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Post by craydarr on Oct 26, 2021 14:46:04 GMT
I actually think it’s one of the best albums they’ve done.
In fact I would say it’s their 3rd best, behind Perfect Remedy and Famous In The Last Century. 🙂
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mortified
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Post by mortified on Oct 27, 2021 7:04:11 GMT
I actually think it’s one of the best albums they’ve done. In fact I would say it’s their 3rd best, behind Perfect Remedy and Famous In The Last Century. 🙂 You wee rascal you
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Post by Isaac Ryan on May 4, 2022 14:46:44 GMT
Popped it on in the car on my journey to work yesterday, still enjoying it
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Post by mortified on May 5, 2022 6:17:18 GMT
I have to admit, I haven't played it in ages.
Even after the recent gig, I didn't go back to it.
If the intention was a collection of relatively short, catchy, songs I think they probably achieved their goal.
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Post by craydarr on May 5, 2022 11:50:02 GMT
Popped it on in the car on my journey to work yesterday, still enjoying it I agree with you, I still pop it in the car from time to time and listen to it. I think it’s a good album.
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Post by noproblems on Sept 4, 2022 18:56:47 GMT
My second impressions nearly a year on. Still very samey - chug, chug, chug. I suppose it's what Quo are famous for, but I still think that without Rick it lacks variation - something a little different - other than Liberty Lane (which doesn't sound like an Edwards song, but is) and Waiting for a Woman (which sounds like an Edwards song, but isn't). I can listen to it a few times, but then I get bored with it. It's not an awful album by any means, but for me it's not up there with Quid Pro Quo or Just Supposin'. They've now done an album without the Late Great Rick just to prove a point. So what's next? Another album is the obvious answer - but just to reinforce the same point? Another two years on, so I thought I'd give it another airing. Same opinion as above - it's a typical Quo album.
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Post by craydarr on Sept 5, 2022 6:12:37 GMT
My second impressions nearly a year on. Still very samey - chug, chug, chug. I suppose it's what Quo are famous for, but I still think that without Rick it lacks variation - something a little different - other than Liberty Lane (which doesn't sound like an Edwards song, but is) and Waiting for a Woman (which sounds like an Edwards song, but isn't). I can listen to it a few times, but then I get bored with it. It's not an awful album by any means, but for me it's not up there with Quid Pro Quo or Just Supposin'. They've now done an album without the Late Great Rick just to prove a point. So what's next? Another album is the obvious answer - but just to reinforce the same point? Another two years on, so I thought I'd give it another airing. Same opinion as above - it's a typical Quo album. I appreciate your opinion and you are entitled to it, but I totally disagree with the Rick thing. To me Rick created the more Quo type stuff more than anyone. Yes I know he did thinks like Shine On, For You and Little White Lies but the vast majority of his stuff was straight ahead Quo rock tunes. Either that or he didn’t really put that many songs forward. I miss his voice and his presence on stage and in general on promo etc. He was a vital part of the Quo sound l, but time moves on. I still like BB and I think it’s equally as good as QPQ, I do think that if QPQ was cut back and had less tracks on it, it would have been a great album. Hey ho, it’s all opinions 🙂
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Post by johns on Sept 6, 2022 15:40:46 GMT
I listened to Backbone the other day and to me it is right up there with the best of Quo. If I was on another planet and didn't know Rick had died I wouldn't know its any different to when he was in the band. Have to say I disagree with the whole Rick was the straight ahead rocker he's made out to be. Sure he gave us many a fine rocker but he gave us stuff like - Mystery Island (dreadful) All That Money (not great) Leave A Little Light On (very lightweight) Hold Me Etc
Also in later years I found a lot of his stuff to be very much Quo by numbers. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing.
Can't agree with NoProblem's summation that Backbone is samey. I think there is a lot of variation in there. However it's down to personal opinion at the end of the day.
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Post by mortified on Sept 12, 2022 13:29:09 GMT
I actually find it a less than typical Quo album. Which is maybe why I struggle with it more than other albums from the past 20 odd years.
Every song is catchy. Immediately accessible. Francis would say that was a very good thing and that he/they achieved their goal. If so, I tend to agree.
But I find the absence of musical interludes and tempo changes a little tedious. There's nothing to maintain my interest after a minute or so of any song. There are precious few musical intros, outros or solos. The one track that took me down a route I wasn't expecting, although only very briefly, is Falling Off the World. The change of tempo in that one grabbed my attention immediately. But it's a rare event.
The album is half decent enough. But there are no highlights or stand-outs the same as there are no particular skip tracks. Even Crazy Crazy is a welcome break from the incessant sing-along nature of the arrangements.
