"Piledriver" by STATUS QUO – Fifth Album from December 1972 on Vertigo Records (UK) and January 1973 on A&M Records (USA) – Featuring Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan with Guests Rob Young and Jimmy Horowitz (31 January 2005 Universal/Mercury Expanded Edition 'From The Makers Of' CD Reissue - Tim Turan Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...A Year..."

In March 1972, any self-respecting Rock-la-dyte like me had his gatefold copy of Rory Gallagher's "Live! In Europe" snuggled under his arm on the way into school (an LP known to have medicinal qualities like curing cider hangovers and late night kebab blindness). And come April and May of 1972 - "Machine Head", "Exile On Main St." and "Stephen Stills and Manassas" had replaced the Taste guitarist as the go-to pride of underarm-pit credentials.

Hell, with our gorgeous long hair and nit-spreading headbanger capabilities, in order to impress the lasses even more, some of us with a more sensitive and perhaps even girly disposition had their copy of Colin Blunstone's "Ennismore" to hand at all times. This could be craftily swapped with Sandy Denny's second solo LP "Sandy" or Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" or Lesley Duncan's "Earth Mother" or Cat Stevens' "Catch Bull At Four" or even (going all thoughtful like) with Randy Newman's "Sail Away". But by the time we hit the last three months of 1972 – the call of the lounge room tennis racket, Elfin paperback and one-consciousness cheesecloth shirt could no longer be denied - and we were back Rockin' and Progin' and doing the chanting Sri Chinmoy like a goodun to the likes of "Focus 3", "Close To The Edge", "Foxtrot", "Squawk" and "Caravanserai". Yeah baby...

Which brings us to December 1972. On the 8th of that Christmas month, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band released their debut album "Framed" on Vertigo 6360 081 with its Buff's Bar Blues and Midnight Moses - while Leonard and Marshall reminded us from whence all the Rock and Roll came - Chuck Berry and his "Golden Decade Volume 2" double-album set on Chess 6641 058. Amongst them was the no-nonsense "Piledriver" on Vertigo 6360 082 (the band had just signed to Vertigo) - delayed from the 8th until the 15th of December - Status Quo's genuine breakthrough Hard Rock moment...

The hairy foursome's album had also been preceded by an equally storming single in "Paper Plane" b/w "Softer Ride" in November 1972 on Vertigo 6059 071 (although non-album at the time of 45-release, "Softer Ride" would eventually emerge on the November 1973 "Hello" LP). With the combination of strong reaction from fans to its straight-up Blues Boogie feel, Vertigo Records promotion that allied the Quo with another popular British Heavy Metal band Black Sabbath and DJ-canny radio-play for what they knew was a catchy tune - both the 45 and LP rightly saw big chart action in January 1973 (No. 7 for the single and No. 5 for the LP on a 37-week run). 

So it was after years of touring, studio graft and ditching the Psychedelic 60ts sound for the Hard Rock of the new decade (begun on 1970's "Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon" on Pye Records) - at last Status Quo were on their way. They thereafter clocked up an astonishing 34 consecutive chart entries and a tribe of collectors known for their fanatical loyalty. And that's where this 2005 'From The Makers Of' CD Reissue and Remaster comes boogieing in...

UK released 31 January 2005 – "Piledriver" by STATUS QUO on Universal/Mercury 982 597-7 (Barcode 602498259771) is an Expanded Edition ‘From The Makers Of’ CD Reissue and Remaster with One Bonus Live Track that plays out as follows (44:26 minutes):

1. Don't Waste My Time [Side 1]

2. Oh Baby

3. A Year

4. Unspoken Words

5. Big Fat Mama [Side 2]

6. Paper Plane

7. All The Reasons

8. Roadhouse Blues

Tracks 1 to 8 are their fifth studio album "Piledriver" - released 15 December 1972 in the UK on Vertigo 6362 080 and January 1973 in the USA on A&M Records SP-4381.

BONUS TRACK:

9. Don't Waste My Time (Live) - Exclusive Track on the February 1974 UK-released compilation LP "Reading Festival '73" on GM Records GML 1008

STATUS QUO was:

FRANCIS ROSSI - Lead Guitar, 12-String and Acoustic Guitars and Lead Vocals

RICHARD PARFITT - 2nd Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Organ and Vocals

ALAN LANCASTER - Bass Guitar, 12-String Acoustic Guitar and Vocals

JOHN COUGHLAN - Drums and Percussion

Guests:

ROB YOUNG - Harmonica

JIMMY HOROWITZ - Additional Piano

The 14-page booklet is a surprisingly pretty affair, the original LP's gatefold artwork on the centre-pages, the lyrics to all eight of the album tracks, rare Japanese and two Euro picture sleeves for the "Paper Plane" single as well as customer-friendly liner notes from GARRY FIELDING. There are also live photos and the gorilla-holding-a-torpedo logo that adorned the rear cover. And the TIM TURAN Remaster is huge and punchy - he did the Nazareth catalogue and I loved the sound on those too. Might have been nice though to acknowledge Rob Young and his huge presence in the Quo universe by way of a photo. Young would of course become a future member of the heads down band and co-wrote “Don’t Waste My Time”, “Unspoken Words” and the hit “Paper Plane” with Francis Rossi.

As if to reflect the front cover's declaration of we're here to boogie - Side 1 opens with the crunching guitar-chug of "Don't Waste My Time" - itself compounded by one of my fave Quo gems - "Oh Baby" - a fabulous piece of riffage. There then follows two surprisingly sophisticated and pretty Quo tunes - the lovely "A Year" and the wistful strum of "Unspoken Words" - loving those almost Fleetwood Mac guitar fills and Bluesy solo as he sings "...hold your hand high..." 

Side 2 opens with a biggie for SQ nuts - "Big Fat Mama" – a first rate Rocker that encapsulates their sound – say you need me – say you need me - yes I do - Parfitt's piano fills as they riff onwards to the six-minute end. The single "Paper Plane" was actually never a fave of mine (we all make mistakes, please forgive me) - but it changed everything for Status Quo - a slice of simple guitar Rock - the band's playing tight as they give it a bit of three grand Deutsche car. Sappy as the Lancaster/Parfitt song "All The Reasons" is - I've always loved it - full of that great Quo combo of melody and guitar - hell even that solo is kinda cute. But its trashed by a fantastic 1-2-3-4 cover of The Doors winner "Roadhouse Blues" - a hunker-down Canned Heat type of boogie juggernaut from their 1970 "Morrison Hotel" LP. Its eight minutes of in and out rocking is immeasurably aided by great Harmonica wailing from Rob Young. And I love the way Morrison and Quo make the lyrics "I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer..." sound like the most coolly defiant thing in the world. "...This is a track on that "Piledriver" album..." Rossi announces to a clearly turned on Reading Festival audience on the bonus track – the band sounding exactly like the LP opener – unbelievably tight - the addition an actual bonus in both name and deed.

For sure there are those who in December 2019 (forty-seven years after their hair and sanity has long since disappeared) will say that this is good Classic Seventies Rock for sure - but it's also dated and a tad samey. And of course, in some ways, they'd be right. But man when the Quo was good, they were the piledriving best (and tis only a fiver). 

RIP Rick Parfitt and thanks for the glorious memories...