Wild world (Cat Stevens) (LP 3971 - 3974)

Cat Stevens  Tea for the Tillerman (CD, Island Records, 1970) *****  

Cat Stevens  Teaser and the Firecat (CD, Island Records, 1971) *****

Cat Stevens  Catch Bull at Four (Vinyl, Island Records, 1972) ***

Cat Stevens  Numbers (Vinyl, Island Records, 1975) ****    

Genre: Folk-rock, pop 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi, Little Red Bookshop

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Father and Son (Tea for the Tillerman)

Gear costume: Moonshadow (Teaser and the Firecat)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: I am mostly content with a compilation of the hits - he's had a lot of them! However, I am also keen to keep supplementing that compilation with his albums.

Along the way I've accumulated these four, beginning with two classics from the early seventies. Tea for the Tillerman was his fourth album and includes a fair portion of his best known songs: Where Do the Children Play?, Hard Headed Woman, Wild World, and Father and Son.

It became a hit album for Cat Stevens - making him a pop star again (even though he was beginning to reject mass adulation in favour of a more spiritual path). Quite a quandry. 

Teaser and the Firecat was an even bigger seller! More great Cat Stevens songs were on this album - among them Morning Has Broken, Moonshadow, and Peace Train. The musicians on these two albums were totally in sympatico with Cat Stevens. Most notably his fellow guitarist Alun Davies.

The follow up to these two extraordinary records was Catch Bull at Four. Sitting, and Can't Keep It In continued the hits on a set of songs that hinted at his dissatisfaction with the pop world. It must be said, it doesn't have the inspired pop songs of his previous albums.

Numbers is a concept album from 1975. It is subtitled A Pythagorean Theory Tale (yes, really), and is based on a fictional planet in a far-off galaxy named Polygor. The story is set in a castle that has a number machine and at that point my eyes glaze over. 

But wait! Don't write this album off - although Banapple Gas is the only really catchy song to emerge from the confusing concept, the music is gorgeous and the singing by Cat and his choir is sublime. This is an under-rated gem in his catalogue.

Of further note: the one, the only, Suzanne Lynch appears on backing vocals. Yay! Suzanne!!

Where do they all belong? A few to catch up on at some stage - Mona Bone Jakon, Foreigner, Buddha in the Chocolate Box.

Shackles and chains (Steppenwolf) (LP 3967 - 3970)

Steppenwolf  For Ladies Only  (Vinyl, ABC Dunhill Records, 1971) ***  

Steppenwolf  Slow Flux (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1974) **** 

Steppenwolf  Hour of the Wolf (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1975) **

John Kay & Steppenwolf  Live in London (Vinyl, Mercury Records, 1981) *** 

Genre: Hard rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Jeraboah (Slow Flux)

Gear costume: Straight Shootin' Woman (Slow Flux)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: After a live album in 1970 and a greatest hits compilation earlier in 1971, comes their sixth studio effort - For Ladies Only. The title gives away the content - this is a concept album about feminism.

The expectation after a live one and a hits compilation is that a new phase is beginning for a band. Sure enough Steppenwolf try to step away from expectations built up from their old macho sound. But with limited success. The songs tend to retain the uneasiness they show on the back cover 'reading' feminist literature and the gatefold cover with the giant phallic symbol also tended to reduce their sincerity factor.

The band moves towards a more progressive rock sound with more complex arrangements and sophisticated keyboard playing at times (the title track for instance). By this time Kent Henry had replaced Byrom and that influences the sound as well as the more democratic approach to singers (John Kay's distinctive vocals are a real strength of Steppenwolf and are always missed).

In any event, Steppenwolf disbanded in 1972 and then reformed two years later with their next album - Slow Flux. There was yet another new lead guitarist (Bobby Cochran) on board for the reformed Steppenwolf.

In some ways it's a pity Steppenwolf missed 1972 and 1973 - prime rock years, but by 1974 they sound pretty rejuvenated. The hard rocking band, America's Deep Purple, were back. I say Deep Purple because both bands' set up was similar - 5 members - drums, bass, organ, guitar and a vocalist (although John Kay did also play guitar) and the music's power base was the same - the interplay between guitar and organ. Slow Flux was Goldy's last album with Steppenwolf. He'd be missed.

