Lead-In intro to the full length of the song...

Seriously though...

I'd love to hear "Name Of The Game" without the synth fills in the verses "No I didn't do it... Parp Parp Parp" etc.
I'd also love to hear the lyrics a bit higher in the mix on "Carol".
I'd love to hear the whole "Whatever You Want" album mixed with a less toppy sound. The content of this album was superb, but I've always felt it was too middly/trebly, quite a muddy sound.

Rick Roper.

[I Ain't Complaining]

The Power of Rock and Roll

[col]

The thing that's crying out for a re-mix is the whole ....Heat album.

Like Sir Mortified stated, get rid of the synths.

Then lose the horns, the backing vocals and the Aphex Aural Exciter.

There are some crunchy guitars and half decent songs submerged on that album.

[I Ain't Complaining]

Aug 21, 2017 15:15:36 GMT col said:

The thing that's crying out for a re-mix is the whole ....Heat album.

Like Sir Mortified stated, get rid of the synths.

Then lose the horns, the backing vocals and the Aphex Aural Exciter.

There are some crunchy guitars and half decent songs submerged on that album.

I knew when I read this thread earlier that there was something I'd listened to recently that I thought at the time would benefit from being remixed......this was it!! Well remembered Col.

[snakelady]

Aug 21, 2017 15:15:36 GMT col said:

The thing that's crying out for a re-mix is the whole ....Heat album.

Like Sir Mortified stated, get rid of the synths.

Then lose the horns, the backing vocals and the Aphex Aural Exciter.

There are some crunchy guitars and half decent songs submerged on that album.

Actually not sure about this. While RAOTW had the quality of songs that merely suffered from the thin production, which meant the remixes could save them and make them shine the way they deserved, the quality of songs just never was there in the first place on IYCSTH. 
There's absolutely nothing that could be done to improve Stones, I'm Givin' Up My Worryin' or Gonna Teach You To Love Me - maybe apart from completely rewriting them and that would have to include the lyrics even  - all IMVHO. 

[col]

Aug 22, 2017 7:49:46 GMT snakelady said:

Aug 21, 2017 15:15:36 GMT col said:

The thing that's crying out for a re-mix is the whole ....Heat album.

Like Sir Mortified stated, get rid of the synths.

Then lose the horns, the backing vocals and the Aphex Aural Exciter.

There are some crunchy guitars and half decent songs submerged on that album.

Actually not sure about this. While RAOTW had the quality of songs that merely suffered from the thin production, which meant the remixes could save them and make them shine the way they deserved, the quality of songs just never was there in the first place on IYCSTH. 
There's absolutely nothing that could be done to improve Stones, I'm Givin' Up My Worryin' or Gonna Teach You To Love Me - maybe apart from completely rewriting them and that would have to include the lyrics even  - all IMVHO. 

GTYTLM is my favourite on the album

[mortified]

An album that was my first disappointment as a Quo fan. So it sort of sticks in my mind for that reason. Since then, I've grown to appreciate most of it.

But I still cannot take to I'm Giving Up My Worryin'. The first time I'd seen the writing credits "Rossi/Frost". And it was the shape of things to come. 

Alas.

[col]

Aug 22, 2017 9:39:05 GMT mortified said:

An album that was my first disappointment as a Quo fan. So it sort of sticks in my mind for that reason. Since then, I've grown to appreciate most of it.

But I still cannot take to I'm Giving Up My Worryin'. The first time I'd seen the writing credits "Rossi/Frost". And it was the shape of things to come. 

Alas.

That one, Stones and Someone Show Me Home. Not for me.

It was also hard to skip tracks on that album, due to the lack of gap between songs.

[snakelady]

Aug 22, 2017 9:39:05 GMT mortified said:

An album that was my first disappointment as a Quo fan. So it sort of sticks in my mind for that reason. Since then, I've grown to appreciate most of it.

But I still cannot take to I'm Giving Up My Worryin'. The first time I'd seen the writing credits "Rossi/Frost". And it was the shape of things to come. 

