Back to Back (Status Quo album)

Back to Back is the sixteenth studio album by English rock band Status Quo and released in November 1983. For the first time in the group's history, it featured four singles, "Ol' Rag Blues" (highest position No. 9), "A Mess of Blues", originally a hit for Elvis Presley (No. 15), "Marguerita Time" (No. 3), and "Going Down Town Tonight" (which reached No. 20 in a different, re-recorded version to the album version.) The album entered the UK chart at its highest position of No. 9.

It was the last album to feature original bass guitarist Alan Lancaster, as well as drummer Pete Kircher. Lancaster co-wrote the first single, "Ol' Rag Blues", with Keith Lamb, lead singer of British bands The Kase, Sleepy Talk and Mr. Toad, and founder and lead singer of Australia's successful glam rock band Hush. Lancaster was angered when the production company declined to release the version featuring his lead vocal (which has since been made available as a bonus track on the 2006 remastered reissue), in preference to that featuring the voice of Francis Rossi. He also made no secret of his dislike of "Marguerita Time", which he thought was too pop-orientated for the group. When they appeared on BBC's Top of the Pops to mime to the single, his place was taken by Jim Lea of Slade, who were also on the programme that week. The Top of the Pops performance was also notable for Rick Parfitt falling into Pete Kircher's drum set near the end of the song while the song kept playing. On the DVD Hello Quo, Parfitt claims that he had planned this action, although many people thought he was drunk. On the same DVD, Alan Lancaster also said that he wasn't so concerned with "Marguerita Time" as he was with "Going Down Town Tonight", which – according to him – was not a Status Quo recording and featured no Status Quo musicians apart from Francis Rossi.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"A Mess of Blues"	Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman	3:23
2.	"Ol' Rag Blues"	Alan Lancaster, Keith Lamb	2:51
3.	"Can't Be Done"	Francis Rossi, Bernie Frost	3:07
4.	"Too Close to the Ground"	Rick Parfitt, Andrew Bown	3:43
5.	"No Contract"	Parfitt, Bown	3:40
6.	"Win or Lose"	Rossi, Frost	2:35
7.	"Marguerita Time"	Rossi, Frost	3:27
8.	"Your Kind of Love"	Lancaster, Ferguson Skinner	3:24
9.	"Stay the Night"	Rossi, Frost, Andrew Miller	3:02
10.	"Going Down Town Tonight"	Guy Johnson	3:33

The 2006 remaster has a snippet of Bernie Frost singing "I've Got Tears In My Ears From Lying On My Back In Bed Crying Over You" by Homer and Jethro at the beginning of "No Contract" and a slightly longer fade, extending the runtime by almost twenty seconds.

2006 remaster bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"The Wanderer"	Ernie Maresca	3:27
12.	"Going Down Town Tonight " (initial releases contain a different mix of the album version, which was mistaken from the single version.)	Johnson	3:38
13.	"I Wonder Why"	Rossi, Frost	3:59
14.	"Ol' Rag Blues " (This contained a different mix and also some different vocals for parts of it, as well as being extended.)	Lancaster, Lamb	4:54
15.	"A Mess of Blues "	Pomus, Shuman	4:48
16.	"Cadillac Ranch "	Bruce Springsteen	4:15
17.	"Ol' Rag Blues "	Lancaster, Lamb	2:49
18.	"The Wanderer " (This was released in 1988 as track 4 of the Who Gets the Love CD single)	Ernie Maresca	3:34

2018 Deluxe Edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)
1.	"The Wanderer" (Single)
2.	"Going Down Town Tonight" ((re-recorded version) - Single)
3.	"I Wonder Why" (Original B side to cancelled Too Close to the Ground single)
4.	"Ol' Rag Blues" (Extended Version - contains different mix and some different vocals at times, as well as being extended)
5.	"A Mess of Blues" (Extended Version)
6.	"Cadillac Ranch" (Out-take from planned single - song chosen for single was The Wanderer)
7.	"Ol' Rag Blues" (original Alan Lancaster Version containing a different mix as well as vocals.)
8.	"Modern Romance" (Extended Version)	Francis Rossi / Bernard Frost
9.	"I Wonder Why" (Extended Version)	Francis Rossi / Bernard Frost
10.	"The House" (this was recorded in the mid 70s)	Bernard Frost
11.	"What Do You Want to Hear Today?" (this was recorded in the mid 70s)	Bernard Frost
12.	"Modern Romance"	Francis Rossi / Bernard Frost
13.	"I Wonder Why?"	Francis Rossi / Bernard Frost
14.	"Jealousy"	Francis Rossi / Bernard Frost
15.	"Where Are You Now?"	Francis Rossi / Bernard Frost
16.	"That's All Right"	Francis Rossi / Bernard Frost

