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(from scrapbook 1, page 57)

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STATUS OUO
From The Makers Of... (Vertigo)

I SAW Status Quo when I was 13, and I had a great time. Later the same week I purchased a copy of their 'Hello' LP. This turned out to be a poor investment. It was a laugh for a fortnight, but finally concluded that here we had a very uninteresting group indeed. Sadly, I can only draw the same conclusion from the contents of 'FTFO'.

Still, since the package makes great play of bio-facts and statistics, let us react in kind. There are two ways of purchasing it. You can buy it in a cardboard box, or in a round, PIL-style canister painted blue. Not only the "definitive collection" but perhaps also the definitive hubcaps. Inside there are three long-playing records and a lot of information and pictures. Two of the records contain chronologically arranged hit singles and popular LP tracks, beginning with 'Pictures Of Matchstickmen'. The third presents extracts from the famous recent concert at the National Exhibition Centre, viewed of course by HRH Mammoth Lugholes Himself.

All this speaks for itself, but there are a couple of points. Firstly, Status Quo are not entirely formulaic. There's been that handful of awful ballads, and these days acoustic guitars are seeping into the formerly robust boogie. May I add that 'Down The Dustpipe' is pretty good, as is the guitar bit on 'Accident Prone'. Further, Status Quo should be recognised as the ultimate pop group, and not considered harmful in any way.

Dave Hill