SPAZ reviews STATUS QUO's Bula Quo! Two CD set available July 9th, 2013!

STATUS QUO

BULA QUO

7.9.13

They may be celebrating their 50th Anniversary, but I became a STATUS QUO fan late in the game.  Back in '84, they were they first band to play Live Aid, which I watched pretty intently for much of the day.  Kicking off the show with "Rocking All Over The World", I was pretty much hooked on Quo then and there.  Already 20 years into their career, I definitely had quite a few albums to purchase at that point.  I've stuck with them ever since, buying every album, every hits collection, every CD and then every remastered CD.  And I'll buy every album, remaster or whatever until they stop releasing them. Which I hope never happens...

Well, OK, so I've avoided the live releases, but that's just because I don't care for live albums all that much.  In fact, I don't care for live albums at all! But I must say that I've seen many bands over the years during their heyday (XTC, The Jam, Split Enz, Squeeze, etc) but my absolute favorite live show of all time was Quo at the House Of Blues in Anaheim on February 27th, 2003.  Yes, the smallish club in Downtown Disney.  Quo usually never play anything smaller than a stadium in Europe and elsewhere, but I saw them live at this little club during the Heavy Traffic tour and it blew me away. Everything about that night was magical.  It was the greatest Rock 'n' Roll show I've ever experienced.  But then again, I think Status Quo are one of the greatest Rock 'n' Roll bands ever! 

Some say that Quo aren't as great as they used to be.  I beg to differ.  They are still releasing some great Rock records and I'll stand by every one of them.  Except for the live albums.  Oh, and the cover version albums.  I own them all but they released too many covers albums over the last 20 years and probably lost some fans because of it.  But when they release their albums of original material (which they've been doing pretty consistently for the last 10 years), they are all top notch in my book.  Even in the '90s when critics would rip them to shreds, they were still releasing great albums.  OK, so they weren't Piledriver, Hello! or Blue For You (or whatever '70s album you prefer) nor were they trying to be.  While Quo may have essentially stayed the same, they also changed things up a little bit, too. As they've grown older, the guys in Quo have grown wiser and perhaps a little more mellow, too.  They can't keep making the same record over and over again - although that is what people have said about them. While I read what critics have to say, I don't let the reviews impair my judgement.  I listen to each album with a fresh pair of ears.  I can't think of one Quo album of original material that I haven't loved over the years.  And, no, I'm not deaf!

So, when I heard Quo were making a movie, I thought it was a bit odd.  Why now?  I mean, didn't they stop making movies about bands unless it was a concert film or documentary?  Bula Quo, the movie, is a comedy with action, adventure and suspense and certainly not a movie about their real lives.  The move's tag line is "It started with guitars... And ended with guns!" And Jon Lovitz plays the main bad guy!  Huh?  Well, I will certainly see the movie if given the opportunity, but I'll have to wait until then to cast any judgement apart from that big question mark over my head.  Funny thing is, I've seen the previews and it looks kind of cheesy but I'm quite excited about it in the end.  I mean, this is Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt after all! By the way, it seems that band members Andrew Bown, John Rhino Edwards and Matt Letley have only minor roles in the film (but I can't say that for sure since I haven't seen it yet). 

So, just last week, I managed to get my hands on the soundtrack to the movie. It's a two CD set containing nine brand new Quo tracks written for the film plus a second disc containing a few oddities related to the film as well as live material from 2010.  And you know what?  It is pretty outstanding!  In fact, all nine of the tracks on Disc One are Quo at their best. The title track, "Bula Bula Quo" was the first single and is one of my favorite later period Quo tracks by far.  The 'Kua Ni Lega' bit is quite wonderful, to be honest.  The album's second single, "Looking Out For Caroline", is the band's 100th single and while it is pretty much a standard sounding Quo track, it worms its way into your head after the second or third listen. "GoGoGo" has a unique melody in the verses which makes the song a real standout. "Never Leave A Friend Behind" (GREAT backing/harmony vocals... is that you, Rhino?) and "Run & Hide (The Gun Song)" (that IS you, Rhino!) are bursting with great hooks and Rock 'n' Roll energy. The delectable island-flavored Rock of "Fiji Time" is another winner.  I could go on, you know, but I'll just come out and say that these 9 new Quo songs have had me hooked and I've been listening to them over and over again for a few days now and they are only getting better with each listen. Each of the five band members had a hand in writing various tracks on the album, so it's a well-rounded affair. Lyrically, all the songs seem to reference the plot/characters of the movie, so they were definitely all written specifically for this project.  Gets me excited to see the movie just to hear the songs in their proper context. 

Disc Two features a new recording of the glorious "Living On An Island", which may not reach the heights of the original, it is still exciting to hear a new twist to the track. The Bula Edit of "Rockin' All Over The World" is ace and may be the version I use from now on when I make my own Quo mixtapes. There are two tracks from their great Quid Pro Quo album from 2011. Rounding off the 2nd disc are live versions of six Quo classics like "Pictures Of Matchstick Men", "Caroline", "Whatever You Want" and "Down Down" (my personal favorite). Like I said, I don't care for live recordings, but these are pretty sweet.  Definitely great versions for someone listening to Quo for the first time here.  

