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Post by blagult on Feb 2, 2020 21:21:19 GMT
I could do 2 reviews here. Let’s start with the 17 year old running upstairs new album in hand on to the turntable then....What’s this ?? What has happened. Are my speakers connected properly. Such a massive disappointment were my thoughts. Quo turn there backs on everything they stood for. I was expecting a barnstormer, after all Punk was out there, Energetic and loud. For weeks running up to the release I thought Quo’ll show em....What did we get...A damp Squib..loads of ammunition for the Muso press who had drifted to punk to take the piss even more out of Quo. Even bands releasing Quo Mock singles. All in the space of a year. The all conquering band of 1976 to nil respect apart from their loyal fans. 2nd review as of today. In my mellow advancing years I like it more than dislike it. But even the remix can’t turn it into a OTL or BFY. Anyway Punk died a death a long time ago and Quo survived. What do we know 😂 Before the album came out...what did you make of the single? Didn’t dislike the Single to be honest. It was the brand new Quo Single for the pop charts. Back then it was fresh and I loved the vid. And came in a pic sleeve as well. Brilliant ! So still built myself up for a great album. We had WSOL already so the sound on RAOTW was not a shock. At least not as much of a shock as the full album sounding totally lightweight.
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Post by MrWaistcoat on Feb 2, 2020 22:40:35 GMT
Before the album came out...what did you make of the single? Didn’t dislike the Single to be honest. It was the brand new Quo Single for the pop charts. Back then it was fresh and I loved the vid. And came in a pic sleeve as well. Brilliant ! So still built myself up for a great album. We had WSOL already so the sound on RAOTW was not a shock. At least not as much of a shock as the full album sounding totally lightweight. Cheers Suspect it lost them a fair few fans, I know Rick said they had hundreds of letters from fans complaining about the sound
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Post by curiousgirl on Feb 2, 2020 23:10:55 GMT
Just gave the John Eden remix a spin tonight, on the last leg of 3 hours on the road. Great antidote to tiredness.
Starts brilliantly with Hold You Back. I've always enjoyed Baby Boy. Listening to it tonight though, I thought that its very much a pop song and animed at the pop music market.
Rockers Rollin', I realised is a brilliant evocation of what its like to be endlessly touring. Remembering Francis' account of this from his book which I read in Dec. The slow bits conjure up the exhuastion between gigs and then they're off again, bounce, bounce, bounce, another gig.
I was enjoying it until CGYM which felt like an old chugger. A bit like some of the filler tracks off later albums. Also not that fussed over Lets Ride, Too Far Gone and You Don't Own Me.
Always loved For You which harks back to their early days. And Hard Time. Those opening bars make me feel like they're waving goodbye at the end of the album.
Really enjoyed hearing it again. Especially as I know it so well and that helps when you're really tired.
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Rossi's septum
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 100
Favourite Quo Album: On The Level
Favourite other bands.: Van Halen, ZZ Top, Tom Petty, Motörhead, Warren Zevon, Loudon Wainwright III
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Post by Rossi's septum on Feb 3, 2020 0:21:54 GMT
It was the first Quo album I bought (not when it came out but some years later). Therefore it is special for me. I like most of the songs: Hard Time (I like the intro), Hold You Back (!), Dirty Water , Rockers Rollin' (!!!) and Who Am I. But I also love For You. It has a lovely little solo in it and Rick's singing is beautiful (back when his voice was still good). The remix was a big step forward soundwise but some of the tracks were too empty. In the remix John Eden took away some of the little guitar bitts that I liked in the original. Rockers Rollin'come to mind. In the original it has all these little extra guitar bitts that are not there anymore in the remix. I wish John Eden would have let them in and just had given the song more 'Oomph' instead of taking all these extra's away.
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Dark
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 339
Favourite Quo Album: Quo
Favourite other bands.: Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Huey Lewis,
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Post by Dark on Feb 3, 2020 16:20:00 GMT
I’ve never disliked ROATW, even the original mix, but I did first get it 1991 when I already owned the recent Rockin’ All Over the Years best of, as well as Back to Back. So obviously the change in direction from Blue For You didn’t have any effect on me, as I was well used to the pop/commercial leanings of the band.
