Album review: STATUS QUO – Accept No Substitute – The Definitive Hits

Universal Music [Release date 20.11.15]

There can’t be many rock fans of a certain age in the UK who don’t own a Quo compilation album of some sort. There have been many over the years and most share about 95% of the same tracks, everyone a classic, but there are only so many ways you can repackage the same songs.

The Definitive Hits takes this to the extreme bringing together a 3 CD and 2 DVD package of all the Quo hits which we know and love, ‘50 + tracks from 6 decades’ as the headlines say. Things are brought bang up to date with the inclusion of tracks from Bula Quo! and Aquostic which does at least bring some credibility to yet another ‘greatest hits’ package.

All the tracks you would expect to find on a Quo collection are present and correct, 54 in total. The track listing cleverly goes full circle with two different versions of ‘Pictures Of Matchstick Men’ opening and closing the proceedings. The tracks appear in chronological order moving from the psychedelic ‘60’s to the acoustic ‘10’s through a musical career that most bands can only dream of.

The music on offer is top notch, you know the listings by now surely, and all are guaranteed to get your head nodding and toes tapping. I could have possibly done without the ‘Anniversary Waltz parts 1 and 2’ but that is purely a personal view.

The DVDs offer even more in the way of content with a total of 67 promo videos for your viewing pleasure. Of more interest is the additional live content including the never before seen footage of the guys playing ‘Is It Really Me/ Gotta Go Home’ from the Beat Club session in Germany in 1970. You also get live numbers from Wembley in ’96 and from the band’s headlining slot at the 2014 Download Festival to bring things up to date.

This package certainly lives up to its name as the definitive hits and it would be an ideal starting point for someone who was unfamiliar with the Quo back catalogue, however, to find that individual may be the biggest challenge. Perhaps popping a copy in the next Mars lander might be a good marketing move, Rocking All Over Other Worlds??

***** ( it is the best of Quo after all!!)

Review by David Wilson

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)