Why I think these are the top 5 SQ albums.

[PsychedeliCon]

Hello Community. Gotta do my part in keeping this place going, which for me tends to mean I make my yearly thread and see where it goes.

Today I'd like to talk about what albums I believe to be Status Quo's strongest or most interesting outings, mostly because it allows me to talk about my favourite Status Quo albums.

5. Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo

This is a really odd one. For one: the audio quality of the recording is quite poor, but that's somewhat to be expected from the era. It is an album of beautiful songs, experimentation, covers, and only limited songwriting by the band itself. But most interestingly, of course, it is a first wave psychedelic rock album. The lead single "Pictures of Matchstick Men" obviously was the only song of the band to ever make the US Top 100 charts. The sound of the album was very consistent, but also really well executed. My favourite tracks on here are: "Black Veils of Melancholy", even though it is just a rehash of "Pictures of Matchstick Men", where they stuck to the same formula after the success of the latter - I just simply prefer it's main riff; "When My Mind Is Not Live", which I think showcases Parfitt's early vocals beautifully and generally is very psychedelic; "Technicolor Dreams", which the band hadn't written themselves, but is still a great psychedelic rock song, and like most other songs on the album really allows the listener to let themselves sink into the music; and finally "Paradise Flat", which has a really interesting character with the whole audio sample element, something not really seen elsewhere in the band's discography.

In reality though, this album can be listened to in any order and nothing changes. It doesn't really work as an album, it is more just a collection of good songs that could almost all be singles or B-sides (and almost all of them indeed were, or were planned to be). I don't really ever come back to this one as an album, although most of the songs are always in my playlists.

4. Heavy Traffic

This is the album the band reinvented itself with. After the very poor releases of the 80s and the "acquired taste" material of the 90s (the "Jägermeister" of rock music), it completely revolutionised the band's sound and image. From a striking cover artwork to two powerful opening songs, the album really grabs your attention from the start and manages to keep it for a long time throughout. Not only was this album the first to feature Matt Letley (who brought his own energy and input into the band), but the album also marked the return of Bob Young as a songwriting partner for Francis Rossi. And the result is a sound that still holds up today. Where the 90s and 80s albums all definitely have aged (and also marked the sound of what was in at the time), Status Quo didn't chase trends anymore by the time Heavy Traffic came out. "The Oriental" is a modern day classic, "Green" is a daring piece of work by Andy Bown with very unusual organ sounds for the band, and "Diggin' Burt Bacharach" is one of the best Rossi/Young songs of the modern era of the band. 

Generally the keyboards and organs are alot more prominent on this album than before, and Andy experiments with alot more sounds than he ever had on a single record. The album outstays its welcome a bit by the last quarter though admittedly, where we get some songs that are mostly interchangeable. It then ends quite strong again on "Rhythm of Life", another very unusual Quo song. They really had something going with this album and the singles that followed it (lets be real here: had "You'll Come Round" and "Thinking Of You" been on TPAOY, there'd actually be a reason to listen to that album... but as it was released, TPAOY is probably the most bland and unremarkable piece of music I have ever heard. Completely uninspired. Just rockin' for the sake of it). "Jam Side Down" was also great, albeit not written by the band themselves.

3. Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon

Probably the most experimental album (or close to it) that the band have ever done. This one followed the release of "Spare Parts" (a terrible album to be completely honest, although I have always had a soft spot for "Mr. Mind Detector"), and was the first album (although not the first song) to feature Status Quo's Boogie Rock formula. But it was so much more than that. 

It starts out anonymous enough with "Spinning Wheel Blues", a song that isn't bad but also doesn't really stand out as anything special. But this is quickly rectified with one of the best songs Alan Lancaster has ever written: "Daughter", a song that for all intents and purposes could be classified as Proto Metal - one of the only two Proto Metal songs Status Quo ever recorded. It was every bit as heavy as what Black Sabbath and Iron Butterfly were putting out around this time, or what Wicked Lady had written and played in the 3 years prior. 

This is then followed by "Everything" from Rossi/Parfitt, a song that can only be described as "high on drugs". Not great, not terrible. Good at what it is trying to do, but it honestly probably slows down the album a bit more than it should've.