These days I definitely do prefer the John Eden remix, was really excited to get that when it came out, and it didn’t disappoint. From this, though I do like the additional guitar, at the end of Hold You Back, I still prefer live versions of the song and think the studio version is a bit tame.
As for Baby Boy, always thought it was a great song, love the groove and the drumming is excellent, lyrics have never really bothered me.
Rockers Rollin’ is really improved by the remix and is a great stomping song, the outro is a real tour de force, some great guitar playing both the lead by Rossi but also the sold rhythm from Rick, a real highlight.
Who Am I, a nice melodic tune, not a huge favourite of mine that I will play often, but when it does come on I do think it is a good tune.
The title track is a good song, obviously a bit overplayed these days.
I like Dirty Water, but to be honest my favourite version of the song is from the NEC ’89 gig that was the b-side to the Anniversary Waltz part 2. Like, Hold You Back, I don’t think the studio version is as good as the live.
I think there is maybe a decent song hidden in Can’t Give You More somewhere, but they didn’t capture it here, and I don’t think they got it on the 1991 re-recording either. Something doesn’t quite work for me, pretty much skip this one every time it comes on.
Let’s Ride is a very solid rocker, probably doesn’t quite hit the heights of material on the albums that preceded this one, but it is a good work out.
For You, another very nice melodic tune with great singing from Rick and the remix really brings out the bass line which is great.
Too Far Gone, a solid tune, rocks out nicely, doesn’t hit the heights of the material they were releasing pre 1977, but still good I think.
You Don’t Own Me, love the stomping beat on this one, a real highlight for me.
Hard Times, this is the only song on the album where I prefer the original mix, I just find the horn section quite off putting. Decent song otherwise.
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Post by MrWaistcoat on Feb 3, 2020 21:46:01 GMT
Agree totally with Dark about CGYM
There was lots of love for it on the old message board that I never quite got. The stomping RTYD remix, complete with keyboard embarrassment, was as good an example as any of the new Quo's flaws
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Post by fretbuzzzzz on Feb 4, 2020 10:44:12 GMT
At the time all in the band were on-board with bringing Pip W in as Producer and John E in as the Engineer. I gather the band were especially impressed with their earlier work with Graham Bonnet.
Perhaps they also felt that some fresh ideas would be a good way of keeping things from becoming stale and the band moving forward.
Bohus Studios were not their first or possibly second choice of Studios but they ended up there.
I bought the album when released. Had been listening to the Live Glasgow album relentlessly before this and could hear straight away that they were throwing everything at Rockin' in the studio, all the bells and whistles, attempting to make a more mature and cleaner rock album. With mixed results in the end of course as ultimately Rockin' sounded a bit too busy and cluttered compared to previous albums. Some of the musical ideas on Rockin' were still a surprise though and worked well for me.
For anyone who hasn't yet seen John Eden's YouTube channel 'John Eden -Producer' I would recommend taking a look as he not only covers the re-mixing process of each track but also takes us through the moment when he received the boxes of the original tapes, that were found in Rossi's manor by Bob Young, then covers the painstaking business of assessing the condition of the tapes and using various techniques to ensure their integrity before starting the actual re-mix.
I think John succeeded in de-cluttering and making the tracks sound more robust and with space to breathe with his re-mix. You get a sense now with how the band were working together in much the same way as previous albums and a sense of the studio walls still shaking when Quo were recording at full tilt. Then relating that to how those elements were somehow lost in the over dub stages and original mixing process.
Notably Alan's tracks came out much better with the re-mix for me and can appreciate his musical ideas more now. 'Can't Give You More' is perhaps the least ground breaking but I still get off on hearing the outro of that track (turned up to '11'!), much like the outro to 'Carol' from NTL...very Quo!
