STATUS QUO: "Bula Quo"

Rating: RR
Label: Fourth Chord/EarMusic 2013
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Same, same... but very different? The geezers are still a rocking in 2013 and that's not too shabby, considering they played their first farewell tour nearly 30 years ago!! Bula Quo is in fact a brand new studio album inspired by the film - comedy road movie coming at you this summer. The smashing... ehem... story is set in Fiji and based around the band. Nine completely new tracks, however, you'll also receive the 10 track greatest hits bonus CD - the soundtrack of the movie. Thus making this a 2-CD release (duh!).

Denim wearing die-hard (dye-hard?) fans may still consider them to be the coolest, boogiest band on the face of planet earth. The rest of us has ever so slightly been over exposed to the slick catering of Caroline and Rockin' All Over The World. What to expect from their latest offering to the gods of denim and boogie? An awful mish-mash of fun tracks, weird tracks, and utterly lame tracks. Some of which they are re-using the old title(s) and riffing. First example, see the rather weak/lack lustre opening number, "Looking Out For Caroline".

The following, "Go Go Go", a huge improval and also quite different from the traditional boogie. Okay, the bridge is typical 12 bar. However, the refrain and overall melody is eighties' catchy and more towards the In The Army album. "Run and Hide" - Quo goes Lemmy? Seriosuly, it's like one of those rather fun blues/boogie tracks by the Motorheads. Weird but not bad at all. "Mystery Island" - awful Beach Boys/Elvis hawaiian madness and the same goes for the title track. Let's not even talk about "Fiji Time"... or the film for that matter.

The bonus disc sees some reworkings and live takes on the old material. Ehem, the bula edit version of Rockin' All Over The World is interesting to say the least. The live numbers of "Caroline" and DOwn Down" - probably the safest cards in the deck. Final verdict: Fun-fun-fun in the sun-sun-sun. Nah, just kidding. Just plain weird actually. A couple of great new tracks though.
http://www.statusquo.co.uk