Slow Flux is a powerful reboot with the band trying new sounds with the inclusion of horns, acoustic guitars (shock horror) and an Albert Hammond cover. It mostly works and is, for me, their best album since The Second.

Sadly, that wasn't sustained into The Hour of the Wolf. It has a great cover but the sound is much more mainstream rock without the Steppenwolf edge. It's still a worthwhile record, just that it falls short of that hard rock of old, making Slow Flux the last great Steppenwolf album*.

Live in London is a good album - amply showing that live the new boys could represent the past well (only John Kay remains from the glory years). The new songs are okay; the stand outs happen to be the old hits (funny that): Sookie, Sookie; Magic Carpet Ride; The Pusher: Born to be Wild (naturally).

Where do they all belong? *I'd buy their last album before they became John Kay & Steppenwolf - 1976's Skullduggery, if I saw it, but aside from that their eighties album don't hold much of an appeal.

Rock me (Steppenwolf) (LP 3959 - 3966)

Steppenwolf  Recorded live at The Matrix 1967 (Vinyl, ABC Dunhill Records, 1969) *  

Steppenwolf  Steppenwolf (Vinyl, ABC Dunhill Records, 1968) ****  

Steppenwolf  The Second (Vinyl, ABC Dunhill Records, 1968) ****

Steppenwolf  At Your Birthday Party (Vinyl, ABC Dunhill Records, 1969) ***  

Steppenwolf  Monster (Vinyl, Stateside Records, 1969) *** 

Steppenwolf  Steppenwolf Live (Vinyl, ABC Dunhill Records, 1970) *** 

Steppenwolf  Steppenwolf 7 (Vinyl, Stateside Records, 1970) *** 

Steppenwolf  Steppenwolf Gold: Their Great Hits (Vinyl, Stateside Records, 1971) *** 

Genre: Hard rock

Places I remember: Amoeba Music, Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Magic Carpet Ride (The Second)

Gear costume: The Pusher, Born to be Wild (Steppenwolf)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: I bought their hits compilation Steppenwolf Gold: Their Great Hits in 1971 and that did it for me - I had the bug. AllMusic describes it as a nearly perfect introduction to the band. They're right. If you only want one Steppenwolf album, this is it! I still play this album when I'm in the mood for a reminder of 1971.

Since then it's been a steady love affair and a lot of albums! I'll divide them in half pre and post the Gold album. 

We start this post with a very early version of the band, then known as Sparrow (or The Sparrow, or The Sparrows). The band at this point is John Kay (vocals, guitar), guitarist Dennis Edmonton (a.k.a. Mars Bonfire), Goldy McJohn (keyboards), Nick St. Nicholas (bass), and Jerry Edmonton (drums). 

They are captured live at the San Francisco venue in 1967 doing their bluesy set. It ends with a twenty minute version of The Pusher - the first 15 minutes are free form improvisation and virtually unlistenable; the last 5 minutes are great though. Ultimately, this album is one for the completists.

Their debut album under the new Steppenwolf name came a year later but the band are tight as a drum. Steppenwolf does the business! John Kay's vocals are superb (unbelievable on Hootchie Kootchie Man). This is the one with The Pusher (now tightly arranged), Sookie Sookie, and Born to be Wild on it.

The lineup had changed before the debut emerged - John Kay, Jerry Edmondson and Goldy were still there, new members were Michael Monarch (guitars - replacing Dennis Edmonton) and Rushton Moreve (bass).

 

Born to be Wild was by former member Mars Bonfire and thanks to its inclusion in the film Easy Rider, it became a huge success. The album as a whole is a terrific first effort which holds up.

The Second came in the same year - 1968. It's overshadowed by Magic Carpet Ride but the rest of the album is an excellent example of the psychedelic hard rock sound of that era. Magic Carpet Ride is, for me, their best song. I never get tired of its surreal approach.

