XS All Areas - The Greatest Hits, Status Quo (From Warrington Guardian)

XS All Areas - The Greatest Hits, Status Quo

There is a dull throb at the back of my head: Status Quo.It is easy to forget that Quo's feet were firmly implanted in purist mid sixties RnB until, of course, they stumbled into the charts via hooky diversions such as Down the Dustpipe and Picture of Matchstick Men.

Even this proved a commercial false dawn, of sorts, as Quo settled back into their quest to provide regular boogie live shows for an audience engrained in prog.

Being an antidote to Gentle Giant was never going to satisfy their thirst for success, however and, despite the studied patronage of John Peel - who so unwisely supplied the sleeve notes on Roll Over Lay Down - Quo slipped into their simplistic formula, to be loved and loathed in equal measure.

In a parallel universe it will always be Sheffield City Hall in 1973 and the band will always be Status Quo. This would be the ultimate British beer n fags experience, where be-denimed blokes called Dave would buy their 'birds' a half before the show.

In musical terms, few bands have taken so long to undertake such a short journey. Quo's conservatism was such that it became symbolic of their down beat success. Herein are 40 songs carved from three chords ... well, almost. In fairness, there are a number of golden moments. The almost identical 'kick-ins' to Caroline and Down Down can still thrill if one is in the mood. Likewise, Paper Plane is nothing short of a glorious chunk of daft pop. However, ploughing through to the dreaded Rockin All Over the World is no easy feat. The softer angles on disc two - Marguarita Time, Living on an Island may transport you to that unfortunate holiday in Zante but, by and large, this legacy remains as undemanding and trite as a bad 70s sit-com.