Status Quo – Riffs – Deluxe 2 CD Re-Issue Review

12th September 2022 0 By Jon Deaux

Riffs is Status Quo‘s 26th album and was originally released back in 2003. This deluxe remaster not only contains the original Riffs album but now has 3 bonus tracks attached (You’ll Come Round (Single Edit), Lucinda and Thinking Of You (Remix).

The main album Riffs is made up of cover versions of rock and pop standards such as I Faught The Law, Wild One and Centerfold. But there’s also 5 tracks of re-recordings including Caroline and Rockin’ All Over The World. To be honest, this isn’t one for Quos better studio albums but it’s the 2nd disc we’re all buying it for as it’s Quo doing what they do best, playing live.

The 2nd CD kicks off with 4 studio tracks before kicking into the live show from the Montreux Jazz Festival, 4th July 2004. This is audio from the XS All Areas DVD so you already know that you’re going to get a blindingly good live show recording. It may be an hour long show. But what an hour. SO many highlights (Gerdundula, Roll Over Lay Down, Whatever You Want).

The booklet that comes within the digipak contains some rare photos and extensive liner notes as well. A really nice addition to what is already a good double CD.

If you already have Riffs, it’s well worth upgrading not just for the live tracks but also the single B-Sides that are getting quite hard (and expensive) to get now.
Score 8/10
Track List
Disc: 1
1 Caroline
2 I Fought the Law
3 Born to Be Wild
4 Takin’ Care of Business
5 Wild One
6 On the Road Again
7 Tobacco Road
8 Centerfold
9 All Day and All of the Night
10 Don’t Bring Me Down
11 Juniors Wailing
12 Pump It Up
13 Down the Dustpipe
14 Whatever You Want
15 Rockin’ All Over the World
16 You’ll Come Round (Single Edit)
17 Lucinda
18 Thinking of You (Remix)
Disc: 2
1 Caroline
2 Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like
3 Break the Rules
4 Forty-five Hundred Times
5 Rain (Montreux Jazz Festival, 4th July 2004)
6 Hold You Back (Montreux Jazz Festival, 4th July 2004)
7 Mystery Medley: Mystery Song/Railroad/Most of the Time/Wild Side of Life/Rollin’ Home/Again and Again/Slow Train (Montreux Jazz Fest, 4th July 2004)
8 Gerdundula (Montreux Jazz Fest, 4th July 2004)
9 Roll Over Lay Down (Montreux Jazz Fest, 4th July 2004)
10 Down Down (Montreux Jazz Fest, 4th July 2004)
11 Whatever You Want (Montreux Jazz Fest, 4th July 2004)
12 Rockin’ All Over the World (Montreux Jazz Fest, 4th July 2004)
13 Encore Medley: Rock and Roll Music/Carol/Bye Bye Johnny (Montreux Jazz Fest, 4th July 2004)