Alas.

I'd not blame it on Bernie though. The heavy drugs started to creep in and Francis' marriage was breaking up. His wife had left him, if only for a short while then before the final split and trying to patch it up with another child didn't work (naturally). Guess he must've felt really miserable at the time and he looked it. In consequence his songwriting suffered, massively, and took a long time to recover with just the odd gem throughout most of the 80s. 

And there was no one in the band to make up for it. Alan managed to merely come up with three great tunes within the whole last decade he was a band member and Rick hadn't been the most prolific writer even back then. He was never going to save a Quo album.

Best songs for me are Accident Prone - not written by a band member - and Long Legged Linda - written by the new boy (in terms of full membership and writing credits).
The rest fails miserably or is average max. (Oh What A Night, SSMH) and no remixing would change that. 

What a waste of a great album cover though ..

And to return to the original topic: Heavy Traffic ! The whole album sounds dull and lifeless when I listen to it now, so I don't. This album would deserve saving IMO.

[mortified]

I don't think Heavy Traffic needs remixed necessarily so much as remastered; cleaned up a bit. And I dare say it'll get it at some stage. Pretty much everything else has. 

As for the ....Heat album, Oh What A Night was always the stand-out track for me. Probably why it made it into the set for a while. OK, some may call it Quo by numbers but in 1978 that is precisely what I wanted! It has a terrific solo from Francis in it as well. 

And I do blame Bernie. For all manner of things 

[smokie]

I'm sure that there must be loads but I'm finding it hard to think of one.

Perhaps She Don't Fool Me?

My problem is trying to imagine the songs sounding differently after being used to them for years.

[snakelady]

Aug 23, 2017 9:27:16 GMT mortified said:

I don't think Heavy Traffic needs remixed necessarily so much as remastered; cleaned up a bit. And I dare say it'll get it at some stage. Pretty much everything else has. 

I told you I had no idea  

I know John Eden remixed RAOTW and turned a thin and depth lacking record into something wonderful. This is what I'd want for HT as well and I couldn't care less whether it's achieved through remixing or remastering. 

[frozenhero]

Slow Train and Lonely Man are both sonic messes, IMO. But I guess the distortion on the Quo album is due to the recording and not so much the mixing.

[vivfromcov]

Sept 6, 2017 16:10:19 GMT frozenhero said:

Slow Train and Lonely Man are both sonic messes, IMO. But I guess the distortion on the Quo album is due to the recording and not so much the mixing.

:o I realise that is your opinion fh but not sure how you can call them messes? To my ears, they are perfection.

[vivfromcov]

Aug 22, 2017 7:49:46 GMT snakelady said:

Aug 21, 2017 15:15:36 GMT col said:

The thing that's crying out for a re-mix is the whole ....Heat album.

Like Sir Mortified stated, get rid of the synths.

Then lose the horns, the backing vocals and the Aphex Aural Exciter.

There are some crunchy guitars and half decent songs submerged on that album.

Actually not sure about this. While RAOTW had the quality of songs that merely suffered from the thin production, which meant the remixes could save them and make them shine the way they deserved, the quality of songs just never was there in the first place on IYCSTH. 
There's absolutely nothing that could be done to improve Stones, I'm Givin' Up My Worryin' or Gonna Teach You To Love Me - maybe apart from completely rewriting them and that would have to include the lyrics even  - all IMVHO. 

Ah, you may have a point! I 'liked' col's post as I agreed with his sentiments but to be honest I hated this album so much, probably no amount of remixing could save it.

[lazypokerblues]

I've just read this thread for the first time, and like Col says, the first album that sprang to mind for me was If You Can't Stand the Heat. It's always felt a bit 'flabby' to me.

Ironically, the production on the next album, WYW, is spot on. And yet both were produced by Pip. So I think that must have been as a reaction to Heat. And it also makes me think that Pip would have been directed by the band or record company to make them sound a particular way, i.e. to make them sound good on American radio to try and crack that market or whatever.

