Forty Five Hundred Times

Last updated
"Forty Five Hundred Times"
Song by Status Quo
from the album Hello!
Released1973 (Hello!), 1977 (Live!) 1991 (Rock 'til You Drop)
Genre Hard rock, prog rock, blues rock
Length
  • 9:54 (Hello! version)
  • 17:10 (Live! version)
  • 12:56 (Rock' til You Drop version)
Label Vertigo Records
Songwriter(s) Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt

"Forty Five Hundred Times" is a song by British rock band Status Quo. It is the final track on their 1973 album Hello! , almost ten minutes long and regularly performed live. The group's frontmen, Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt, have said it is one of their favourite songs by the band, with Parfitt using a special dropped tuning. While never released as a single, the song was #1 as voted by fans. [1]

Contents

Composition

Rick Parfitt playing with Status Quo in 2007 Rick-parfitt-2007-07-18-orebro.jpg
Rick Parfitt playing with Status Quo in 2007

The song was one of the few that members Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt wrote together. [2] Rossi recalled, "Each time we'd get something good Rick would try to improve it and we'd lose track of where we were. It was like pulling teeth, which is among the reasons why we stopped writing together." [3] Parfitt sang lead and played rhythm guitar using an alternative tuning with the top and bottom strings retuned from E to B. [4] He discovered the tuning while randomly playing around with the tuning pegs on his guitar after "a few glasses of wine". [5] To get the required sound, he replaced the bottom string with a 60-gauge one from a bass guitar. The song features a time signature change from 4
4 to 6
8 partway through, before reverting to 4
4 at the end, albeit much faster than at the beginning. Jazz pianist John Mealing played as a guest on the track. [4]

Rossi later said it was one of his favourite Quo songs (along with Hello! as an album generally), [6] as did Parfitt, who enjoyed the improvised jam at the end of the track and declared it his favourite guitar moment with the band. [7] He recalled, "The amps were all around the room, and we just sat in a circle and vibed with each other. Nobody knew where anybody was gonna go, and in those days, you didn’t give a fuck about overspill, so the amps were cranked. It was magical". [7]

Of the title, Rossi remarked: "Rick and I were in a Yankee phase at the time… In 'real' English it would've been called 'Four Thousand, Five Hundred Times' – which doesn't quite work, does it?" [8]

Release

The song was first released in 1973 as the last track on Hello!. [9] When that album was reissued on a Japanese compact disc in 1987, as a double set with the earlier Piledriver , "Forty Five Hundred Times" had to be dropped owing to space reasons. [4] [10]

The original studio version has been included on several compilation albums. [11] The version on XS All Areas was shortened to roughly seven minutes. It was re-recorded for the album Rock 'til You Drop (1991), including the jam over Gotta Go Home as played live, though at twelve minutes, it is more brief than typical live versions (see below). [12]

Live performances

The song was not performed live when Hello! was first released, but was introduced into the set around 1975. [4] For concert performances, Parfitt used a custom Gibson SG tuned specifically for the song, leaving the bottom B string slightly flat. [5] [13] It was subsequently played frequently, always elongated with a jam in E minor that originates from the song Gotta Go Home from Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon. There is one bootleg from 1975 that includes the vocal from Gotta Go Home but the vocal was omitted thereafter. [14]

The first released live version is extended to 17 minutes on 1977's Live! , recorded at the Glasgow Apollo. [2] The longest versions available on bootlegs were played on the Never Too Late tour in 1981, clocking in at almost 24 minutes. [14]

A 20-minute version was performed at the NEC Arena in 1982 at a charity concert for The Prince's Trust, with Coghlan's replacement Pete Kircher reinterpreting the original drum parts. This rendition was subsequently released in the expanded version of the album Live at the N.E.C. in 2017. [15] [16] The song disappeared from the set after the End of the Road tour in 1984, but it was reintroduced in 1990 (with the new rhythm section of John "Rhino" Edwards and Jeff Rich). These fifteen minute versions, played before the 1991 re-recording, marked the last time the song was extended greatly.

In 1993, the song was played in a shortened version for the first time, seguing into Junior's Wailing . The same configuration was used again in 1999. From 2000 onwards, Status Quo regularly played an abbreviated version which transitioned into Rain . It was performed the same way at the "Frantic Four" concerts in 2013 featuring original Quo members Rossi, Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan. [17] In 2014, however, the classic line-up opted for a version closer to the original that segued into Gotta Go Home (with vocals), together clocking in at around eight minutes.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Status Quo (band)</span> British rock band

Status Quo are a British rock band. The group originated in London and was founded in 1962 by Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster while they were still schoolboys. After a number of name and lineup changes, which included the introduction of John Coghlan in 1963 and Rick Parfitt in 1967, the band became The Status Quo in 1967 and Status Quo in 1969. As of 2022, the group have been active for 60 consecutive years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Rossi</span> British rock musician

Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, is an English musician. He is the co-founder, lead singer, lead guitarist and the sole continuous member of the rock band Status Quo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Parfitt</span> British rock musician (1948–2016)

Richard John Parfitt, was an English musician, best known as a rhythm guitarist, singer and songwriter with rock band Status Quo.