At Your Birthday party could be called The Second Part Two. It continues the psychedelic hard rock style but without a galvanising hit song (like Magic Carpet Ride). So, it's an okay album, but not one that has the inspired approach of the first two.

Monster was their fourth album in two years - these boys didn't muck about. Gone were the psychedelic flourishes, instead a more political consciousness took over and the hard rock genre was embraced as a vehicle for the social comment. 

I like Monster more than At Your Birthday, but their previous commercialism seems a long time ago (it was only a year!). Larry Byrom is the new lead guitarist and he fits right in.

Steppenwolf Live is a recording of a concert early in 1970 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium as part of their tour to  support Monster. It has the requisite hits - Born to Be Wild, Magic Carpet Ride and The Pusher. Given its timing is just after Monster, it has a lot of songs from that album as well.

It also has a couple of studio songs blended into the live stuff - Corina Corina, Twisted and Hey Lawdy Mama. Although that's a bit naughty, they are seamlessly added, and they don't disrupt the flow. 

Unfortunately, the same criticisms leveled at Monster remain relevant for the Steppenwolf Live album (a double). All their best songs are on side 4 and none of those are from Monster.

Steppenwolf 7 is weirdly titled. Yes, it's seven if you add in the two live albums but by that method The Second should be called The Third. George Biondo was a new member on bass.

The album is a good hard rock album, not a great one. That's down to the songs rather than the musicianship - which is excellent. Celebrated rock critic, Robert Christgau makes a great point - "Laying back hasn't been good for them, and neither has getting heavy. Their way lies somewhere in between".

Where do they all belong? The post Steppenwolf Gold albums are next.

Stark raving love (Jim Steinman) (LP 3958)

Jim Steinman  Bad For Good  (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1981) ****  

Genre: Rock, pop

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Dance in My Pants

Gear costume: Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through (included with the album as a single)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: Where would Meatloaf be without Jim Steinman? It would be Meatloaf who? And yet this solo album is also nowhere near as successful without Meatloaf on vocals.

Jim writes these operatic style songs - heavy on heroic myth and melodrama, that were used on Bat Out of Hell and subsequent Meatloaf albums (the successful ones). Many of the Bad For Good songs were later done by Meat.

Done here they are better than demos but Jim can't sell a song like Meatloaf can so I end up heading back to Deadringer or the Bat Out of Hell albums more often than Bad For Good.

Dance in My Pants is my chosen track because it recasts Paradise by the Dashboard Light to a dance routine rather than baseball and it's a barrel of laughs.

Where do they all belong? This was his only solo album but his oversized grand songs do turn up most notably on Meatloaf albums, plus Bonnie Tyler's albums.

Show biz kids (Steely Dan) (LP 3954 - 3957)

Steely Dan  Katy Lied (CD, ABC Records, 1975) *****  

Steely Dan  Aja (CD, ABC Records, 1977) *****  

Steely Dan  Showbiz Kids: The Steely Dan Story 1972 - 1980 (2CD, MCA Records, 2000) *****  

Steely Dan  Everything Must Go (Vinyl, Giant Records, 2003)  **** 

Genre: Jazz-rock, pop 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, Fives, Marbecks Records.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Show Biz Kids (Countdown to Ecstasy)

Gear costume: My Old School (Countdown to Ecstasy), Black Friday (Katy Lied), Deacon Blues (Aja)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: I have a spotty collection of Steely Dan records. For some reason I haven't been driven to collect them all. Curious.

I did buy the Do It Again single in 1972 when I was pretty choosy about the albums I bought. So my first album I own is their second - Countdown to Ecstasy, which has already featured in the collection countdown.

Katy Lied was actually the first Steely Dan album I heard, thanks to my cousin Christine in England. She sent me a cassette copy and I played it over and over. I know this album well, and yet it still reveals new stuff every time I listen to it. The jazz-rock music and its sophistication marked them out as unique. No one else was within coo-eee.

Aja was their sixth album. They had long ceased to be an actual band, but Aja went into session player overdrive with nearly 40 musicians being employed by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. AllMusic describes it as "a coolly textured and immaculately produced collection of sophisticated jazz-rock".

