Album Review: Status Quo – Live At The BBC
3 min read
The phenomenon that is Status Quo have been an unbeatable force in the music industry for the past 48 years. Having formed in 1962, the band have released 28 studio album and 77 singles including In The Army Now and the bands signature hit, Rockin’ All Over The World, throughout their impressive career.
With such an incredible catalogue of hits, highlights and ground breaking records, the band have also had the powerful support of, as well as a periodic turbulent relationship with, the BBC and with that in mind Status Quo have this week released a new collection of their hits recorded live over the years with the BBC and available in a range of formats for fans and music lovers alike.
With so many tracks to chose from it must have been one hell of a mission to decide what tracks to feature on the release but they have outdone themselves once again by making the collection available in a range of formats.
For avid followers of the band there is a box set with pretty much every available recording made from rare sessions to concert tracks that have been restored to sound crisp and given a new life. For those less enthusiastic or content with this extravagance, there is an abridged version in a 2CD set.
Known for their distinctive boogie rock sound, the band have become a UK musical institution and have gained worldwide acclaim.
Live at the BBC is a collection acknowledging both Status Quo and the BBC. Featuring songs spanning an impressive 5 decades, the first disc covers the bands early beginning as the Spectres and Traffic Jam leading to the formation and concrete standing as Status Quo with rare recordings of such fan favorites as Ice In The Sun, In My Chair, Almost But Not Quite There and Paper Plane. The second disc features numerous live performances by the band including concerts at Wembley Arena and Hyde Park. Hits like Roll Over Lay Down, In The Army Now and Caroline are all given the once over with the bands iconic single, Rockin’ All Over The World, closing the collection.
Hit after hit rolls throughout the record and no stone is left unturned with Live At The BBC. The longstanding British Broadcasting Corporation was a platform for Status Quo very early in their career and helped the band grow a considerable, international fan following through the bands exposure from the world renowned organization.
With the BBC’s recordings of concerts and television appearances playing a vital role in the rise of Status Quo, the collection we are given here is a soundtrack to a 48 year story of success.
The numbers on the record have been remastered to sound as fresh as if recorded today. The BBC’s infamous reputation of wiping tapes back in the sixties and seventies unfortunately played a part in ensuring that many of the recordings that the band did for the organization have been lost in time however with the help of fans who recorded some of the bands BBC performances with the help of basic microphones, some tracks have been restored, not to their original sound but restored to a quality that allows the tracks to live on for future generations.
Live At The BBC is the perfect compliment to a fruitful relationship between two British institutions spanning five successful decades.
Buy ‘Status Quo – Live At The BBC’ from Amazon
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.
