On the Level

Last updated

On the Level
OnTheLevel StatusQuo.jpg
Studio album by
Status Quo
Released21 February 1975 [1]
RecordedWinter 1974
Studio IBC Studios and Phonogram Studios, London
Genre Hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock
Length37:55
Label Vertigo (UK)
Capitol (USA)
Producer Status Quo
Status Quo chronology
Quo
(1974)		On the Level
(1975)		 Blue for You
(1976)
Singles from On the Level
  1. "Down Down"
    Released: 29 November 1974 [2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]

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.

Contents

In November 1974 the band released the only single from the album, an edited version of a Rossi/Young song entitled "Down Down". The single gave the band their only number-one hit to date. Its b-side was the Parfitt/Young album track "Nightride".

When the album was released in February 1975, the group were more or less at the peak of their career, record sales-wise. The album entered the chart at #1. All tracks were written or co-written by the group and long-term collaborator Bob Young, apart from "Bye Bye Johnny", which was a Chuck Berry composition.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Little Lady" Rick Parfitt Parfitt3:03
2."Most of the Time" Francis Rossi, Bob Young Rossi3:22
3."I Saw the Light"Rossi, YoungRossi3:40
4."Over and Done" Alan Lancaster Rossi3:55
5."Nightride"Parfitt, YoungParfitt and Rossi3:54
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Down Down"Rossi, YoungRossi5:25
7."Broken Man"LancasterLancaster4:14
8."What to Do"Rossi, YoungRossi3:07
9."Where I Am"ParfittParfitt2:45
10."Bye Bye Johnny" Chuck Berry Lancaster5:21

2005 reissue bonus tracks

  1. "Down Down" [single version] (Rossi, Young) – 3:50
  2. "Roll Over Lay Down" [live] (Rossi, Parfitt, Lancaster, Coghlan, Young) – 5:41
  3. "Gerdundula" [live] (Manston, James) – 2:35
  4. "Junior's Wailing" [live] (White, Pugh) – 3:57
  5. "Roadhouse Blues" [live] (Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek) – 12:24

Personnel

Status Quo

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [4] 3× Platinum150,000^
France (SNEP) [20] Gold100,000*
Netherlands (NVPI) [21] Gold25,000 [21]
Sweden (GLF) [22] Gold25,000 [22]
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [23] Gold25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [24] Gold100,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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.

<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>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>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>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>12 Gold Bars</i> 1980 compilation album by Status Quo

12 Gold Bars is a 1980 compilation album by English rockers Status Quo. It achieved number 3 in the UK charts and remained in the charts for 48 weeks. This was longer than any other Quo album.

<i>Just Supposin</i> 1980 studio album by Status Quo

Just Supposin' is the thirteenth album by Status Quo. Co-produced by the group and John Eden, it was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin. Released on 17 October 1980, it entered the UK albums chart at number 4.

<i>Rocking All Over the Years</i> 1990 greatest hits album by Status Quo

Rocking All Over the Years is a compilation album by English rock band Status Quo. The album contains all Quo's UK top 10 singles. Almost all songs have been shortened.

<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>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.

<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.

References

  1. ↑ "On the Level". Rate Your Music . Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  2. ↑ "Status Quo singles".
  3. ↑ Allmusic review
  4. 1 2 3 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  5. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Status Quo – On the Level" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  6. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  7. ↑ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – S". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012.Select Status Quo from the menu, then press OK.
  8. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Status Quo – On the Level" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Status Quo – On the Level" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Charts.nz – Status Quo – On the Level". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Status Quo – On the Level". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  12. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  13. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Status Quo – On the Level". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Status Quo – On the Level". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  18. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1975". Dutch Charts . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  19. ↑ "Top Selling Albums For 1975" (PDF). Music Week . 27 December 1975. p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021– via worldradiohistory.com.
  20. ↑ "French album certifications – Status Quo – On The Level" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 4 February 2021.Select STATUS QUO and click OK. 
  21. 1 2 "Status Quo: A Dutch "Gold" Sales Award for the Album "On The Level", November 1975". Bonhams. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  22. 1 2 "Above the Status Quo" (PDF). Cash Box . 12 December 1975. p. 42.
  23. ↑ "Status Quo: A Swiss "Gold" Sales Award for "On The Level", 1975". Bonhams. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  24. ↑ "British album certifications – Status Quo – On The Level". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 4 February 2021.
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.