Backbone (Status Quo album)

Backbone is the 33rd studio album by British rock band Status Quo. It was released on 6 September 2019^[2] and debuted at number six on the UK albums chart,^[3] making it the band's 25th UK top ten album^[4] and their highest-charting album of original material^{[Note 1]} since 1+9+8+2 (1982). Backbone also entered the Swiss album charts at number two, and the German album charts at number six, giving the band their highest album chart position in the latter country, despite a long history of enduring popularity.

Backbone
Studio album by Status Quo
Released	6 September 2019 (2019-09-06)
Recorded	2018–2019
Studio	ARSIS Studios
Genre	Rock
Length	40:54
Label	earMusic Fourth Chord Records
Producer	Francis Rossi
Status Quo chronology
Aquostic II – That's a Fact! (2016) Backbone (2019)
Singles from Backbone
"Backbone" Released: 12 July 2019 "Liberty Lane" Released: 9 August 2019

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Classic Rock	^[1]

Background

Backbone is the first album released by the band since the death of rhythm guitarist Rick Parfitt, who had featured on every prior Status Quo album. Speaking about the album in a press release, frontman Francis Rossi expressed both pride in the content and sadness regarding Parfitt's lack of involvement, saying "This new material had to be seriously good. Quo have achieved so much and meant so much to too many people for the quality to slip now [...] Losing Rick was hard to bear but, through Richie Malone, who was inspired to pick up a guitar by him, we can not only keep going but actually pick up the pace." He concluded: "I wasn't sure I had another album in me but I couldn't be more proud of Backbone."^[2] The album was dedicated to Rick Parfitt: "This album is dedicated to the memory of Rick Parfitt OBE (1948-2016)".

The title track was released on 12 July 2019 as the first single, with a promo video.^[2] The second single, "Liberty Lane", was released on 9 August 2019^[5] and a video for the single was later released in September.^[6] The band had started playing "Liberty Lane" and "Cut Me Some Slack" live a month before the album was announced,^[7] generating excitement for the new release,^[8] which is notable for being one of the few times the band have toured new music before release.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Waiting for a Woman"	Francis Rossi Robert Keith Young	4:28
2.	"Cut Me Some Slack"	Rossi John "Rhino" Edwards	3:42
3.	"Liberty Lane"	Rossi Edwards	3:28
4.	"I See You're in Some Trouble"	Rossi Young	3:47
5.	"Backing Off"	Andy Bown Rossi	4:12
6.	"I Wanna Run Away with You"	Rossi Young	3:23
7.	"Backbone"	Rossi Edwards	3:03
8.	"Better Take Care"	John David	3:34
9.	"Falling Off the World"	Leon Cave	3:29
10.	"Get Out of My Head"	Richie Malone	3:24
11.	"Running Out of Time"	Bown Rossi	3:29

Digipak bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Crazy Crazy"	Rossi	3:18
13.	"Face the Music"	Malone	3:27

Personnel

Status Quo

• Francis Rossi – lead guitar, vocals
• Richie Malone – rhythm guitar, vocals
• John "Rhino" Edwards – basses, guitars, vocals
• Andy Bown – keyboards, guitar, vocals
• Leon Cave – drums and percussion

Production

• Francis Rossi – producer, mixing
• Andy Brook – engineer, recording, mixing and mastering

Charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[9]	98
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[10]	23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[11]	31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[12]	21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[13]	28
French Albums (SNEP)^[14]	114
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[15]	6
Irish Albums (IRMA)^[16]	76
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[17]	1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[18]	43
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[19]	31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[20]	2
UK Albums (OCC)^[3]	6
UK Independent Albums (OCC)^[21]	1

Notes

1. Between 1+9+8+2 and Backbone, the band had three higher-charting, top-five albums: two studio albums and a greatest hits compilation. These are Rocking All Over the Years (1990; compilation), Don't Stop (1996; covers of other artists), and Aquostic – Stripped Bare (2014; acoustic covers of their own songs). Rocking All Over the Years contained "Anniversary Waltz", which was a previously unreleased medley of rock-and-roll genre covers, but none of the three albums contained any wholly new compositions.

References

1. Davenport, Rich (September 2019). "Status Quo – Backbone". Classic Rock. p. 86.
2. Munro, Scott (12 July 2019). "Watch Status Quo show some Backbone in new video". Classic Rock. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
3. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
4. Ainsley, Helen (9 September 2019). "Post Malone on course for second UK Number 1 album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
5. Thorley, Andy (10 August 2019). "QUO: STILL TAKING LIBERTIES". Maximum Volume Music. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
6. "Status Quo Premier "Liberty Lane" Music Video". Brave Words. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
7. "Status Quo Setlist at Tempodrom, Berlin". setlist.fm. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
8. "2 New Quo Song(s)! Live on tour, Germany June 2019 | Status Quo Fan Forum". statusquo.boards.net. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
9. . auspOp. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
10. "Austriancharts.at – Status Quo – Backbone" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
11. "Ultratop.be – Status Quo – Backbone" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
12. "Ultratop.be – Status Quo – Backbone" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Status Quo – Backbone" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
14. "Lescharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Status Quo – Backbone" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
16. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Status Quo". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
17. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
18. "Spanishcharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
19. "Swedishcharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
20. "Swisscharts.com – Status Quo – Backbone". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
21. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.