Dog of Two Head


Dog of Two Head is the fourth studio album by the British rock band Status Quo, released by Pye Records in November 1971.

Background

Following the departure of Roy Lynes, this was the first album to feature the four-piece lineup of remaining members Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan. They had released a non-album single that March, a Rossi/Young song called "Tune to the Music", but it was not a hit. The band then set to work writing and recording a new album. A couple of the songs, such as the opening track "Umleitung", had been written the previous year.
No singles were initially released from the album. Following the success of their next album Piledriver and its single "Paper Plane", Rossi and Young's "Mean Girl" from Dog of Two Head was released as a single and become a UK #20 hit in April 1973. When "Mean Girl" charted, the record company decided to release another single from the album, "Gerdundula". This was released in July 1973, and failed to chart. The B-side to this single was Rossi and Parfitt's "Lakky Lady", taken from Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon.

Reception

largely praised the album's unusual stylistics in their retrospective review, commenting that Status Quo "were going to find their characteristic sound in their posterior effort, Piledriver, but never again were they going to sound as innovative and inventive as they sound here."

Track listing

All songs written by Francis Rossi and Bob Young, except where noted. "Gerdundula" was written by the duo under the pseudonyms Manston and James.
Side one
  1. "Umleitung" – 7:11
  2. "Nanana " – 0:51
  3. "Something's Going on in My Head" – 4:44
  4. "Mean Girl" – 3:53
  5. "Nanana " – 1:11
Side two
  1. "Gerdundula" – 3:49
  2. "Railroad" – 5:30
  3. "Someone's Learning" – 7:08
  4. "Nanana" – 2:26

    1998 remaster bonus tracks

  5. "Tune to the Music" – 3:36
  6. "Good Thinking" – 3:40
  7. "Time to Fly" – 4:18
  8. "Nanana" – 2:58
  9. "Mean Girl" – 3:58

    2003 reissue bonus tracks

  10. "Mean Girl" – 3:58
  11. "Tune to the Music" – 3:09
  12. "Good Thinking" – 3:43
  13. "Mean Girl"
  14. "Railroad"

    Personnel

;Status Quo
;Additional personnel
  • Bob Young – harmonica
  • Bruce Foster – piano
  • Grass – backing vocals on "Nanana"