Aquostic (Stripped Bare)

Last updated
Aquostic (Stripped Bare)
Status Quo - Aquostic (Stripped Bare).jpg
Studio album by
Released17 October 2014 (2014-10-17)
Recorded2014
Genre Acoustic rock
Length78:39
Label Warner Bros. Records, earMUSIC, Edel Records
Producer Mike Paxman
Status Quo chronology
Bula Quo!
(2013)
Aquostic (Stripped Bare)
(2014)
Aquostic II: That's a Fact
(2016)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Classic Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Aquostic (Stripped Bare) is the thirty-first studio album by English rock band Status Quo, first released on 17 October 2014. Produced by Mike Paxman, this is the band's first completely acoustic album and the first recorded with drummer Leon Cave. Its cover features a photograph by Canadian singer Bryan Adams. [2] [3] The album earned a Gold certification in January 2015. [4]

Contents

Background

"We did an album of our old songs," Francis Rossi observed, "posed nude on the cover, got Bryan Adams to shoot it… Why do you do it? Because it made everyone talk about it… All those songs were written acoustically. It would be great to have new stuff out. But if you and I were the record company, and the manager comes to us and says, 'They want to write a whole new album of acoustic stuff,' they'd say, 'Fuck off, give us the hits.'" [5]

"I went from not wanting to be involved to really liking it," Rossi revealed. "The new version of 'All the Reasons' is as good as the original, or better. The same with 'Rain', which is a song I really didn't think would work in such a format." "The arrangements of most of these songs are vastly different," noted Rick Parfitt, "especially what we've done to 'Don't Drive My Car', which sounds like a cross between Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt. People will be taken aback." [6]

Performance

To launch the album, the band gave a ninety-minute performance of the songs at The Roundhouse in London on 22 October 2014. The concert was recorded and broadcast live by BBC Radio 2 as part of their In Concert series. [7] [8] The band were augmented on stage by guitarist Freddie Edwards, son of bassist John Edwards. [9] [10]

The concert was introduced by BBC Radio 2's Jo Whiley. Its setlist differed from the order of the eventual album track listing. [11]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Pictures of Matchstick Men" Francis Rossi Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo (1968)3:37
2."Down the Dustpipe" Carl Groszman single (1970)2:41
3."Na Na Na"Rossi, Bob Young Dog of Two Head (1971)2:55
4."Paper Plane"Rossi, Young Piledriver (1972)3:38
5."All the Reasons" Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster Piledriver (1972)3:08
6."Reason for Living"Rossi, Parfitt Hello! (1973)3:21
7."And It's Better Now"Rossi, YoungHello! (1973)3:41
8."Caroline"Rossi, YoungHello! (1973)3:13
9."Softer Ride"Parfitt, LancasterHello! (1973)2:57
10."Claudie"Rossi, YoungHello! (1973)3:58
11."Break the Rules"Rossi, Parfitt, Lancaster, John Coghlan, Young Quo (1974)3:09
12."Down Down"Rossi, Young On the Level (1975)2:36
13."Little Lady"ParfittOn the Level (1975)1:52
14."Mystery Song"Parfitt, Young Blue for You (1976)2:34
15."Rain"ParfittBlue for You (1976)3:56
16."Rockin' All Over the World" John Fogerty Rockin' All Over the World (1977)2:40
17."Again and Again"Parfitt, Andy Bown, Jackie Lynton If You Can't Stand the Heat... (1978)3:20
18."Whatever You Want"Parfitt, Bown Whatever You Want (1979)3:25
19."What You're Proposing"Rossi, Bernie Frost Just Supposin' (1980)2:04
20."Rock 'n' Roll"Rossi, FrostJust Supposin' (1980)2:43
21."Don't Drive My Car"Parfitt, BownJust Supposin' (1980)3:10
22."Marguerita Time"Rossi, Frost Back to Back (1983)3:20
23."Rollin' Home" John David In the Army Now (1986)4:05
24."Burning Bridges"Rossi, Bown Ain't Complaining (1988)3:45
25."Rock 'til You Drop"Bown Rock 'til You Drop (1991)2:48

Tracks 13,14 and 23 are "bonus tracks" and are not on the Spotify version. They are on the version on MP3FREEX with track 23 in the correct place and tracks 13 and 14 at the end but in the reverse order with "Mystery Song" segueing into "Little Lady".

Personnel

Status Quo

Additional musicians

  • Geraint Watkins − accordion
  • Martin Ditcham − percussion
  • Amy Smith − background vocals
  • Richard Benbow − string arrangements
  • Lucy Wilkins − (leader) violin
  • Howard Gott − violin
  • Natalia Bonner − violin
  • Alison Dods − violin
  • Sophie Sirota − viola
  • Sarah Wilson − cello

Production

  • Mike Paxman − production
  • Gregg Jackman − recording, mixing

Chart performance

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [23] Gold100,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

Status Quo (band) English rock band

Status Quo are an English rock band that formed in 1962. The group originated in London, as The Scorpions and was founded by Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster while they were still schoolboys. After a number of lineup changes, which included the introduction of Rick Parfitt in 1967, the band became The Status Quo in 1967 and Status Quo in 1969.

Whatever You Want (Status Quo song) 1979 single by Status Quo

"Whatever You Want" is a rock song by the British rock band Status Quo. Written by Rick Parfitt and Andy Bown, it was released on the album of the same name in 1979 and has become one of the band's better-known works. The song peaked at number 4 on the UK charts in September 1979. It originally appeared on the band's 1979 album Whatever You Want and was later re-recorded for their 2003 album Riffs.

