Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 28 August 1970 [1] | |||
Recorded | Spring 1970 | |||
Studio | Pye Studios, London | |||
Genre | Hard rock, blues rock | |||
Length | 41:48 | |||
Label | Pye | |||
Producer | John Schroeder | |||
Status Quo chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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.
The band began experimenting with a new sound when they hired Australian singer-songwriter Carl Groszmann to write a song for them.[ citation needed ] That song became "Down the Dustpipe", released as a non-album single in March 1970, with the Francis Rossi/Rick Parfitt song "Face Without a Soul" – from the band's previous album Spare Parts – as its B-side. The song, remarked Rossi, “was the [first] to feature our soon-to-be trademark boogie shuffle” and became one of the most popular numbers in their live set. The single took the media by surprise as it was so different in sound from their previous work. BBC Radio 1 presenter Tony Blackburn dismissed it on-air the first time he played it with the comment, "Down the dustbin for this one." [3] Nevertheless, it was an instant hit, reaching #12 in the UK charts and remaining in the top 50 for 17 weeks.
October 1970 saw the release of another non-album single, the Rossi/Young composition "In My Chair", with the non-album B-side "Gerdundula" (written while in Germany by Rossi and Young under the pseudonyms Manston and James, with a title reportedly inspired by their German friends Gerd and Ula). It earned the band another hit, reaching #21. "Gerdundula" would be rerecorded for their next album, Dog of Two Head .
While on tour the same year, organist Roy Lynes fell in love. He could see how serious the other members were about fame and glory, but wanted to settle down with his newfound love. According to the group's producer, John Schroeder, who wrote the booklet notes for the 3-CD compilation The Early Years, Lynes was "the quietest member of the group" and "somehow always seemed to be the odd one out". Parfitt has said Lynes was "a bit laid back, the Open University type who liked tinkering and finding out about things", and Rossi remarked that, when Lynes showed up at a gig in New Zealand about ten years later to say hello, "he seemed a much happier bloke."
"Just so right and so tight," observed Pavement's Stephen Malkmus of Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon. "As with Dog of Two Head from the year after, this record is transitional: it's the man-steps towards their interchangeable album phase of pure-denim-heads-down-choogle, and never gets boring. Smooth voices over solid grooves. If it was a place, I wish I was there." [4]
The BBC Sessions were recorded at BBC Studio 1, Shepherd's Bush October 1970 for The John Peel Show
with:
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
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UK Independent Albums (OCC) [6] | 28 |
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.
Dog of Two Head is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released by Pye Records in November 1971.
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.
Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo is the debut studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released in September 1968. It features several covers, including "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers.
Spare Parts is the second studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, and their final one in the psychedelic vein. It is the first in which the group's roadie Bob Young wrote and co-wrote songs for and with the band. Released in September 1969, it was not a commercial success.
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.
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.
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.
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".
The Party Ain't Over Yet... is the twenty-seventh album by English rock band Status Quo, released 19 September 2005.
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.
From the Makers of... is a box set by British rock band Status Quo, released in 1982. In the era before CDs, the three-disc/double cassette collection was the most comprehensive resume of the band's career at the time, containing all their top 20 hit singles up to that point and several selected album tracks. The third disc was a new recording of a live concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England for the Prince's Trust charity: the disc was subsequently re-released as a stand-alone live album in 1984, titled Live at the N.E.C.
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.
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.
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.
"Down the Dustpipe" is a song written by Australian singer-songwriter Carl Groszmann, and recorded by Status Quo.
"Mean Girl" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1973. It was taken from their November 1971 album Dog of Two Head.
"Roadhouse Medley " is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1992. It was included on the album Live Alive Quo.