Does anyone follow this band? Being from the states I hadn't even heard of them until I read an article that claims they have more chart hits in the UK than any other group.

Are they rock? Pop? Are they any good? It's amazing that a band can be so successfull on one side of the Atlantic and not the other. I know Cliff Richard is also huge in the UK and not so much here.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-04-15 02:28 by FrankM.

Saw them last summer, really good.
I prefer the years they most often try to hide, circa 1968-71.
H-u-g-e in Sweden. Place (wide, outdoor space) was packed where I was.

Francis Rossi is like the guy next door.

FrankM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone follow this band? Being from the
> states I hadn't even heard of them until I read an
> article that claims they have more chart hits in
> the UK than any other group.

They probably have, but if youve heard one, youve pretty much heard them all.

>
> Are they rock? Pop?

Hard rock, with a distinctive 12-bar style. They were at their most commercially successful in the 70s and early mid 80's. They were more 'pop' orientated in the 60's though.


>Are they any good?

No. Although by all accounts a very entertaining live act.


It's
> amazing that a band can be so successfull on one
> side of the Atlantic and not the other. I know
> Cliff Richard is also huge in the UK and not so
> much here.

Theres plenty of acts who are huge in one market but do nothing in the other. Works both ways.

I can add on Gazza's postin; of the material 1972-today
it'll be enough to buy just one album.
A band that sure is to be seen; I wont try
to seduce a lasssie by playin' Quo's back catalog ...
Saw them in 87, a dude said he saw then ten years eraly,
same songs, same setlist except two songs.
Then I was then almost 20 years later.. Not much difference
setlist-wise.. But they (with new rhythm section of course)
were much better last time...

Wasn't their big hit "Rockin All Over The World"?

Their biggest hit was back in 1967...
the psychedelic "Pictures Of Matchstick Men"

They're on the Live Aid DVD's.

"No Anchovies, Please"

I was AT live aid (85, in Philly)
I don't even remember them playing.
Were they philly or london?

Status Quo is after The Rolling Stones one of the greatest live bands in the world. I can not believe, that they are unkown in the USA! You miss a lot ....

Ladykiller, isnt is also an age thing?
Average age last summer when I saw them was around 50!!
Imho Technicolour Dream is their biggest hit.
Available on dvd; actually the only dvd I have ever (!) purchased ...

The London show.

"No Anchovies, Please"

schillid Wrote:
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> Their biggest hit was back in 1967...
> the psychedelic "Pictures Of Matchstick Men"


I didn't know they did that. That is very psychedelic, but a great song.

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

When was that, Elmo..?
I bought that Technicolour-dvd with only three songs from tv,
one of the nerdiest purchases I have ever done.

Hey! I found Technicolour Dreams on the tube:


!!
But-I-have-the-cover.... :-/

Matchstick Men... also a steamroller behind bars on chords...

Baboon Bro, I think it is doesn't matter how old are you when you go to live acts like Status Quo or The Rolling Stones. Because these acts are absolute great live in concert and a pleasure for all generations.

===============================================

Posted by: Baboon Bro
Date: April 15, 2007 03:44


Ladykiller, isnt is also an age thing?
Average age last summer when I saw them was around 50!!
Imho Technicolour Dream is their biggest hit.
Available on dvd; actually the only dvd I have ever (!) purchased ...

In the US, I bought a four disc DVD featuring most of the acts from both London and Philly (no Led Zep though). Status Quo was one of the early London bands - "Rockin' All Over The World" and "Caroline".

Shows Keith and Ronnie making fools of themselves with Dylan - maybe Dylan made fools of them with surprise songs, etc. Mick was good though.

The Who kicked ass, as usual.

"No Anchovies, Please"

.....and the Zep reunion was like a religious experience for me.....

You either Love them or hate them..

The Quo, after the Rolling stones, are surely Britain's longest running band, and still today, a supreme live act!

True, they haven't made a great record in aeons, but, don't be swayed by the oft-repeated story that all of their songs sounds the same. Sure, their 12-bar blues format has worn thin every since the '80's, and when they attempted to infuse country & pop with their rock'n'roll from the '80's onwards, they made some atrocious albums. Anything from '81 on is to be avoided, save for a select few great tracks.

With so much mediocrity and the cheesy sanitising of the band since the early eighties, it's easy to forget what made them famous in the first place.

