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Post by fretbuzzzzz on Sept 2, 2020 13:35:34 GMT
My main memory of the album is hearing some of the album tracks on the tour at the time. Thought the up tempo tracks worked reasonably well. Though Rossi wasn't a happy chappy really as the album was his baby, perhaps enjoying the freedom without Rick in the studio, but clearly it wasn't a success overall. At one gig at Wembley he asked everybody who bought the album to hold their hands up! Oh dear... He then mumbled something along the lines of " I thought that was what you lot wanted". I thought that the 'I' in that statement was quite revealing. Confusing time for him and then next up was the commercial success of 'Don't Stop'. I remember an interview with him at the time, although only vaguely, in which he told the interviewer that he was confused about what Quo fans wanted. He thought Thirsty Work was it. And maybe that's part of the problem. Trying to give what he (or they) think fans want. Don't do that. Just make music. For yourself. Don't try to predict taste at the same time. There has been almost a concerted effort for decades by Quo trying to achieve this or achieve that in terms of popularity (i.e. sales). Even the last album, Backbone, Francis said was full of instantly catchy tunes that you might hear the milkman whistle. Why? Has that become THE most important thing in his reason for making music? Has it always been maybe? He can be brilliant at creating a hook and a melody. I think if you try to pre-empt what you think people want, you're pretty much doomed to fail. That milkman analogy goes back a very long way with Francis. Can't remember who actually said it to him (Pat Barlow perhaps?) but Francis had been told, in the band's formative years, that if he can write tunes that the milkman can whistle then he has cracked it. Perhaps it was just the disappointment with Thirsty Work's lack of appeal that caused him to turn it back on us lot as such, when really it was probably what he wanted and expected us lot to get it as well. He didn't really get, at the time, why we didn't get that excited by 'Tommy' or 'All We Really Wanna Do'. The latter being a favourite of his.
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Post by Mrs Flittersnoop on Sept 2, 2020 13:38:56 GMT
This is like the classic "album I shouldn't've bought", on the grounds that I always said I wouldn't buy albums just because I was a fan. But I did. Cassettes were cheap in them days and there was nowhere to listen to it otherwise.
Unlike the entire rest of the world, I like Tango. What's not to like? It has all the Flittersnoop ingredients (the sound could be better). It's the kind of thing that would get me onto the dance floor if it was ever played by anyone with a dance floor. (But it won't be.)
I quite like Goin' Nowhere, and Sorry has points of quality as a pop song of that sort, but someone else can have it. This is really a Rossi-Frost album, isn't it? Rhino who has contributed some good stuff over the years dropped the ball here by getting a writing credit on Sherri. I suppose one thing the album proved was that Rossi/Frost wasn't going to take the charts by storm.
The weird thing is that Quo proved in the 60s that they weren't up to a solid career in Pop. So why did they think they would in 1994? They don't sound like the 90s. Like so much of Francis-based Quo pop, it sounds as if it's left over from the early 60s, not in a bad way exactly, but not in a way that would have perked up many ears back then.
BTW Matt, point (!) of interest about the great diversity of the human race, a croissant with a pencil in it makes perfect sense to me. I could do with a croissant right now, and as long as the pencil isn't one of those Tesco oens that break every time you sharpen them, it's very welcome. Horses for courses I guess.
(IN fact if I had the choice between listening to Tango once more, or having the croissant with the pencil in it, I'd go for the croissant.)
Goood Quo is a decent pie and chips. This album sadly is the leftovers from a picnic. Hence the cover, I guess.
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Post by Mrs Flittersnoop on Sept 2, 2020 13:50:29 GMT
... a sort of naive, nursery rhyme flavour ...
The sinister ghost of Papa Piccolino is lurking in the shadows.
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Post by Mrs Flittersnoop on Sept 2, 2020 14:08:18 GMT
My main memory of the album is hearing some of the album tracks on the tour at the time. Thought the up tempo tracks worked reasonably well. Though Rossi wasn't a happy chappy really as the album was his baby, perhaps enjoying the freedom without Rick in the studio, but clearly it wasn't a success overall. At one gig at Wembley he asked everybody who bought the album to hold their hands up! Oh dear... He then mumbled something along the lines of " I thought that was what you lot wanted". I thought that the 'I' in that statement was quite revealing. I remember that. I mean, I put my hand up, but I felt kind of guilty, like it was cheating.
