Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon
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''Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon'' is the third studio album by English
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...
, released in August 1970. It was the first album by the band to leave behind their early psychedelic sound and begin moving towards
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
, and the last album to feature keyboardist Roy Lynes. Although the album's release was bookended by two non-album singles which reached the UK top 30, the album failed to chart in the UK.


Background

The band began experimenting with a new sound when they hired Australian singer-songwriter Carl Groszmann to write a song for them. That song became " Down the Dustpipe", released as a non-album single in March 1970, with the
Francis Rossi Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, (born 29 May 1949) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, lead singer, lead guitarist and the sole continuous member of the rock band Status Quo. Early life Rossi was born on 29 May 1949 in Fo ...
/
Rick Parfitt Richard John Parfitt, (12 October 1948 24 December 2016) was an English musician, best known as a rhythm guitarist, singer and songwriter with rock band Status Quo (band), Status Quo. Parfitt began his career in the early 1960s, playing in p ...
song "Face Without a Soul" – from the band's previous album '' Spare Parts'' – as its B-side. The song, remarked Rossi, “was the irstto feature our soon-to-be trademark boogie shuffle” and became one of the most popular numbers in their live set. The single took the media by surprise as it was so different in sound from their previous work.
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
presenter
Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and television presenter, whose career spans over 60 years. Blackburn first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio Londo ...
dismissed it on-air the first time he played it with the comment, "Down the dustbin for this one." Nevertheless, it was an instant hit, reaching #12 in the UK charts and remaining in the top 50 for 17 weeks. While on tour the same year, organist Roy Lynes left the band. He could see how serious the other members were about fame and glory, but he had fallen in love and wanted to settle down. According to the group's producer, John Schroeder, who wrote the booklet notes for the 3-CD compilation ''The Early Years'', Lynes was "the quietest member of the group" and "somehow always seemed to be the odd one out". Parfitt has said Lynes was "a bit laid back, the
Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...
type who liked tinkering and finding out about things", and Rossi remarked that, when Lynes showed up at a gig in New Zealand about ten years later to say hello, "he seemed a much happier bloke." In October 1970, two months after the album's release, the band released another non-album single, the Rossi/Young composition "In My Chair", with the non-album B-side "Gerdundula" (written while in Germany by Rossi and Young under the pseudonyms Manston and James, with a title reportedly inspired by their German friends Gerd and Ula). It earned the band another hit, reaching #21. "Gerdundula" would be re-recorded for their next album, ''
Dog of Two Head ''Dog of Two Head'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released by Pye Records in November 1971. Background Following the departure of Roy Lynes, this was the first album to feature the four-piece lineup of remaini ...
''. "Just so right and so tight," observed Pavement's
Stephen Malkmus Stephen Joseph Malkmus ( ; born May 30, 1966) is an American musician best known as the primary songwriter, lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Pavement. He currently performs with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Pavement, The ...
of ''Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon''. "As with ''Dog of Two Head'' from the year after, this record is transitional: it's the man-steps towards their interchangeable album phase of pure-denim-heads-down-choogle, and never gets boring. Smooth voices over solid grooves. If it was a place, I wish I was there."


Track listing

;Side one # "Spinning Wheel Blues" (
Francis Rossi Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, (born 29 May 1949) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, lead singer, lead guitarist and the sole continuous member of the rock band Status Quo. Early life Rossi was born on 29 May 1949 in Fo ...
, Bob Young) – 3:21 (listed as "Spinning Wheel" on the original LP) # "Daughter" (
Alan Lancaster Alan Charles Lancaster (7 February 1949 – 26 September 2021) was an English musician, best known as a founding member and bassist of the rock band Status Quo, playing with the band from 1967 to 1985, with brief reunions in 2013 and 2014. As wel ...
) – 3:01 # "Everything" (Rossi,
Rick Parfitt Richard John Parfitt, (12 October 1948 24 December 2016) was an English musician, best known as a rhythm guitarist, singer and songwriter with rock band Status Quo (band), Status Quo. Parfitt began his career in the early 1960s, playing in p ...
) – 2:36 # "Shy Fly" (Rossi, Young) – 3:49 # "(April) Spring, Summer and Wednesdays" (Rossi, Young) – 4:12 ;Side two # "Junior's Wailing" ( Kieran White, Martin Pugh) – 3:33 # "Lakky Lady" (Rossi, Parfitt) – 3:14 # "Need Your Love" (Rossi, Young) – 4:46 # "Lazy Poker Blues" ( Peter Green, Clifford Adams) – 3:37 # "Is it Really Me/Gotta Go Home" (Lancaster) – 9:34


1998 remaster bonus tracks

#
  • "In My Chair" (Alternate Mix) – 3:34 # "Gerdundula" (Alternate Mix) (Young, Rossi) – 4:10 # "Down the Dustpipe" (Alternate Mix) – 2:08 # "Junior's Wailing" (Alternate Mix) – 3:36


    2003 reissue bonus tracks

    #
  • "Is it Really Me/Gotta Go Home" (Early Rough Mix) (Lancaster) – 6:54 # "Daughter" (Early Working Mix for Poss. Guitar) (Lancaster) – 2:57 # " Down the Dustpipe" (7") ( Carl Groszman) – 2:06 # "In My Chair" (7") (Francis Rossi, Bob Young) – 3:19 # "Gerdundula" (7" Original Version) ( Manston, James) – 3:23 # "Down the Dustpipe" (BBC Session) (Groszman) – 1:49 # "Junior's Wailing" (BBC Session) (White, Pugh) – 3:01 # "Spinning Wheel Blues" (BBC Session) (Rossi, Young) – 2:17 # "Need Your Love" (BBC Session) (Rossi, Young) – 2:29 # "In My Chair" (1979 Pye Promo Flexidisc) (Rossi, Young) – 1:37 The BBC Sessions were recorded at BBC Studio 1, Shepherd's Bush October 1970 for The John Peel Show


    Personnel

    ;Status Quo *
    Francis Rossi Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, (born 29 May 1949) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, lead singer, lead guitarist and the sole continuous member of the rock band Status Quo. Early life Rossi was born on 29 May 1949 in Fo ...
    – guitar, vocals *
    Rick Parfitt Richard John Parfitt, (12 October 1948 24 December 2016) was an English musician, best known as a rhythm guitarist, singer and songwriter with rock band Status Quo (band), Status Quo. Parfitt began his career in the early 1960s, playing in p ...
    – guitar, vocals *
    Alan Lancaster Alan Charles Lancaster (7 February 1949 – 26 September 2021) was an English musician, best known as a founding member and bassist of the rock band Status Quo, playing with the band from 1967 to 1985, with brief reunions in 2013 and 2014. As wel ...
    – bass, guitar, vocals * John Coghlan – drums * Roy Lynes – organ, acoustic and electric piano with: * unknown –
    cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
    on "Everything" * Bob Young – harmonica on "Spinning Wheel Blues"


    Charts


    References

    {{Authority control Status Quo (band) albums 1970 albums Pye Records albums