Famous In The Last Century
Encyclopedia
Famous in the Last Century is the twenty-fourth studio album
by the British rock
band Status Quo, released in 2000 to largely negative reviews. According to the band's autobiography
, the idea to record
it came from their manager David Walker, who said that they should celebrate the millennium with an album containing twenty of their favourite hits from the last century. To quote leader Francis Rossi
, 'Or, put another way, another bloody covers album! We went along with it, as usual, but inside I felt like a fraud...for me it was the worst Quo album there had ever been - or ever will be!'[1]
Ironically it still reached No. 19 in the UK Albums Chart
, a better position than the previous Status Quo album of mainly original material, Under the Influence
.
Two singles from it, "Mony Mony
" and "Old Time Rock and Roll
", were minor hits
.
Jeff Rich left the band after recording of this album. He was replaced by Matt Letley
A DVD
of the same name and featuring the same songs was filmed at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on 27 March 2000. It is reportedly lip sync
ed.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the British rock
British rock
British rock describes a wide variety of forms of music made in the United Kingdom. Since around 1964, with the "British Invasion" of the United States spearheaded by The Beatles, British rock music has had a considerable impact on the development of American music and rock music across the...
band Status Quo, released in 2000 to largely negative reviews. According to the band's autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, the idea to record
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
it came from their manager David Walker, who said that they should celebrate the millennium with an album containing twenty of their favourite hits from the last century. To quote leader Francis Rossi
Francis Rossi
Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, OBE is a British musician best known for being a co-founder of the English rock band Status Quo, in which he sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar.- Career :...
, 'Or, put another way, another bloody covers album! We went along with it, as usual, but inside I felt like a fraud...for me it was the worst Quo album there had ever been - or ever will be!'[1]
Ironically it still reached No. 19 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, a better position than the previous Status Quo album of mainly original material, Under the Influence
Under the Influence (Status Quo album)
Under the Influence is the twenty-third studio album by English rock band Status Quo, released in 1999.-Track listing:# "Twenty Wild Horses" 5:00# "Under the Influence" 4:03# "Round and Round" 3:25...
.
Two singles from it, "Mony Mony
Mony Mony
"Mony Mony" is a 1968 single by Tommy James & the Shondells, that reached #1 in the UK charts.-History:"Mony Mony" was credited to Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom. The hook in the song is said to have been inspired by James' view of a MONY sign atop the Mutual of New York...
" and "Old Time Rock and Roll
Old Time Rock and Roll
"Old Time Rock and Roll" is the title of a song by Bob Seger featured on his 1978 album Stranger in Town and released as a single in 1979. It is a nostalgic look at the music of a previous generation. The song was featured in the Tom Cruise film Risky Business and gained widespread fame because of...
", were minor hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
.
Jeff Rich left the band after recording of this album. He was replaced by Matt Letley
A DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of the same name and featuring the same songs was filmed at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on 27 March 2000. It is reportedly lip sync
Lip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
ed.
Track listing
- "Famous in the Last Century" (Bown)Andy BownAndy Bown is an English musician, who has specialised in keyboards and bass guitar. He is a member of the rock band Status Quo.-Career:...
1:04 - "Old Time Rock and RollOld Time Rock and Roll"Old Time Rock and Roll" is the title of a song by Bob Seger featured on his 1978 album Stranger in Town and released as a single in 1979. It is a nostalgic look at the music of a previous generation. The song was featured in the Tom Cruise film Risky Business and gained widespread fame because of...
" (Jackson/Jones) 2:57 - "Way DownWay Down"Way Down" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley. Recorded in October 1976, it was the last single released before his death on August 16, 1977. The song was written by Layng Martine, Jr. and was later covered by Status Quo and Cliffhanger....
" (MartineLayng Martine, Jr.Layng Martine, Jr. is a singer and songwriter. He is notable for writing several songs, including "Rub It In", a Number One hit for Billy "Crash" Craddock in 1974, which became the long-running TV commercial "Plug It In" for Johnson & Johnson's Glade Plug-ins air freshening product...
) 2:51 - "Rave On!" (PettyNorman PettyNorman Petty was an American musician, songwriter, and pioneer record producer who helped shape modern popular music, including pop and rock....
/Tilghman/West) 2:51 - "Roll Over BeethovenRoll Over Beethoven"Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 hit single by Chuck Berry originally released on Chess Records, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to replace classical music...
" (BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
) 3:07 - "When I'm Dead and GoneWhen I'm Dead and Gone"When I'm Dead and Gone" is a song written by Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle. It was recorded and released in November 1970 as the debut single by McGuinness Flint, peaked at No. 2 in the UK charts the following month, and reached No. 47 in the US charts a few weeks later...
" (Gallagher/LyleGallagher and LyleGallagher and Lyle was the Scottish pairing of singer-songwriters Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle.-Career:They joined forces in 1959, initially as members of the local Largs based band, The Bluefrets. They began writing original material for the band and also wrote "Mr Heartbreak's Here Instead"...
) 3:11 - "Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee (song)"Memphis, Tennessee" is a song by rock & roll singer-songwriter Chuck Berry. It is sometimes shortened to "Memphis". In the UK, the song charted at #6 in 1963, at the same time Decca Records issued a cover version in the UK by Dave Berry and the Cruisers, who came from Sheffield, Yorkshire...
