STATUS QUO - SPARE PARTS – 1969 (UK) psychedelic

Following the wake of Picturesque Machstickable Messages From the Status Quo, Spare Parts tries to imitate the psychedelic sound that was so fashionable at the time. The disc is known for being one of the less-fortunate made by the British band, and they have even despised it on some occasions. In fact, 1969 was going to be the most dismal year in the story of Status Quo. Urged by Pye's request to reach the charts at any rate, the songs in the record reflect the band's frustrated attempts to please the company. The result is an irregular album that does not reach the imaginative sound of their earlier songs nor the brightness of their subsequent records. Beyond that, a friendly and deep listening reveals that Spare Parts is an underrated effort in some aspects. Some songs of their own — like "Nothing at All," "So Ends Another Life," or even "Little Miss Nothing" — and some borrowed compositions — like "Are You Growing Tired of My Love?" (which scraped the Top 50 on the British charts) and "Mister Mind Detector" — sound really inventive and they work as an excellent reflection of how pop music was trying to develop itself during those years. Although it could sound a little bit dated later on, Spare Parts deserved more attention than people were willing to afford it when it was released. This one was also their last record in which keyboardist Roy Lynes performed as an active member. A few months after Spare Parts was released, Status Quo initiated their metamorphosis toward the boogie rock that would make them rich and famous later on. [The 1998 reissue of Spare Parts adds remastered sound, new liner notes and five bonus tracks: the unreleased tracks "Josie" and "Do You Live in Fire", alternate versions of "Are You Growing Tired of My Love" and "Hey Little Woman" and their cover of the Everly Brothers' song "The Price of Love".]

Francis Rossi (guitar, vocals)
Roy Lynes (keyboards)
John Coghlan (drums)
Alan Lancaster (bass, guitar)
Richard Parfitt (guitar, vocals)
1. Face Without A Soul
2. You're Just What I Was Looking For Today
3. Are You Growing Tired Of My Love
4. Antique Angelica
5. So End Another Life
6. Poor Old Man
7. Mr. Mind Detector
8. The Clown
9. Vevlet Curtains
10. Little Miss Nothing
11. When I Awake
12. Nothing At All (Single A-Side)
13. The Price Of Love
14. Josie
15. Do You Live In Fire
16. Hey Little Woman (Previously Unreleased Version)
17. Are You Getting Tired Of My Love

The best Status Quo album ever kickstarts with "Face Without a Soul", an ingenious psych-pop song which puts big pop sound and bright heavy guitars together.
Rip from CD 256@ (artwork included)
Download links
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http://lix.in/ce2669