tqontq
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 577
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Post by tqontq on Aug 10, 2018 1:35:32 GMT
Always loved the album and looking back now it has stood the test of time - like most quality records. Yes, the backing vocals are annoying and should have been left off the final product but I can't fault the songwriting and the playing. To me, although it was always about the 70-76 era, I found Supposin and NTL a breath of fresh air and felt that the band were evolving their sound nicely into the 80s without performing the same old same old. I really thought NTL was the way of the future with its production, crisper sound and generally more commercial appeal but still retaining that distinct Quo sound, drive and heaviness. It all changed drastically one year late but that's another story.
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Post by Victor on Aug 10, 2018 8:47:53 GMT
Always loved the album and looking back now it has stood the test of time - like most quality records. Yes, the backing vocals are annoying and should have been left off the final product but I can't fault the songwriting and the playing. To me, although it was always about the 70-76 era, I found Supposin and NTL a breath of fresh air and felt that the band were evolving their sound nicely into the 80s without performing the same old same old. I really thought NTL was the way of the future with its production, crisper sound and generally more commercial appeal but still retaining that distinct Quo sound, drive and heaviness. It all changed drastically one year late but that's another story. This is one of the things that I always have felt about JS and particularly NTL and I would have loved to see how it would have developed further had it gone further in the direction of NTL.
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ant
Rocker Rollin'
Quo covers & more https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfcyZng8z03-RpOhdWdawvw
Posts: 625
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Post by ant on Aug 11, 2018 8:03:04 GMT
Listened to this album on the back of this thread - I love how dense the sound is. Probably the 'thickest' sounding Quo album. I also think the transition(s) between the parts of Riverside is/are brilliant!
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Post by Mrs Flittersnoop on Aug 11, 2018 9:59:43 GMT
So I haven't listened to this album all the way through since it came out. I found it online and tried to listen all the way through. I'm almost speechless at my strong disappointment after this experience. Its such a chuggalong album, track after track after track. There's even one called, Enough is Enough. And shock horror, it also reminds me a lot of the recent CQ albums/sound such as QPQ. There's no great guitar interplay. It all sounds mechanical, let alone the drums. Was this first album with out John, or was that 1982? I think it was 1982 if he left in 81. I listened all the way through to the 1st four numbers. Absolutely loved Take Me Away because its quite heavy and a different rhythm to the other tracks. But by Falling In And Falling Out, I was listening until I remembered a track and then skipped to the next one. On reflection, and with what I know about the inner goings on with Quo, I can hear that this is mainly Francis and no great guitar play with him and Rick. I was disappointed that he sung Mountain Lady when I hoped it would be Alan. Maybe Al's voice wasn't as great as it was on the reunion tours but I'd have loved to hear him sing it. Never been a fan of the Rossi/Frost sound which dominates this album. So its a thumbs down from me except for Take Me Away. Johns last album as they were "left overs" from the Supposin' sessions... TBH they should have chosen the superior tracks and made one album out of those tracks instead of two. It was a bad time to record an album really. John wanted a break, Rick was busy with the death of Heidi, so it was pretty much down to Alan, Francis and Andy... (& Bernie), and Francis was already considering going Solo. They really should have just taken a break
Was it leftovers? that's what it always sounded like to me. I think there was an "official story" that it was two albums recorded at the same time, not a good one and whatever was left. And some people really love it, but to me it always sounded like leftovers. I never really tried to analyse why, but I think Curious Girl has thought about it here and hit some nails on the head, and yes the guitar sounds aren't the best Quo can do.
And those blooming backing vocals ... I don't get why they ever thought that was a good idea. Quo could do really good harmonies on the vocals, the BV just sound as if they are there to fill in gaps that shouldn't have been there in the first place.
A band divided among itself can either produce Rumours, or go floppy round the edges. Quo went floppy round the edges.
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Post by markquo on Aug 11, 2018 11:47:24 GMT
Great album bar SBYBIL,the last of the holy trinity of WYW/JS/NTL. Highlights for me TMA,Rossi’s best guitar work IMO,and Alan’s wonderful ML. Carol is one of the best covers they ever recorded IMO. After this none of their recordings came close,with just a handful of songs on each over the years that hinted at former glories Cheers
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Post by freewilly on Aug 11, 2018 16:01:24 GMT
Always reminds me of News Of The World by Queen. No clue why, probably because Sheer Heart Attack sounds like a song that belongs on NTL
Anyways, I like it. Nothing else to add really ha
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Post by fretbuzzzzz on Aug 11, 2018 17:28:26 GMT
Quo news/gossip didn't travel very quickly back to fans in those times. At the time I don't think there was any suggestion of leftovers with NTL and that it was a band decision to stay on in the studio and continue working. Quo fans were pretty much in the dark about such things.
