mortified
Administrator
This is no' gettin' the bairn a shirt
Posts: 5,563
|
Post by mortified on Oct 6, 2019 14:43:56 GMT
I've listened to the album several times now and haven't been grabbed by any particular song. The thing it lacks for me is the bluesy ingredient that my favourite Quo songs contain. There are hints here and there of late 70s Quo but also too many reminders of Thirsty Work. The best tracks are Waiting For A Woman and Cut Me Some Slack. I See You're in Trouble and Backing Off are both bordering on the bizarre. What is that middle section in the latter supposed to be? Better Take Care isn't as confident as the original John David version but I wouldn't be surprised if it picks up a lot of airplay if released as a single. Quite a clever lyric about climate change from John David in that one. Yep. With you on that one.
|
|
LOZ
Special Forces
Guardian Of The Calendar
BEEP BEEP YOU WONT CATCH ME.
Posts: 3,344
|
Post by LOZ on Oct 7, 2019 17:39:38 GMT
I've listened to the album several times now and haven't been grabbed by any particular song. The thing it lacks for me is the bluesy ingredient that my favourite Quo songs contain. There are hints here and there of late 70s Quo but also too many reminders of Thirsty Work. The best tracks are Waiting For A Woman and Cut Me Some Slack. I See You're in Trouble and Backing Off are both bordering on the bizarre. What is that middle section in the latter supposed to be? Better Take Care isn't as confident as the original John David version but I wouldn't be surprised if it picks up a lot of airplay if released as a single. Quite a clever lyric about climate change from John David in that one. firstly... CEAD~MILE~FAILTE to our mb secondly... none of the songs grab me at all, I listened to the snippets and didn't like them. this aint the quo that I loved.
|
|
|
Post by snakelady on Oct 8, 2019 7:48:21 GMT
I've listened to the album several times now and haven't been grabbed by any particular song. The thing it lacks for me is the bluesy ingredient that my favourite Quo songs contain. There are hints here and there of late 70s Quo but also too many reminders of Thirsty Work. The best tracks are Waiting For A Woman and Cut Me Some Slack. I See You're in Trouble and Backing Off are both bordering on the bizarre. What is that middle section in the latter supposed to be? Better Take Care isn't as confident as the original John David version but I wouldn't be surprised if it picks up a lot of airplay if released as a single. Quite a clever lyric about climate change from John David in that one. firstly... CEAD~MILE~FAILTE to our mb secondly... none of the songs grab me at all, I listened to the snippets and didn't like them. this aint the quo that I loved. The snippets are nothing to go by, Loz. I'd recommend you listen to the whole songs twice at least (some are growers) and then form an opinion. You might be surprised how close this is to the Quo you loved.
|
|
mortified
Administrator
This is no' gettin' the bairn a shirt
Posts: 5,563
|
Post by mortified on Oct 8, 2019 8:20:40 GMT
I've listened to the album several times now and haven't been grabbed by any particular song. The thing it lacks for me is the bluesy ingredient that my favourite Quo songs contain. There are hints here and there of late 70s Quo but also too many reminders of Thirsty Work. The best tracks are Waiting For A Woman and Cut Me Some Slack. I See You're in Trouble and Backing Off are both bordering on the bizarre. What is that middle section in the latter supposed to be? Better Take Care isn't as confident as the original John David version but I wouldn't be surprised if it picks up a lot of airplay if released as a single. Quite a clever lyric about climate change from John David in that one. firstly... CEAD~MILE~FAILTE to our mb secondly... none of the songs grab me at all, I listened to the snippets and didn't like them. this aint the quo that I loved.There's an element of truth in that. It's not the Quo I grew up with either. But I still think this is a good album. As sutekh says, the bluesy aspects are few and far between with only Waiting For A Woman really hinting at it. Most of the remaining songs rely on hooks and melodies. Of course, Quo have always practised that art - and been superb at it - but it's now the dominant force. If a bluesy Quo is the only one you really want to hear then, alas, those days are gone.