WHY did he think it was what we lot wanted? He must have been thinking of a different "you lot", perhaps one that existed only in his mind. I mean, nobody asked me. Did anyone ask you? Does anyone know anyone who got asked?? (I know you are not supposed to try and produce what "they lot" want, unless you are Pete Waterman, in which case it turns out that what he wants is what Lots of Lots want, but if you are aiming to be a pop band, a certain amount of paying attention to your ACTUAL audience, not the one you think you ought to have, is in order surely? Most bands would kill to have any audience at all. I know sometimes a "change of direction" can pay dividends, but you never hear about the times it doesn't. Plus if you are going to do that you have to REALLY know what you are doing. Or have someone on board who really knows what they are doing. Most bands don't. BTW, has anyone heard anything from The Automatic lately?)
@ Gav That's a bit harsh on Weird, but I think I see what you are getting at. Ref Jeff Lynne, no, not in anyone's darkest dreams can his influence be blamed for this. If you want a nursery rhyme tinge, try The Skeleton and the Roundabout (Idle Race). Different planet.
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mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,835
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
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Post by mortified on Sept 2, 2020 14:45:52 GMT
The weird thing is that Quo proved in the 60s that they weren't up to a solid career in Pop. So why did they think they would in 1994? They don't sound like the 90s. Like so much of Francis-based Quo pop, it sounds as if it's left over from the early 60s, not in a bad way exactly, but not in a way that would have perked up many ears back then. That's a good way of putting it. I know Francis (and others to be fair) would argue the point that 'pop' is simply short for popular, but we're 50 or 60 years down the cultural history road since the word 'pop' had only one meaning. Pop in the musical sense is very hard to define. It's one of those 'I know it when I hear it' jobs. To me, Pictures of Matchstickmen is a pop song. Not the only one they ever had success with of course. But one that, for some inexplicable reason, is given a lot of respect. More than, say, Marguerita Time or Burning Bridges for example. Musical snobbery at work of course. We all do it. We're doing it here! I'm not sure Thirsty Work was deliberately light or bland. It just turned out that way. And mainly because Rossi/Frost were largely to the fore. And one of them produced! There were a few Rossi/Frost songs on Rock 'til You Drop. And one of them produced. But the final products are like night and day. Tommy being the glaring exception of course And, like you, I have no idea why Francis thinks we, or indeed anyone else, would like it. It always seemed more Connie Francis to me.
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mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,835
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
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Post by mortified on Sept 2, 2020 14:48:18 GMT
I remember an interview with him at the time, although only vaguely, in which he told the interviewer that he was confused about what Quo fans wanted. He thought Thirsty Work was it. And maybe that's part of the problem. Trying to give what he (or they) think fans want. Don't do that. Just make music. For yourself. Don't try to predict taste at the same time. There has been almost a concerted effort for decades by Quo trying to achieve this or achieve that in terms of popularity (i.e. sales). Even the last album, Backbone, Francis said was full of instantly catchy tunes that you might hear the milkman whistle. Why? Has that become THE most important thing in his reason for making music? Has it always been maybe? He can be brilliant at creating a hook and a melody. I think if you try to pre-empt what you think people want, you're pretty much doomed to fail. That milkman analogy goes back a very long way with Francis. Can't remember who actually said it to him (Pat Barlow perhaps?) but Francis had been told, in the band's formative years, that if he can write tunes that the milkman can whistle then he has cracked it.Perhaps it was just the disappointment with Thirsty Work's lack of appeal that caused him to turn it back on us lot as such, when really it was probably what he wanted and expected us lot to get it as well. He didn't really get, at the time, why we didn't get that excited by 'Tommy' or 'All We Really Wanna Do'. The latter being a favourite of his. Then he was told wrong
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Dark
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 334
Favourite Quo Album: Quo
Favourite other bands.: Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Huey Lewis,
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Post by Dark on Sept 2, 2020 16:18:13 GMT
Thirsty Work was the first Quo album that I bought on day of release. Having really enjoyed Rock ‘til You Drop and then seeing the band for the first time in 1992 & again in 1993, I was all ready for and wanting a hard rock album.
Warning signs were there that this might not be the case with the inclusion of Restless on the ’93 Winter tour. The first single, I Didn’t Mean It, was a real light hearted Quo tune that fitted the cheekie chappie public persona that they had been developing since the 80s. To this day I don’t mind the song on the rare occasion that I hear it, but can’t remember the last time I purposefully put it on.
Got the album on lunch from work, immediately unimpressed by the cover and the inlay booklet was rather underwhelming and lacking substance. When I got home in the evening I put it straight on and the opening riff to Goin Nowhere rather limped out of the speakers. You could say it had absolutely no backbone.
