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Status Quo / The Early Years 1966-1969

New 5CD clamshell box

By Paul Sinclair

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© Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

The Early Years 1966-69 is a new 5CD box set that spotlights the early era of Status Quo.

This collection features songs from the pre-Quo days, as the first iterations of the bands that developed into Status Quo found their feet – and their sound – as well the first two Status Quo albums.

CD 1 starts with remastered mono versions of Quo’s first two albums, Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo and Spare Parts, from 1968 and 1969 respectively, remastered in both mono, while the second disc offers the same selection in remastered stereo.

The Early Years 1966-1969 5CD box set

CD 3 is dubbed ‘Before Quo’ and boasts recordings from The Spectres, who then became Traffic Jam, including A-sides, B-sides and BBC sessions. The fourth disc delivers a generous selection of A-Sides, B-Sides, demos and outtakes before the fifth and final disc completes the story of this era with 18 further tracks from various BBC radio sessions.

The discs are presented in a clamshell box and come with a 40-page booklet with extensive sleevenotes and loads of images of memorabilia from this era, drawn from the band’s own archive.

The Early Years (1966-1969) will be released on 15 March 2024 via BMG.

Tracklisting

The Early Years 1966-1969 Status Quo /

    • CD 1: Picturesque & Spare Parts – Original Mono albums
      Picturesque
      1. Black Veils Of Melancholy
      2. When My Mind Is Not Live
      3. Ice In The Sun
      4. Elizabeth Dreams
      5. Gentleman Joe’s Sidewalk Café
      6. Paradise Flat
      7. Technicolor Dreams
      8. Sheila
      9. Spicks And Specks
      10. Sunny Cellophane Skies
      11. Green Tambourine
      12. Pictures Of Matchstick Men
      Spare Parts
      1. Face Without A Soul
      2. You’re Just What I Was Looking For Today
      3. Are You Growing Tired Of My Love
      4. Antique Angelique
      5. So Ends Another Life
      6. Poor Old Man
      7. Mr. Mind Detector
      8. The Clown
      9. Velvet Curtains
      10. Little Miss Nothing
      11. When I Awake
      12. Nothing At All
    • CD 2: Picturesque & Spare Parts – Stereo albums
      Picturesque
      1. Black Veils Of Melancholy
      2. When My Mind Is Not Live
      3. Ice In The Sun
      4. Elizabeth Dreams
      5. Gentleman Joe’s Sidewalk Café
      6. Paradise Flat
      7. Technicolor Dreams
      8. Sheila
      9. Spicks And Specks
      10. Sunny Cellophane Skies
      11. Green Tambourine
      12. Pictures Of Matchstick Men
      Spare Parts
      1. Face Without A Soul
      2. You’re Just What I Was Looking For Today
      3. Are You Growing Tired Of My Love
      4. Antique Angelique
      5. So Ends Another Life
      6. Poor Old Man
      7. Mr. Mind Detector
      8. The Clown
      9. Velvet Curtains
      10. Little Miss Nothing
      11. When I Awake
      12. Nothing At All
    • CD 3: Before Status Quo
      The Spectres
      1. I (Who Have Nothing) (Single A-Side, 1966)
      2. Neighbour, Neighbour (Single B-side to ‘I (Who Have
        Nothing)’)
      3. Hurdy Gurdy Man (Single A-Side, 1966)
      4. (Her Name Was) Laticia (Single B-Side to ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’)
      5. (We Ain’t Got) Nothing Yet (Single A-Side, 1967)
      6. I Want It (Single B-Side – B-side to ‘(We Ain’t Got)
        Nothing Yet’)
      7. Spicks And Specks
      8. Walking With My Angel
