Whatever You Want (album)

Whatever You Want is the twelfth studio album by the British rock band Status Quo.

Whatever You Want
Studio album by
Released12 October 1979
RecordedDecember 1978 – March 1979
StudioWisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands
GenreHard rock
Length42:12
LabelVertigo
ProducerPip Williams
Status Quo chronology
If You Can't Stand the Heat...
(1978)
Whatever You Want
(1979)
Just Supposin'
(1980)
Singles from Whatever You Want
  1. "Whatever You Want"
    Released: 14 September 1979[1]
  2. "Living on an Island"
    Released: 16 November 1979[2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Smash Hits7½/10[4]

This was the band's third album to be produced by Pip Williams. Recording began in December 1978 at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, the Netherlands, with the final mixes being completed in London in March 1979. The album was released on 12 October 1979 and entered the chart on 20 October 1979, reaching number three in the UK Albums Chart. The first single from the album – "Whatever You Want" – was released on 14 September, with "Hard Ride" as the B-side, and reached a peak position of number four in the UK Singles Chart. The second single from the album was "Living on an Island", with the B-side "Runaway". This was released on 16 November 1979 and reached number 16 in the UK chart.

The album was remixed for the US market and this version was released in the US with the title Now Hear This in 1980. It was finally released on CD as part of the 2016 deluxe remaster.[5] However this omitted two songs, "Shady Lady" and "Your Smiling Face". These are therefore only available on the original vinyl/cassette/8-track releases. The tracks "Whatever You Want" and "Living on an Island" were also swapped in the running order of the US remixed version.

Track listing

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  1. "Whatever You Want" (Rick Parfitt, Andy Bown) – 4:04
  2. "Shady Lady" (Francis Rossi, Bob Young) – 3:00
  3. "Who Asked You" (Alan Lancaster) – 4:00
  4. "Your Smiling Face" (Parfitt, Bown) – 4:25
  5. "Living on an Island" (Parfitt, Young) – 4:48
  6. "Come Rock with Me" (Rossi, Bernie Frost) – 3:15
  7. "Rockin' On" (Rossi, Frost) – 3:25
  8. "Runaway" (Rossi, Frost) – 4:39
  9. "High Flyer" (Lancaster, Young) – 3:47
  10. "Breaking Away" (Rossi, Parfitt, Bown) – 6:44

2005 reissue bonus tracks

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  1. "Hard Ride" (Lancaster, Mick Green)
  2. "Bad Company" (Pip Williams, Peter Hutchins)
  3. "Another Game in Town" (demo) (Rossi, Frost)
  4. "Shady Lady" (demo) (Rossi, Young)
  5. "Rearrange" (demo) (Rossi, Frost)
  6. "Living on an Island" (single version) (Parfitt, Young)

Re-releases

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The album was first released in CD format in 1991, on a CD also containing Just Supposin'. To make the two albums fit the single disc, the track "High Flyer" was omitted, while the song "The Wild Ones" was omitted from Just Supposin'.[6]

The album was digitally remastered and released in CD format in 2005. The first release was on 7 March 2005 by Mercury Records in the UK; the second on 12 July 2005 by Universal Records International in the US and elsewhere.

A 'Deluxe Edition' was released in 2016. This contained two discs; the first being the original album and the second containing a total of 15 tracks: 5 demos, an edited version, a non-album B-side and 8 remixes of tracks from the album which had been part of the 'Now Hear This' US album released in 1980.

Personnel

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Status Quo
Additional personnel

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[7] Gold 20,000^
France (SNEP)[17] Gold 100,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[18] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Gold 100,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Status Quo - Whatever You Want". Hitparade.ch.
  2. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 56.
  3. ^ "Whatever You Want - Status Quo | Album". AllMusic.
  4. ^ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (1–14 November 1979): 29.
  5. ^ "Status Quo - Deluxe Editions#2". Official Status Quo Web Site.
  6. ^ "CD Albums 1". Status Quo Collectors Page. Archived from the original on 17 January 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2008.
  7. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Status Quo – Whatever You Want" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  9. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Status Quo – Whatever You Want" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  10. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Status Quo – Whatever You Want" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  11. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Status Quo – Whatever You Want". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  12. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  13. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Status Quo – Whatever You Want". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  16. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1980. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  17. ^ "French album certifications – Status Quo – Whatever You Want" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 4 February 2021. Select STATUS QUO and click OK. 
  18. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Status Quo – Whatever You Want" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 6 May 2021. Enter Whatever You Want in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1980 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  19. ^ "British album certifications – Status Quo – Whatever You Want". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 February 2021.