"Shy Fly" then takes over with it's bizarre lyrics and just overall fun attitude and instrumentation. Peak Quo right there. Then we get to yet another Rossi/Young song: "April, Spring, Summer and Wednesdays". I don't really have to say a word about this one, do I? The live version Quo recorded on Beat Club had it's TV debut in the exact same episode as Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" and it absolutely did not feel out of place. A timeless Quo classic. And there concludes just the first half of the album.

We've already discussed 3 very strong songs and we're not even on Side B yet. Which starts with "Junior's Wailing", yet another classic. "Lakky Lady" has it's own atmosphere to it, and nicely fits into the flow of the album. Also featuring some really good yet subtle Organ work from Roy Lynes. And then we get to what I believe is probably the most special song on the album: "Need Your Love". With a modern production, modern Guitar and Bass FX, this would be a very heavy Metal song. The main riff is incredibly heavy in a way that is extremely unusual for Status Quo. This is their only other Proto Metal song, and often overlooked. The lyrics hold the song back a bit, since they are kept a bit too simple. The song probably also would've profited from being sung by Alan Lancaster, but either way, this puts most of the first Black Sabbath album to shame. Black Sabbath might've had the Metal sound down already, but Status Quo had the writing edge with this one. The song also features a very subtle guitar solo in the background during the entire bridge - an element that is quite easy to miss. I might just do a cover of this song to be honest.

Damn this is one long writeup already... we can skip past the "Lazy Poker Blues" (unremarkable) and get right to the final track, "Is It Really Me/Gotta Go Home", which is a great final jam and rounds off the album perfectly. It shows a more intense side to Parfitt's early singing, and absolutely excellent musicianship from the whole band. Relentlessly consistent riffing carries the song all the way through, especially by Roy Lynes on the Organ (but I am mostly just pointing this out because everyone is aware what a powerful rhythm section Parfitt/Lancaster/Coghlan were anyway).

2. Quo

Probably Alan Lancaster's absolute prime, the Quo album is an absolutely timeless classic, and with a striking artwork already grabs your attention before you've even listened to a single second of it. The double songs "Backwater/Just Take Me" already provide a very strong start to the album, but the band then follows this up with the classic "Break The Rules" (which I personally find unremarkable, but many consider it a classic, so there goes). "Drifting Away" then takes the album back into Lancaster land, in my opinion a very underrated Lancaster song. Followed by "Don't Think It Matters", the two of them together form a very solid core to the album. It is more of Alan Lancaster doing what he does best. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it'd be a lie to say that this is not a solid song. And it has a really interesting bridge. "Fine Fine Fine" then comes and takes the album in a different direction. Feeling almost out of place between all the Lancaster songs, this one grounds the album nicely. It passes in no time and introduces a different guitar sound to the previous songs - one that results in "Lonely Man" feeling less abrupt with it's calm and clean guitars. A great song in it's own right, that would've felt completely out of place after "Don't Think It Matters" otherwise.

And now we get to one of the very best Status Quo songs of all time. "Slow Train". Holy moly. This one's timeless, should've been part of the setlist for decades, and I can't forgive the Frantic Four reunion for not properly including it when they had the chance. Everything about this song is brilliant. I don't even wanna attempt putting it into more specific words. And to be completely honest, nothing after this song could rival it on the album. Hence why I don't understand the inclusion of "Lonely Night" as a bonus track on the reissue. "Lonely Night" should've either come before it or been left out completely. It is not a bad song, but it never had a chance after "Slow Train". I suppose the idea was that it would bring down the energy at the end of the album, since the listener would be amped up after "Slow Train". But I personally think that this was a mistake.

Quo is THE album for the Alan Lancaster purists, although "Slow Train" casually steals the show at the end. The album is almost mirrored in it's track listing - it starts with two connected songs that make for an almost 8-minute nonstop listening experience, and ends on one. The middle is made up of more Alan Lancaster songs, and sandwiched in between on both sides are Francis Rossi's contributions, with the only outlier being "Lonely Man". If it weren't for "Blue For You", I'd say this was the very best Status Quo album to listen to...

