Status Quo: Live and Acoustic

This is going to be a bit risky. We're very nervous.

We haven't been this nervous since Live Aid, have we?

I'm going to make me bed and then I'll be with you.

'The acoustic set tonight is going to be different, nerve-racking,

'I think a lot of people are fascinated

'to see and hear this show,'

so I just hope we can deliver it properly.

The whole thing is different, the dynamic of an electric guitar,

you can thrash it somewhat.

'With these, particularly as we get on,

'we will start hitting the thing and they don't respond very well.'

And so you got to try and...

NORTHERN ACCENT: ..stroke it, you know what I mean, like,

stroke it a little bit.

Plus the fact, I find, you got to reach across the body like that.

-You're kind of playing...

-Doesn't look good.

..and trying to lay... Lay into it, easily.

-I'm enjoying this.

-I thought you were looking good.

-It's been a while!

The more I'm talking about it now,

I'm getting nervous now, because time is pushing on.

-We're going to be on there in...

-Sssh!

We're going to be on there in...

Another opening, another show.

And here at the Roundhouse away we go!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

MUSIC: And It's Better Now by Status Quo

# Riding along on the words of a song in my head

# Thinking all day of the thoughts in my mind never said

# I have needed a friend

# Over and over again

# Everyone sings of a God they have known

# Now I have a God of my own

# And it's better now

# Been a long, long time

# Yeah, it's better now

# That the words can rhyme

# Got to have something to sing about

# Everyone must have a song

# Now I got something to sing about

# Everyone's singing my song

# Got to have something to sing about

# Everyone must have a song

# Now I got something to sing about

# Everyone's singing my song

# Drifting away never wishing there'd be anyone

# Never a question, a reason to find right or wrong

# When I looked at the end

# Over and over again

# Riding along on the words of a song

# Thinking my time had all gone

# Oh, and it's better now

# Been a long, long time

# Yeah, it's better now

# That the words can rhyme

# Got to have something to sing about

# Everyone must have a song

# Now I got something to sing about

# Everyone's singing my song

# Got to have something to sing about

# Everyone must have a song

# Now I got something to sing about

# Everyone singing my song. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Funny! Hop-la!

# Well, once upon a time not so very long ago

# There wasn't such a thing as a rock and roll show

# You had to sit at home and listen to the radio

# Then came a man with a rocking guitar

# Found himself a beat, played it near and far

# Everybody danced and sang and let the good time roll

# Yeah!

# Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again

# Why don't you do it, why don't you do it again?

# Yeah!

# Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again

# Why don't you do it, why don't you do it again?

# He travelled round the world in a rock and roll band

# Stood there like a giant with a guitar in his hand

# Everybody came to hear him playing rock and roll

# Nobody cared about the clothes he would wear

# Nobody cared about the colour of his hair

# Everybody danced and sang and let the good time roll

# Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again

# I said, "Why don't you do it, why don't you do it again?"

# Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again

# Yeah, why don't you do it, why don't you do it again?

# And now we've got the rhythm and it's how we've got the rock

# Time didn't matter, never living by the clock

# Everybody came to hear him play his rock and roll

# Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again

# Why don't you do it, why don't you do it, why don't you do it again?

# Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again

# Why don't you do it, why don't you do it again?

# Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again

# I said, "Why don't you do it, why don't you do it again?"

# Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again

# I said, "Why don't you do it, why don't you do it again?"

# I said, "Why don't you do it, why don't you do it again?"

# Yeah, why don't you do it, why don't you do it again?

# Do it again! #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

In all these years, 45 years, we've never done a show sitting down.

We've wanted to...

but we never have

and I tell you what, it's a really weird phenomena,

because when you sit down,

you sit there all day and play this,

go right through the set,

and then you can't get up!

You can't get up again! It's going to be quite funny walking off tonight.

-I shall get some footage of that.

-Ah! We should be carried...

Hobbled...hobbling off.

It's another unknown territory for us because there's,

I think, what, 15, 16 people on stage?