So, while I wait to see the film, I'm more than elated over this soundtrack, which is quite a wonderful helping of Quo stew. I'd even go as far to say that this is my favorite Quo album since the one-two punch of original albums Under The Influence (1999) and Heavy Traffic (2002).

Highly recommended for fans of Rock 'n' Roll and Status Quo, which are basically one and the same!

Peace, Love and Quo,
Stephen SPAZ Schnee

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS/Let The Music Play: Official Documentary now available on DVD & Blu-Ray!

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS

LET THE MUSIC PLAY:

The Story Of The Doobie Brothers

Available NOW!

So, where's the respect and love for that motley Rock 'n' Roll band we call The Doobie Brothers?

There's no denying the majesty of their string of early hits including "Listen To The Music", "China Grove", "Long Train Runnin'" and "Black Water". The band created a perfect blend of Southern Rock, Pop, Country, Blues, Soul and Rock 'n' Roll and sounded like nobody else.

So, why aren’t they on top of every Classic Rock ‘favorites’ list, year after year? Their songs rival anything from the catalogs of their ‘70s contemporaries like Black Sabbath, Boston, The Eagles, Steely Dan, Aerosmith and Deep Purple. They sold millions of albums and singles. They became one of the biggest bands of their era. Even with all of their achievements over the years, they don’t receive the respect they so rightly deserve.

Now, don’t get me wrong: people LOVE the Doobie Brothers. Almost everyone I know can name at least a few Doobie songs quicker than they can name a Sabbath tune… and they can usually sing the chorus to those songs as well. The problem I have is that the Doobs deserve more. They deserve to be immortalized in bubblegum cards, iPhone apps and viral YouTube videos and they definitely deserve to have have highways and hoagie sandwiches  named in their honor.

And “Listen To The Music” needs to replace “The Star Spangled Banner” as our national anthem.

Forget about their appearance on What’s Happening (“Which Doobie you be?”). Forget that Michael McDonald eventually shed his Classic Rock and Soul roots and became more of an adult contemporary artist. Forget all the nonsense and just imagine a bunch of extremely talented friends smoking a few joints, plugging in their guitars and creating some of the greatest Rock music of our generation.

During a 24 month period that saw a new album (World Gone Crazy), the untimely death of drummer Michael Hossack, reissues of their back catalog and more general activity than usual, along comes this fantastic documentary that will hopefully earn the boys a lot more respect.

Containing rare and unreleased footage plus interviews with all the key surviving members (including Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons, Tiran Porter, Jeff Skunk Baxter, Michael McDonald, etc.), Let The Music Play is the perfect re-introduction to a band that we all know and love. For us fans, it could have been an hour or two longer, but I’m not going to complain because it actually does answer some questions that have roamed the halls of my brain for ages, so it definitely delivers.

Well, apart from when they skim over the severity of Tom Johnston’s illness in the mid ‘70s. Perhaps I was temporarily mummified during this part of the documentary and missed it, but they talk about TJ getting ‘sick’ and make references to it, but its not really explored as well as it should have been. Maybe it’s a private issue and nobody wanted to talk about it, but it’d be nice if they discussed it a little more. But that’s a minor complaint.

Interestingly enough, many of the people interviewed seem to view The Doobs with Tom Johnston and The Doobs with Michael McDonald as two separate, but linked, identities and not merely a continuation of an ever-evolving band. This way of thinking makes total sense in hindsight, but I’ve always thought of them as one and the same. I just preferred the Tom Johnston years over the MM years. But there’s no denying that McDonald’s “What A Fool Believes” (amongst others) is an amazing tune….

And what do you mean you have no idea what I’m talking about when I mention the Tom Johnston era and Michael McDonald era? Perhaps you need to sit down and watch this. NOW!

Perfect for music fans. Perfect for Doobie fans. Perfect for Michael McDonald fans. Perfect for Classic Rock fans.

Perfect.

Growing up with DAVY JONES:

DAVY JONES

1945-2012

     When you are an impressionable three year old kid who is already nuts about music, there's nothing more thrilling than your favorite band coming to visit you each and every week without fail and bringing you the gift of laughter and song.  That's what it was like when THE MONKEES debuted on TV in 1966. 

THE MONKEES/Season One

     Back in '66, I was three and my brother Mike was four.  My parents used to tell us that the ONLY time they could leave us alone and not worry about us getting into trouble was when The Monkees were on.  For 30 minutes each week, they had peace and quiet from us boys.  Now, I don't know what trouble our older sister Dana was getting into and our baby sister Kristin wasn't around yet, but at least Mike and I were present and accounted for right in front of the TV watching Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork.  Well, to be honest, at that time, we might not have comprehended that Mike Nesmith had the same name as my brother because for the longest time, we referred to him as Wool Hat. But i digress...

THE MONKEES/Season Two

 
  So, while we may have been told that The Beatles were better, it didn't matter.  The Monkees were OUR band.  They made an impression that has lasted 45 years and we are all the better for it.  Their music became an important part of the soundtrack of our lives.  Their on-screen tomfoolery helped shape our own sense of humor.  We still remember the jokes and the gags.  We may not have understood some of the inside jokes, but we eventually learned so much about The Monkees over the years.