Pictures of Matchstick Men Single

"Pictures of Matchstick Men" is the first hit single by Status Quo, released on 5 January 1968.

<i>Aint Complaining</i> 1988 studio album by Status Quo

Ain't Complaining is the eighteenth studio album by British rock band Status Quo. Initially released on the Vertigo label on 13 June 1988, it was the group's first album on that label to fall short of the UK Top 10, reaching no higher than its entry position of No. 12.

<i>In Search of the Fourth Chord</i> 2007 studio album by Status Quo

In Search of the Fourth Chord is the twenty-eighth studio album by English rock band Status Quo, released on 17 September 2007. The title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the rumour that the group always plays the same three chords, and a reference to the album In Search of the Lost Chord by British rock band the Moody Blues. The album's artwork is a parody of the Indiana Jones films.

"Down the Dustpipe" is a song written by Australian singer-songwriter Carl Groszmann, and recorded by Status Quo.

"Paper Plane" is a rock song originally by Status Quo. It was released as a single on 10 November 1972, reaching number 8 in the UK Singles Chart, and appeared on their album, Piledriver. The song was written by Francis Rossi and Bob Young.

"Caroline" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1973. It was included on the band's 1973 album Hello!

"Rain" is a single from British rock band Status Quo's album Blue for You. It was written by Rick Parfitt.

"Mystery Song" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1976. It was included on the album Blue for You.

Burning Bridges (Status Quo song) 1988 single by Status Quo

"Burning Bridges " is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1988. It was included on the album Ain't Complaining. The tune is based on the traditional English folk song "Darby Kelly".

"Lies" / "Don't Drive My Car" is a double A-side single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1980.

"Again and Again" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1978. The song was written by Rick Parfitt, Andy Bown and Jackie Lynton and was issued to coincide with the band's headline appearance at the Reading Festival on 26 August 1978.

"What You're Proposing" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1980. It was included on their album Just Supposin'.

"Rock 'n' Roll" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1981. It was included on the album Just Supposin'. It was written in Ireland by Francis Rossi and Bernie Frost during a stay in the country, and was not originally intended to be recorded by Status Quo themselves.

"Marguerita Time" is a single by the British rock band Status Quo, from their 1983 album Back to Back. The single was also issued in a Christmas double pack that included "Caroline"/"Joanne".

"Rollin' Home" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1986. It was included on the album In the Army Now. It was written by John David and produced by Dave Edmunds. The 7 inch was also produced as a Q shaped picture disc.

"Rock 'til You Drop" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1992. It was included on the album Rock 'til You Drop.

<i>Quid Pro Quo</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Status Quo

Quid Pro Quo is the twenty-ninth studio album by English rock band Status Quo, released in May 2011. The album debuted at number 10 in the UK charts and features 14 new songs, as well as the 2010 version of their 1986 hit "In the Army Now" which was re-recorded in support of the Help for Heroes and British Forces Foundation charities. The accompanying Official Live Bootleg album features 12 older songs recorded by the band in concert in Amsterdam and Melbourne in 2010. In the UK the album was only available at branches of Tesco stores for its first week before being released conventionally on the band's Fourth Chord label on 6 June 2011.

<i>Bula Quo!</i> (album) 2013 soundtrack album by Status Quo

Bula Quo is the thirtieth studio album and the first soundtrack album by English rock band Status Quo, it was released on Monday 10 June 2013. It is the last Status Quo album recorded with drummer Matt Letley, who announced his departure from the band before the album had been released.

References

  1. Staunton, Terry (10 September 2014). "Status Quo Aquostic (Stripped Bare)". Classic Rock Magazine (202). TeamRock.
  2. Ling, Dave (31 August 2014). "World Exclusive: Status Quo Stripped Bare". Team Rock. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  3. "Status Quo strip down for album". Independent.ie. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  4. "Status Quo spend landmark 500 weeks in albums chart, figures reveal". Nme.com. 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  5. Glass, Polly (May 2015). "Live! Status Quo". Classic Rock #209. p. 122.
  6. Ling, Dave (October 2014). "No rolling over, laying down for Status Quo". Classic Rock #202. p. 17.
  7. "Status Quo Concert Setlist at Roundhouse, London on October 22, 2014 - setlist.fm". setlist.fm. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  8. "Status Quo - Acoustic". Radio 2 In Concert. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  9. "Status Quo - Aquostic". statusquo.co.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  10. "Freddie Edwards Music - Session Guitarist". Archived from the original on 2 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  11. "Status Quo Setlist at Roundhouse, London". setlist.fm. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  12. "Austriancharts.at – Status Quo – Aquostic - Stripped Bare" (in German). Hung Medien.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Status Quo – Aquostic - Stripped Bare" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Status Quo – Aquostic - Stripped Bare" (in French). Hung Medien.
  15. "Danishcharts.dk – Status Quo – Aquostic - Stripped Bare". Hung Medien.
  16. "Lescharts.com – Status Quo – Aquostic - Stripped Bare". Hung Medien.
  17. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week {{{week}}}, {{{year}}}". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Status Quo – Aquostic - Stripped Bare" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  19. "Dutchcharts.nl – Status Quo – Aquostic - Stripped Bare" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  20. "Swisscharts.com – Status Quo – Aquostic - Stripped Bare". Hung Medien.
  21. "Status Quo | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  22. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  23. "British album certifications – Status Quo – Aquostic - Stripped Bare". British Phonographic Industry.