      9. When He Passed You By
      10. Love In Vain
      11. Say That You Need Me
      12. Neighbour Neighbour (Alternate version)
      13. Gloria
        (BBC Session, Saturday Club – 10/9/66)
      14. Interview With Francis Rossi
        (BBC Session, Saturday Club – 10/9/66)
      15. I (Who Have Nothing)
        (BBC Session, Saturday Club – 10/9/66)
      16. Neighbour, Neighbour
        (BBC Session, Saturday Club – 10/9/66)
      17. Bloodhound
        (BBC Session (Saturday Club – 10/9/66)
      18. Bird Dog
        (BBC Session, Saturday Club – 10/9/66)
      Traffic Jam
      1. Almost But Not Quite There (Single A-Side, 1967)
      2. Wait Just A Minute (Single B-Side to ‘Almost But Not
        Quite There’)
      3. I Don’t Want You
        (BBC Session, Saturday Club – 24/6/67)
      4. Almost But Not Quite There
        (BBC Session, Saturday Club – 24/6/67)
      5. It Takes Two
        (BBC Session, Saturday Club – 24/6/67)
      6. Spicks And Specks
        (BBC Session, Saturday Club – 24/6/67)
    • CD 4: A-Sides, B-Sides, Demos & Outtakes
      1. To Be Free (B-Side of ‘Black Veils Of Melancholy’ –
        Mono – non album B-side)
      2. Make Me Stay a Bit Longer (Single A-Side, 1969 – non
        album single)
      3. Auntie Nellie (B-Side – Mono – B-side to ‘Make Me
        Stay A Bit Longer’)
      4. Are You Growing Tired Of My Love (Single A-Side,
        1969)
      5. The Price Of Love (Single A-Side, 1969)
      6. Little Miss Nothing (B-Side to ‘The Of Love’)
      7. Nothing At All (Demo Excerpt)
      8. Josie (From Spare Parts sessions)
      9. Do You Live In Fire (From Spare Parts sessions)
      10. Pictures Of Matchstick Men (Mix Of An Alternate
        Version)
      11. Paradise Flats (Alt Version remixed in stereo by Mike
        Brown for 1998 remaster)
      12. Hey Little Woman (You’re Just What I Was Looking For Today) (Alternate version)
      13. The Price Of Love (Alternate version)
      14. Auntie Nellie (Stereo remix of B-side to ‘Make Me Stay A Bit Longer’, 1969)
      15. Josie (Alternate mix)
      16. Pictures Of Matchstick Men (Mix of Alternate Version)
    • CD 5: BBC In Session, 1968-1969
      1. Spicks And Specks
        (David Symonds – rec. 16/1/68, transm. 22/1/68)
      2. Judy In Disguise
        (David Symonds – rec. 16/1/68, transm. 22/1/68)
      3. Pictures Of Matchstick Men
        (David Symonds – rec. 16/1/68, transm. 22/1/68)
      4. Interview With Brian Matthew
        (Saturday Club – rec. 13/2/68, transm. 17/2/68)
      5. Pictures Of Matchstick Men
        (Saturday Club – rec. 13/2/68, transm. 17/2/68)
      6. Things Get Better
        (Saturday Club – rec. 13/2/68, transm. 17/2/68)
      7. Gloria
        (David Symonds – rec. 29/3/68)
      8. Interview With Alan Lancaster
        (David Symonds – rec. 29/3/68)
      9. Black Veils Of Melancholy
        (David Symonds – rec. 29/3/68)
      10. Bloodhound
        (David Symonds – rec. 29/3/68)
      11. Ice In The Sun
        (Saturday Club – rec. 30/7/68)
      12. When My Mind Is Not Live
        (Saturday Club – rec. 30/7/68)
      13. Paradise Flats
        (Saturday Club – rec. 30/7/68)
      14. Interview
        (Symonds on Sunday – rec. 27/1/69)
      15. Make Me Stay A Bit Longer
        (Symonds on Sunday – rec. 27/1/69)
      16. Are You Growing Tired Of My Love
        (Symonds on Sunday – rec. 27/1/69)
      17. The Price Of Love
        (Symonds on Sunday – rec. 27/1/69)
      18. The Price Of Love
        (Symonds on Sunday – rec. 31/3/69)

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