It may not have been a hit, but Forty-Five Hundred Times is one of Status Quo’s best songs. Recorded for 1973’s Hello! album, it rapidly became a cornerstone of their live shows in a much-expanded form. But it’s also the track that effectively ended the songwriting partnership of Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt – the former has even said that he hates the song. But despite its turbulent beginnings, today it stands as a Quo connoisseur’s favourite, and the musical embodiment of the classic Frantic Four line-up.
By 1973 the band had put their faux-psychedelic beginnings far behind them, and had established themselves as one of Britain’s pre-eminent rock bands. The previous year’s Piledriver album found Quo perfecting their no-nonsense boogie, though they weren’t averse to stretching their wings when the mood took them.
