Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon
| Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon | ||||
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| Studio album by Status Quo | ||||
| Released | August 1970 | |||
| Recorded | Pye Studios London 1970 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, Blues rock | |||
| Length | 41:48 | |||
| Label | Pye | |||
| Producer | John Schroeder | |||
| Status Quo chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |
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Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon is the third album by English rock band Status Quo. It was the first album by the band to leave behind their early psychedelic sound and begin experimenting with the hard rock style which remains their signature sound, as well as the last album to feature keyboardist Roy Lynes. The new album was released in August 1970, and failed to chart.
The band began experimenting with the new sound when they hired Australian singer-songwriter Carl Groszmann to write a song for them. The song became 'Down the Dustpipe', which was released as a non-album single in March 1970, with the Rossi/Parfitt song 'Face Without a Soul' from the band's previous album Spare Parts as its b-side. In Francis Rossi's words, “it was the first record to feature our soon-to-be trademark boogie shuffle”. It became one of the most popular numbers in their live set. The single took the media by surprise as it was so different in sound from their previous work. Radio 1 presenter Tony Blackburn dismissed it on air the first time he played it with the comment, "Down the dustbin for this one." Nevertheless, it was an instant hit, reaching #12 in the UK singles chart and remaining in the top-50 for a solid 17-weeks.
October 1970 saw the release of yet another non-album single, this time a Rossi/Young composition - 'In My Chair', with the non-album b-side 'Gerdundula' (written while in Germany by Rossi and Young under the pseudonyms of Manston and James, with a title reportedly inspired by their German friends Gerd and Ula) - and the band had another hit, with the single reaching #21, just missing the top-20. 'Gerdundula' would later be re-recorded by the band for their next album, Dog of Two Head.
While on tour the same year, organist Roy Lynes fell in love, claiming that he could see how serious the other band members were about fame and glory, and that he just wanted to settle down to a life with his newfound love. According to the group's producer, John Schroeder, who wrote the booklet notes for the 3-CD compilation The Early Years, Lynes was "the quietest member of the group" and "somehow always seemed to be the odd one out". Rick Parfitt has said Lynes was "a bit laid back, the Open University type who liked tinkering and finding out about things", and Francis Rossi remarked that, when Lynes showed up at a gig they were playing in New Zealand about ten years later to say hello, "he seemed a much happier bloke".
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Wikipedia