" (BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
) 2:31 - "Sweet Home ChicagoSweet Home Chicago"Sweet Home Chicago" is a popular blues standard in the twelve bar form. It was first recorded and is credited to have been written by Robert Johnson...
" (R. Johnson) 2:44 - "Crawling from the Wreckage" (ParkerGraham ParkerGraham Parker is a British rock singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the popular British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.-Early career :...
) 2:42 - "Good Golly Miss Molly" (BlackwellRobert BlackwellRobert "Bumps" Blackwell was an American songwriter, arranger, and record producer, best known for his work overseeing the early hits of Little Richard, as well as grooming Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Lloyd Price, Sam Cooke, Herb Alpert, Larry Williams, and Sly and the Family Stone at the start of...
/MarascalcoJohn MarascalcoJohn Marascalco is an American songwriter, who is most noted for his collaborations with Robert Blackwell...
) 2:05 - "Claudette" (OrbisonRoy OrbisonRoy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
) 2:01 - "Rock'n MeRock'n Me"Rock'n Me" is a song by American rock group Steve Miller Band, written by the group's leader Steve Miller. The song was released as the second single from the group's ninth studio album Fly Like an Eagle in 1976...
" (MillerSteve Miller (musician)Steven H. "Steve" Miller is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who began his career in blues and blues rock and evolved to a more popular-oriented sound which, from the mid 1970s through the early 1980s, resulted in a series of successful singles and albums.-Early years:Born in Milwaukee,...
) 2:46 - "Hound DogHound Dog (song)"Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton in 1952. Other early versions illustrate the differences among blues, country, and rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The 1956 remake by Elvis Presley is the best-known...
" (Lieber/Stoller) 2:19 - "Runaround SueRunaround Sue"Runaround Sue" is a pop song, originally a US No. 1 hit for the singer Dion during 1961. The song ranked No. 342 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".-Original recording:...
" (DiMucciDion DiMucciDion Francis DiMucci , better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter whose work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, pop oldies music, rock and R&B styles....
/MarescaErnie MarescaErnest "Ernie" Maresca is an American singer-songwriter and record company executive, best known for writing or co-writing some of Dion's biggest hits....
) 2:29 - "Once Bitten Twice Shy" (HunterIan Hunter (singer)Ian Hunter Patterson is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer of the English rock band Mott the Hoople from its inception in 1969 to its dissolution in 1974, and he again fronted them at the time of their 2009 reunion. Hunter was a musician and songwriter before Mott The Hoople, and...
) 3:40 - "Mony MonyMony Mony"Mony Mony" is a 1968 single by Tommy James & the Shondells, that reached #1 in the UK charts.-History:"Mony Mony" was credited to Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom. The hook in the song is said to have been inspired by James' view of a MONY sign atop the Mutual of New York...
" (BloomBobby BloomRobert "Bobby" Bloom was an American singer-songwriter. He is known best for being a one-hit wonder with the 1970 song, "Montego Bay," which was co-written with and produced by Jeff Barry.-Biography:...
/Gentry/JamesTommy JamesTommy James is an American pop-rock musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as leader of the 1960s rock band Tommy James and the Shondells.-Early life and career:...
/Cordell) 2:58 - "Famous in the Last Century" (Bown)Andy BownAndy Bown is an English musician, who has specialised in keyboards and bass guitar. He is a member of the rock band Status Quo.-Career:...
1:15
2006 reissue bonus tracks
- Gerdundula (live) (ManstonFrancis RossiFrancis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, OBE is a British musician best known for being a co-founder of the English rock band Status Quo, in which he sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar.- Career :...
/JamesBob Young (artist)Robert Keith Young is an English musician and author, who became famous for being the unofficial fifth member of the rock band Status Quo.- Collaborations with Status Quo :...
) - 4500 Times (live) (RossiFrancis RossiFrancis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, OBE is a British musician best known for being a co-founder of the English rock band Status Quo, in which he sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar.- Career :...
/ParfittRick ParfittRichard John Parfitt, OBE is best known for being a singer and the rhythm guitarist in the English rock band Status Quo.-Career:...
) - Rain (live) (ParfittRick ParfittRichard John Parfitt, OBE is best known for being a singer and the rhythm guitarist in the English rock band Status Quo.-Career:...
)
Personnel
- Francis RossiFrancis RossiFrancis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, OBE is a British musician best known for being a co-founder of the English rock band Status Quo, in which he sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar.- Career :...
- Vocals & lead guitar - Rick ParfittRick ParfittRichard John Parfitt, OBE is best known for being a singer and the rhythm guitarist in the English rock band Status Quo.-Career:...
- Vocals & guitar - John Edwards - Bass
- Andy BownAndy BownAndy Bown is an English musician, who has specialised in keyboards and bass guitar. He is a member of the rock band Status Quo.-Career:...
- Keyboards - Jeff RichJeff RichJeff Rich also known as "Worzel" is an English rock drummer, best known as a former drummer for the English rock band, Status Quo...
- Drums