For a band whose greatest achievements were cut on-stage, Status Quo were never especially generous when it came to live recordings -- a point that Francis Rossi conceded when he admitted he wasn't actually a fan of such things.
But 1977's Live remains one of the decade's most crucial in-concert recordings and, though Live at the NEC can barely compete with it in terms of fiery abandon, still it captures the band in full flight, across a track listing that could almost double as a greatest-hits collection.
Recorded on May 14, 1982 for Prince Charles' Prince's Trust charity, and released on both CD and VHS, it's an enjoyable blast made all the more exciting by the knowledge that drummer Pete Kircher was still feeling his way into the departed John Coghlan's well-practiced boots.
But, from the opening thrill of "Caroline," through speedball takes on "Rocking All Over the World," "Don't Drive My Car" and "Whatever You Want," and onto the stunning finale of "Don't Waste My Time," Live at the NEC is difficult to walk away from, and one only wishes that they'd spread it out across a double album.
Because the show deserved it.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CarolineFrancis Rossi, Rob Young | Status Quo | Play | 05:32 | 12 MB | 29 MB |
| 2 | BackwaterAlan Lancaster, Rick Parfitt | Status Quo | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 24 MB |
| 3 | Little LadyRick Parfitt | Status Quo | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | Don't Drive My CarRick Parfitt | Status Quo | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | Whatever You WantAndrew Bown, Rick Parfitt | Status Quo | Play | 04:33 | 10 MB | 24 MB |
| 6 | Hold You BackRick Parfitt, Francis Rossi, Rob Young | Status Quo | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 7 | Rockin' All Over the WorldJohn Fogerty | Status Quo | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 21 MB |
| 8 | Over the EdgeAlan Lancaster | Status Quo | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 9 | Don't Waste My TimeFrancis Rossi, Rob Young | Status Quo | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 10 | Roll Over Lay DownJohn Coghlan, Alan Lancaster, Rick Parfitt, Francis Rossi, Rob Young | Status Quo | Play | 06:01 | 13 MB | 32 MB |
| 45 mins | 105 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 244 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Bown | Composer |
| 2 | John Coghlan | Composer, Drums |
| 3 | John Fogerty | Composer |
| 4 | Alan Lancaster | Bass, Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 5 | Rick Parfitt | Composer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals |
| 6 | Francis Rossi | Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 7 | Status Quo | Primary Artist |
| 8 | Rob Young | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |