|
|
Post by Victor on Apr 29, 2020 7:53:15 GMT
Will open the thread on the 1st of May and look forward to more discussions and opinions  |
|
|
|
Post by Victor on May 1, 2020 4:59:25 GMT
Thread now open for discussions/opinions |
|
mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,841 
Favourite Quo Album: Hello!
Favourite other bands.: Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, Gary Numan, Alabama 3, ZZ Top, Paul van Dyk, Jeff Beck, Bowie, Gerry Rafferty, Band of Skulls, UFO, S.A.H.B
|
Post by mortified on May 1, 2020 6:15:29 GMT
This one tends to split opinions; I guess most Quo albums after the 70's do apart from one or two. First things first, I thought the sleeve was awful. Tacky and too much Carry On Indiana Jones. The sepia tinted photos of the band on the reverse and inside were much better but presumably they were thought to be too "serious" and not eye catching enough. Heaven forbid Quo should look or be considered serious. That just wouldn't do  The album itself I largely liked. The sound was more multi-layered than it's immediate predecessors but then Pip was involved so it was always going to have 'production'. I only didn't really have time for two tracks; Saddling Up and Tongue Tied. I get the attraction of the latter. It just isn't my sort of thing. If it doesn't have a melody that immediately grabs me, I move on. Lyrics are a distant second. Just the way I am. See what I did there?  The album has a middle section where there are three songs in a row I love; You're The One For Me, My Little Heartbreaker and Hold Me. All three are right up my Ali. See what I did there?  All in all, I preferred the .... Party album but this reached the standard I felt - and feel - they have maintained since Under The Influence all of over 20 years ago . Good with patches of brilliance along the way. |
|
allyp
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 571
|
Post by allyp on May 1, 2020 7:40:54 GMT
Some great tracks here a few throwaways but prefer it to the previous album but not as much as the following one and recent release. For some reason Rick hated this record but not sure why as he probably had more writing credits and lead vocals than any of the preceding albums and an established writing partnership with wayne morris by this point.
|
|
|
|
Post by freewilly on May 1, 2020 10:13:16 GMT
One of my fave albums post 86
BOTE, Alright, PBT, IDWHYA, Gravy Train, Hold Me, Bad News, TT all tracks I still listen to and like.
|
|
|
|
Post by markquo on May 1, 2020 11:57:34 GMT
GT BOTE and BN my favourites on here
BN would have been a great addition to the live set at the time
Cheers
|
|
|
|
Post by cammythemortonfan on May 1, 2020 13:14:46 GMT
This has the best guitar sound of all Pip’s produced Quo albums
Bad News has a brilliant crunchy guitar sound.
It’s not a perfect album but on the whole I ike it.
Figure of Eight is annoying....especially when it gets in your head!!
Electric Arena is so much better live as Francis really gets into his playing in a way he didn’t when it was recorded.
And nobody understands why I Ain’t Wasting My Time wasn’t in the album properly !! Not even four out of the five band members .
|
|
|
|
Post by quovadis on May 1, 2020 14:16:10 GMT
I like this album gud sound I like bad news tt obo don't like saddlin up
|
|
|
|
Post by MrWaistcoat on May 1, 2020 16:39:52 GMT
Full of quality and good sound. Also flawed in many ways. Agree about the dismal artwork, terrible!
PBT has a truly fantastic chorus, it really does. But the intro and verses are very, very strange!
Like or really like most of the songs. A few, little heartbreaker, saddling up, Fo8, never really decided what I think of them.
Right, that's my review. Off now to adjust my girth
|
|
|
|
Post by dennis on May 1, 2020 19:28:02 GMT
A far more pleasant listen than I expected. However, Quo just isn't Quo without John & Alan , in the studio anyway. I couldn't help thinking that Tongue Tied would have been improved by swapping the vocals over.
|
|
gav
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 2,150
Favourite Quo Album: On The Level
|
Post by gav on May 1, 2020 21:13:11 GMT
This is an album i think you have to leave your pre-1991 hat and coat at the door for i reckon. It definitely belongs to the mid to late period of Quo where they've left any traces of that old rock attitude and moody young man thing well behind. They've moved into middle age comfortably by now and are pretty twee for much of it, though the album does rock in places, just not in the same way of days of old. Even Rick sounds pretty creaky by now.
