Alphabet Beats #127: S is for....Status Quo

  S is for...

In almost fifty years Status Quo have released 31 Studio Albums (only the first four albums failed to chart), 6 Live Albums, 9 Compilations and 85 Singles (67 of which charted)! They have racked up more than 170 Million in Album sales alone! For a band so popular you have to wonder why there are haters! Actually I think the haters secretly like them in some small way and cannot but help tap their toes along with a classic Quo tune!

There are periods in the life of Quo that I don't care for too much myself but I have to hand it to them, they just can't seem to stop rocking and just when you think they are down and out for the count they rise up and claim the hearts of the people afresh (their latest work Aquostic: Stripped Bare is total proof of that!).

Prior to the latest project they had spent a couple of years touring as their classic line-up, The Frantic Four, that had existed from 1970 through to 1976 when they added a fifth member on Keyboards, Andy Brown. 

Francis, Alan and John had been playing together since 1962 as The Spectres (and released two singles), changed their name to The Traffic Jam in '67, Rick joined (he had known them since 1964) and they changed it again as not wanting people to confuse they with Steve Winwood's Traffic. They released one single under that name which failed to chart and then changed their name again to The Status Quo. By 1969 they were plain old Status Quo...And the rest as they is history!

Click on the links to enjoy the music. Heads down, air guitars to the ready!

The Music
    Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo (1968)
    Spare Parts (1969)
    Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon (1970)
    Dog of Two Head (1971)
    Piledriver (1972)
    Hello! (1973)
    Quo (1974)
    On the Level (1975)
    Blue for You (1976)

Live! (1977)
    Rockin' All Over the World (1977)
    If You Can't Stand the Heat (1978)
    Whatever You Want (1979)
    Just Supposin' (1980)

12 Gold Bars (1980)
    Never Too Late (1981)
    1+9+8+2 (1982)
    Back to Back (1983)*

Live at the N.E.C. (1984)
    In The Army Now (1986)
    Ain't Complaining (1988)
    Perfect Remedy (1989)
    Rock 'Til You Drop (1991)

Live Alive Quo (1993)
    Thirsty Work (1994)
    Don't Stop (1996)
    Under The Influence (1999)
    Famous in the Last Century (2000)
    Heavy Traffic (2002)
    Riffs (2003)
    The Party Ain't Over Yet (2005)
    In Search of the Fourth Chord (2007)

Live at the BBC (2010)
    Quid Pro Quo (2011)
    Bula Quo! (2013)

The Frantic Four Reunion (Live at Hammersmith Odeon) (2013)

The Frantic Four's Final Fling - Live at the Dublin O2 Arena (2014)
    Aquostic: Stripped Bare (2014)

Aquostic! Live at the Roundhouse (2015)

*incomplete, link contains a track from the album. 

The Soundtrack4Life Top 20

Status Quo

20. Junior's Wailing.

19. It's Better Now (Acoustic).

18. Paper Plane.

17. Rain.

16. Down the Dustpipe.

15. The Beginning of the End.

14. Rock and Roll (Acoustic).

13. Pictures of Matchstick Men (Acoustic)

12. In My Chair.

11. Rockin' All Over The World.

10. Whatever You Want.

09. Again Again.

08. Roadhouse Blues.

07. Mystery Song.

06. Forty Five Hundred Times.

05. Roll Over Lay Down.

04. Caroline.

03. Wild Side of Life.

02. Down Down.

01. Is There A Better Way.