Along with death and taxes, Francis Rossi is one of the few certainties in life. From his work with Status Quo to his forays into solo work, his career has been defined by a dependable stability, any record bearing his initials being worthy of your time. A sequel to 2025’s album of the same name, The Way We Were Vol. 2 raids the Rossi archives to unearth a selection of rare and unreleased tracks that show the inner workings of the Quo powerhouse. From rhythm and blues rockers to instrumental jams via heart-wrenching ballads, this 17-track album touches all bases and is the thread which connects the past to the present.

If there are two things that Rossi is known for then it’s his voice and guitar tone, both of which are put to good use on opening selection ‘My Little Heartbreaker’. It could be construed as classic Francis; a spiky, angular riff, a catchy chorus and a neat turn of phrase, all wrapped up in a sublime melody, and if there’s a thread that stitches all these songs together, it’s various permeations of that formula. The first of several unreleased tracks on this album, the following ‘I Cried’ was originally written for Heavy Traffic album and evidences what a rich vein of form the band were mining. Its muscular swagger was far too good to sit on a tape buried at the bottom of a shoebox and gets a well-earned moment in the sun here. The different years and sources from which these tracks have been pulled means that this record flows like an old school album and can quite easily be consumed as such (i.e., from start to finish), the constant shifts in tempo serving to reposition the listener and spike their interest.

As with Status Quo, Francis Rossi has a sound that’s deceptively simple and often gets classed as generic. This album puts such notions to bed, with no two songs inhabiting the same sonic space. Rossi acts like a boxer who dazzles us with fancy footwork before landing the perfect (memory) hook. However, sometimes as critics we can over analyse music and it is best to step back and admire the likes of ‘Crazy For You’, ‘Little By Little’ and ‘Diggin’ Burt Bacharach’ for what they are; great, great, great, great songs. Tracks such as ‘Sinking In Blue’ (and, indeed, the whole album) are impervious to fads and trends, having a timeless quality that suggests they could have been released at any point in the past 50 years (or the coming 50).

On an album that’s continually throwing curveballs, there’s one more trick up the sleeve in the shape of final cut, ‘Everybody Wants To Get High’. The Way We Were Vol. 2 not only highlights a bright past but signposts an equally vivacious future.

• The Way We Were Vol. 2 is released via earMUSIC on 25th September 2026.
• Francis Rossi Official Website

Track List:

1. My Little Heartbreaker
2. I Cried
3. I Ain’t Ready
4. Never Say Never
5. The Winner
6. I’m Watching Over You
7. Walk In The Sun
8. Crazy For You
9. Heavy Traffic
10. Diggin’ Burt Bacharach
11. You Let Me Down
12. If You Believe
13. Sinking In Blue
14. Syncopated
15. Little By Little
16. Tallulah’s Waiting
17. Everybody Wants To Get