<i>Dog of Two Head</i> 1971 studio album by Status Quo

Dog of Two Head is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released by Pye Records in November 1971.

<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>Ma Kellys Greasy Spoon</i> 1970 studio album by Status Quo

Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon is the third studio album by English rock band Status Quo, released in August 1970. It was the first album by the band to leave behind their early psychedelic sound and begin experimenting with a hard rock style, which remains the band's signature sound, and the last album to feature keyboardist Roy Lynes. The album failed in sales and charts and was not successful.

<i>Piledriver</i> (album) 1972 album by Status Quo

Piledriver is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released in 1972. It was the first to be produced by the group themselves, and their first on the Vertigo label. It peaked at number five in the UK and included several favourites that would be featured frequently in live concerts.

<i>Hello!</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Status Quo

Hello! is the sixth studio album by the British rock band Status Quo. Released in September 1973, it was the first of four Status Quo albums to top the UK Albums Chart. It was the first Status Quo album on which drummer John Coghlan was credited with songwriting.

<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>Rock til You Drop</i> 1991 studio album by Status Quo

Rock 'til You Drop is the twentieth studio album by English rock band Status Quo and their last on the Vertigo label after nearly 20 years. Singer and guitarist Francis Rossi produced the album.

<i>XS All Areas – The Greatest Hits</i> 2004 compilation album by Status Quo

XS All Areas – The Greatest Hits is an album by English rock band Status Quo, released in September 2004. It is a best-of compilation with two new tracks, "You'll Come 'Round" and "Thinking of You".

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roadhouse Blues</span> 1970 song by the Doors

"Roadhouse Blues" is a song by the American rock band the Doors from their 1970 album Morrison Hotel. It was released as the B-side of "You Make Me Real", which peaked at No. 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 41 in Canada. "Roadhouse Blues" charted in its own right on the Cash Box Top 100, peaking at No. 76. The song became a concert staple for the group and it has been covered by numerous artists.

<i>1+9+8+2</i> 1982 studio album by Status Quo

1+9+8+2 is the fifteenth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released on 16 April 1982. It was the first to include new drummer Pete Kircher, who had recently replaced John Coghlan, and also the first to credit keyboard player Andy Bown as a full member of the band; on the previous few releases he had merely been listed as a guest musician although he had long been an integral member in all but name.

<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.

"Roadhouse Medley " is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1992. It was included on the album Live Alive Quo.

<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. ↑ "H2g2 - Status Quo - the Music - Edited Entry". 28 February 2006.
  2. 1 2 Wall, Mick (10 July 2016). "Status Quo: the story behind Quo Live!". Team Rock. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Dave Ling (15 February 2016). "The 13 best Status Quo headbangers from 1971–1981". Team Rock. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Stroud, Graeme (2017). Status Quo: Song by Song. Fonthill Media. p. 86.
  5. 1 2 Ram Samudrala (20 February 1997). "Interview with Rick Parfitt" . Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  6. ↑ Michael Andrews (2003). Peter Buckley (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock . Rough Guides. p.  1005. ISBN   978-1-858-28457-6.
  7. 1 2 Henry Yates (28 March 2016). "Status Quo on riffs, grooves, punch-ups, prison and Kit-Kats". Music Radar. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  8. ↑ Ling, Dave (October 2013). "The stories behind the songs – Status Quo, Forty-Five Hundred Times". Classic Rock #189. p. 30.
  9. ↑ "Hello! – Status Quo". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  10. ↑ "Status Quo – Piledriver + Hello! (1987, 2 in 1 CD, CD)". Discogs . 15 November 1987.
  11. ↑ "Forty Five Hundred Times". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  12. ↑ "Rock 'Til You Drop". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "STATUS QUO: The Party Ain't Over Yet documentary – Part(y) Two". John Keeling. 18 July 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  14. 1 2 "Status Quo bootlegs". web.archive.org. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  15. ↑ "Status Quo Live at the NEC". Record Collector. December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  16. ↑ Live at the NEC (Media notes). Virgin EMI. 2017. 5777089.
  17. ↑ "Music review: Status Quo: The Frantic Four Ride Again, Manchester Apollo". The Independent. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
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.