Devil's Gate Music
Related Articles
Seven seconds, that is all it takes for the toes to start tapping involuntarily. Seven seconds. Even now, after the track in question, “My Little Heartbreaker”, has long faded out, the toes are still tapping regardless, as the hooky melodies rattle around in the psyche. A reaction that signifies the work of a great songwriter. One that makes it look effortless. And nobody has ever made it look as effortless as British rock legend Francis Rossi.
After the success of the first installment of the Status Quo frontman’s dip into his personal archives, 2025’s The Way We Were Vol. 1, Vol. 2 was always on the cards, and it can be expected to be met with the same adulation from the legions of die-hard Quo/Rossi fans around the world.
As the press blurb says: “Continuing where the first volume left off, The Way We Were Vol. 2 opens Francis Rossi’s studio drawer once again, revealing 17 more demo recordings. Five of them have never been heard outside the studio, while others would later find their final form on some very familiar Status Quo albums. Together, both volumes offer a rare look into the songwriting process – the arrangements, melodies and lyrics before they became the finished songs you know today.”
The urge to listen to these demo versions (calling them “demo” versions is a bit of an injustice, as the product is anything but Rossi doodling in front of an inferior tape recorder) side-by-side with the end product is only natural, but all that does is increase YouTube views or Spotify streams of the finished versions. The best thing to do is simply press play, sit back, and rejoice in the warm, familiar tones of Rossi (with partner-in-crime Bob Young alongside him).
Both Rossi and Young, no doubt, can tell the difference in an instant, but rather than dissect every second of, for example, the demo version of “I Ain’t Ready” in comparison to the version that appeared on Quo’s The Party Ain’t Over Yet album, maybe ponder why it only featured as a bonus track back in 2005 when it is a certifiable latter-stage Quo classic. Although it has to be said, the funky, keys-led jam mid-song on the 2005 version, which was a tad lightweight, is nowhere to be found here, replaced instead by a size-ten-boot stomp from Rossi. Immediately following it is the cut and thrust of “Never Say Never”, which is prime-time Quo. Appearing on the Heavy Traffic album as “All Stand Up (Never Say Never)”, the demo version, as Rossi states, “…has a raw charm…” and better reflects the original intention: a song to coax a response from a live crowd. Some fantastic guitar licks to be enjoyed here.
As previously mentioned, five of these tracks are unreleased. Two of which are instrumentals, and of the remaining three, “I Cried” is part of the DNA of what eventually became “Heavy Traffic” (which also features on the album) and is an easygoing shuffling song with a gorgeous keys feel that stands on its own two feet; “Walk In The Sun” is led by Rossi’s unmistakable guitar tones, and “Little By Little” has that trademark shuffle that can only be Quo, as Rossi says: “This one simply deserves to be heard”, and he is not wrong for saying that.
The pick of the bunch on the remaining tracks includes the impactful “Diggin’ Burt Bacharach”, which Rossi thinks features too much of his guitar, but is such a thing possible to the Quo Army? “You Let Me Down” is another highlight, and Quo being melancholic is a rarity, so Mike Paxman, the producer on the album that it was supposed to appear on, ‘The Party Ain’t Over Yet’, thought it was depressing, and it was dropped. As Rossi alludes to: “I should have stuck to my guns…” The introduction of what sounds like a Hammond organ adds to the mournful atmosphere of a stunning song. “Sinking In Blue” is another softer moment that stuns; here it is the polar opposite of the 2019 version. This features Rossi on his own, whereas the more uptempo, good-vibes finished product featured on the We Talk Too Much album, recorded with Hannah Rickard.
Quo fans are amongst the most completist of music fans around today, and they should lap this up, rightly so, as there are some gorgeous gems to be found within.
Available now via earMUSIC. More information HERE.
Francis Rossi tour dates are available HERE
Review: Dave