For me, there is a much greater variety of styles on virtually every album they've released since 1999 compared to Backbone.
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Post by frozenhero on Sept 14, 2022 21:24:09 GMT
I listened to Under the Influence again yesterday and then it hit me - that album really is the blueprint for everything they did afterwards in terms of new material. It really set the tone.
Except Backbone. That album seems to cut things down back to basics, and in that regard, it reminds me of albums like Hello! or Blue for You. No, it doesn't have the epic moments of those albums. But if you take the simpler tracks from the FF albums, you can easily come up with an equivalent of Backbone. There's also an oblique connection to Thirsty Work, I guess, in tracks like the opener or "Backing Off" (which makes sense since that was the only album of new Quo material on which Rick was not contributing as a writer at all), but not that it really bothers me.
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Post by mortified on Sept 15, 2022 5:17:54 GMT
I listened to Under the Influence again yesterday and then it hit me - that album really is the blueprint for everything they did afterwards in terms of new material. It really set the tone. Except Backbone. That album seems to cut things down back to basics, and in that regard, it reminds me of albums like Hello! or Blue for You. No, it doesn't have the epic moments of those albums. But if you take the simpler tracks from the FF albums, you can easily come up with an equivalent of Backbone. There's also an oblique connection to Thirsty Work, I guess, in tracks like the opener or "Backing Off" (which makes sense since that was the only album of new Quo material on which Rick was not contributing as a writer at all), but not that it really bothers me. I had to read that at least 3 times to make sure I read it correctly! I personally don't see the similarity in either the writing or in the arrangements. Certainly not in the production or the overall style. But I do agree that Under The Influence set the blueprint - the benchmark - for everything that came after. It was the turning point. Or at least the start of the turning point. And it demonstrates the weird loyalty of Quo fans. For the previous 15 years, there had been only one album that most had agreed was really any good. Under The Influence wasn't perfect by any means but it showed there was still some life in them. Once we'd all parked Famous In The Last Century, things improved dramatically and quickly
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Post by craydarr on Sept 17, 2022 10:19:13 GMT
I listened to Under the Influence again yesterday and then it hit me - that album really is the blueprint for everything they did afterwards in terms of new material. It really set the tone. Except Backbone. That album seems to cut things down back to basics, and in that regard, it reminds me of albums like Hello! or Blue for You. No, it doesn't have the epic moments of those albums. But if you take the simpler tracks from the FF albums, you can easily come up with an equivalent of Backbone. There's also an oblique connection to Thirsty Work, I guess, in tracks like the opener or "Backing Off" (which makes sense since that was the only album of new Quo material on which Rick was not contributing as a writer at all), but not that it really bothers me. I had to read that at least 3 times to make sure I read it correctly! I personally don't see the similarity in either the writing or in the arrangements. Certainly not in the production or the overall style. But I do agree that Under The Influence set the blueprint - the benchmark - for everything that came after. It was the turning point. Or at least the start of the turning point. And it demonstrates the weird loyalty of Quo fans. For the previous 15 years, there had been only one album that most had agreed was really any good. Under The Influence wasn't perfect by any means but it showed there was still some life in them. Once we'd all parked Famous In The Last Century, things improved dramatically and quickly I totally agree with you about the post Influence years, there’s been some great stuff in there, things I still listen to regularly. Influence isn’t an album I listen to that often, but I really like the first 6 or 7 songs, and it also contains one of Ricks greatest songs, Little White Lies. I love it 🙂
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Post by craydarr on Dec 30, 2023 19:18:01 GMT
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Post by frozenhero on Dec 30, 2023 21:59:02 GMT
Was it the Down Down live albums, I can’t remember?? Those came out a year before Backbone. The only thing we've really seen from Quo since were the Quoin' In compilation, "It's Christmas Time" reissue single and now the new live archive series. I think that they might have been considering a live album from the Backbone tour but then that was thrown out by the pandemic and when they finally came back in 2022, it was only four new songs instead of five and two of them fell out of the setlist quickly. Interesting how we haven't gotten any official live recordings post 2017 ( Down Down & Dignified was recorded on July 1, Down Down & Dirty on August 3), i.e. after Richie was allowed to sing more in concert.
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Post by mortified on Dec 31, 2023 8:28:59 GMT
I don't see a Quo album of new material coming out again. Although I hope I'm wrong. Live releases are easy and I suspect we might get one or two more before they finish up for good. Excluding the archive series, I mean.
Francis is touring his Tunes and Chat thing and enjoying it immensely. And it's successful. And he's dabbling in quite a few UK TV programmes. He's pretty much moved away from the band, although I appreciate there will be gigs in 2024. But a new album seems highly unlikely.
