Status Quo's 'Backbone' - Album Review

When it comes to British boogie, no band epitomises that sound and attitude more than the legendary Status Quo. Early versions of the band can be traced back to 1962, but the band became the Status Quo that we know and love today in 1967, and released their debut album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo a year later. The band's first couple of albums featured a more psychedelic rock sound, typical of the late 1960s, but by the time 1970 rolled around the band had embraced the hard rocking blues sound that would be their signature. 1970's Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon launched this new Status Quo sound, and the band has been churning out album after album of boogie blues ever since. The 1970s was a particularly prolific and successful time for Status Quo, with an album a year being released throughout the decade, as well as the excellent Live! in 1977, many of which are still seen as bona fide British rock classics. According to the UK's chart statistics, no rock band has had more singles in the charts than Status Quo - with over 60 chart hits being registered since their formation. Even the band's debut single, 1968's Pictures of Matchstick Men, reached number seven in the charts; and they would score a number one hit six years later with Down Down. Much of this success was had throughout the 1970s, but Status Quo have remained popular throughout their career - with hits coming in all subsequent decades. Part of the band's success, despite a few ups and downs largely relating to line-up changes, is down to their productivity and prolific touring schedule. While the band's recent albums might not shift as many units as their classic offerings, Status Quo are still a big draw live. Despite 'retiring' on numerous occasions, the band has never truly gone away. Status Quo tours are frequent, and even the sad death of founding member Rick Parfitt in 2016 has not slowed the band down. Parfitt's death has left Francis Rossi as the only original member left in the band. While some fans are not happy that Rossi has continued the band without Parfitt, the current line-up are still a force to be reckoned with live. Multi-instrumentalist Andy Bown, who officially joined the band in 1982 but had been performing with the band on and off since 1793, and bassist John 'Rhino' Edwards, who joined in 1985, are both long-standing Quo veterans and perfect candidates to help Rossi keep the Quo flame alight. These three, with the more recent additions of drummer Leon Cave and guitarist Richie Malone, are responsible for the band's latest studio album Backbone, the band's 33rd album and the band's first album of new material since 2013's poor Bula Quo!. The recent string of Status Quo studio albums have, in my opinion, been overlong and bloated with a lot of filler; but Backbone sees the band stripping back the fat and getting back to what they do best. It is a strong collection of songs that does nothing new whatsoever, but recreates the classic Status Quo spirit from the 1970s, and includes a few songs which will certainly be welcome additions to the band's live sets.

While you might expect the album to open with some raucous, in-your-face boogie, Backbone actually gets underway in a more restrained way. Waiting for a Woman certainly has the trademark Status Quo rhythms and vibe, but the sparser production and mellow sounds bring to mind what Dire Straits might sound like if they covered a Status Quo classic. The song is extremely simple, with Cave's metronomic beat striking up an instant groove and a simple guitar line that repeats throughout. Rossi handles the vast majority of the lead vocals throughout the album, but he sounds as good as ever. His London-accented vocals are a cornerstone of the Status Quo sound, and his almost-spoken delivery throughout this song really suits the walking pace of the track. He throws in the occasional little bluesy guitar lead, which compliments Malone's relentless rhythm, and launches into a sloppy ZZ Top-esque solo part way through. The song builds up subtly as it moves along, with Bown adding some simple keyboard riffs during the latter portions. Those who feared that the band might be going a little soft should fear not, as the rest of album ups the pace and 'rock' vibes after the laid back start. Cut Me Some Slack, a collaboration between Rossi and Edwards, is a future Quo classic with chunky driving power chord rhythms. Status Quo is known for up-tempo boogie rhythms, and this is a song that truly thrives on that sound. The guitars sound really beefy here, with Rossi and Malone locking in nicely throughout, and Bown's occasional bursts of barroom piano really fills out the sound. Bown's keyboards are not as prominent here as they have been on other recent Quo albums, with simple piano and organ melodies and arrangements being found throughout. He also contributes some additional guitar work throughout the album, helping with the overall toughness.The song is a really catchy number, with a sing-a-long chorus that is made to be heard live and a rhythm that is a real throwback to the band's heyday. Liberty Lane is another great track, and it opens up with an almost AC/DC-esque riff before opening up into another slab of boogie blues. While not as heavy as Cut Me Some Slack, the song still retains the classic Status Quo sound, with Edwards' bass in particular standing out. He co-wrote this song as well, and his bassline really holds everything together. The verses here are a little more laid back to allow for Rossi's vocals to shine, so the bass takes the places of the chunky guitar chords to keep the pace up. The song also has one of the album's best choruses in my opinion, with lots of melodic harmony vocals from the whole band and some more of Bown's piano. The song is another future classic in my opinion, and is one of the best cuts here. I See You're in Some Trouble, like the opening song, is a collaboration between Rossi and long-time songwriting partner Bob Young and picks the pace up again a little after Liberty Lane slowed it down a touch. The big power chords are back, but for me the standout player here is Bown. His piano playing is evident throughout the whole piece, and he lays down lots of excellent countermelodies throughout to compliment the relentless guitar and bass chugs. The 'three chords' has always been the backbone (pun intended) of the Quo sound, but keyboards have always also been a key element - with Bown clearly demonstrating that fact here.