Personnel

Status Quo

Rick Parfitt – guitar, vocals
Francis Rossi – guitar, vocals
Alan Lancaster – bass, vocals
Andrew Bown – keyboards, backing vocals
Pete Kircher – drums, backing vocals

Additional personnel

Bernie Frost – backing vocals
Tim Summerhayes – engineering
Steve Churchyard – engineering
Chris "Props" Ranson – instrument technician

Charts

Chart (1983–1984)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)	97
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	26
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	60
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	38
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	20
UK Albums (OCC)	9

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)	Gold	100,000
Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

No Contract, retrieved 28 February 2023
Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 19. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
"Dutchcharts.nl – Status Quo – Back to Back" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
"Offiziellecharts.de – Status Quo – Back to Back" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
"Swedishcharts.com – Status Quo – Back to Back". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
"Swisscharts.com – Status Quo – Back to Back". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
"Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
"British album certifications – Status Quo – Back to Back". British Phonographic Industry.

v t e Status Quo
Francis Rossi Andy Bown John 'Rhino' Edwards Leon Cave Richie Malone Alan Lancaster John Coghlan Roy Lynes Rick Parfitt Pete Kircher Jeff Rich Matt Letley
Studio albums	Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo Spare Parts Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon Dog of Two Head Piledriver Hello! Quo On the Level Blue for You Rockin' All Over the World If You Can't Stand the Heat... Whatever You Want Just Supposin' Never Too Late 1+9+8+2 Back to Back In the Army Now Ain't Complaining Perfect Remedy Rock 'til You Drop Thirsty Work Don't Stop Under the Influence Famous in the Last Century Heavy Traffic Riffs The Party Ain't Over Yet In Search of the Fourth Chord Quid Pro Quo Bula Quo! Aquostic Aquostic II Backbone
Live albums	Live! Live at the NEC Live Alive Quo Live at the BBC
Box sets	From the Makers of...
Compilation albums	12 Gold Bars 12 Gold Bars Vol. 2 Rocking All Over the Years Whatever You Want – The Very Best of Status Quo XS All Areas – The Greatest Hits Pictures – 40 Years of Hits
Singles	"Pictures of Matchstick Men" "Ice in the Sun" "Are You Growing Tired of My Love" "The Price of Love" "Down the Dustpipe" "In My Chair" "Paper Plane" "Mean Girl" "Caroline" "Break the Rules" "Down Down" "Roll Over Lay Down" "Rain" "Mystery Song" "The Wild Side of Life" "Rockin' All Over the World" "Rockers Rollin' / Hold You Back" "Again and Again" "Accident Prone" "Whatever You Want" "Living on an Island" "What You're Proposing" "Lies" / "Don't Drive my Car" "Something 'Bout You Baby I Like" "Rock 'n' Roll" "Dear John" "She Don't Fool Me" "Ol' Rag Blues" "A Mess of Blues" "Marguerita Time" "Going Down Town Tonight" "The Wanderer" "Rollin' Home" "Red Sky" "In the Army Now" "Dreamin'" "Ain't Complaining" "Who Gets the Love?" "Running All Over the World" "Burning Bridges" "Not at All" "Little Dreamer" "The Anniversary Waltz (Parts One and Two)" "Can't Give You More" "Rock 'til You Drop" "Roadhouse Medley" "Come On You Reds" "I Didn't Mean It" "Sherri, Don't Fail Me Now!" "Restless" "When You Walk in the Room" "Fun Fun Fun" "Don't Stop" "All Around My Hat" "The Way It Goes" "Little White Lies" "Twenty Wild Horses" "Mony Mony" "Old Time Rock and Roll" "Jam Side Down" "All Stand Up" "You'll Come 'Round" "Thinking of You" "The Party Ain't Over Yet" "All That Counts Is Love" "Beginning of the End" "It's Christmas Time"
Other songs	"Forty Five Hundred Times" "Bye Bye Johnny" "Jump That Rock (Whatever You Want)"
See also	Discography Members Bob Young Bula Quo!

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