Whatever You Want (album)

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

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. 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

 * 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

 * 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
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'.

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

 * Status Quo
 * Francis Rossi – guitar, vocals
 * Rick Parfitt – guitar, vocals
 * Alan Lancaster – bass, vocals
 * John Coghlan – drums


 * Additional personnel
 * Andy Bown – keyboards
 * Bob Young – harmonica