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Post by Gaz on Feb 4, 2020 12:03:42 GMT
At the time all in the band were on-board with bringing Pip W in as Producer and John E in as the Engineer. I gather the band were especially impressed with their earlier work with Graham Bonnet. Perhaps they also felt that some fresh ideas would be a good way of keeping things from becoming stale and the band moving forward. Bohus Studios were not their first or possibly second choice of Studios but they ended up there. I bought the album when released. Had been listening to the Live Glasgow album relentlessly before this and could hear straight away that they were throwing everything at Rockin' in the studio, all the bells and whistles, attempting to make a more mature and cleaner rock album. With mixed results in the end of course as ultimately Rockin' sounded a bit too busy and cluttered compared to previous albums. Some of the musical ideas on Rockin' were still a surprise though and worked well for me. For anyone who hasn't yet seen John Eden's YouTube channel 'John Eden -Producer' I would recommend taking a look as he not only covers the re-mixing process of each track but also takes us through the moment when he received the boxes of the original tapes, that were found in Rossi's manor by Bob Young, then covers the painstaking business of assessing the condition of the tapes and using various techniques to ensure their integrity before starting the actual re-mix. I think John succeeded in de-cluttering and making the tracks sound more robust and with space to breathe with his re-mix. You get a sense now with how the band were working together in much the same way as previous albums and a sense of the studio walls still shaking when Quo were recording at full tilt. Then relating that to how those elements were somehow lost in the over dub stages and original mixing process. Notably Alan's tracks came out much better with the re-mix for me and can appreciate his musical ideas more now. 'Can't Give You More' is perhaps the least ground breaking but I still get off on hearing the outro of that track (turned up to '11'!), much like the outro to 'Carol' from NTL...very Quo! Well, what a great post this is and totally with you especially re: the outro of Can’t give you more... what a blast it is with JC absolutely revelling in it... I just have to replay that song whenever I hear it on the remix album. Going back to ‘78 when the album was recorded, I simply don’t understand, with John Eden, Pip, the band etc upon listening to the vinyl album to be released .... my simple question still remains.... why didn’t they say this sounds absolutely shithouse...why the fuck did they go ahead and release it knowing full well it sounded so tinny and unlike any of the previous albums that had balls? Yes it had 12 songs which contributed to the thinness so why didn’t they prune it back to give it oomph. As George Young, elder brother to Angus and Malcolm Young, said to them... boys once you’ve got your ‘sound’ never change it....Quo did.
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Post by Quoincidence on Feb 4, 2020 15:54:44 GMT
At the time all in the band were on-board with bringing Pip W in as Producer and John E in as the Engineer. I gather the band were especially impressed with their earlier work with Graham Bonnet. Perhaps they also felt that some fresh ideas would be a good way of keeping things from becoming stale and the band moving forward. Bohus Studios were not their first or possibly second choice of Studios but they ended up there. I bought the album when released. Had been listening to the Live Glasgow album relentlessly before this and could hear straight away that they were throwing everything at Rockin' in the studio, all the bells and whistles, attempting to make a more mature and cleaner rock album. With mixed results in the end of course as ultimately Rockin' sounded a bit too busy and cluttered compared to previous albums. Some of the musical ideas on Rockin' were still a surprise though and worked well for me. For anyone who hasn't yet seen John Eden's YouTube channel 'John Eden -Producer' I would recommend taking a look as he not only covers the re-mixing process of each track but also takes us through the moment when he received the boxes of the original tapes, that were found in Rossi's manor by Bob Young, then covers the painstaking business of assessing the condition of the tapes and using various techniques to ensure their integrity before starting the actual re-mix. I think John succeeded in de-cluttering and making the tracks sound more robust and with space to breathe with his re-mix. You get a sense now with how the band were working together in much the same way as previous albums and a sense of the studio walls still shaking when Quo were recording at full tilt. Then relating that to how those elements were somehow lost in the over dub stages and original mixing process. Notably Alan's tracks came out much better with the re-mix for me and can appreciate his musical ideas more now. 