With a career now in their seventh decade, it’s no wonder that Status Quo have become national treasures. Even with some of their 90s output being a far cry from their best, the Rossi/Parfitt commitment to live work helped the band remain a massive draw for gig goers, and any musical missteps are easy to forgive when taking into consideration that Quo’s run of albums released between 1967-77 is almost flawless.
On 16th May, lovers of classic Quo are in for a real treat. The essential 1977 release ‘Status Quo – Live!’ will be reissued as a lavish 8CD box set. Obviously, this isn’t the first time that the album has been given the box set treatment: in 2014, a 4CD version coupled the original album with the previous Japanese-only release ‘Tokyo Quo’ and a decent quality bootleg recording from the Australian leg of the same tour.
It is, however, the first time that all of the recordings from the Glasgow gigs – the shows that were cherry picked for the original 2LP release – have been made available officially. This makes the 8CD ‘Quo Live’ the most essential – and most authentic – release of the live material to date.
More information can be found in the full press release below.
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Status Quo release ‘Status Quo – Live!’ on 16 May 2025 on Edsel Records as a super deluxe 8CD edition [Cat No EDSL0234] that has been described by Classic Rock as “The holy grail for fans of the ‘Frantic Four’ line-up”. This collection offers up – for the first time ever – the full live sets from each of those legendary nights at the Glasgow Apollo Theatre in 1976. The set is delivered in a deluxe 7” box format, with the 8CDs, fold out wallets, and a 24 page illustrated booklet. This edition contains the original ‘Live!’ album itself, newly mastered – plus the original mixes – as well as the full concert recordings from the 27th, 28th and 29th October 1976, which have never before been released in their entirety.
Additionally, for Record Store Day 2025, there will be 2LP coloured vinyl exclusive release of the full newly mixed and mastered concert audio from night one – 27th October 1976 – of the Glasgow Apollo Theatre run . This will be available on both ticket stub mint, and blue 140g vinyl, coming with a single sleeve, printed inners, and 5mm spine,
The first live album that they released commercially, the original ‘Live!’ album is an amalgam of those three performances: ‘Status Quo – Live!’ the Super Deluxe Edition offers up each of the concerts in full.
The audio for this release has been mixed and mastered from newly-discovered multi-track tapes (one was in a mislabelled box marked Peters and Lee!) that came to light after some forensic tape library work by Andy Gamble. Francis Rossi, who wasn’t fully happy with the audio quality of the original album, has since given this project his personal seal of approval. Originally recorded using the Rolling Stones’ Mobile Studio (also known as the RSM), a studio that was built inside a DAF F1600 turbo truck, the audio has been newly mixed from the source 24 tracks and remastered at AVP Productions Ltd.
The 7” boxset also contains new sleeve notes by Classic Rock’s Dave Ling, chronicling the making of the record, and the impact that it had upon release. The booklet is crammed with biographical information, photography and memorabilia relating to the shows, and is rounded off with a bonus article from Andy Gamble (AVP Studios) about the mastering processes and sound engineering behind the release.
‘Live!’ has long been regarded as the pinnacle of live rock albums of the seventies, and beyond. It was a Top 3 UK Chart hit for the band. This is Quo at their loudest; noisiest; and at their peak. The ‘Status Quo – Live!’ Super Deluxe Edition offers the full story, and the full experience, of a seminal moment in Rock history.
Track listing:
DISC ONE: Live!
Junior’s Wailing
Backwater
Just Take Me
Is There A Better Way
In My Chair
Little Lady
Most Of The Time
Rain
Forty-Five Hundred Times
DISC TWO: Live!
Roll Over Lay Down
Big Fat Mama
Don’t Waste My Time
Roadhouse Blues
Caroline
Bye Bye Johnny
DISC THREE : 27th October 1976
Junior’s Wailing
Backwater
Just Take Me
Is There A Better Way
In My Chair
Little Lady
Most Of The Time
Rain
Forty-Five Hundred Times
DISC FOUR: 27th October 1976
Roll Over Lay Down
Big Fat Mama
Don’t Waste My Time
Roadhouse Blues
Caroline
Bye Bye Johnny
DISC FIVE : 28th October 1976
Junior’s Wailing
Backwater
Just Take Me
Is There A Better Way
In My Chair
Little Lady
Most Of The Time
Rain
Forty-Five Hundred Times
DISC SIX: 28th October 1976
Roll Over Lay Down
Big Fat Mama
Don’t Waste My Time
Roadhouse Blues
Caroline
Bye Bye Johnny
DISC SEVEN : 29th October 1976
Junior’s Wailing
Backwater
Just Take Me
Is There A Better Way
In My Chair
Little Lady
Most Of The Time
Rain
Forty-Five Hundred Times
DISC EIGHT: 29th October 1976
Roll Over Lay Down
Big Fat Mama
Don’t Waste My Time
Roadhouse Blues
Caroline
Bye Bye Johnny
followed quoe for ever this is great news