It's all a bit unknown.

Plus the fact I think your bottle twitches a little bit

inasmuch as if you go wrong,

if you forget a bit,

high levels of concentration it takes.

-Cos the strings...

-BOTH:

-..they're reading it all.

So they march on, right?

If you miss a cue or miss a verse, they've gone.

-Catch those strings up, where are we?

-You're doing it again.

-You're doing it.

-I know, it's terrible!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# It sounds so nice

# What you're proposing

# Just once or twice

# Oh, and not disclosing

# Oh, and not disclosing how we're really, really feeling

# What you're proposing the other night

# Oh, as I was leaving

# I looked left and right

# Oh, and not believing

# Oh, and not believing that I'd finally be leaving

# What you're proposing

# Now get it right, huh

# Oh, if I'm composing, maybe,

# But then I might

# Be runny nosing

# Oh, I might be runny, runny, runny, runny nosing

# But you're supposing

# Don't be so sure

# Oh, and just supposing

# We yell for more

# Oh, and compromising

# Oh, and compromising leads to really, really feeling

# What you're proposing

# What you're proposing

# What you're proposing

# What you're proposing. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

You may have noticed there's some extra people on stage with us.

We've got the posh people on the left that read everything,

they're real musicians. APPLAUSE

We've got a guy here that blows air through a thing and plays...

I don't know what he's doing, he's sitting there. APPLAUSE

And another bloke in the corner beats hell out of stuff

so I don't know what he's doing either, really... LAUGHTER

But they're all with us. It should be a good night, I hope.

-Oh, God Almighty.

-CHEERING

This next song, I say song,

I can't call our things songs,

I've told you that before, but there we are, it's a bit high,

so if I strain it a little... HE SPLUTTERS

.. you'll help, I'm sure.

This is a song called Down Down.

CHEERING

# Down, down, deeper and down

# Oh, get down, deeper and down

# Oh, down, down, deeper and down

# Oh, get down, deeper and down

# I want all the world to see

# To see you're laughing and you're laughing at me

# I can take it all from you

# Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, deeper and down

# Down, down, deeper and down

# Get down, deeper and down

# Down, down, deeper and down

# Get down, deeper and down

# I have all the ways, you see

# To keep you up

# You're messing with me

# You'll be back to find your way

# Again, again, again, again, again, again, deeper and down

# Down, down, deeper and down

# Get down, deeper and down

# Down, down, deeper and down

# Get down, deeper and down

# Down, down, deeper and down

# Get down, deeper and down

# Down, down deeper and down

# Get down, deeper and down

# Oh, I have found out you see

# I know what you're doing, what you're doing to me

AUDIENCE SINGS: # I know what you're doing

# Again, again, again, again, again, again, deeper and down

# Down, down deeper and down

# Get down, deeper and down

# Down, down deeper and down

# Get down, deeper and down! #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-I remember writing Matchstick Men cos...

-You were in the...

I was married, got married very young...

-..and you were in the...

-..and I was in the lounge for a while,

the wife had gone out with her mother, oh, yes!

And I started to write this thing

and then they came back, so I had to sit in the...

People may remember the old prefabs and...

I sat in the loo and tried to finish it sitting in the loo like that.

-That's...

-How many hits did they have then, the old Prefabs?

-They had a few, didn't they?

-They had a few.

-They all used to love the old Prefabs.

-They were great.

Well, I have to say, really, about Matchstick Men,

the melody is just fantastic and it's just...

It's a class song.

It really is great, the lyric is great.

Peeking through, not peeping, PEEKING, you know,

and I just picked up on that the other day, first I've ever heard it.

And less of the KIN in front of the camera...

Not peeping through my window.

We only recorded it 58 years ago,

whatever it was, and I've only just realised.

But it's a great song

and particularly done acoustically with the strings and everything.

It brings the beauty out in it and it's been, sort of, laying there,

we done this little version in 68,

which was a massive hit and then it's laying there

wanting all this orchestration on it.