'Can't Give You More' is perhaps the least ground breaking but I still get off on hearing the outro of that track (turned up to '11'!), much like the outro to 'Carol' from NTL...very Quo! Well, what a great post this is and totally with you especially re: the outro of Can’t give you more... what a blast it is with JC absolutely revelling in it... I just have to replay that song whenever I hear it on the remix album. Going back to ‘78 when the album was recorded, I simply don’t understand, with John Eden, Pip, the band etc upon listening to the vinyl album to be released .... my simple question still remains.... why didn’t they say this sounds absolutely shithouse...why the fuck did they go ahead and release it knowing full well it sounded so tinny and unlike any of the previous albums that had balls? Yes it had 12 songs which contributed to the thinness so why didn’t they prune it back to give it oomph. As George Young, elder brother to Angus and Malcolm Young, said to them... boys once you’ve got your ‘sound’ never change it....Quo did. Bands at the time were putting more and more songs onto albums, so other artists had to compete against one another... like in the 80s when artists were competing against Michael Jackson to try and have the most hit singles from 1 album. Frequencies had to be trimmed in order to fit more tracks on, which the record company will have pushed for - regardless of what the band thought.
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Post by paradiseflats on Feb 4, 2020 16:38:56 GMT
Well, what a great post this is and totally with you especially re: the outro of Can’t give you more... what a blast it is with JC absolutely revelling in it... I just have to replay that song whenever I hear it on the remix album. Going back to ‘78 when the album was recorded, I simply don’t understand, with John Eden, Pip, the band etc upon listening to the vinyl album to be released .... my simple question still remains.... why didn’t they say this sounds absolutely shithouse...why the fuck did they go ahead and release it knowing full well it sounded so tinny and unlike any of the previous albums that had balls? Yes it had 12 songs which contributed to the thinness so why didn’t they prune it back to give it oomph. As George Young, elder brother to Angus and Malcolm Young, said to them... boys once you’ve got your ‘sound’ never change it....Quo did. Bands at the time were putting more and more songs onto albums, so other artists had to compete against one another... like in the 80s when artists were competing against Michael Jackson to try and have the most hit singles from 1 album. Frequencies had to be trimmed in order to fit more tracks on, which the record company will have pushed for - regardless of what the band thought. Interesting point but was in the case in 1977?
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Post by paradiseflats on Feb 4, 2020 16:43:10 GMT
Bands at the time were putting more and more songs onto albums, so other artists had to compete against one another... like in the 80s when artists were competing against Michael Jackson to try and have the most hit singles from 1 album. Frequencies had to be trimmed in order to fit more tracks on, which the record company will have pushed for - regardless of what the band thought. Interesting point but was in the case in 1977? Rockin was just shit sounding. It wasn’t especially long for a vinyl album. And looking at albums of the time 12 was very much at the high end of tracks on an album of the time. It was all about royalties. If you have songs on an album that aren’t yours. You have to squeeze more songs on so that each song writer gets his quota.
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Post by sqcollector on Feb 4, 2020 19:18:06 GMT
Rockin was just shit sounding. It wasn’t especially long for a vinyl album. And looking at albums of the time 12 was very much at the high end of tracks on an album of the time. It was all about royalties. If you have songs on an album that aren’t yours. You have to squeeze more songs on so that each song writer gets his quota. Regardless of your point, you need to understand how vinyl works: more than 22 minutes per side might be a lot for a vinyl to handle. You can't cut a vinyl side with more than 22 minutes without taking something from the sound, even today. Typically, low frequencies, since they take more space. RAOTW has around 45 minutes; an average of 22,5 minutes per side. So you see they had to compromise the mix. Especially considering it was 1977. So yeah, it was long for a vinyl. It's not about the number of songs. You could even have 40 songs, with beautiful sound, if the total time per side was less than 18 minutes (the recommended time per side).