Think fans were surprised by the speed of a release so soon after Just Supposin but not exactly complaining! Perhaps once it became known much later on that NTL was hastily put together that it was thought of as an album of leftovers rather than just an album of tracks that had yet to be fully completed before they got to work on them quickly in time for release?
After finishing JS they had a batch of half written tracks which Francis in particular was keen to continue working on as it made sense to stay on in the studio. In more recent years Alan has spoken more about those sessions. Alan now says he went along with things to keep Francis happy but said it did make sense to stay on. Though they were not easy times for the band in different ways and why maybe Alan and Rick were less enthusiastic than Francis to carry on in Dublin.
As it turned out the NTL album was completed in Dublin but also elsewhere. Possibly helps to explain why JS and NTL sound slightly different to each other. Alan felt that if everyone put their energy into it then it could be done. Alan has been dismissive of the album since but this had been said at a time of bad feeling still between him and Francis and clearly Francis was driving the Quo car pretty much at the time in 1980. Perhaps if Alan had been able to sing lead vocals on a track or two, as I think curious girl has talked about, then maybe Alan would be more positive about the album.
Alan did get his way after NTL and they stopped using a producer and went it alone on 1982 and with mixed results. Alan even described 1982 later on as the worst album Quo had made. I don't know about that entirely though 1982 is sonically tame compared to NTL.
Alan has said that the band decided to stop using Pip W after the WYW album, though Pip W's memory is having to go off to work on an album with the Moody Blues instead of working with Quo at the time and leaving John Eden to continue with Quo on the albums.
As for the obtrusive backing vocals, I personally think Francis and Bernie were looking at Jeff Lynne and ELO at the time for ideas as the b/vocals have an ELO style to them. They worked for ELO but not so well for Quo.
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Post by dennis on Aug 12, 2018 11:16:37 GMT
Always sounded to me like the tracks were left over, half finished from the previous album [my favourite post live album] & hastily finished off by Rossi. The songs sound under developed & the album doesn't really have a band feel to it at all. I'd rank it alongside Heat as the worst studio album '70-'81. Sadly, even worse was to follow.
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gerh
Grizzled Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 2,953
Favourite Quo Album: 'Hello' [and 'Quo Live']
Favourite other bands.: Zappa, Kansas, Rush, Deep Purple, Yes, Richard Thompson, Horslips, Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest etc etc. [ANYONE but Kiss!]
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Post by gerh on Aug 12, 2018 12:56:48 GMT
Always loved the album and looking back now it has stood the test of time - like most quality records. Yes, the backing vocals are annoying and should have been left off the final product but I can't fault the songwriting and the playing. To me, although it was always about the 70-76 era, I found Supposin and NTL a breath of fresh air and felt that the band were evolving their sound nicely into the 80s without performing the same old same old. I really thought NTL was the way of the future with its production, crisper sound and generally more commercial appeal but still retaining that distinct Quo sound, drive and heaviness. It all changed drastically one year late but that's another story. Yep, all this. Plus I always loved the cover art - not really a 'typical' Quo cover [whatever that might have been] imho.
The stand out for me across JS & NTL is 'The Wild Ones', but it's in great company with (almost) all the rest of the tracks too!
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viza
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 412
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Post by viza on Aug 15, 2018 18:38:13 GMT
I have mixed feelings about this album. This was one of the first albums that I heard and can still be very nostalgic about it.
They have totally over used harmony vocals on this record. Only on four songs (SBYBIL, TMA, Carol and EIE) there is vocal parts without harmonies. On all other songs it's 100 % (not counting the word "Tonight" in FIFO which is sung in unison).
I miss lead vocals from Rick and Alan. Rossi sometimes sounds uncommitted.
Another thing is that there is not a single guitar solo on side two.
The keyboard part is mixed too high.
Dispite all this it's an album I still listen to some times, probably of nostalgic reasons.