Personally, i'm still not ready to really like this album yet. I know i probably will pour over it once Quo are done and dusted and i'm an older man with time to spare. And that's part of the beauty of Quo for me, so much back catalogue, it's always there in all it's variety, waiting to be picked up or put down, depending on your mood or time in life.
I appreciate this album has a lot going on production wise. It'll be a good listen one day. I'll probably regret not listening to it more just now, but it's a just a little on the happy-clappy twee side for me right now. BOTE and You're The One For Me have that genuine Quo swagger all said, and I Ain't Wasting My Time is sort of a modern take on the older Quo model, but it pisses me off too much that they faded it out as they did, i can't enjoy it properly!
And yeah, that front cover sticks out more than pretty much anything they've ever done, visually. And not in a good way. Appreciate the humour though, i just think the artwork itself could have been of higher quality.
|
|
|
|
Post by hershie on May 1, 2020 23:18:08 GMT
I'm a fan of this album. I've always had a bit of an issue with the production of a few tracks though, going back to listening to the pre-release versions that were changed slightly.
"Alright" sounds like a mess - I think it's possibly the keyboard for keyboard's sake being too high or too central in the mix and making it all sound muddled.
"Gravy Train" is a simple track and decent one at that, but the production honestly gives me a headache. I get the idea of a chugging train sort of sound, but it feels as though there's no highs or lows and no time for the appreciating the track because it's just forced at you. That's okay perhaps if the musicianship is interesting, but for the most part it isn't. You could recreate most of the song with some two-second loops of the drums and rhythm guitar. The vocals seem rather buried too.
"Beginning of the End" is a cracking track to open with and a welcome and fitting one in the live set that's stood the test of time. "Pennsylvania Blues Tonight" is a great track and I'm a big fan of the more moody production on this one.
I've liked "Figure of Eight" since I first heard it; always thought it almost had a glam rock kind of simplicity to it. "Electric Arena" too stood out the first time I heard it; it's perhaps let down slightly by being overproduced and not enough focus on he guitar; it feels like it needs an epic guitar solo rather than multiple choruses.
Not going to mention every track but there's not a single one I don't really like, besides what I've mentioned above. A good coherent album with a good mix of new ideas and 'the usual'. A long album but doesn't feel like it has too much in the way of filler. A good touch of the country influences too.
|
|
mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,841
Favourite Quo Album: Hello!
Favourite other bands.: Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, Gary Numan, Alabama 3, ZZ Top, Paul van Dyk, Jeff Beck, Bowie, Gerry Rafferty, Band of Skulls, UFO, S.A.H.B
|
Post by mortified on May 2, 2020 10:21:28 GMT
Oh, and just as an aside, we had Bad News as the first dance at our wedding. A nice ironic touch we thought. That and we both love it  |
|
|
|
Post by cammythemortonfan on May 2, 2020 12:53:03 GMT
This is an album i think you have to leave your pre-1991 hat and coat at the door for i reckon. It definitely belongs to the mid to late period of Quo where they've left any traces of that old rock attitude and moody young man thing well behind. They've moved into middle age comfortably by now and are pretty twee for much of it, though the album does rock in places, just not in the same way of days of old. Even Rick sounds pretty creaky by now. Personally, i'm still not ready to really like this album yet. I know i probably will pour over it once Quo are done and dusted and i'm an older man with time to spare. And that's part of the beauty of Quo for me, so much back catalogue, it's always there in all it's variety, waiting to be picked up or put down, depending on your mood or time in life. I appreciate this album has a lot going on production wise. It'll be a good listen one day. I'll probably regret not listening to it more just now, but it's a just a little on the happy-clappy twee side for me right now. BOTE and You're The One For Me have that genuine Quo swagger all said, and I Ain't Wasting My Time is sort of a modern take on the older Quo model, but it pisses me off too much that they faded it out as they did, i can't enjoy it properly! And yeah, that front cover sticks out more than pretty much anything they've ever done, visually. And not in a good way. Appreciate the humour though, i just think the artwork itself could have been of higher quality. It was faded because Francis messed up. Pip was kind enough to reveal this on the old board because like you, many of us found it hugely frustrating!! 👍 The other thing he revealed was that the intro was chopped on the single version of BOTE because they were told that unless they did it would have no chance of getting airplay . |
|
|
|
Post by 4th Chord on May 2, 2020 13:07:33 GMT
Can't forgive Rhino for ripping off Sesame Street.
|
|
