It’s my Mum’s birthday today so I thought I’d dip into her record collection again (though “collection” is probably too big a word for the scratched-up pile of 45s she kept in the sideboard and cleaned by wiping them on her dressing gown before she played them). But what have we here? Not sophisticated adult pop from the 60s, nor a maudlin 70s singer-songwriter, but… Status Quo???? Yes, my mother bought a 45 of “Mystery Song” by Status Quo.

I’ve no idea why she bought this, probably for the simple reason she liked it, though I never she was a secret headbanger. I never knew why it was called ‘Mystery Song” either but doing some research for this post I was shocked – shocked! – to discover it’s about a boy having sex with a prostitute. Whatever would Mary Whitehouse have said if she’d known? I guess that’s why it was a mystery.

Americans might not be too familiar with The Quo but they’re something of a denim-wearing British rock institution, sort of like Kiss but without the silly costumes and long tongues. They had so many hits with their repetitive brand of heads-down, no-nonsense mindless boogie they even inspired a parody record of that name.

This was a hit in 1976 and it’s easy to mock Quo for the lumpen simplicity of their records but this is an enjoyable chunky slice of hard rock, the swirly guitar at the start is even quite sophisticated for them. I’ll admit to once doing some serious headbanging to the “12 Gold Bars” album at a house party I went to when I was at school – in a very mocking, ironic way of course.

Download: Mystery Song – Status Quo (mp3)