     While we had the first five albums at our fingertips most of our young lives, they eventually disappeared from our collections after a couple of moves.  During the Christmas season of 1975, we realized that they albums had gone missing.  We asked 'Santa' for Monkees albums for Christmas and ended up with nothing because, as my mom told us later, she went around to every record store in town and they all told her that the original Monkees albums were out of print!  Unfortunately, our mom was not well-versed on USED record stores at the time, but I can't blame her for that!

     In 1976, we did get some Monkees music back in our hands when Arista released The Monkees' Greatest Hits. While it may not have had personal favorites like "I'll Be Back Upon My Feet", "Sometime In The Morning", "D.W. Washburn" and loads of others, it DID have the biggest hits and that was OK by me.

     Around the same time, we became aware of a new (at that time) band by the name of Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart which featured two former Monkees (Micky and Davy) plus Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.  I LOVED the self-titled album they put out when I got it for my birthday in '76.  On that fateful day, I turned my back on my other gift that year, a guitar, and spent all my time listening to the DJB&H album.  My brother Mike gladly taught himself to play on that guitar and he's done quite well for himself.  Me?  I still love that DJB&H album!  In fact, it's even available on CD now, although the artwork is different.  But I digress.... again.

DOLENZ, JONES, BOYCE & HART

     In the years since then, I've bought and re-bought those Monkees albums over and over.  First, on used vinyl.  Then when the Monkees became popular again in '86, I eventually bought the CDs.  Then bought the remasters.  Then finally, I gladly forked over even more money when I purchased the Deluxe 2CD remasters!  But then, truth be told, I was working in the industry by then so perhaps John at WEA was able to get me promos of those double CD versions....

     So, for most of my life, The Monkees have been a huge part of every each and every moment.  While I've never personally met any of the members nor did I ever get a chance to see them live, it's as if they've been close yet distant friends.  Not in a 'stalker' kind of way, but in the sense that they've always been there for me with a laugh or a song.

     Micky was the goofball who could sing and play drums. I could probably relate to him the most (and boy, do I still love that voice!). Mike and Peter were the accomplished musicians (who could also be pretty goofy). I didn't think I could ever be as talented as they were. But Davy? He was the charmer. He was the one I most wanted to be like when I was younger because the girls always loved Davy.  Even a few years after The Monkees went off the air, he was still adored by girls like Marcia Brady... and who can forget that Brady Bunch episode that Davy appeared in!

     This morning, Davy Jones passed away and when I heard the news, I was gutted.  While it didn't hit me  hard like when my mom and dad died, it was still pretty devastating.  More along the lines of when Elvis and John Lennon died.  The Monkees made one hell of an impression on me and in my own stupid way, I figured they'd live forever.  Unfortunately, life has a way of slapping the stupid out of me and making me face reality. I'm not going to go on and on and act like Davy and I were 'friends' on Facebook.  No, I was just one of many fans.  But that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt to know that I just lost a childhood 'friend', someone that I looked up to (even though he was shorter than I am).  Someone who made a difference on my life and the lives of many others.

     Goodnight, Davy and Godspeed.

For the record, my favorite Davy performances are on tracks like "Dream World", "Someday Man", "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", "I Wanna Be Free", "Look Out, Here Comes Tomorrow", "Love To Love" and "I Remember The Feeling" (DJB&H) but my absolute favorite Davy Jones vocal just happens to be in one of my Top 5 favorite songs of all time: "Daydream Believer"

SANTA RECOMMENDS...THE BEE GEES

Hello, kids!

CHRISTMAS is almost here!  My elves are busy building toys, reading your e-mails and keeping busy.  A few of them spend far too much time on Facebook these days, but we're still on schedule so I won't complain.

Have you written out your Christmas wish list yet?  No?  Well, you better get busy.  There's only a little time left before I load my sleigh up with gifts and make my journey around the world on Christmas night! 

If you are having a hard time deciding what you want, may I suggest this?

BEE GEES

IN OUR OWN TIME

DVD

BLU-RAY

For as far back as I can remember, every single one of my summer vacations has been soundtracked by music that keeps the 'ho ho ho' in my heart even when I'm not preparing for my Christmas journey.  Inevitably, the music of The Bee Gees is always there somewhere.  Whether it's "Nights On Broadway", "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", "One" or a few dozen other titles, the Bee Gees add that extra 'ooomph' to the good times.  This DVD manages to put the brothers Gibb's career into perspective, offering up plenty of music, performance clips, interviews and more.  It's the ultimate documentary on Barry, Robin and Maurice (plus Andy) and offers up triumphs, heartbreak and plenty of emotions in between.  While I have delivered many gifts to all of their households over the years, the Gibbs never fail to amaze me with their natural talents. I believe that one watching of this documentary will bring some much-needed love into your life!

I must get going now.  Mrs. Claus needs some help in eating those delicicious M&M cookies and I don't want to miss out!  They are fresh out of the oven, you know! Yum Yum!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Santa