Personally, I'm waiting with enthusiasm for Rhino's new (and last) album in March. For me, he's been recording the best stuff for years now. And a lot of it just isn't suitable for Quo. Or not the Quo that 'they' want to project.
Backbone, I think, was it.
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Post by frozenhero on Dec 31, 2023 9:45:19 GMT
We thought it "was it" before Quo started playing two new tunes in 2019, didn't we? Francis seemed happy with the album he did with Hannah Rickard and said he wanted to do another with her (whatever happened to that?).
I get the feeling that he likes to surprise people, it's almost zigzagging when you look at him darting back and forth between solo and Quo projects in recent years.
Though what I said about Quo not releasing any live shows from 2018 onwards applies to his Tunes & Chat thing as well - why not record some of those and put it out as a live recording? For all the talk of releases being needed to maintain the flow of income, there seems to be a lack of "standard" releasesof new things.
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Post by craydarr on Dec 31, 2023 10:18:21 GMT
It’s an interesting one really as Fran says about his reluctance to release any new Quo material due to the lack of revenue it creates, but he is happy for live albums to be released and also the tunes and chat mini album.
The Mini album is out on Spotify for streaming, unless they are banking on it creating interest in the live show?
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Post by frozenhero on Jan 1, 2024 9:13:41 GMT
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Post by mortified on Jan 2, 2024 7:06:32 GMT
That CD was given away at the meet & greet before the Tunes and Chat show. I dare say it will end up on streaming services but, for the moment, it's sort of considered an 'exclusive' for those who attended the gig. That never lasts It is all speculation, of course, and Francis does like to keep things close to his chest. So there may well be a new album somewhere along the line. I'm pretty sure a live offering will pitch up at some point but, personally, I think it's good to have a rest from these because there were so many between 2008 and 2018 that they often seemed endless - and repetitive. Especially the Live Here Now releases. Incidentally, before the Tunes and Chat gig and also during the interval, playing in the background were his solo albums ( One Step At A Time and We Talk Too Much) despite the fact that all of the songs he played were Quo songs. Hoping for the best of both worlds
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Post by frozenhero on Jan 2, 2024 21:38:13 GMT
I think it's good to have a rest from these because there were so many between 2008 and 2018 that they often seemed endless - and repetitive. Especially the Live Here Now releases. ...which is exactly why I'd like to have some of the oddities of recent years represented as some kind of official live version. There has been quite a bit that hasn't been released on a live album, or only very sparely: - O Baby (2014/2015) - Lies (Aquostic II tour, 2017 - cut out of the Down Down & Dignified release) - Don't Drive My Car ("Plugged In" with Andy on lead, 2017) - Backwater (with Rhino on lead, 2018/2019) - Little Lady (with Richie on lead, 2018/2019/2022) - Mystery Song (with Richie on lead, 2018/2022) - Big Fat Mama (with Richie on lead, 2018) - Cut Me Some Slack (2019/2022) - Liberty Lane (2019/2022) - Backing Off (2022) - Get Out Of My Head (2022) - Rock 'n' Roll 'n' You (2022) - Twenty Wild Horses (2022)
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Post by mortified on Jan 3, 2024 7:58:21 GMT
I didn't know they'd played Get Out Of My Head. I only saw two gigs in 2022 and they didn't play it at either. Interesting
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Post by frozenhero on Jan 4, 2024 0:06:58 GMT
Yeah, it was gone after three weeks. But it sounded great, despite a couple of "canned" elements. This is the only complete recording I could find.
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Post by mortified on Jan 4, 2024 6:58:12 GMT
That's very good. Wish they'd kept it in. It's not my favourite track from the album but it seems to work better live than Cut Me Some Slack for some reason. For me anyway.
👍
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Post by craydarr on Jan 4, 2024 12:22:14 GMT
Yeah, it was gone after three weeks. But it sounded great, despite a couple of "canned" elements. This is the only complete recording I could find. Yeh I saw this in Oxford and it was great to hear it, it’s not my favourite from the album but it was good to hear something different.
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Post by craydarr on Jan 4, 2024 16:07:46 GMT
Yeah, it was gone after three weeks. But it sounded great, despite a couple of "canned" elements. This is the only complete recording I could find. Yeh I saw this in Oxford and it was great to hear it, it’s not my favourite from the album but it was good to hear something different. I just listened to that through an external speaker and it sounds great. The thing I like about the clip is the very young guys at the front really into it. That’s the thing about that tour they did at the beginning of 22, there seemed to be more younger guys there, Richie commented on it on the socials and I definitely noticed it at Oxford. Whether it was because it was a slightly more regional tour in smaller places, or perhaps because it was post covid?
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