|
|
|
Post by snakelady on Oct 8, 2019 9:33:50 GMT
firstly... CEAD~MILE~FAILTE to our mb secondly... none of the songs grab me at all, I listened to the snippets and didn't like them. this aint the quo that I loved.There's an element of truth in that. It's not the Quo I grew up with either. But I still think this is a good album. As sutekh says, the bluesy aspects are few and far between with only Waiting For A Woman really hinting at it. Most of the remaining songs rely on hooks and melodies. Of course, Quo have always practised that art - and been superb at it - but it's now the dominant force. If a bluesy Quo is the only one you really want to hear then, alas, those days are gone. IMO bluesy Quo disappeared more or less from Hello on. Backbone from style more resembles RAOTW or OTL even. Pop rock or rock pop as I'd call it. So basically the Quo I grew up with (on record at least - live they've always been a rock band).
|
|
LOZ
Special Forces
Guardian Of The Calendar
BEEP BEEP YOU WONT CATCH ME.
Posts: 3,344
|
Post by LOZ on Oct 8, 2019 15:44:08 GMT
firstly... CEAD~MILE~FAILTE to our mb secondly... none of the songs grab me at all, I listened to the snippets and didn't like them. this aint the quo that I loved. The snippets are nothing to go by, Loz. I'd recommend you listen to the whole songs twice at least (some are growers) and then form an opinion. You might be surprised how close this is to the Quo you loved. there was enough to hear that made my opinion.
|
|
frozenhero
Administrator
Drop-D beautiful
Posts: 1,420
|
Post by frozenhero on Oct 8, 2019 18:38:27 GMT
The snippets are nothing to go by, Loz. I'd recommend you listen to the whole songs twice at least (some are growers) and then form an opinion. You might be surprised how close this is to the Quo you loved. there was enough to hear that made my opinion. Imagine you had done that with the first Quo album you've heard!
|
|
sutekh
Born To Be Wild
Posts: 9
|
Post by sutekh on Oct 10, 2019 17:14:47 GMT
There's an element of truth in that. It's not the Quo I grew up with either. But I still think this is a good album. As sutekh says, the bluesy aspects are few and far between with only Waiting For A Woman really hinting at it. Most of the remaining songs rely on hooks and melodies. Of course, Quo have always practised that art - and been superb at it - but it's now the dominant force. If a bluesy Quo is the only one you really want to hear then, alas, those days are gone. IMO bluesy Quo disappeared more or less from Hello on. Backbone from style more resembles RAOTW or OTL even. Pop rock or rock pop as I'd call it. So basically the Quo I grew up with (on record at least - live they've always been a rock band). I think Quo have had plenty of bluesy songs since the Hello album. OTL, Quo and BFY are full of blues rock. I agree that the bluesy edge gives way more to country rock post BFY though they still had their moments. Heavy Traffic is probably the most bluesy album from the post Alan Lancaster band. Aside from a handful of songs on Backbone it is a more country rock and pop flavoured album which is probably why I'm not keen.
|
|
rocker
Born To Be Wild
Posts: 12
|
Post by rocker on Oct 13, 2019 11:44:52 GMT
I can’t embrace this as a Status Quo album. As an album its ok, but, rightly or wrongly, the way the whole operation has just carried on without any proper tribute to Rick is totally unacceptable.
|
|
|
Post by viking55 on Oct 13, 2019 22:54:18 GMT
It’s coming up to 3 years now and life moves on unfortunately. Just like it has to for anyone who has lost a loved one. You either fade away and die yourself After a period of mourning or get up off your a..se and get on with it. Status Quo took the latter route wether you come to terms with it or not.