I've included the compilation that I have because it fills in the gaps nicely over two CDs. There are many Steely Dan compilations out there, but this one has all the chart and radio hits, plus a terrific sampling of classic album tracks.   

The final album in my list came after Becker and Fagen rebooted Steely Dan in 2000, after a twenty-year gap. It's the last album they made together (Walter Becker died in 2017). It may not be a classic Steely Dan album, but the usual jazz-rock moves are on display and this one has a more spontaneous and relaxed feel than their other albums.

Where do they all belong? I should really get a copy of Can't Buy a Thrill, Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam, Gaucho, Two Against Nature. In the meantime, I'll stick with these seminal albums.

The lark in the morning (Steeleye Span) (LP 3949 - 3953)

Steeleye Span  Please to See the King (Vinyl, Big Tree Records, 1971) ****  

Steeleye Span  Now We Are Six (Vinyl, Chrysalis Records, 1974) ****

Steeleye Span  Commoner's Crown (Vinyl, Chrysalis Records, 1975) *****  

Steeleye Span  All Around My Hat (Vinyl, Chrysalis Records, 1975) ****  

Steeleye Span  Rocket Cottage (Vinyl, Chrysalis Records, 1976) ****  

Genre: Folk, folk-rock

Places I remember: Amoeba Music, Real Groovy Records, Slow Boat Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Two Magicians (Now We Are Six), All Around My Hat 

Gear costume: Cold, Haily, Windy Night (Please to See the King), Thomas the Rhymer (Now We Are Six)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: I have mentioned a couple of Steeleye Span's albums already on this blog - Hark! The Village Wait and Below the Salt - their first and fourth albums.

My musical proclivities are interesting. I have always loved Steeleye Span and Maddy Prior and for a while, I collected their albums when I saw them. But I was never drawn to collect a similar band - Fairport Convention, in the same way. Curious.

While visiting Los Angeles this year, I found a copy of Please to See the King, their second album, so we'll start there.

It begins with a different version of The Blacksmith (which was also on their debut). It's a radically slowed down version, though, that concentrates attention on the singing and guitar. Maddy Prior is superb as always.

This first song signals a changed sound for the album overall, as Martin Cathy (guitar) and Peter Knight (fiddle) join the band (they also dispense with drums).

By 1974's Now We Are Six the band had morphed into a much more commercial proposition. The six members were now Maddy Prior – vocals; Tim Hart – vocals, guitars; Peter Knight – vocals, violin; Bob Johnson – vocals, guitars; Rick Kemp – vocals, bass guitar; Nigel Pegrum – drums.

Commoner's Crown was their seventh studio album and the band were well into their folk-rock stance on this album. In many ways it was a peak moment for this version of Steeleye Span. It's a five star classic!

All Around My Hat was their highest charting album. Given it has rocky drums and guitars providing some power chords at times, that's the result they were after, I guess. It's still absolutely Steeleye Span though - traditions were still there under the surface and the resulting sound is a lot of fun - purists can try elsewhere.

Final album on my list is Rocket Cottage from the year after All Around My Hat. This year (1976) also happened to be Year Zero for punk in the UK and folk-rock wasn't cutting it at that time. It was the last album featuring the mid-seventies version of the band. It's another excellent folk-rock album.

Where do they all belong? A few gaps need plugging. I'll get there eventually. I have a few compilations that are okay but they tend to be wide ranging and so the different Steeleye Spans jostle for attention.

Can I get a witness (Steampacket) (LP 3948)

Steampacket  Rod Stewart & Steampacket (Vinyl, Pagan Records, 1993) ****  

Genre: Soul revue, jazz, R&B, blues

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Can I Get A Witness

Gear costume: Back at the Chicken Shack 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: A cheeky bit of packaging promotes this album as Rod Stewart & Steampacket. He's the biggest name that eventually emerged from this sixties' blues band, but it could just as easily have been marketed as Julie Driscoll & Steampacket, or Brian Auger & Steampacket, or Long John Baldry & Steampacket (he has the best claim as he started the band). 

All four were members, along with guitarist Vic Briggs, Richard Brown on bass guitar and Micky Waller on drums.