1. Blue for You

...but Blue For You exists and for me, it easily takes the cake. The original version of the album is already very strong, but then we get to the deluxe edition with its bonus tracks and the whole thing becomes even better. The album starts with a classic Alan Lancaster song: "Is There A Better Way". This one probably should've been on "Quo", but it still works here as well. It is sufficient as an album opener, but leaves room for improvement later on on the album. We then get to "Mad About The Boy", a mostly unremarkable but high energy Francis Rossi song. This creates a false sense of "alright, we've already reached peak energy", as is often the case by the 2nd song on many albums. But Status Quo brilliantly subvert this with "Ring of a Change", arguably the speed-fueled most high octane song the band has ever put out, save only potentially for "Paper Plane". "Ring of a Change" features what feels like no fewer than 3 intros, brilliant verses, and an energy level that there was no way the band could've kept up for longer on this album (continuously, that is). Calming things down with "Blue For You" was really the only way to go. It adds more contrast to "Ring of a Change", while being a pretty little song in it's own right. It is nothing remarkable, but it serves it's purpose on the album perfectly.

After this first third of the album, we now get to "Rain". An absolute classic, this would already be a pretty strong Rick Parfitt contribution to the album all by itself. How could he outdo this? But we all know that he does...! I am not saying that "Rain" is brilliant, but it's as classic of a Frantic Four song as it could ever be. Right up there with "Roll Over Lay Down" and "Whatever You Want" and other SQ top songs from the 70s.

We then get a bit of harmonica on "Rolling Home", a song that takes the tempo up a notch again. A solid vocal from Alan Lancaster guides this song all the way through. This song is one of the rare occasions where Alan and Francis partnered up to write a song. And the result is something that would be a great standout on an album like Never Too Late. The fact that a song like this can be considered bang average on this album just speaks to how good this album is. "Rolling Home" is then followed by another brilliant standout song: "That's a Fact". Easily one of the very best Status Quo songs ever written, especially with that unconventional Reggae bridge. The band experiments alot on this, and the result is a supremely creative song that catches the listener off-guard multiple times throughout. Any classic SQ fan would by now already be satisfied with what this album had to offer by this point, but we're not even at the end yet, especially not of the deluxe edition. Next up, we get to "Ease Your Mind", a lackluster filler track that had the undesirable role of separating two of the very best songs SQ have ever written. Can I fault "Ease Your Mind"? It's formulaic, and in a hopeless spot. It works for the role it has, and it passes quick enough to not outstay it's welcome. Nobody comes to this album for "Ease Your Mind", but to get to it's final peak, the album needs to build your anticipation first. Are you ready now? Yes you are. It is time for "Mystery Song". Not the shortened single version that cuts off the amazing intro and outro, but the full drug-fueled overnight-written masterpiece that is Rick Parfitt's magnum opus. "Mystery Song" is perfect. Extremely high energy in the middle, relaxed in the outro, hauntingly beautiful during the intro.

After "Mystery Song", anything else is unnecessary really. "You Lost The Love" is not a bad song, but what purpose does it have anymore? It is not part of the prior album flow. Like "Lonely Night" does on Quo as a bonus track, this just brings down the energy in a way that were it not for the songs that follow it, would be completely pointless. For all intents and purposes, the album is complete after "Mystery Song". But the deluxe edition gives you two more after "You Lost The Love" - two that are well worth listening to (when skipping single versions and so on, to go for a proper album flow). And those two are "Wild Side of Life" and "All Through The Night". A powerful ending to the deluxe edition, and two more that mean that this version of this album is, to me, the best thing Status Quo have ever put out.

This is the best Quo album ever. And with songs like "Ring of a Change", That's a Fact", and "Mystery Song", how could it be anything else?

Honorable Mentions:

Piledriver, a very solid album. Standouts: "Oh Baby", "A Year", "Paper Plane"

Dog of Two Head, an experimental concept album. Standouts: "Umleitung", "Nanana", "Someone's Learning", "Gerdundula" (obviously)

In Search of the Fourth Chord, the album that should've come after Heavy Traffic

Quid Pro Quo, easily the heaviest album SQ have put out in the modern era, with some brilliang guitar work and songwriting from Francis Rossi. Standouts: "Dust to Gold", "Frozen Hero"

Status Quo Live!, the classic 1977 live album with the ultimate version of Forty Five Hundred Times on it, and great renditions of "Most of the Time" and "Roadhouse Blues" as well

Some might also include "On The Level", and more casual fans would probably also include "RAOTW". It also feels almost criminal to leave "Hello!" out of the list, but that is only testament to just how good SQ actually were in the 70s. Ultimately this band has put out far more good albums than bad albums. From 1980 to 1996, nothing great has really been released. "Rock 'til You Drop" comes closest to being considered a "classic album" and represents the Jeff Rich era of Status Quo quite well, and "Never Too Late" is generally regarded to be the most underrated 80s album, but apart from those two, this era featured more unremarkable music than innovation. 1999's "Under The Influence" is a weird inbetween album. It is far better than the previous works of the 80s and 90s, but still in terms of sound and writing occupies that acquired taste space of the entire Jeff Rich era. Definitely the most mature album of the era, but not quite on Heavy Traffic's level.