And yet what on earth were they thinking with the sound on Perfect Remedy?

So I would like to nominate: Heat / 1982 / Back to Back / Army / Ain't Complaining / Perfect Remedy

Those 80s albums are very bright and difficult to listen to.

[col]

Sept 13, 2017 8:04:09 GMT lazypokerblues said:

So I would like to nominate: Heat / 1982 / Back to Back / Army / Ain't Complaining / Perfect Remedy

Those 80s albums are very bright and difficult to listen to.

I agree with Heat (obviously) and '82, the don't even have the basic ingredients available to make a decent album.

An EP  (four songs) from each album, maybe.

To be fair, ITAN and AC are well crafted, polished mid-eighties poptatstic albums, but Quo in name only and definitely not rock albums.

[snakelady]

Sept 12, 2017 19:41:16 GMT vivfromcov said:

Aug 22, 2017 7:49:46 GMT snakelady said:

Actually not sure about this. While RAOTW had the quality of songs that merely suffered from the thin production, which meant the remixes could save them and make them shine the way they deserved, the quality of songs just never was there in the first place on IYCSTH. 
There's absolutely nothing that could be done to improve Stones, I'm Givin' Up My Worryin' or Gonna Teach You To Love Me - maybe apart from completely rewriting them and that would have to include the lyrics even  - all IMVHO. 

Ah, you may have a point! I 'liked' col's post as I agreed with his sentiments but to be honest I hated this album so much, probably no amount of remixing could save it.

When I bought the album the sleeve so filled me with anticipation. And then I listened to it. God, was I disappointed ..   :hlwn4:
And it wasn't merely the sound or productions. The songs themselves were short, unimaginative pop tunes that sounded as if they had been scribbled down in a few minutes, as if the band had lost interest in their music and tried to disguise it with brass and girls ..

[vivfromcov]

Sept 15, 2017 8:39:06 GMT snakelady said:

Sept 12, 2017 19:41:16 GMT vivfromcov said:

Ah, you may have a point! I 'liked' col's post as I agreed with his sentiments but to be honest I hated this album so much, probably no amount of remixing could save it.

When I bought the album the sleeve so filled me with anticipation. And then I listened to it. God, was I disappointed ..   :hlwn4:
And it wasn't merely the sound or productions. The songs themselves were short, unimaginative pop tunes that sounded as if they had been scribbled down in a few minutes, as if the band had lost interest in their music and tried to disguise it with brass and girls ..

Yes disappointment is the word. I think it was the poppiness of some of the songs that I disliked most but also that A&A was so corny. I couldn't believe they would release such a self parody song that handed ammunition straight to their critics. I don't know if it was laziness or bravado? Sort of a conscious decision to say 'ok, you think all our songs sound the same, so here's another one, screw you!'???

As for the cover, I have never liked it. But whether that is based on my opinion of the music or if I disliked it on first viewing, I can't remember.

[snakelady]

You're absolutely right about A&A, vivfromcov ! The verses were Ok and I think the solo is beautiful, if a little on the short side, but the chorus ? Embarrassing .. and the DJs enjoyed twisting the knife. It was exactly the same with WYW from the next album. One of the reasons why I never liked it and why it was merely a minor success here I guess. Those two singles did a lot to damage the Quo reputation and made it really hard to admit to being a Quo fan. Up till then the band had been darlings of the teenage magazines too. That did wane as well, but was maybe coincidence. The guys were probably simply too old by then to be of interest for their target group.

And up till then the band was taken serious by rock fans, but by the start of the 80s these had lost faith and left. It was obvious when you looked around at the audience at a gig. Here at least. By 81 I left as well and I had still loved the RAOTW album ..

Maybe it was because I had seen the cover before I heard the Heat album that I loved it straight away ? I know I've never liked any of the covers that were to follow, which may well be for the reason you mention. And I considered them political statements, wondering if the band had gone 'green' ?