Bown makes his presence felt on the album as a songwriter too, and put Backing Off together with Rossi. Surprisingly his keyboards are not all that prominent here, with the focus instead on choppy guitar rhythms and a pulsing bassline. Despite the simplicity of the piece, there is still quite a lot going on when it comes to the arrangement of the guitars. The rhythms are tight, but there are quite a lot of moments when another guitar track just rings out with big chiming chords that really adds to the overall depth of the song. It turns the song from what appears to be a simple chug on the surface to something subtly more involved, with some interesting little flourishes that keep the listener guessing. There is a short, strange mid-section that seems to involve a lot of effects-heavy acoustic guitars too - which comes out of left field and provides a neat little brief change of pace. I Wanna Run Away With You is old-school Status Quo at its best, with Rossi and Malone's boogie guitar rhythms, Cave's shuffle beat, and Bown's tinkling piano backing. While Status Quo have always been more diverse and interesting than many give them credit for, songs like this are certainly their bread and butter. Stick on any classic Status Quo album from the 1970s and many of the tracks that you hear will sound like I Wanna Run Away With You. It is a strong, up-beat feel-good piece that is packed with classic Rossi charm and a chorus that is sure to go down well live with some more big harmony vocals. The album's title track is another winner, with Bown's piano riffing driving the meat of the song, while Malone lays into his Telecaster for a classic Quo rhythm. The song is a little more dynamic than usual too, with Cave mixing things up a little in the drumming department occasionally to provide a welcome change from the 4/4 beat that tends to dominate the album. I have had a few listens to this album prior to sitting down and writing this review, and this is still one of the standout pieces here. The boogie element that Quo is known for his here in spades, but there is something about the song that also feels a bit more modern. There is an interesting almost-a cappella moment part way through that sounds different from your average Status Quo song, but it fits in nicely within the band's typical sound. Better Take Care, written by John David who has written a few songs for the band over the past couple of decades, is a bit poppier than the band's typical sound, but that ensures that the album stays fresh. This is also one of the few songs here that features a lead vocalist other than Rossi. Rossi still sing the bulk of the song, but someone else (Bown I think) takes a few lines here and there - and their rougher bluesy voice compliments Rossi's perfectly. Status Quo have always done this more lighthearted pop sound well, and the band have written many tracks like this for themselves over the years. These songs always prove to be nice changes of pace on their albums, as the band are not often ones for ballads, and that is the job that Better Take Care does here.

Falling Off the World is the first Quo track to be written by Cave, and if I had not read the CD's sleeve notes I would have assumed that it was another Rossi track! Cave has clearly already mastered the band's signature style, with a heavy blues shuffle dominating the track which Rossi sings atop perfectly. That being said however, the song does take a slightly more atmospheric turn briefly about two-thirds of the way through, which is something different for the album, but this moment is short-lived as the band soon launch into another tough blues riff - and Rossi then cuts loose with a solo. Cave has been with the band for a few years now, but this is the first album of original material that he has been a part of. It seems he has fit nicely into the band, and I look forward to hearing more of his contributions going forward. The band's other new boy Malone has also written a track for the album, with Get Out of My Head being his effort. Perhaps less typical than Cave's song, it nevertheless still fits perfectly on the album and actually sounds a little more like the more left field songs that Parfitt used to occasionally write for the band. I assume it is also him singing the song, as it certainly is not Rossi, but his voice suits the slightly different sound. A boogie rhythm still underpins the song, but there are moments that sound a bit more expansive than your average Quo song, with Bown laying into his Hammond organ for a great washing of retro goodness. Malone has only been in the band for a handful of years but he, like Cave, has also already found a home for himself in the band. The two have certainly injected some new energy into the band, and the fact they are both also handy songwriters means that the band will hopefully continue to thrive over the coming years. The album's final piece Running Out of Time is another Bown composition that actually returns to the slightly more laid back feeling of the album's opening song. It is not as sparse as that track however, but it does end up providing something of a nice bookend to the album as a result. The verses are extremely simple with some jaunty guitar chords, with the choruses opening up slightly with some warm keyboard textures and subtle vocal harmonies that are less in-your-face than many of the more anthemic choruses found elsewhere. Rossi makes his presence felt musically with another bluesy guitar solo that showcases his talents. While it may have been nice to end the album on more of a bang, I still feel that the song is a strong one. It is somewhat fitting that the album opens and closes with more laid back pieces, with the main meat of the album in between. The poppy melodies are sure to remain in the brain long after listening however, ensuring the album ends well. Overall, Backbone is a strong comeback album of sorts from Status Quo and one that proves they can still succeed without Parfitt. The songwriting throughout the album is strong, and for me this is one of the band's best albums for a good number of years. I hope the album does well for the band, as I would like to hear more from this latest version of Status Quo in the future.

The album was released on 6th September 2019 via earMusic. Below is the band's promotional video for Liberty Lane.