In Search of the Fourth Chord

by Sharon Mawer When a band has been recording for over 40 years, they are either still innovative and new or a parody of their former selves. Status Quo fall into the latter category with their 33rd album and 37th appearance in the charts (including hits compilations), In Search of the Fourth Chord, which was produced by Pip Williams, who had also produced the classics Rockin' All Over the World, Whatever You Want, and In the Army Now. For years the band had been derided for playing a style of boogie blues rock & roll with the obligatory three chords, and on this album, they fight back against the critics with tongues very firmly in cheek as they search for that elusive fourth chord, even, according to the cover art, enlisting the help of Indiana Jones, with both Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi, the mainstays of Status Quo, dressed as the intrepid explorer, with the graphics lifted directly from the Raiders of the Lost Ark trilogy. As for the music, it was more of what every fan had come to expect: head-banging, guitar-led, riff-heavy music with the band swaying up and down. Status Quo was never afraid to change their style, and "Electric Arena" is a slow blues number while "Hold Me" borrows a riff from Chris Rea's "Auberge." Although "Pennsylvania Blues Tonight" is a drum beat- and bass-led chugger with the guitars left very much in the background, "Tongue Tied" is an acoustic ballad reminiscent of their hit "Living on an Island," and "I Don't Wanna Hurt You Anymore," "Bad News," and "Gravy Train" wouldn't sound out of place on any of their classic 1970s albums.