In the Army Now (album)

In the Army Now
Studio album by
Released29 August 1986
RecordedSeptember 1985 - February 1986
StudioChipping Norton Recording Studios, Oxfordshire and Jacobs Studios, Surrey
Genre
Length47:13
LabelVertigo
Producer
Status Quo chronology
Back to Back
(1983)
In the Army Now
(1986)
Ain't Complaining
(1988)
Singles from In the Army Now
  1. "Rollin' Home"
    Released: May 1986
  2. "Red Sky"
    Released: July 1986
  3. "In the Army Now"
    Released: September 1986
  4. "Dreamin'"
    Released: November 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Kerrang![2]
Record Mirror2/5[3]
Smash Hits2/10[4]

In the Army Now is the seventeenth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released on 29 August 1986 by Vertigo Records. Recorded at Chipping Norton Recording Studios in Oxfordshire and Jacobs Studios in Surrey, it was the first album with the post-Live Aid lineup, featuring bassist Rhino Edwards and drummer Jeff Rich, both of whom joined in March 1986.[5]

"I was later told that nobody at the label was interested in a Quo featuring bassist Alan Lancaster and Rick Parfitt," recalled frontman Francis Rossi. "They wanted Parfitt and me. I also learned that unless we did something together, we'd have to pay back a shitload of money... I was adamant that I would never work with Lancaster again, but he warned us that he would injunct us if we tried to do it without him. And when we won he went fucking bananas."[6]

The album contains covers of "In the Army Now", first recorded in 1982 by Dutch duo Rob and Ferdi Bolland,[7] and "Speechless", from ex-Mott the Hoople singer Ian Hunter's 1983 album All of the Good Ones Are Taken.[8]

"The title song was great," Parfitt later observed of the album, "but it had too many fillers."[9]

Track listing[edit]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rollin' Home"John David4:26
2."Calling"Francis Rossi, Bernie Frost4:04
3."In Your Eyes"Rossi, Frost5:08
4."Save Me"Rossi, Rick Parfitt4:25
5."In the Army Now"Rob Bolland, Ferdi Bolland4:41
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Dreamin'"Rossi, Frost2:55
7."End of the Line"Ricky Patrick, Parfitt4:59
8."Invitation"Rossi, Bob Young3:16
9."Red Sky"David4:14
10."Speechless"Ian Hunter3:41
11."Overdose"Pip Williams, Parfitt5:25
Total length:47:13
2006 Mercury Records remastered edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Lonely" (B-side to the 12" single "Rollin' Home")Parfitt, Rossi5:08
13."Keep Me Guessing" (B-side to the 12" single "Rollin' Home")Parfitt, Rossi, Young4:32
14."Don't Give It Up" (B-side of "Red Sky")Rhino Edwards, Richard Lightman, Parfitt, Rossi4:23
15."Heartburn" (B-side to the 12" single "In the Army Now")Parfitt, Patrick, Rossi4:46
16."Late Last Night" (B-side to the 12" single "In the Army Now")Parfitt, Rossi, Young2:58
17."Long Legged Girls" (B-side of "Dreamin'")Parfitt, Williams5:38
Total length:74:36

September 2018 2CD Deluxe Edition (CD2, bonus material)[edit]

  1. In the Army Now - Remix
  2. Lonely - B-Side - 12" of Rollin' Home
  3. Keep Me Guessing - B-Side - 12" of Rollin' Home
  4. Don't Give It Up - B-Side of Red Sky
  5. Heartburn - B-Side - In the Army Now
  6. Late Last Night - B-Side - In the Army Now
  7. Long Legged Girls - B-Side - Dreamin'
  8. Naughty Girl - Single Edit (aka Dreamin')
  9. Rock N Roll Floorboards - Unreleased B-Side*
  10. Naughty Girl - Extended (aka Dreamin')
  11. Dreamin’ - Wet Mix
  12. In the Army Now -Military Mix
  13. The Cake Mix
  14. Overdose – Live*
  15. Dreamin' – Live*
  16. Blues Jam – Live*
  17. La Grange / Rain – Live*

Personnel[edit]

Status Quo[edit]

Technical[edit]

  • Pip Williams – producer
  • Dave Edmunds – producer (on "Rollin' Home" and "Red Sky")
  • Tim 'Ted' Summerhayes – recording engineer (except "Rollin' Home" and "Red Sky")
  • Simon Sullivan – remix engineer (on "Calling", "In Your Eyes", "Save Me" and "In the Army Now")
  • Gordon Vicary – mastering (at Townhouse Studios, London)
  • Mark Wilkinson – sleeve design

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for In the Army Now
Chart (1986-1987) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[10] 87
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] 12
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 50
Finland (The Official Finnish Charts)[13] 15
French Albums (SNEP)[14] 16
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 14
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[16] 6
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[17] 13
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 12
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 7

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for In the Army Now
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Norway (IFPI Norway)[21] Silver 25,000[22]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[23] Gold 50,000[24]
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Thompson, Dave. Status Quo: "In the Army Now" > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  2. ^ Oliver, Derek (18 September 1986). "Status Quo 'In the Army Now'". Kerrang!. Vol. 129. London: Spotlight Publications. p. 17.
  3. ^ Strickland, Andy (13 September 1986). "Albums: Status Quo – In the Army Now (Phonogram)" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 18. ISSN 0144-5804. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2024 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ Patterson, Sylvia (24 September – 7 October 1986). "Albums: Status Quo – In the Army Now (WEA)". Smash Hits. Vol. 8, no. 19. Peterborough: EMAP National Publications, Ltd. p. 56. ISSN 0260-3004. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Flickr.
  5. ^ Ling, Dave (1 December 2005). In the Army Now (booklet). Status Quo. London: Mercury Records (983 412-5). p. 2.
  6. ^ Ling, Dave (January 2002). "Again again again…". Classic Rock #36. p. 73.
  7. ^ "Bolland - You're In The Army Now". 45cat.com. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  8. ^ "All of the Good Ones Are Taken - Ian Hunter | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  9. ^ Ling, Dave (March 2017). "R.I.P. Rick Parfitt". Classic Rock #233. p. 51.
  10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Status Quo – In the Army Now" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Status Quo – In the Army Now" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  13. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  14. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – S". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Status Quo from the menu, then press OK.
  15. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Status Quo – In the Army Now" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  16. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Status Quo – In the Army Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  17. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Status Quo – In the Army Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Status Quo – In the Army Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  21. ^ "Status Quo in the Army Now Norwegian Promo award disc (259510)". Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  22. ^ "Status Quo in the Army Now Norwegian Promo award disc (259510)".
  23. ^ "Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002" (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. September 2005. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  24. ^ "Spanish certifications for 1979-1990".
  25. ^ "British album certifications – Status Quo – In The Army Now". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 December 2020.