Best songs: Take me Away & Mountain Lady
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viza
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 412
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Post by viza on Aug 15, 2018 18:59:42 GMT
Johns last album as they were "left overs" from the Supposin' sessions... TBH they should have chosen the superior tracks and made one album out of those tracks instead of two.It was a bad time to record an album really. John wanted a break, Rick was busy with the death of Heidi, so it was pretty much down to Alan, Francis and Andy... (& Bernie), and Francis was already considering going Solo. They really should have just taken a break That would have been some album ! In that case I would have chosen What you're proposing Over the edge The wild ones Name of the Game Coming and Going Never too Late Carol Take me away Mountain Lady Don't stop me now Riverside (in no particular order) I would have choosen: What You're Supposing Don't drive my car Over the edge The wild ones (with Alan on lead vocals) Comming and going Never too late Something 'bout you baby I like Take me away (with Rick on lead vocals) Mountain lady (with Alan on lead vocals) Riverside (extended with a harmonica solo jam part by Bob Young)
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Post by MrWaistcoat on Aug 15, 2018 19:50:35 GMT
Enough Is Enough ( Rossi / Parfitt / Frost )
I don't care what you say to me I'm gonna try and kick you outta my door Ain't no use entertaining me Or paint your pretty little face for me You don't like rock, you don't like roll You don't like rock and roll no more I've had enough, I can't anymore Enough is enough, I can't stand no more Enough is enough
I don't care what you say to me I never get the message through when I call What you do is a shame to see Making plans of your own for me You don't know where, you don't know when You don't know where, or where or when Oh I don't care what you say to me I'm gonna kick you outta my door Enough is enough, and I have had it I've had enough, I can't anymore Enough is enough, I can't stand no more Enough is enough, I can't anymore Enough is enough
Oh I don't care what you say to me You're gonna be back banging round at my door What you say is all the same to me Making plans of your own for me You don't know where, you don't know when You don't know where, or where or when I've had enough, I can't anymore Enough is enough, I can't stand no more Enough is enough, I can't anymore Enough is enough, I can't stand no more Enough is enough, I can't anymore Enough is enough
Think I misunderstood the lyrics all these years - thought it was autobiographical about not liking rock n roll no more. But no, it's about a relationship
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Post by Victor on Aug 15, 2018 20:50:17 GMT
That would have been some album ! In that case I would have chosen What you're proposing Over the edge The wild ones Name of the Game Coming and Going Never too Late Carol Take me away Mountain Lady Don't stop me now Riverside (in no particular order) I would have choosen: What You're Supposing Don't drive my car Over the edge The wild ones (with Alan on lead vocals) Comming and going Never too late Something 'bout you baby I like Take me away (with Rick on lead vocals) Mountain lady (with Alan on lead vocals) Riverside (extended with a harmonica solo jam part by Bob Young) That's the beauty of the thread so fr, that different opinions can be shared in a nice way
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Post by Victor on Aug 15, 2018 21:02:53 GMT
I have been thinking for quite a while on what I wanted to write about my own thoughts and feelings about the album. The thing I have to say first is that my feeling and thoughts are probably biased. Never too late came into my life at a moment that my life was at one of th worst stages ever and NTL helped me through that time in an unbelievabe way. It really was a life saver for me. So I have a very special connection with the album, particularly with the songs Nevdr too Late and Take me away. For me at the time everything seemed right about it.
Besides the above, I always felt that Never too laye was like a "matured quo"....you had the young and wild period from 70 to 76, then the experimental period with raotw and iycsth and then the trio of WYW, JS and NTL. Yes of course, NTL was different from the classic period...but yet, the keys and the high pitched voices werent too irritating at all to me. I loved the sound of the guitars on NTL and I could spend hours and hours in thinking how it might have developed further if things had stayed the same and I loved the direction NTL was taking. Sadly enough I only recognizd a few things of it on the album after NTL in Doesn't matter, Dear John, Resurection and I should have known...
Personally I think NTL was the last album that truly wore the name Status Quo in a credible way. The guitars were right, the voices were right, not that overly to the foreground voice of later albums but more in the background like it should be. The only problem I had with NTL was Falling in Falling out, for some reason I have never been able to get into that song at all. Something about you baby I like became boring over time due to it being overplayed. But for the rest I love the album still as I always have and probably always will. Songs like Mountain Lady and Take me away are absolutely brilliant to me. Carol and Riverside belong to my all time favorites too, I think Carol si one of the best Chuck Berry Covers ever made ! Riverside is fantastic with the changes in rhythm ... Don't stop me now is another gem imo.
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Post by MrWaistcoat on Aug 15, 2018 23:22:24 GMT
Great post
Yeah I’d have been in heaven if Quo had continued with the NTL approach. They’d have tapped into a new gen of hard rock n metal fans, kept much of old and still had hit singles. Louder than ever live, they’d be as popular as AC/DC
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