|
|
|
Post by snakelady on Oct 14, 2019 6:35:36 GMT
I can’t embrace this as a Status Quo album. As an album its ok, but, rightly or wrongly, the way the whole operation has just carried on without any proper tribute to Rick is totally unacceptable. I agree, things could've been handled better after Rick's demise. The way the band seemingly just kept going may have been down to contracts that needed fulfilling, but something, anything should've been done IMO. The album is dedicated to Rick, which is nice, but no replacement to the nothing during that first year. It is history now though and the band still exists - and rightly so. Nobody can be expected to lose their jobs and livelihood just because a colleague has died due to his lifestyle choices. You mourn him, but you carry on with your job, naturally. With every new band member the sound of the band has changed - which is natural too. But the sound has changed and would've changed anyway even if the original 4 (or 5 - depending on your definition of 'original') had stayed together, because band members are ageing, maturing, changing their personal tastes, recording techniques change .. What it comes down to is personal taste. Do you like the new Quo album or not ? If not, you hopefully find some other band you can enjoy. If you do, well, enjoy it - and hope for more !
|
|
mortified
Administrator
This is no' gettin' the bairn a shirt
Posts: 5,563
|
Post by mortified on Oct 20, 2019 11:50:35 GMT
I'm actually becoming less and less sure of the album the more I play it. I love the first two tracks but after that I find myself drifting a bit. Starting to (whisper it ) skip through things a bit quicker. This whole thing about a tune being stuck in your head after you hear the milkman whistling it is right. I find myself with two or three songs from the album taking up space in my consciousness every day; Liberty Lane, I See You're In Some Trouble and Face The Music in particular. But that's the trouble with songs that stick in your head. They aren't all necessarily great. Just catchy. Not quite the same thing. No matter what the milkman says And having a song in your head that you're not that keen on is just irritating I think as we move along, the album will fade from my listening preferences - and possibly quite quickly. I can see me always playing the first two songs but otherwise I'll more than likely just stick the album on for a change now and then. For me, this is a good Quo album but quite a bit short of a great one. Best artwork in many a year though
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2019 15:37:32 GMT
Well I’m still enjoying it.
Play it daily and don’t skip any tracks.
I can understand some people’s reservations but like it or not it’s where we are with Status Quo.
|
|
frozenhero
Administrator
Drop-D beautiful
Posts: 1,420
|
Post by frozenhero on Oct 20, 2019 21:40:37 GMT
I'm actually becoming less and less sure of the album the more I play it. I love the first two tracks but after that I find myself drifting a bit. Starting to (whisper it ) skip through things a bit quicker. This whole thing about a tune being stuck in your head after you hear the milkman whistling it is right. I find myself with two or three songs from the album taking up space in my consciousness every day; Liberty Lane, I See You're In Some Trouble and Face The Music in particular. But that's the trouble with songs that stick in your head. They aren't all necessarily great. Just catchy. Not quite the same thing. No matter what the milkman says And having a song in your head that you're not that keen on is just irritating I think as we move along, the album will fade from my listening preferences - and possibly quite quickly. I can see me always playing the first two songs but otherwise I'll more than likely just stick the album on for a change now and then. For me, this is a good Quo album but quite a bit short of a great one. It's a bit too early to judge how successful the album is on a long-term basis. I've not played it a lot, probably also to avoid burnout, but aside from a few songs (like Cut Me Some Slack) I didn't feel that urge of having to re-listen to a song quickly, something I do remember happening with QPQ and also when I discovered the early albums (BFY in particular, curiously).
|
|
|
Post by viking55 on Oct 20, 2019 22:28:07 GMT
For me there was / is always a degree of burnout with every Quo album eventually. Even in the FF days. Mainly down to over-playing I must admit. In the end I always judge on how much I return to a particular album and how fresh it still sounds to me. Far too early to make for me to make a judgement on BB suffice to say I’m still enjoying it but time will tell. On the principles applied and judging now the album I most return to and it never bores me is NTL for some reason. Just love it. Anyway yes..... to early for me to grade BB other than to say I’m still enjoying it after only about 6 plays.
