Due to the immediate swell of reverence that accompanies a musician’s death, posthumous releases and objectivity rarely go hand in hand. When evaluating Rick Parfitt’s posthumous solo LP ‘Over and Out’, then, it helps if you have never served as a denim clad lieutenant in the ‘Quo Army’. And, from a neutral perspective, there’s a lot of praise to afford this swansong from Status Quo’s Telecaster-bashing blonde.
‘Over and Out’ is, somewhat unbelievably, the debut solo outing from a rock ‘n’ roller who, in tandem with Francis Rossi, led of one of Britain’s foremost geezer bands for over five decades. ‘Recorded Delivery’, Parfitt’s first stab at going it alone from 1985, was never released and this belated second attempt, which remained unfinished at the time of his passing in December 2016, looked like it might suffer a similar fate.
Earlier that year, however, Parfitt was forced off the road following a heart attack. He subsequently began crafting this album and had completed all his vocal and guitar parts when he died.
That allowed producer Jo Webb – alongside Parfitt’s son Rick Jr – to finish the record with help from Brian May, Muse’s Chris Wolstenholme and Quo bassists past and present, Alan Lancaster and John “Rhino” Edwards.
‘Over and Out’ is a nice amalgam of Rick’s musical identity, its blend of expected styles and surprises expressed with a vibrant, radio-friendly sound thanks to the mixing skills of noted pop man Ash Howes.
Surging rocker Twinkletoes dances with a zinging zest, its succulently layered chorus and May’s classy licks adding extra sparkle. Fight For Every Heartbeat, meanwhile, is a rollicking 12 bar stomp with skipping piano that, framed against Parfitt’s earlier brush with death, provides carpe diem ‘Frantic Four’ style.
There’s also doo-wop rock ‘n’ roll on Lock Myself Away, the sunshine-soaked Long Distance Love recalls late ‘80s Tom Petty and When I Was Falling In Love is a seductive peach that channels the Travelling Wilburys. Due to the enthusiastic spring in Rick’s step there’s often a poignancy verging on tragedy as he contemplates his lucky escape and looks at fashioning a brighter future. Everybody Knows How To Fly is a harmonica-fuelled pledge to grab life with both hands, while the title track’s soul-searching balladry finds him pondering his mortality. Tears will have flowed en masse when it was played at his funeral.
Webb and co. have mostly made sage stylistic choices, but there are exceptions. Lonesome road is a cracking boogie that climaxes with some vintage double-time thunder. Yet it needed a rawer mix – and to lose the disco-esque intro – to maximise its old-school Quo potential. A common problem with posthumous releases is that they often feel cobbled together. There’s an element of that, too, as leftovers from ‘Recorded Delivery’ bulk up the album.
The magnificently cheesy Halloween – which ended up as a Quo b-side – may sound like it’s ready to tear up Kiss’s Detroit Rock City, but doesn’t fit the record’s overall tone. Without You, a revealing confession about Parfitt’s estrangement from his son, is more appropriate in spite of his high falsetto sounding uncomfortably strained.
Parfitt was upset at the way his time with Status Quo ended because he never got a chance to say a proper goodbye to the fans. Although it’s sad they won’t be hearing more new music from their hero, he’s written a fitting final act that will mean an awful lot to everyone who rocked all over the world with him for half a century.
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