It's beautiful.

# When I look up to the sky

# I see your eyes a funny kind of yellow

# I rush home to bed

# I soak my head

# I see your face underneath my pillow

# Oh, I wake next morning tired still yawning

# And see your face come peeking through my window

# Pictures of matchstick men and you

# Mirages of matchstick men and you

# All I ever see is them and you

AUDIENCE ECHOES ORCHESTRA

# Windows echo your reflection

# When I look in their direction gone

# When will this haunting stop

# Your face it just won't leave me alone

# Pictures of matchstick men and you

# Mirages of matchstick men and you

# All I ever see is them and you

# You in the sky, you with this guy, you make men cry, you lie

# You in the sky, you with this guy, you make men cry, you lie

# You in the sky, you with this guy, you make men cry, you lie

# You in the sky, you with this guy, you make men cry, you lie

# Pictures of matchstick men

# Oh, pictures of matchstick men and you

# Pictures of matchstick men

# Pictures of matchstick men and you

# Pictures of matchstick men

# Pictures of matchstick men and you

# Pictures of matchstick men

# Pictures of matchstick men and you. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# Writing songs that I think sound so strange

# Writing words that I feel I should change

# Oh, it's all right if they sound just like other songs

# My guitar strums along just the same...#

It would, wouldn't it!

# If the song's underlined with my name...# Sing!

AUDIENCE CLAPS IN TIME

# Nanana na nana na na na na na

# Nanana na nana na na na na na

# Playing games that I think may be wrong

# Making sounds that can go on and on

# It's all right if you stay right on to the end

# If my song hadn't been just a bore...# You never know!

# Then I hope you may come back for more...# Sing!

# Nanana na nana na na na na na na

# Nanana na nana na na na na na na

# Nanana na nana na na na na na na

# Nanana na nana na na na na na na

# Writing songs that I think sound so strange

# Writing words that I feel I should change

# It's all right if they sound just like other songs

# My guitar strums along just the same

# If this song's underlined with my name, yeah!

# Nanana na nana na na na na na

# Nanana na nana na na na na na

# Nanana na nana na na na na na

# Nanana na nana na na na na na

# Nanana na nana na na na na na

# Nanana na nana na na na na na

# Nanana na nana na na na na na

# Nanana na nana na na na na na. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I was trying to write a song like Jimi Hendrix' Hey Joe,

which is how I wrote Matchstick Men

and then we quickly realised we were becoming unfashionable and losing it.

It was never going to last with the frilly shirts

and what we were dressed in to do that early Top Of The Pops,

but we had our foot in the door.

Looked like we were sick of looking like we looked

and the audiences were diminishing.

I mean, there were a few screaming girls to start with

and that's what I'd always dreamed of, to be up on stage

in front of screaming girls.

And, er, when it got down to three, do you remember going to Margate?

-I do.

-Three girls going, "Yeah!"

Yeah!

And we thought, "It's time to change something here."