I still don’t think much of Goin Nowhere, would probably better with RTYD or Backbone production values. But even then, I don’t think it has enough impact or balls to be an opener.
Mind on the other hand, the lack of energy in Goin Nowhere makes I Didn’t Mean It seem a lot more bouncy when it comes on next.
Confidence is pretty dire, then the weedy guitar intro on Point of No Return exemplifies everything that is wrong with the production of the album.
I cannot listen to Sail Away right the way through, it is just dreadful and definitely a contender for the worst original song they have every recorded. Unfortunately it has some competition from other tracks on this album, like Lover of the Human Race, Back on my Feet, Tango and the aforementioned Confidence. But Sail Away does trump them all.
Soft in the Head, for me, is the only worthwhile song on the album, it even manages to sound half decent despite the poor production. Just has a great infectious chorus and groove to it. While Rude Awakening Time and Ciao Ciao are vaguely okay.
While I’ll hand it to them, that Sherri, Don’t Fail Me Now, is a very good pop song. With airplay it probably could have been a big crossover hit with non Status Quo fans.
As for Queenie, it is everything that is wrong with the Quo mindset at this point. You can nearly envision a meeting where they said. We need a hard rocking Rick sung track for the album to appease the hard rock fans that bought our old records and still come to our gigs. So they cobbled together a watered down rock song to the familiar beat of their old hits and figured that would appease the fans of Big Fat Mama & Roll Over Lay Down.
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matt
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 1,003
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Post by matt on Sept 2, 2020 18:32:10 GMT
It’s incredible to think Francis had an inkling that Thirsty Work is what the fan base wanted. What on earth would have given him that idea? Just look through the set lists from the time. Is he thinking “rollover lay down, juniors wailing, down down - Tango”? Perfect remedy and ain’t complaining bombed. RTYD conversely went top ten and was well received and RAOTY was their biggest album ever. That alone makes Thirsty work incongruous.
But yeah I agree in soft in the head. The chorus I have always found to be excellent.
I really did play this album to death at the time. I loved RTYD and TW is the summer of 1994 for me. But not one I have much time for now.
They didn’t recover till Heavy Traffic
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Post by MrWaistcoat on Sept 2, 2020 18:35:52 GMT
Musical no mans land. Guitar on opening song reminiscent of Queen, not Quo. "The anti Quo" as Alan might say
A terrible step backwards in terms of sound. They'd said so much about how happy they were with the sound on anniversary waltz and rtyd, so why do this?
Not much quality in the songwriting either. I think sorry and lover of human race are good songs, but they aren't Quo. Sorry might have worked as a rock ballad type thing with a heavy chorus? Maybe
Sail Away is the only Quo recording that makes me angry. I am not a fan!
At the time I rated soft in the head and rude awakening time. Both have good verses with a poor chorus - flawed. Cool riff on rude awakening.
This is the only Quo album from mkgs onwards where I don't love something
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Post by dontthinkitmatters on Sept 2, 2020 18:54:23 GMT
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Post by charles on Sept 2, 2020 22:35:32 GMT
... BTW Matt, point (!) of interest about the great diversity of the human race, a croissant with a pencil in it makes perfect sense to me. I could do with a croissant right now, and as long as the pencil isn't one of those Tesco oens that break every time you sharpen them, it's very welcome. Horses for courses I guess. (IN fact if I had the choice between listening to Tango once more, or having the croissant with the pencil in it, I'd go for the croissant.) ... I'd rather stick a croissant in my mouth and a pencil through my eardrums than listen to this crap.
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Post by rockonquo on Sept 3, 2020 1:27:48 GMT
The first Quo album i bought, not hearing anything from the band before. I don't hate the album, it brings back memories of what i was doing in the early 90's.
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viza
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 411
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Post by viza on Sept 3, 2020 20:25:19 GMT
This is by far the worst Quo album (I think). It is actually the only album I haven't listened to. The lack of Rick's influence and the ugly cover have prevented me from investigate the album. I also think it's to long, it makes its harder to get in to. 17 songs is at least 7 to many.
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Post by blagult on Sept 3, 2020 22:06:08 GMT
The worst Quo album for me. Instantly thought this was the end of the band. Sold all my stuff and never thought any more about the band. That’s how bad I reacted to this album. Returned as a lapsed fan with HT a few years later but never again a fanatic! Thanks TW 😡
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gav
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 2,149
Favourite Quo Album: On The Level
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Post by gav on Sept 3, 2020 22:27:09 GMT
Yes, probably my least favourite, closely followed by Piledriver...
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