|
|
|
Post by The Lord Flasheart on Oct 21, 2019 6:43:45 GMT
I can’t embrace this as a Status Quo album. As an album its ok, but, rightly or wrongly, the way the whole operation has just carried on without any proper tribute to Rick is totally unacceptable. I think outside influences made that kind of impossible. The amount of hatred poured at the band during 2017 and the arguments behind the scenes with his family. Mean't this could not get off the ground.
|
|
mortified
Administrator
This is no' gettin' the bairn a shirt
Posts: 5,563
|
Post by mortified on Oct 23, 2019 12:30:07 GMT
I think I mentioned this before but anyone else notice the extreme similarity between the sing-a-long bit in Liberty Lane ( the bap bap barra ba rap bap barara bit) with the similar line in the Stones' Let's Spend The Night Together? Old Keef better not get wind of it. Not after what happened to The Verve's Bitter Sweet Symphony
|
|
frozenhero
Administrator
Drop-D beautiful
Posts: 1,420
|
Post by frozenhero on Oct 23, 2019 17:07:17 GMT
Seems to random for me to be relevant in any plagiarism context. (Same goes for Better Take Care, by the way.)
|
|
mortified
Administrator
This is no' gettin' the bairn a shirt
Posts: 5,563
|
Post by mortified on Oct 24, 2019 4:55:29 GMT
Seems to random for me to be relevant in any plagiarism context. (Same goes for Better Take Care, by the way.) Better Take Care, to be fair, is a cover so plagiarism isn't an issue. I don't think the Let's Spend The Night Together similarity is deliberate or has even been noticed by whoever came up with the melody (probably Rhino). It was just the very first thing that hit me as soon as I heard the live version a few months ago. Probably just me
|
|
frozenhero
Administrator
Drop-D beautiful
Posts: 1,420
|
Post by frozenhero on Oct 24, 2019 12:37:11 GMT
Seems to random for me to be relevant in any plagiarism context. (Same goes for Better Take Care, by the way.) Better Take Care, to be fair, is a cover so plagiarism isn't an issue. I know. I just don't get why some people say "this is Sweet Home Alabama". huh?? I'm normally the first to pick up songs 'nicked' from somewhere else (and Quo have quite a few, although it's never been discussed much), but I don't hear any similarity in the melodies. At all. Somebody says it's the chords, but chords can't be copyrighted. I don't think the Let's Spend The Night Together similarity is deliberate or has even been noticed by whoever came up with the melody (probably Rhino). It was just the very first thing that hit me as soon as I heard the live version a few months ago. Probably just me For a few seconds, there probably is some overlap, and a rhythmic similarity. But it's something that really can't be avoided. There's only so many notes... What I noticed are more cases of self-plagiarising. For example, "Waiting for a Woman" uses a "melody turnaround" that also appeared in "Al Stand Up" before.
|
|
mortified
Administrator
This is no' gettin' the bairn a shirt
Posts: 5,563
|
Post by mortified on Oct 24, 2019 12:50:15 GMT
I meant the Stones reference as a sort of joke because one line can't really be seen as 'theft'. The rest of the song is nothing like anything else in particular. It just struck me immediately on hearing it. When you whistle one, it's easy to drift into the other. I also understand the comparisons between Better Take Care and Sweet Home Alabama, especially Quo's version of it, and also that line in Waiting For A Woman with Gimme All Your Lovin'. But we're only talking the odd line or the occasional chord progression.
