Status Quo - Aquostic II - That's a Fact

01 That’s A Fact
02 Roll Over Lay Down
03 Dear John
04 In The Army Now
05 Hold You Back
06 One For The Road
07 Backwater
08 One Of Everything
09 Belavista Man
10 Lover Of The Human Race
11 Ice In The Sun
12 Mess Of The Blues
13 Jam Side Down
14 Resurrection
Aquostic II deluxe edition – CD1

CD2 – Live In Stuttgart

01 And It’s Better Now
02 Pictures Of Matchstick Men
03 Don’t Drive My Car
04 Claudie
05 Whatever You Want
06 Rocking All Over The World
A lot has gone on in the STATUS QUO camp of late. Firstly, they announce they would be
ceasing as an electric band, then RICK PARFITT suffered a heart attack in June and “died
for several minutes” He has since announced that he will not be returning to the band he has been a part of for nearly 50 years. (Rick went on to die on December 24th 2016 just days after this review)

Back to the music.This is a follow up to the first AQUOSTIC album, called STRIPPED BARE from 2014. Whereas that album featured, mainly, most of their hits, this one is mainly a mixture of album tracks and later material with a spattering of classics thrown in for good measure. THAT’S A FACT starts off proceedings sounding a bit like George Michaels ‘FAITH’!!! Fortunately, with the help of a backing string section, it becomes an interesting sing a long song.

ROLL OVER LAY DOWN is the first classic on offer here and is radically different to the original.Transformed with some “gang backing vocals” and the help of a squeeze-box into a thumping blues/folk track, this really works.Not sure why but i’ve always had a soft spot for DEAR JOHN and the acoustic arrangement makes it even better. Some beautiful background
strings make this something special.

IN THE ARMY NOW is pretty much the same as the original but with slightly more tempo which causes the song to lost some of the dramatics.A classic song is a classic song no matter what you do to it and HOLD YOU BACK is one of their very very best. The mandolin intro
just adds to it.An absolute stand out.A new track is next. ONE FOR THE ROAD has a melancholic country tinge to it with some fantastic vocals.

BACKWATER begins with a foreboding string-led intro. Another gem that the acoustic treatment breathes new life into.ONE OF EVERYTHING is another newie.With a slight country hint to it and the female vocals added to the chorus really give it a lift.A couple of relatively unknown tracks appear next. BELAVISTA MAN from THE PARTY AIN`T OVER YET(2005) and LOVE OF THE HUMAN RACE from THIRSTY WORK (1994). Both sound a lot better given the acoustic treatment than they did when they were originally released.

ICE IN THE SUN is another of my fave QUO tracks and really suits the acoustics and strings. Brings back lots of memories. MESS OF THE BLUES is one of those tracks i wasn’t keen of when it came out but it seems invigorated and given a new lease of life here. JAM SIDE DOWN from HEAVY TRAFFIC (2002) is another song i had completely forgotten about. This is just a pretty straight run through of it. Again this version is better than the original release.

RESURRECTION is a song i hadn`t heard since the last time i played ‘1+9+8+2′. A fantastic version with some slide guitar and harmonica make it another one to dig out again. LIES is another straight run through of another classic. Lovely guitar solo. More background vocals add to this great track. LITTLE DREAMER from PERFECT REMEDY (1989) is one of the songs i had forgotten about, from a QUO era i had forgotten about but this sounds fantastic with concertina. This is a real surprise.

LIVING ON AN ISLAND was originally acoustic anyway. More added concertina don’t alter it very much and in truth it doesn’t sound quite right without RICK PARFITT’S vocals. Another new song is next: IS SOMEONE ROCKING YOUR HEART ? is a very up tempo track ROCKERS ROLLIN` from the 1977 ROCKIN` ALL OVER THE WORLD album ends
things off with more group vocals on the chorus and some subtle harmonica.

The bonus tracks are all recorded before a live audience and this makes them come to life. PICTURES OF MATCHSTICK MEN is perfect for this. DON`T DRIVE MY CAR is vastly different with female backing vocals and accordian giving it a parisian twist. The string led intro to WHATEVER YOU WANT really suits. ROCKIN’ ALL OVER THE WORLD is a great singalong here and there’s some fantastic piano make this classic song even better.

On the downside, the live tracks put the studio ones in the shade. A full live album like the ROUNDHOUSE DVD would have been a lot better. An appreciative audience would have made all the difference and RICK PARFITT’S songs don’t sound the same without him but it is interesting to hear some of the lesser known tracks again.

It will be interesting to see what happens next Francis Rossi should cast an eye at what Angus Young is doing to the name and legacy of AC/DC by not knowing when to call it a day. He should make sure he doesn`t do the same to the mighty QUO.

3/5

by Steve Warsap