Backbone (Status Quo album)

Backbone
Studio album by
Status Quo
Released6 September 2019 (2019-09-06)
Recorded2018–2019
StudioARSIS Studios
GenreRock
Length40:54
Label
  • earMusic
  • Fourth Chord Records
ProducerFrancis Rossi
Status Quo chronology
Aquostic II – That's a Fact!
(2016) 		Backbone
(2019)
Singles from Backbone
  1. "Backbone"
    Released: 12 July 2019
  2. "Liberty Lane"
    Released: 9 August 2019
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Classic Rock[1]

Backbone is the 33rd studio album by British rock band Status Quo. It was released on 6 September 2019[2] and debuted at number six on the UK Albums Chart (and at top spot on the Album Sales Chart, which subtracts streaming activity from specific album purchases in all digital and physical formats).[3] It was the band's 25th UK top ten album[4] and their highest-charting album of original material[Note 1] since 1+9+8+2 (1982). Backbone also entered the Swiss album charts at number two, and the German album charts at number six, giving the band their highest album chart position in the latter, despite a long history of enduring popularity.

Frontman Francis Rossi stated in a 2022 interview with Classic Rock magazine that Backbone was likely to be Status Quo's final studio album.[5] Rossi blamed the shift to streaming as the predominant means of consuming music and called out Spotify in particular: "It’s something we’ve sweated over and they’re giving you a quarter of a penny per stream? Fuck you." He described the situation in the industry as "even worse than when we were all getting ripped off in the sixties". However, he didn't write off the possibility entirely and made it clear that the band still has "one in us".

Background[edit]

Backbone is the first album released by the band since the death of rhythm guitarist Rick Parfitt, who had featured on every prior Status Quo album. Speaking about the album in a press release, frontman Francis Rossi expressed both pride in the content and sadness regarding Parfitt's lack of involvement, saying "This new material had to be seriously good. Quo have achieved so much and meant so much to too many people for the quality to slip now [...] Losing Rick was hard to bear but, through Richie Malone, who was inspired to pick up a guitar by him, we can not only keep going but actually pick up the pace." He concluded: "I wasn't sure I had another album in me but I couldn't be more proud of Backbone."[2] The album was dedicated to Rick Parfitt: "This album is dedicated to the memory of Rick Parfitt OBE (1948-2016)".

The title track was released on 12 July 2019 as the first single, with a promo video.[2] The second single, "Liberty Lane", was released on 9 August 2019[6] and a video for the single was later released in September.[7] The band had started playing "Liberty Lane" and "Cut Me Some Slack" live a month before the album was announced,[8] generating excitement for the new release,[9] which is notable for being one of the few times the band have toured new music before release.

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Waiting for a Woman"
4:28
2."Cut Me Some Slack"
3:42
3."Liberty Lane"
  • Rossi
  • Edwards
3:28
4."I See You're in Some Trouble"
  • Rossi
  • Young
3:47
5."Backing Off"
4:12
6."I Wanna Run Away with You"
  • Rossi
  • Young
3:23
7."Backbone"
  • Rossi
  • Edwards
3:03
8."Better Take Care"John David3:34
9."Falling Off the World"Leon Cave3:29
10."Get Out of My Head"Richie Malone3:24
11."Running Out of Time"
  • Bown
  • Rossi
3:29
Digipak bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Crazy Crazy"
  • Rossi
  • Bown
3:18
13."Face the Music"Malone3:27

Personnel[edit]

Status Quo

Production

  • Francis Rossi – producer, mixing
  • Andy Brook – engineer, recording, mixing and mastering

Charts[edit]

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 98
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] 21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 28
French Albums (SNEP)[15] 114
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] 6
Irish Albums (IRMA)[17] 76
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[19] 43
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 2
UK Albums (OCC)[3] 6
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[22] 1

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Between 1+9+8+2 and Backbone, the band had three higher-charting, top-five albums: two studio albums and a greatest hits compilation. These are Rocking All Over the Years (1990; compilation), Don't Stop (1996; covers of other artists), and Aquostic – Stripped Bare (2014; acoustic covers of their own songs). Rocking All Over the Years contained "Anniversary Waltz", which was a previously unreleased medley of rock-and-roll genre covers, but none of the three albums contained any wholly new compositions.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Davenport, Rich (September 2019). "Status Quo – Backbone". Classic Rock. p. 86.
  2. ^ a b c Munro, Scott (12 July 2019). "Watch Status Quo show some Backbone in new video". Classic Rock. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  4. ^ Ainsley, Helen (9 September 2019). "Post Malone on course for second UK Number 1 album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  5. ^ https://www.loudersound.com/features/francis-rossi-could-make-another-status-quo-album-but-he-wont-you-can-blame-spotify
  6. ^ Thorley, Andy (10 August 2019). "QUO: STILL TAKING LIBERTIES". Maximum Volume Music. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Status Quo Premier "Liberty Lane" Music Video". Brave Words. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Status Quo Setlist at Tempodrom, Berlin". setlist.fm. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  9. ^ "2 New Quo Song(s)! Live on tour, Germany June 2019 | Status Quo Fan Forum". statusquo.boards.net. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  10. ^ "ARIA Chart Week 542". auspOp. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Status Quo – Backbone" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – Status Quo – Backbone" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Status Quo – Backbone" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Status Quo – Backbone" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Lescharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Status Quo – Backbone" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Status Quo". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  19. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  20. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  21. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  22. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
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