MUSIC: Paper Plane

# Riding on a big white butterfly

# Turned my back away towards the sky

# I closed my eyes to look for something

# Saw myself as really nothing

# Then I realised my butterfly

# Wasn't really up there with me

# AUDIENCE: We all make mistakes, forgive me

# Would you like to ride my butterfly?

# Riding on a long blue paper plane

# Getting seasick, sorry once again

# Landing strip is getting nearer

# Hope the fog lifts, makes it clearer

# Then I realised my paper plane

# Wasn't really up there with me

# AUDIENCE: We all make mistakes, forgive me

# Would you like to ride my paper plane?

AUDIENCE SING GUITAR RIFF ALAN LAUGHS

# Riding in a three grand Deutche car

# A to B is often very far

# Home is near, but such a long way

# Legs and heads all feel the wrong way

# Then I realised my Deutche car

# Was only there to get me somewhere

# AUDIENCE: Even so I really do care

# Would you like to ride my Deutche car? #

AUDIENCE SINGS GUITAR RIFF

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

MUSIC: The Mystery Song

AUDIENCE CLAPS ALONG

# The boys know what you're giving, you give the boys such a lot of fun

# And by the way that you make a living

# You've got the boys all on the run

# ST's showing, you really got me going

# Maybe you can give me a price

# I wanna try it, yeah, I wanna buy it

# Tell me would you treat me nice?

# Oh, my legs are shaking, Oh, my heart is breaking

# I'm just feeling like a boy

# Now I just can't slow down, gotta get in, go down

# Have my share of pride and joy

# Now I've got your name and number, I like to look upon your face

# And now I know that I wanna take you, give me the time

# You can name the place

# Call me honey, you can take my money, maybe we can make a deal

# I really mean it, gotta get between it

# Do you know the way I feel?

# Oh, I'm feeling kinda

# Like I've gotta find a way to make you understand

# Now I know you're lying and your love I'm buying

# Oh, I'm feeling like a man. #

MUSIC: Little Lady

# Well, I saw my little lady

# Walking down the street

# Didn't know where she was going to

# Saw my little lady

# Walking down the street

# You know what I've been going through

# Found myself all alone

# Ain't no fun on your own

-# Now I'm like a rolling stone

-Now I'm like a rolling stone

# So I met another lady

# And so many more

# Didn't really know which way to go

# Yeah, I met another lady

# And so many more

# But no-one did I get to know

# Found myself all alone

# Ain't no fun on your own

-# Now I'm like a rolling stone

-Now I'm like a rolling stone

# Well, I saw my little lady

# Walking down the street

# Didn't know where she going to

# Well, I saw my little lady

# Walking down the street

# Now you know what I've been going through

# Found myself all alone

# Ain't no fun on your own

-# Living like a rolling stone

-Living like a rolling

-# I was like a rolling stone

-I was like a rolling

-# I was like a rolling stone

-I was like a rolling

# I was like a rolling stone. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Cor, my bum's getting warm.

I've still got to check the list. Doesn't matter what we do,

I still have to check.

Er, this is the song that was written by Rick and Andrew,

I think. I can't remember now. And it's never been one of my faves,

I don't know why, but...

CROWD SHOUTS DISAPPROVINGLY No, don't get like that.

I love playing the thing... However, this time round...

AMERICAN ACCENT: It's got me going, there's something about it.

That shut you up, didn't it? LAUGHTER

"It's a song he doesn't like."

This is called Don't Drive My Car. CHEERING

# Oh, oh, oh, oh

# Don't drive my car

# I'm just a boy, my favourite toy

# I'm telling you, woman

# Don't push me too far

# I'm telling you straight, don't drive my car

# Oh, oh, oh, oh

# Don't drive my car

# Stay where you are

# Stay where you are

# I'm telling you, woman

# Don't you push me too far

# I'm telling you straight, don't drive my car

# Ooh, ooh, ooh

# Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

# Ooh-ooh, ooh

# Oh, oh, oh, oh

# Don't drive my car

# I'm still a boy, my favourite toy

# I'm telling you, woman

# Don't you push me too far

# I'm telling you straight

AUDIENCE: # Don't drive my car

# Don't drive my car

# Don't drive my car

# Oh, oh, oh, oh

# Oh, oh, oh, oh

# Don't drive my car

# Oh, oh, oh, oh

# Don't drive my car. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

MUSIC: Claudie

# It's so long since I sang songs to you

# I forget all the words I once knew

# I could look back

# But I can't waste the time

# Would you rather I write you one more line?

# It's so long since I sang songs for you

# It's so long since you smiled just for me

# Now your smile's just an old use to be

# Did it matter

# That I can take the time?

# Would you rather

# I write you one more line?

# Can my songs once again be for you?

# Claudie made a fool out of me

# Made me find another place to be

# I've been living alone

# In a house that wasn't my home

# With Claudie is the place I want to be

# When I left did you think of me crying?

# Did you care that I felt I was dying?

# I pretended

# That I don't give a damn

# And all along

# I've know what I really am

# I'm a fool, little Claudie, just for you

# Claudie made a fool out of me

# Made me find another place to be

# I've been living alone

# In a house that wasn't my home

# With Claudie is the place I want to be

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

I've really enjoyed making the record more than I've done any record,

I think, and I don't really know why.

