It seems there should be a caveat to this review, so here goes: In the very unlikely scenario that I end up on Desert Island Discs, The Quireboys “A Bit Of What You Fancy” will be in mine.
Now some qualification: I was 14 years old in January 1990, when me and MV’s Donnie used to buy Kerrang every Wednesday and they gave away the “sexi-flexi” sometimes. One week it was this band The Quireboys and we’d never heard anything like it. Of course we now know The Faces, The Stones, Humble Pie and the rest of the bands this sounds like, but we didn’t then. And we loved it. We loved them.
I particularly did, because aside from music, my two passions in life are cricket and Stoke City FC. Imagine how excited I got, when the band were the shirt sponsors of my then favourite player, Wayne “Bertie” Biggins. That was because two of the band of that era – guitarist Guy Bailey and keysman Chris Johnstone were Stokies like me.
Those two and most of the others from that period are gone, to be fair – one look at the “former members” section on Wikipedia will tell you that there is pretty much only me and Don that haven’t been in the band in the 30 odd years they’ve been going. You’ll spot David Leslie Walls in the list too, not sure what happened to him…..- and that’s pertinent to this, because I’d contend that The Quireboys version 2021 are a way better band than they were in 1990. So this album, which is this version of the band recording their (arguably) best record (this one had the hits but I could make a case for 2016’s “Twisted Love” or “Homewreckers And Heartbreakers” being the actual top album).
One for the fans, you say? Well yes, so let us get on with it and let us spot the slight differences between then and now.
Crucially, the track order is the same, which is fantastic and means that opening of “7 O’clock” is the same as ever. Pub rock done by the best pub band in the world? That about covers it.
Genuinely, I don’t know how many hundreds of times I’ve listened to this album over the years, and they’ve still managed to improve “Man On The Loose” by dousing it in cowbell. Not to mention the next three, the brooding “Whippin’ Boy” which is made all the more reflective by the fact that Keith Weir is a brilliant pianist, the ludicrous “Sex Party” (it was ludicrous then too, but you still couldn’t resist it) and “Sweet Mary Anne”, which might actually have been the first country record I ever heard, showcase the threads the band have always had.
These feel like old friends more than songs. There’s the girl who didn’t love me anymore (hi Helen!) that I was convinced “I Don’t Love You Anymore” was about, there’s “Hey You” that was played at my brother’s wedding reception (at my request, I should add) there’s “Misled” which sees Spike ramping up the rasp for effect here and all the others.
My favourite song on the record has never changed though, and it will forever be “Long Time Comin’” not one of the hits, but the perfect track and a metaphor for life after as I have spent my life looking for a rich, rich mama and still haven’t found one….
“Roses And Rings” is arguably better here than on the original, as the lived in vocals and violin have a greater confidence, “There She Goes Again” was always the hit single that got away, and “Take Me Home” is perhaps the most different from the first go around, but the slide guitar is superb.
There’s two bonus live versions too, “Man On The Loose”, is jolly good fun, and “Mayfair” – which didn’t make the original album, but I do have the single of (tracking it down at great expense – and with great excitement – at a record fair) and if memory serves actually has the aforementioned David Walls playing on it (if you don’t know who that is tough, I am not telling you!)
Did this record need making? No. Are we glad it was? Oh hell yes. Are The Quireboys the most original band on the planet? Nope, but here’s the thing. A few years ago, I went with my brother to watch the reformed Bad Company at Birmingham NEC, just in front of us – and he’d paid for his ticket like a fan – was Spike. You knew it was him because you couldn’t miss him, he was dressed as if he was onstage.
The takeaway from this: he loves music. He loves this music. And the band he’s been in for 35 years are incredible. They are The Quireboys. And – as they put it themselves – “we play rock n roll”.
To that, you can add a thank you from me for everything.
Rating: guess, go on.
