Backbone (Status Quo album)

Last updated

Backbone
Status Quo - Backbone.jpg
Studio album by
Status Quo
Released6 September 2019 (2019-09-06)
Recorded2018–2019
StudioARSIS Studios
Genre Rock
Length40:54
Label
  • earMusic
  • Fourth Chord Records
Producer Francis Rossi
Status Quo chronology
Aquostic II – That's a Fact!
(2016)		Backbone
(2019)
Singles from Backbone
  1. "Backbone"
    Released: 12 July 2019
  2. "Liberty Lane"
    Released: 9 August 2019
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]

Backbone is the 33rd studio album by British rock band Status Quo. It was released on 6 September 2019 [2] and debuted at number six on the UK Albums Chart (and at top spot on the Album Sales Chart, which subtracts streaming activity from specific album purchases in all digital and physical formats). [3] It was the band's 25th UK top ten album [4] and their highest-charting album of original material [Note 1] since 1+9+8+2 (1982). Backbone also entered the Swiss album charts at number two, and the German album charts at number six, giving the band their highest album chart position in the latter, despite a long history of enduring popularity.

Contents

Frontman Francis Rossi stated in a 2022 interview with Classic Rock magazine that Backbone was likely to be Status Quo's final studio album. [5] Rossi blamed the shift to streaming as the predominant means of consuming music and called out Spotify in particular: "It’s something we’ve sweated over and they’re giving you a quarter of a penny per stream? Fuck you." He described the situation in the industry as "even worse than when we were all getting ripped off in the sixties". However, he didn't write off the possibility entirely and made it clear that the band still has "one in us".

Background

Backbone is the first album released by the band since the death of rhythm guitarist Rick Parfitt, who had featured on every prior Status Quo album. Speaking about the album in a press release, frontman Francis Rossi expressed both pride in the content and sadness regarding Parfitt's lack of involvement, saying "This new material had to be seriously good. Quo have achieved so much and meant so much to too many people for the quality to slip now [...] Losing Rick was hard to bear but, through Richie Malone, who was inspired to pick up a guitar by him, we can not only keep going but actually pick up the pace." He concluded: "I wasn't sure I had another album in me but I couldn't be more proud of Backbone." [2] The album was dedicated to Rick Parfitt: "This album is dedicated to the memory of Rick Parfitt OBE (1948–2016)".

The title track was released on 12 July 2019 as the first single, with a promo video. [2] The second single, "Liberty Lane", was released on 9 August 2019 [6] and a video for the single was later released in September. [7] The band had started playing "Liberty Lane" and "Cut Me Some Slack" live a month before the album was announced, [8] generating excitement for the new release, [9] which is notable for being one of the few times the band have toured new music before release.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Waiting for a Woman"
4:28
2."Cut Me Some Slack"
3:42
3."Liberty Lane"
  • Rossi
  • Edwards
3:28
4."I See You're in Some Trouble"
  • Rossi
  • Young
3:47
5."Backing Off"
4:12
6."I Wanna Run Away with You"
  • Rossi
  • Young
3:23
7."Backbone"
  • Rossi
  • Edwards
3:03
8."Better Take Care" John David 3:34
9."Falling Off the World"Leon Cave3:29
10."Get Out of My Head" Richie Malone 3:24
11."Running Out of Time"
  • Bown
  • Rossi
3:29
Digipak bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Crazy Crazy"
  • Rossi
  • Bown
3:18
13."Face the Music"Malone3:27

Personnel

Status Quo

Production

Charts

Chart (2019)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [10] 98
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [11] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [12] 31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [13] 21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [14] 28
French Albums (SNEP) [15] 114
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [16] 6
Irish Albums (IRMA) [17] 76
Scottish Albums (OCC) [18] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [19] 43
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [20] 31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [21] 2
UK Albums (OCC) [3] 6
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [22] 1

Notes

  1. ↑ Between 1+9+8+2 and Backbone, the band had three higher-charting, top-five albums: two studio albums and a greatest hits compilation. These are Rocking All Over the Years (1990; compilation), Don't Stop (1996; covers of other artists), and Aquostic – Stripped Bare (2014; acoustic covers of their own songs). Rocking All Over the Years contained "Anniversary Waltz", which was a previously unreleased medley of rock-and-roll genre covers, but none of the three albums contained any wholly new compositions.

Related Research Articles

<i>Whatever You Want</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Status Quo

Whatever You Want is the twelfth studio album by the British rock band Status Quo.

<i>On the Level</i> 1975 studio album by Status Quo

On the Level is the eighth studio album by English rock band Status Quo. It features Francis Rossi, Richard Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan. The album's cover art features band members in an Ames room, and on the original vinyl release, the inner gatefold sleeve consisted of informal photos members of the group had taken of each other.

<i>Quo</i> (Status Quo album) 1974 studio album by Status Quo

Quo is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Status Quo. Issued in May 1974, it features Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan, and reached #2 in the UK. Like its predecessor Hello!, it consisted entirely of songs written or cowritten by the group. The only guest musicians were Bob Young and Tom Parker, who played harmonica and piano respectively on "Break the Rules".

<i>Rockin All Over the World</i> (album) 1977 album by Status Quo

Rockin' All Over the World is the tenth studio album by British band Status Quo. It is their first to be produced by Pip Williams and the first to feature Andy Bown as a regular contributor to the band; he would later join the band officially in 1982. Released in November 1977, it reached #5 in the UK.

<i>Blue for You</i> 1976 studio album by Status Quo

Blue for You is the ninth studio album by English rock band Status Quo. It was released in March 1976, and is the last album until 1980's Just Supposin' that the band produced themselves, which resulted in subsequent albums having a noticeably lighter, more pop oriented sound.

