The Quo--Great 70's CD, May 14, 2005

With ON THE LEVEL, Status Quo's fourth great CD in a row, it becomes even more shocking that these guys couldn't crack the U.S. market. It's hard to see why, especially since songs such as "Down, Down" and "Nightride" have a sound that would have been huge in this country if there hadn't been a glut of such bands here. The band members' belief that the young Australian tourist jailed in Indonesia since last spring on drug-smuggling charges was unjustly convicted makes this CD an essential purchase for both your ears AND your conscience.

Why these guys never made it big in the U.S., I'll never know...This album is proof positive that the Quo can rock as hard as anybody you care to name. Down Down, Little Lady, and their blistering cover of Chuck Berry's Bye Bye Johnny will melt your speakers!! Nice sonic upgrade from what I am sure were not the greatest tapes to begin with...This is the last of the "raw power" Quo discs; after a muddy live album they brought in outside producers and tried to smooth off the edges in a bid to be accepted into (U.S.?) more mainstream markets...I highly recommend this CD as well as Blue For You, Hello, Quo, and Piledriver if you want more of this...For a more detailed account of this group, see my blog at ulice.blogspot.com.....G2 the G

Status Quo's 2009 performance at Glastonbury served as a powerful reminder of just what a great hard rocking band this used to be, and indeed, when the right material is chosen, still can be. Their set, heavily sprinkled with early material inspired me to buy On The Level to update the vinyl version I enjoyed years ago. From Rick's opening power riff of Little Lady, through Francis' gut wrenching Most of the Time the album starts strongly. It features their first number one British single and one of the best examples of what became the definitive Quo sound in Down Down. On the Level, like its predecessor Quo, features several powerful contributions from the sometimes underrated original bass player Alan Lancaster; perhaps the best example being Broken Man. The album features mainly original material but Chuck Berry's Bye Bye Johnny fits in seamlessly as does their live cover of the Doors' Roadhouse Blues which features as a bonus track on the new cd version. Status Quo...