Aqoustic (Stripped Bare)

2014 release, the first acoustic album from the veteran British Rock 'n' Roll band. After 50 years at the top of their game as one of the world's premiere hard rock acts, Status Quo have leapt out of their comfort zone and now give the songs the chance to shine in a stripped down format; the amps are turned off, this album is fully acoustic and Quo recorded completely reworked Quo hits and fan favorites. The band are helped out along the way by additional musicians, a female backing vocalist and even a string section. Stripped of the sheer power of the famed twin Tele assault it's time for the melodies and the band's innate musicianship to shine through. And shine they do. Rendered here in a simpler, sharper focus, it's the tunes and the progressions that are the stars. The lyrics seem to benefit from the extra space and these stone cold rock classics are given a fresh personality and potency. Tracks are taken from across the band's incredible output throughout the decades; some permanent features of the electric setlist, others being issued into the limelight for the first time - having been scrubbed and polished and reappraised through the prism of a new approach.