Status Quo: Picturesque Matchstickable Messages From... (Deluxe Edition) auf 2 CDs

The first of, as it turned out, many albums from the band which would become simply Status Quo - "Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo" not only stands out as a debut album with a very silly name, but one which would become a reminder of what Quo would move away from rather than building upon, at least stylistically. Originally released in September 1968 (as Pye NSPL18220), the debut album consists of a dozen pop tracks, culminating in the now classic "Pictures of Matchstick Men".

As is the norm with debut albums, single releases flowed from "PMM" - "Black Veils of Melancholy", "Ice In The Sun", "Technicolour Dreams" and "Pictures of Matchstick Men" made A-sides and other tracks also found their way onto B-sides. The twelve songs represent a collection of cover versions and band-penned material, and overall the standard of material is good. "Ice In The Sun", "Elizabeth Dreams", "Spicks and Specks", "Sheila" and "Pictures of Matchstick Men" are all quality songs, performed well and presented here in very clear and impressive style. One of Quo's strangest tracks to date, "Paradise Flats", is included here as well and sounds more worrying every time you hear it ! Notable also is "Sunny Cellophane Skies" for it is an early example of Alan Lancaster at work lyrically and "Gentleman Joe's Sidewalk Cafe" is a quirky little love song that tells an all too familiar story. (statusquo. co. uk)