They may be an easy target, but these reissues of Quo’s third and fourth LPs from 1970 and 1971 serve only to show how long this band’s sideshow has been gulling the innocent. Rossi and Parfitt kick the odd ember from their interesting psychedelic “Matchstick Men” heyday on 1970’s “Daughter”, “Shy Fly” and “Everything”. At times, one is animated by how groovily garage-punky Quo could sound. But by the time of Dog, one wonders how they secured a deal, let alone a place in rock history. Lacking Purple’s heaviness, Zep’s finesse and Canned Heat’s rootsiness, this music resists critical salvage.
Advertisement