I think some of us have been listening to music for SO long, we're finding comparisons and similarities all the time now. Nothing is new any more. Certainly not in rock music. And Quo, like everyone else, have begun to repeat themselves. However accidentally.
|
|
sutekh
Born To Be Wild
Posts: 9
|
Post by sutekh on Oct 27, 2019 16:58:47 GMT
I'm actually becoming less and less sure of the album the more I play it. I love the first two tracks but after that I find myself drifting a bit. Starting to (whisper it ) skip through things a bit quicker. This whole thing about a tune being stuck in your head after you hear the milkman whistling it is right. I find myself with two or three songs from the album taking up space in my consciousness every day; Liberty Lane, I See You're In Some Trouble and Face The Music in particular. But that's the trouble with songs that stick in your head. They aren't all necessarily great. Just catchy. Not quite the same thing. No matter what the milkman says And having a song in your head that you're not that keen on is just irritating I think as we move along, the album will fade from my listening preferences - and possibly quite quickly. I can see me always playing the first two songs but otherwise I'll more than likely just stick the album on for a change now and then. [br For me, this is a good Quo album but quite a bit short of a great one. Best artwork in many a year though Sutekh says: To my ears, a huge problem with Backbone is that there are lots of irritating vocals and melodies, particularly: I See You're In Some Trouble, Backing Off, I Wanna Run Away With You, Backbone and Running Out of Time. The lack of dynamics on this album is in keeping with much of Quo's later output. Short songs largely based around one idea. The pre-album samples pretty much gave this away.
|
|
|
Post by johns on Oct 28, 2019 13:35:33 GMT
So a few weeks down the line and i think I am liking the album more and more. Still can't find a bad track on it - even Crazy, Crazy (after the terrible intro) is pretty enjoyable. There is a lot of quality stuff on it (not sure what Sutekh means by irritating vocals and melodies) and the band's playing is excellent. Had this been released as a follow up to Whatever You Want or Just Supposin (purely speculation of course) I could have very well seen the Quo army embracing it with open arms). It's way above the Heat album as well as B2B, 1982 and also better than Thirsty Work (which I like), Under the Influence and a few more post 86 albums (the majority of which I like) and is definitely head and shoulders above Perfect Remedy.
|
|
|
Post by I Ain't Complaining on Oct 28, 2019 13:41:43 GMT
So a few weeks down the line and i think I am liking the album more and more. Still can't find a bad track on it - even Crazy, Crazy (after the terrible intro) is pretty enjoyable. There is a lot of quality stuff on it (not sure what Sutekh means by irritating vocals and melodies) and the band's playing is excellent. Had this been released as a follow up to Whatever You Want or Just Supposin (purely speculation of course) I could have very well seen the Quo army embracing it with open arms). It's way above the Heat album as well as B2B, 1982 and also better than Thirsty Work (which I like), Under the Influence and a few more post 86 albums (the majority of which I like) and is definitely head and shoulders above Perfect Remedy. I agree. For me it is up there with JS and NTL, and if some of the intros, outros and solos had been a bit longer (one of the things that Quo made their name doing) I would put it up there with BFY, right behind the other 'classic' albums and WYW!
|
|
mortified
Administrator
This is no' gettin' the bairn a shirt
Posts: 5,563
|
Post by mortified on Oct 28, 2019 15:08:27 GMT
I do like it as an album in its own right but I don't think I'll get to the raving about it stage. Some of the vocals are what make many of the tracks. The "ooh's" and the "aah's" dotted around songs like the title track and Cut Me Some Slack. I love all that stuff. And they lift some of the tracks out of what might just be the mundane. But - and this is just a personal viewpoint - I think the album lacks something, although I'm genuinely not sure what. It has that Quo stamp on it, like it should. There are numerous (for want of better words) jolly and catchy tunes all the way through from start to finish. But Cut Me Some Slack apart, nothing that is going to blow me away if I hear it within a live environment. I'll repeat what my sister said (and she is a genuine fan of the album to be fair); there are bits in every single song that grab you and you say to yourself " ooh, that's good". But, for me, these are stand-out moments as opposed to complete stand-out tracks. And that might just end up being it's saviour for me in the end. When I've not played it for a while, these little moments will hit me and I suspect my appreciation will grow and take the album from the OK to the pretty damned good. Time will tell
|
|