Backbone is also a very solid album but should've had more guitar solos and a less conservative production. I hope they do another one, especially since the compositions of Richie Malone and Leon Cave were so good. Those songs feel more like Quo than anything that came out in the 80s.

All of these are just opinions. You're welcome to disagree or correct me on details I might've gotten wrong, and to provide your own top 5 if you so please. I'd be curious to read which albums you consider to be the best or most interesting 5.

Cheers.

[frozenhero]

Well, welcome back I guess! I enjoyed reading that - there are things I disagree with (quite a bit, actually), but somehow I think that's not really important. The important thing is that we all like Quo here

[mortified]

Well reasoned throughout 👍 Even if I disagree with large parts of it

Everyone hates the ....Party album. I love it. Have done since I first heard it. Reasons? Don't have any. Just do. It has always fitted squarely with my ever changing tastes. I love the production, I love the variety and it's almost just the right length. Maybe two tracks too many but that's way less than most albums since 1991. 

I can see why one or two albums make up the list. Ma Kelly and Heavy Traffic are obvious because they are effectively lines in the sand. As a few albums have been throughout the band's career. But age plays it's part in any list like this. The experience of hearing an album when it was actually released as opposed to in retrospect. The era in which it was consumed, the age at which it was first heard (and against the competition) is paramount to those of us who were there. Of course, not everyone can be afforded that 'luxury' and I appreciate that the listening experience is different when looking back like this. I've done it often enough myself with other bands; The Rolling Stones being a perfect example. I never really cottoned on to them until the mid-90's. 

There is no doubt in my mind that the run of albums from Dog Of Two Head to Blue For You is unrivalled. I know that's 6 but it's hard to separate them. If I was held at gunpoint to knock them down to 5, I'd probably leave out On The Level but maybe only on the basis that it has a so-so version of Bye Bye Johnny on it. Otherwise it's as pristine as the rest. No.1 is easy for me. It's Hello!. All day long. And that has never changed since September 1973. 

But those watershed albums that I mentioned are also important. Rockin', In The Army Now, Heavy Traffic and now Backbone all signify either a slight shift in musical direction or a major change in personnel. 

I always find the perception of the Quo album interesting. Even Francis seems to fall into that retrospective trap that this was somehow Quo's proper 'rock' album. Maybe it felt like that for him at the time. But with only 8 tracks which included Break The Rules, Fine Fine Fine and Lonely Man, there is still as much variety on there as any other album. More so than, say, Quid Pro Quo for example. And as much as it's perceived to be Alan in his prime (arguable in my book), the zenith of the album, Slow Train, is a Rossi/Young composition.

The psychedelic era I have always pretty much dismissed. I don't particularly like the music from that time; not that style anyway. But that's not to say it doesn't have a validity. It's just not to my tastes. And I suppose that's a case in point. We can all be as analytical as we like but it all boils down to personal taste. As you succinctly point out, personal opinion. 

Because of the sheer length of the band's career, an exercise like this, for me, is always worth doing. And quite enjoyable for the long term fan. It can be a fluid thing, though, depending on what you're listening to at the time. Albums that haven't been heard in full for years or even decades can end up at the front of your thinking and given a fresh appraisal. 

The bottom line is, Quo have survived because of the variety of their music, not in spite of it. However, there's very little experimentation along the way. Almost no flirting with more modern genres. The occasional nod to other styles like Accident Prone or the multi-layered production with something like Ain't Complaining. Maybe a nod to 80's metal with No Contract. But these episodes are few and far between. No delving into dance/trance or hip-hop for example. Some of Quo's music is tailor made for sampling or interpreting, as Purple Haze and Scorpio Rising proved. 

I wish there had been more of that. But it's Quo. Way too uncool to be seen to be given any credit for faux-modernity