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Voss, Michael: Rockers Rollin’ (A Tribute To Rick Parfitt)
 Michael Voss has got friends. Lots of them. A few thousand of them appear on this album which is a real curate's egg of a release. Just for shits and giggles have a look below and see who's conspicuously absent. That's right, well spotted. Richie Malone. Given Rick Parfitt Jr's active and vocal dislike of Francis Rossi perhaps it's not surprising that many other Quo alumni make an appearance except Rossi himself. Equally it is quite surprising that this album is so very, very well-mannered and pleasant. I'm not confident that any denim was harmed in the making of this album, it's just so pleasant.
Therein lies the problem, Quo at their very best boogied for the working man and were quite scuzzy and dirty especially in the live arena. Rockers Rollin’ is just so undemanding in every way possible. The arrangements are absolutely fine, the playing is not remotely problematic, however, as with most tribute albums one has to consider why it exists at all especially as there isn't any radical remodeling of any of the tunes on offer.
There's nothing here to match the originals, nothing that makes the listener go 'hang about, that's better than the Quo,' and nothing that, and this might be overly harsh that doesn't sound like it couldn't have been knocked out by a covers bar plying their trade in Corralejo, Fuerteventura or in a Working Men's Club here in the UK.
This record is enjoyable while it's playing but it isn't essential unless you are a complete Quo obsessive who buys everything any of the members play on. Not even the presence of ex-Romeo's Daughter bassist Ed Poole, Gotthard's Marc Lynn and the immortal John Coghlan, all of whom I adore can change that.
Vocals
Rick Parfitt Jr.: Lead Vocals on "Something 'Bout You Baby I Like"
Jackie Lynton: Additional Vocals on "Again And Again"
Eva von der Forst: Backing Vocals on "Oh! What A Night"
John Richardson: Backing Vocals on "Again And Again"
Guitars
Tony Thorpe: Slide- & Lead Guitar on "Reason For Living"
Jörg Sander: Rhythm- & Lead Guitar (2nd half) on "Reason For Living"
Uwe Schneider: Guitar Solo on "Rain"
Andy Susemihl: Lead Solo (Out) on "Don't Drive My Car" & "Rockers Rollin'"
Bass
Uwe Köhler: Bass on "Again And Again"
Mat Sinner: Bass on "Rain"
Gregory Harper: Bass on "Don't Drive My Car" & "Rockers Rollin'"
Ed Poole: Bass on "For You" & "Living On An Island"
Rhino Edwards: Bass on "Oh! What A Night", "Something 'Bout You Baby I Like" & "Reason For Living"
Marc Lynn: Bass on "Coming And Going"
Drums
John Coghlan: Drums on "Living On An Island"
Misc. Instruments
Tim Oliver: Piano on "Rockers Rollin'", "Reason For Living"
Andy Bown: Hammond B3 Organ on "Oh! What A Night"
Shannon Harris: Piano & Hammond Organ on "Something 'Bout You Baby I Like"
Jens Skwirblies: Clavinet on "Oh! What A Night" & "Coming And Going"; Hammond B3 Organ on "Living On An Island"; Moog on "Again And Again"
Bob Young: Harmonica on "Coming And Going"
Dieter Michel: Trumpets & Trombones on "Again And Again" & "Something 'Bout You Baby I Like"
Holggy Begg: Memotron on "Again And Again" & "Oh! What A Night"
Jan David: Percussions on "For You" & "Oh! What A Night"
Track Listing:
01. Again And Again
02. Rain
03. Don't Drive My Car
04. For You
05. Rockers Rollin'
06. Oh! What A Night
07. Something 'Bout You Baby I Like
08. Reason For Living
09. Coming And Going
10. Living On An Island
Added: October 26th 2023
Reviewer: Simon Bray
Score: 
Related Link: Artist Website
Hits: 355
Language: english
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Voss, Michael: Rockers Rollin’ (A Tribute To Rick Parfitt)
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2023-10-26 16:33:28
My Score:
Crikey jingo-malingo! Rick Parfitt Jr, Rhino Edwards, John Coghlan, Andy Bown, Bob Young… this tribute to the much missed Status Quo guitarist and singer Rick Parfitt has more legendary Status Quo alumni and associates on it than, well, the most recent Status Quo album! Hence, not only do you know that this venture, put together by Mad Max (and much more) mainman Michael Voss isn’t just well intentioned, it’s also backed by a cast that gives it a real air of authority. With other guests including the likes of Mat Sinner, Andy Susemihl and many, many more, let’s say there’s a star studded guest list and leave it at that.
The problem with covering Quo is that really, there’s only one way to go and that’s to stay pretty true to the originals and hence into dangerous ground, because if there’s one thing true about the veteran British act’s songs it’s that they are far more difficult to cover convincingly than anyone would lead you to believe. In many ways that’s the rub here, with the faithful intentions often pushed into a slightly more melodic/hard rock direction than a lot of this material truly feels all that comfortable in. Don’t get me wrong, we are still 12 bar boogieing as we stand legs astride, guitars flailing back and forth. And yet, “Rain” possesses a gloss and sheen that really doesn’t feel like a great fit. “Don’t Drive My Car” slips into neutral by way of its over-worked backing vocals and, in truth, the fact that Michael Voss might actually be too clean a singer to truly capture Rick’s spirit in these numbers. The originals always had a dirtiness and, while Francis Rossi would doubtless protest otherwise, a danger within them that their catchiness and hook-laden intentions often masked.
In truth, I’m being churlish because it’s clear that all involved are having a great time romping through some fantastic, well loved songs but not even having the legend that is John Coghlan keep the beat on “Living On An Island” - long one of my Quo favourites - can elevate the track into a status that will ever make me listen to it over the original. That in itself may not have been Michael Voss’s intention here and I’m not denying that there’s fun to be had with this album, but not one of the 10 tracks presented will stay with me after this album has stopped spinning. The original versions on the other hand are as classic as the day is long. In many ways that’s actually the issue here and not what Rockers Rollin’ has set out to achieve.
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