Piledriver - STATUS QUO****

Don't Waste My Time/Oh Baby/A Year/Unspoken Words/Big Fat Mama/Paper Plane/All The Reasons/Roadhouse Blues

With the release of Piledriver Status Quo put aside their years in the doldrums trying to shake off their original bubblegum pop image. After this commercial breakthrough they would enjoy a decade of success with their trademark driving boogie blues-rock. Includes the UK No. 8 hit Paper Plane. (UK:5)

“Aptly named, Piledriver is a guitar onslaught of heavy blues-rock that just plain rocks. If you can listen to this music and not tap your toes you just don't like rock and roll. This is what rock and roll is meant to sound like.”

“The no-frills cover shot of the heads down Status Quo frontline on Piledriver tells the story via the show-of-force image and the big, bold group logo in bright red. With no-holds-barred aggression, the major label debut from the boys in blue is a steamrollin' onslaught of early seventies three chord boogie.”

“This first release after their departure to the Vertigo label marks a move toward a more formulaic style. It is substantially more consistent, but unfortunately, much less interesting to my ears. The tracks appear to be the work of a cookie cutter, with less inspiration on the song writing front.”

“Heavy rock was just hitting its stride in the mid 1970s, and Quo abandoned their lightweight, twangy pop, bought distortion pedals and let rip. And what songs - Paper Plane, Big Fat Mama and Don't Waste My Time are pedigree up-tempo rockers that really satisfy . Even the ballads are bluesy and highly listenable. Power-boogie has never been as good as this.”

“Every song is a gem; this is an album that you play over and over again with the volume cranked to max. Don't Waste My Time simply pounds into every bone of your body and sends indescribable waves down your spine, and Oh Baby continues that pleasant torture. These two rockers are followed by the blues - slower but simply ear catching only to take you off guard when Big Fat Mama slams into your ear drums. Then the finale: the tribute to Jim Morrison, Roadhouse Blues has me hopping and singing along in no time.”

“The album cover features the band in front of the drum kit onstage just hammering away on the guitars and head-banging away; and that's what this album is all about.”