They never recorded a studio album, nor did they release a live album at the time. So where did these songs come from? The answer is - from some demo tapes they recorded at a rehearsal in the Marquee Club. They've been released in a myriad of titles ever since.

It's soul-jazz-rock music featuring Brian's cool organ sounds. The three vocalists are on form when featured, even though it's a demo, but it's Brian Auger that's the appeal for me. Everything he does has value.

 

Where do they all belong? What happened next is probably more interesting to fans of each member. Rod Stewart left in early 1966 and joined Shotgun Express. Long John Baldry left a few months later, and Steampacket disbanded soon after. Long John Baldry then joined Bluesology (which included a then unknown Elton John). Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and Vic Briggs formed Trinity.

Sunny cellophane skies (Status Quo) (LP 3935 - 3947)

The Status Quo  Pictures of Matchstick Men (2CD, Sanctuary Records, 2006) ***  

Status Quo  Dog of Two Head (CD, Sanctuary Records reissue, 1971) ****

Status Quo  Piledriver (CD, Universal Records reissue, 1972) *****

Status Quo  Hello! (Vinyl and CD, Universal Records reissue, 1973) ****

Status Quo  Quo (CD, Universal Records reissue, 1974) ****

Status Quo  On the Level (CD, Universal Records reissue, 1975) ****

Status Quo  Blue For You (CD, Mercury Records, 1976) ****

Status Quo  Live! (Vinyl and 2CD, Vertigo Records, 1977) *****

Status Quo  12 Gold Bars (Vinyl, Vertigo Records, 1980) ****

Status Quo  Live Alive Quo (CD, Vertigo Records, 1992) ***

Status Quo  The Cover Up (CD, Music Club Records, 2006) **

Status Quo  The Frantic Four Reunion 2013 - Live at Hammersmith Apollo (DVD/ CD, Fourth Chord Records, 2013) ****

Status Quo  Aquostic - Stripped Bare (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 2014) ***

Genre: Pop, rock

Places I remember: The Warehouse, HMV, Chaldon Books and Records, Charity shops in the UK, Kings Recording (Abu Dhabu)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Paper Plane (Piledriver), Down Down (On the Level) 

Gear costume:  Mean Girl (Dog of Two Head)  

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: Way back in 1968, Status Quo started out as a psychedelic pop band. Their first big hits were in that style - Pictures of Matchstick Men and Ice in the Sun. The first disc on this double CD compilation combines early singles with most of the tracks from their debut album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from The Status Quo.

That early sound is influenced by the Bee Gees (they do an okay version of Spicks and Specks), The Beatles and late sixties bubblegum pop (they do an okay version of Tommy Roe's Shiela).

The second disc again has some singles (Down the Dustpipe) and songs from their third album Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon from 1970. By this time, their trademark boogie shuffle was being born. I was on board via singles back in 1970 with In My Chair and 1972 with Paper Plane, but I was yet to buy a Status Quo album. 

Dog of Two Head was now Status Quo (they'd dropped the 'The' along the way) as we know and love them - a full tilt, heads down, no nonsense boogie band. 

A lineup change with Roy Lynes (organ) leaving meant that the classic Quo personnel were in place, with Francis Rossi (lead guitar/ vocals), Rick Parfitt (rhythm guitar/vocals), Alan Lancaster (bass/vocals) and John Coghlan (drums) opting to stay as a foursome. 

Piledriver sealed the deal with some brilliant songs: Don't Waste My Time; Big Fat Mama; Paper Plane and a terrific version of Roadhouse Blues saw the band in full chooglin' mode.

They had built up appreciable momentum into 1973's Hello! - their sixth studio album. Again, there were some strong songs on it that did the business. Roll Over Lay Down is one of my favourites, but the album also had Caroline (a single lifted from Hello!), Softer Ride and Forty-Five Hundred Times. All classic Status Quo!

Quo repeated the trick. Actually, I could just write that for the next x number of Status Quo albums. On the surface it looks like they found a formula that worked and stuck with it but that ignores how creative they were within their formula. Quo is a heavy set of songs that translated brilliantly to a live setting. Just Take me is the obvious example of that.