Every day going in was like opening up a flower -

there was more beauty each day.

And then you came to the fricking rehearsals and that's...

For the first couple of weeks or so, that was OK.

And then, as we got closer and closer,

with both of us getting really edgy and the weird thing is,

at the end of the rehearsals, normally you go home, you go home.

This time, you'd get in a car and you were kind of zonked.

Perhaps that's just because we're thick,

but the amount of focus, it was just ridiculous,

and I still think there's something going to go wrong.

And the worst thing in the world is when you go to sleep thinking,

"We've got to do that all again tomorrow. It'll be fine."

When you go to sleep, if you get to sleep.

If you get this rehearsal in your head and get those songs going,

-you think, "Where does it go? Where does it go?"

-Yeah.

You have to turn the light on, pick the guitar up and go,

"All right, OK, I can sleep now."

MUSIC: Marguerita Time

# Captured my heart, heart

# Captured my memory

# Captured a time for me

# I could see

# A time for me

# Was gonna be

# Deep in my heart

# Deep in my memory

# Deep in a part of me

# Heart of me

# Meant to be history

# Could it be that I'm still wondering?

# I never knew what had happened to me

# I didn't think it was true

# That I could be just like anyone else

# I'll take my chance with you

# Picture a dream

# Picture a fantasy

# Picture the mood of me

# Mystery, you and me, a mystery

# Lost in a dream

# Lost in a fantasy

# Lost in what seemed to be

# Dreams to be

# Seemed to be

# Had to be

# I couldn't find no other reason

# I never knew what had happened to me

# I didn't think it was true

# That I could be just like anyone else

# I'll take my chance with you

# Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba

# Let's have a drink

# It's Marguerita time

# It's Marguerita time

# After nine

# Summer time

# Any time

# You'll still always find me wondering

# I never knew what had happened to me

# I didn't think it was true

# That I could be just like anyone else

# I'll take my chance with you

# Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

MUSIC: Rock Till You Drop

# Don't hang up your shoes

# Just kick out the blues

# And rock till you drop tonight

# All we do

# Depends upon you

# So rock till you drop tonight

# We hit all the high spots

# The star studded bills and those mirror balls

# Half of the time we were playing a game

# Half of the time I could hardly remember my name

# So stay with us now

# And hang in somehow

# And rock till you drop tonight

# Rock till you drop tonight

# We hit all the high spots

# The star studded bills and those mirror balls

# Half of the time we were playing a game

# Half of the time I could hardly remember my name

# So stay with us now

# And hang in somehow

# And rock till you drop tonight

# All we do

# Depends upon you

# So rock till you drop tonight

# Rock till you drop tonight

# Rock till you drop tonight. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

I just remember Andrew Bown turning up at my house one day

and we went into the studio and did what we normally do,

and I know he'd come down with this da-dada-la-da, whatever you want.

And I think, "Yeah, great, OK."

And we just went in and just wrote it from there,

but we had a wonderful day, like we always did in those days.

We were out of our trees...

I was going to say, out of your tree.

Well out of our trees and enjoyed every minute of it.

And that, at the end of the day, we had Whatever You Want.

