Status Quo
's debut album featured none of the band's better-known
boogie rock
of the mid-'70s.
Picturesque...
is a
psychedelic
effort that tries to imitate the sound bands like
the Bee Gees
or
the Beatles
were doing at the moment. With this record,
surprisingly had its first (and last) hit in America, the single
"Pictures of Matchstick Men,"
which peaked at number 12 (it reached number seven on the British charts). Other highlights from the album are the second single,
"Ice in the Sun,"
and the
Bee Gees
cover
"Spicks and Specks."
Even if this is not the most representative album from
, it is a good
pop
exercise that sometimes includes very imaginative guitar phrases (
"Ice in the Sun"
), and some brilliantly unusual sounds (the epic
"Paradise Flat"
). ~ Robert Aniento