On the Level was their eighth studio album. It's the one with Down Down on it. Down Down is quintessential Quo AND it went to number one in the UK charts! The rest of the album is up their usual high standards. No coasting for these boys.

Blue For You has more great Quo classics - Rain, Mystery Song, Is There a Better Way. It went immediately to #1 in the album charts and also turned out to be the last of their classic albums.

Their decision to embrace more mainstream popularity meant I jumped off the good ship Quo for a while after the Live! album. It seemed to me that they couldn't ever beat that double live album experience.

Live! was recorded at Glasgow's Apollo Theatre between 27 and 29 October 1976. I first bought the double album on vinyl in the seventies, but I also needed a CD version so that I could get the whole performance in a more seamless format. Plus, the CD adds a couple of songs that aren't on the vinyl edition.

The first three songs set out their store superbly; Junior's Wailing, Blackwater/ Just Take Me and Is There A Better Way are scorching hot renditions. 

Before that is the best introduction of a band ever. Is there anybody out there who wants to rock?...Tonight. Live. From the Apollo. Glasgow...It gives me goosebumps every time! The band are hot but so is the audience. Their noise is a huge part of the enjoyment - they go nuts! This is one of the best live albums of all time, and if you want to find out why Status Quo are such a great band - take a listen. This is a definite peak experience.

There's a big gap in my collection following Live!, during which the original band fell apart - John Coghlan threw in the towel in 1981, Alan Lancaster (who passed away in 2021) left in 1985 and moved to Australia.

The singles collection - 12 Gold Bars from 1980 is a pretty good one stop shop. The band had a massive amount of chart success so picking only 12 songs is never going to do the band justice and the inclusion of Living on an Island? Really? Aside from that, it's got all the essential Quo hit moments on it.

A double live and a hits compilation both signal a line in the sand and that would prove to be the case for me. At the time, I wasn't that interested in the polished Status Quo product that would follow these glory years, and I haven't changed my mind since then.

Compared to Live!, Live Alive Quo is not so good - it's a pale imitation of the band following their mainstream success following the years after their version of Rockin' All Over the World. 

Only Rick and Francis were left from the original lineup. It does bring you up to date in a live way though, even if it's not a cohesive live album.

I'm not much of a fan of medleys joining up snippets from songs (The Beatles are exempt from criticism) and Roadhouse Medley goes for 20-minutes, consisting of a medley of The Wanderer, Marguerita Time, Living on an Island, Break the Rules, Something 'Bout You Baby I Like and The Price of Love. Basically, this says that none of those songs are worthy of having a full version.

The Cover Up is a weird one on a weird label (Music Club). It's a budget compilation of various covers they released during the nineties. 

The nicest thing I can say about is that it's patchy. Some duds (Get Back, Keep on Rocking Me Baby) are mixed in with some okay ones (Tobacco Road, Claudette). On the whole though, it all feels pretty shoddy, pretty tame.

Some redemption was sorely needed by the time the 2010's rolled around. What to do? What to do? How about the stunning decision to reform the classic foursome? GREAT IDEA!!!

They released four versions to celebrate this reunion  - Hammersmith Apollo (my CD), Wembley Arena (my DVD), O2 Academy Glasgow, and Dublin O2 Arena.

The set list looks pretty much the same as that for Live! - certainly there is nothing from the post Live! iterations of Status Quo. Brilliant decision number 2. It's not a particularly chummy get together but the Frantic Four play like one unit, as they always did. It's become a fitting tribute to the band members who have passed away.

The guys sound reinvigorated and the versions are great - different to Live! as they are older gentlemen but energetic, and in the pocket. 

The final album in my list is an attempt to use the unplugged format to recast some old songs. It works for some (Paper Plane, Softer Ride) but not for others. Rick Parfitt died two years after this effort - which leaves John Coghlan and Francis Rossi as the last two originals standing (not together but in brotherhood, from a distance).

Where do they all belong? A lot of Status Quo. Probably too much, but for a while there - i.e. the seventies, they were without peer.