MUSIC: Whatever You Want

AUDIENCE CHANTS ALONG

AUDIENCE CLAPS ALONG

# Whatever you want

# Whatever you like

# Whatever you say

# You pay your money

# You take your choice

# Whatever you need

# Whatever you use

# Whatever you win

# Whatever you lose

# You're showing off

# You're showing out

# You look for trouble

# Turn around, give me a shout

# I'll take it all

# You squeeze me dry

# And now today you couldn't even say goodbye

# I could take you home

# On the midnight train again

# I could make an offer you can't refuse

# Whatever you want

# Whatever you like

# Whatever you say

# You pay your money

# You take your choice

# Whatever you need

# Whatever you use

# Whatever you win

# Whatever you lose

# You're showing off

# You're showing out

# You look for trouble

# Turn around, give me a shout

# I take it all

# You squeeze me dry

# And now today you couldn't even say goodbye

# I could take you home

# On the midnight train again

# I could make an offer you can't refuse

# Whatever you want

# Whatever you like

# Whatever you say

# You pay your money

# You take your choice

# Whatever you need

# Whatever you use

# Whatever you win

# Whatever you lose

# Whatever you want

-# AUDIENCE: Whatever...

-Whatever you want

# Whatever you want. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

MUSIC: Rockin' All Over The World

# Oh here we are and here we are and here we go

# All aboard and we're hittin' the road

# Here we go

# Rockin' all over the world

# Well giddy-up giddy-up and get away

# We're goin' crazy and we're goin' today

# Here we go

# AUDIENCE: Rockin' all over the world

# And I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it

# I li-li-like it, li-li-like it

# Here we go

# Rockin' all over the world

# I'm gonna tell your mama what you're gonna do

# So come on out

# Here we go

# Rockin' all over the world

# And I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it

# I li-li-like it, li-li-like it

# Here we go

# Rockin' all over the world

# And I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it

# I li-li-like it, li-li-like it

# Here we go

# Rockin' all over the world

# Na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na na

# Na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na na

# Na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na-na na

# Na na-na na

# Na na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na na

# Na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na na

# Na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na-na na

# Na na-na na

# Na na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na na

# Na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na na

# Na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na-na na

# Na na-na na

# Na na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na na

# Na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na na

# Na-na na-na na na, na-na na-na na-na na

# Na na-na na. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

To reiterate an old story, we were walking home one night, weren't we?

From somewhere, saying, "If we can get five years out of this..."

-Oh, Yeah.

-We'd had Matchstick Men.

And we thought, "Oh, you know, been on Top Of The Pops."

-Own house paid for.

-Yeah.

-Car paid for.

50 grand in the bank. What else would you...?

-Live for ever.

-The whole industry

was different then, nobody was going to last.

The older generation at the time were very much like...

I mean, I remember Rick's dad saying...

We were in the chart with Paper Plane and the Piledriver album,

and his dad still could not see that this might be a good living.

And he said to him, "If you get your hair cut, I'll get you a job with me."

And he was going, "Dad!" And just couldn't see it.

So that generation could not see that this was going to happen,

but then nor could we. I mean, the fact that Jagger and our uncles are

out there older than us at sevent... And we're pushing 51, 52?

Well, the thing about us is, you see, right from the start,

we've always known that we're good. We've always believed that.

-Whether we actually ARE or not...

-Well, that's a good point.

I actually think we are, but a lot of people would disagree

with me and a lot of other people would agree with me. But I know,

I know, that we're a...'king good band.

I think I've got pretty much everything...

-Thanks, goodbye.

-Goodbye. Thank you.

MUSIC: Burning Bridges

# Burning bridges never made me cry

# I could walk away with no goodbye

# Easy take or easy leave them all

# Till you scratch the writing on the wall

# It's on and off and on again

# Going on and then

# Taking all I got again

# Bleeding me, leaving me dry

# You're hanging on for what you can

# Dragging out the pain

# Taking all I give again

# Fakin' it, making me cry

# One day someday I may slide away

# Turn around and call it all a day

# Even though I fooled myself for years

# I can't escape this ringing in my ears

# It's on and off and on again

# Going on and then

# Taking all I got again

# Bleeding me, leaving me dry

# You're hanging on for what you can

# Dragging out the pain

# Taking all I give again

# Fakin' it, making me cry. #

SCREAMING AND CHEERING