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Post by Gaz on Feb 4, 2020 20:19:07 GMT
Rockin was just shit sounding. It wasn’t especially long for a vinyl album. And looking at albums of the time 12 was very much at the high end of tracks on an album of the time. It was all about royalties. If you have songs on an album that aren’t yours. You have to squeeze more songs on so that each song writer gets his quota. Regardless of your point, you need to understand how vinyl works: more than 22 minutes per side might be a lot for a vinyl to handle. You can't cut a vinyl side with more than 22 minutes without taking something from the sound, even today. Typically, low frequencies, since they take more space. RAOTW has around 45 minutes; an average of 22,5 minutes per side. So you see they had to compromise the mix. Especially considering it was 1977. So yeah, it was long for a vinyl. It's not about the number of songs. You could even have 40 songs, with beautiful sound, if the total time per side was less than 18 minutes (the recommended time per side). I just had a squiz at some of AC/DC’s albums recorded in the same era, recorded at Sydney’s Albert Studios, which all sound crystal clear and retain the heaviness of the band, and here are the length of those: 1975. High Voltage...40 minutes 1975. TNT...42 minutes 1976. Dirty Deeds...42 minutes 1977. Let There Be Rock...40 minutes 1978 (the magnificent) Powerage...40 minutes 1979. Highway To Hell...42minutes 1980. Back In Black ..42 minutes (recorded in the Bahamas) They all sound brilliant
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Post by blagult on Feb 4, 2020 21:12:21 GMT
Got nothing to do with length of that album. Pip was hired for one final crack at the USA and the sound was purposefully lightened. Pip has defended those actions on numerous occasions in interviews when having to defend the criticism of how it turned out. He said he acted under instruction and the band were happy with it at the time. But the fans were definitely not.
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Post by Mrs Flittersnoop on Feb 4, 2020 22:18:08 GMT
I didn't have an ongoing relationship with Quo albums. Even now, apart from Hello, Piledriver, Quo and Supposin, I am pretty woolly about what is on which album. 1982 was the first one I bought on release, right after I first saw them live (which is what mattered) so everything up to then was acquired bit by bit over the next couple of years in whichever order I came across them in the shops ... so I was never going to be smitten with the idea that they had gone off the boil compared to the earlier albums. Contrary, as a regular pop radio listener who knew of old that Quo were a really good band, I was impressed by the single. We liked Fogerty stuff anyway, and I thought this is a band who have re-invented themselves without losing their energy and sound. I'm a bit bored with it now, just because it's been hammered to death, but actually, when listening to it, it's one of those songs that turns out to be better than I thought it would be. (It was always my bog break in gigs, but most gigs in those days had bogs where you could still hear everything that was going on. The Ladie's at the Hammy was still sterling for sound at the reunions.) Quo's attention to detail in their classic years meant that most of their songs were well more than the sum of their parts. Lets Ride, Rockers Rollin and Too Far Gone are great rockers in the Quo style with drive and interesting guitars. Hold You Back is a longtime favourite. (So is Dirty Water, but it works better live.) And several of the songs, not really classic songs, have a story in them, really rather harsh personal stories about relationships, detailed, made me think that there were some personal lives out there which hadn't been going well in recent years. I always liked Baby Boy, as an old pop fan, why woudln't' I? It also has that slightly bitter taste in it again. I can understand why hardcore Quo fans might be bored by it, but not why they hate it so much. Maybe it touches a nerve, but I am not wise enough to know which nerve For You doesn't interest me, it's too much out of its time, a 60s pop song with not much in the way of distinguishing features, but if I have the tape whacked in, I don't feel the need to skip it. Fortunately my album is an old vinyl version and doesn't have the appalling "Getting Better" on it ... for a band who frequently blagged the Beatles sound and were obviously influenced by them, that's a horror, but it's really the way it's been over-decorated, probably to fit in with the movie it was meant to be in. I don't have any beef with Rockin, or with Pip for doing it. Two things remain: they never won over the USA (they weren't going to with this, far too much competition) and there was an as yet unseen future when things were going to get so much worse ... I like the cover, too.
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