<i>Live!</i> (Status Quo album) 1977 live album by Status Quo

Live! is the first live album by British rock band Status Quo. The double album is an amalgam of performances at Glasgow's Apollo Theatre between 27 and 29 October 1976, recorded using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.

<i>If You Cant Stand the Heat...</i> 1978 studio album by Status Quo

If You Can't Stand the Heat... is the eleventh studio album by English rock band Status Quo. Recorded at Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Holland, and produced by Pip Williams, it was released in October 1978 and reached #3 in the UK album chart. The sleeve notes that Aphex Aural Exciter was used in the recording process, thus contributing to a more atmospheric sound than its predecessor, "Rockin' All Over The World". Unusually for a Status Quo record, a brass section, the David Katz Horns, was used, as well as a backing vocal trio: Jacquie Sullivan, Stevie Lange, and Joy Yates.

<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 6 June 1988, it was the group's first album on that label to fall short of the UK Top 10, breaking a streak of 12 studio albums in the process. It reached no higher than its entry position of No. 12. The band, however, reentered the Top 10 just three years later with Rock 'Til You Drop in 1991.

<i>Perfect Remedy</i> 1989 studio album by Status Quo

Perfect Remedy is the nineteenth studio album by English rock band Status Quo. In terms of British chart success, it marked a new low for the band, reaching a high of only No. 49 during a two-week run. The two singles from it, 'Not at All' and 'Little Dreamer', peaked at No. 50 and No. 76 respectively. In the memoir, 'XS All Areas: Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt', Rossi said that it sold well in Europe and Australia, but they were back to square one in Britain. 'I don't know why it did so poorly. You could argue that the scene had moved on.'

<i>Thirsty Work</i> 1994 studio album by Status Quo

Thirsty Work is the twenty-first studio album by English rock band Status Quo. It yielded three hit singles, "I Didn't Mean It", "Sherri Don't Fail Me Now", and the uncharacteristic ballad "Restless". "Goin' Nowhere" was released as a single in Germany. "Sorry" had originally been recorded by Demis Roussos and released on his 1980 album Man of the World, with Francis Rossi and Bernie Frost on all instruments and backing vocals.

<i>Heavy Traffic</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Status Quo

Heavy Traffic is the twenty-fifth studio album by English rock band Status Quo, and their first to feature drummer Matt Letley. Released in 2002, it hit #15 in the UK.

<i>The Party Aint Over Yet</i> 2005 studio album by Status Quo

The Party Ain't Over Yet... is the twenty-seventh album by English rock band Status Quo, released 19 September 2005.

<i>Never Too Late</i> (Status Quo album) 1981 studio album by Status Quo

Never Too Late is the fourteenth studio album by English rock band Status Quo, coproduced by the group and John Eden. Released on 13 March 1981, it had been recorded at the same sessions – at Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin – as its predecessor Just Supposin'. It reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Riffs</i> (Status Quo album) 2003 studio album by Status Quo

Riffs is the twenty-sixth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released in November 2003. Ten tracks were cover versions of pop and rock standards, the other five were re-recordings of songs they had previously issued during the 1970s. The initial release also included a bonus 9-track DVD, featuring footage recorded for television programs and also the video for the 2002 Top 20 hit 'Jam Side Down', recorded on HMS Ark Royal. This was originally planned to be released one week after the album "Heavy Traffic", but was pushed back in time by the record company.

<i>Live at the N.E.C.</i> 1984 live album by Status Quo

Live at The N.E.C. was the second live album by rock band Status Quo which was recorded at the National Exhibition Centre. It had originally been released as part of the 3-LP box set From the Makers of... in 1982. In 1984 the recording became available as a separate album.

<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.

<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.

<i>Aquostic – Stripped Bare</i> 2014 studio album by Status Quo

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. The album earned a Gold certification in January 2015.

<i>Aquostic II – Thats a Fact!</i> 2016 studio album by Status Quo

Aquostic II – That's a Fact! is the thirty-second studio album by English rock band Status Quo, released on 21 October 2016. It is the last album to feature guitarist and vocalist Rick Parfitt prior to his death on 24 December 2016. Hannah Rickard, with whom Francis Rossi collaborated on their 2019 duet album We Talk Too Much, can be heard as violinist and background singer.

References

  1. ↑ Davenport, Rich (September 2019). "Status Quo – Backbone". Classic Rock . p. 86.
  2. 1 2 3 Munro, Scott (12 July 2019). "Watch Status Quo show some Backbone in new video". Classic Rock . Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  4. ↑ Ainsley, Helen (9 September 2019). "Post Malone on course for second UK Number 1 album". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  5. ↑ https://www.loudersound.com/features/francis-rossi-could-make-another-status-quo-album-but-he-wont-you-can-blame-spotify
  6. ↑ Thorley, Andy (10 August 2019). "QUO: STILL TAKING LIBERTIES". Maximum Volume Music. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  7. ↑ "Status Quo Premier "Liberty Lane" Music Video". Brave Words . 9 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "Status Quo Setlist at Tempodrom, Berlin". setlist.fm. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "2 New Quo Song(s)! Live on tour, Germany June 2019 | Status Quo Fan Forum". statusquo.boards.net. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "ARIA Chart Week 542". auspOp. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Status Quo – Backbone" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Status Quo – Backbone" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  13. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Status Quo – Backbone" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  14. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Status Quo – Backbone" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Status Quo – Backbone" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  17. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Status Quo". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  18. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  19. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  20. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  21. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  22. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.