From 1970 - 1976 they did make some thrilling records, and it's hard to remember them that way as everything since has been more or less a wash out. But those early seventies albums are genuinely great stuff, in particular "Dog Of Two Head" from '71, "PileDriver" from '72, "Hello" from '73 and the manic "Blue For You" from '76.

The Quo of the past 25 or so years are unrecognisable a studio act from the band who made an album as bloody good as "PileDriver".

They've degenerated from a genuinely great rock'n'roll band to a parody, a comedy act, and wholesome TV favourites, quite cheesy. But live they are incredibly good -- the set-lists may not vary too much, but, a Quo Live show is one of the best evenings of live rock'n'roll one can get! No pretense, just a no-frills 2-hour set of blistering rock'n'roll.

Live -- they're still the Kings, Studio -- 1970 - '76 is all you need to know.

I guess contracts, etc. made them leave Zep off - definitely one of the highlights.

"No Anchovies, Please"

Elmo Lewis Wrote:
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>
> Shows Keith and Ronnie making fools of themselves
> with Dylan - maybe Dylan made fools of them with
> surprise

When we were leaving Live Aid, I was in the parking lot talking to my friend. He had been watching the concert with binoculars. He was going on about Ron Wood. He was saying that during one song, Ronnie for no apparent reason, had angrily turned to Dylan, and just grabbed Bob's guitar... then Woody had stormed off the stage, apparently in anger or disgust.

I was taping the show at home on MTV, and I watched that part. It turned out that Bob Dylan had broken a string on his own guitar, in the middle of "Blowin In the Wind." So Bob's guitat was thrown completely out of tune and Woody had quickly exchanged guitars with Dylan...

Woody returned with another guitar. But that one was not in tune with the others' guitars. So Ron attempted to play the rest of the song with a slide "between" keys. It was a mess.


He thought it had happened one way... but the tape didn't lie.

Yeah, that's on the tape - Bob broke a string. Ronnie gave him his ax.

Just a wild guess, but it appeared that KR and RW were very f-ed up also.

"No Anchovies, Please"

Lukester Wrote:
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> .....and the Zep reunion was like a religious
> experience for me.....


So I felt with Purple back in 84...

Quo, however, is like later Canned Heat or Animals,
kind of institution with only PArfitt & Rossi left.
I feel huge respect for the 79s Wuo, it's the classic style..
Yet, it leaves me unmoved...
Please check the links I posted, it'll
turn yer view on Qiew upside dewn ..




It's a pity Dandelion's not awake, he is a real Quo Professor!

...See Quo's European Tour of 2007 is pretty massive, startin' out in Germany, endin' in France and loads of countries in between, many dates in Sweden,
July 13 not too far from me. But I have another band to focus on..
Tour schedule: [www.statusquo.co.uk]

Bro, are they still big ... or a nostalgia act? Quo, not the Stones.

"No Anchovies, Please"

There is something incongruous about watching Ozzi at 10:00 in the morning.

It was very hot.
It very long day.
They were hosing down the crowd.

BTW Ladykiller what I meant was maybe FrankM aint too old?

Also the age structure at their shows might point out they aint gettin'
too many young fans.. ? Still, my son liked them, he's 12.
But I dont rememebr all those people born in the 1940s-50s
freakin'out for Quo back in the heydays.
They have a more popular "status" now... Maybe after
"You're In The Army Now" ...

Smashin' clip from 1971;
just before they got stuck in the formula
& too repetitive imho..



Also 71, more immediate song yet far-out footage
April, Summer,Spring & Wednesdays





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-04-15 04:28 by Baboon Bro.

Baboon Bro Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BTW Ladykiller what I meant was maybe FrankM aint
> too old?
>
> Also the age structure at their shows might point
> out they aint gettin'
> too many young fans.. ? Still, my son liked them,
> he's 12.
> But I dont rememebr all those people born in the
> 1940s-50s
> freakin'out for Quo back in the heydays.
> They have a more popular "status" now... Maybe
> after
> "You're In The Army Now" ...

I'm 39 Baboon Bro. There is a chance that they were known here in the states back in the sixties but I hadn't heard of them until very recently and I have been listening to rock music since the early eightees. I would be interested to know if anyone in this forum that lives in the states has any of their albums.

It probably does work both ways. I'm sure there are acts that are big in the U.S. and not in the UK.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2007-04-15 04:44 by FrankM.

Frank: You actually give fuel to my old idea/thesis that
there is a sharp 'music paradigm-atic coundary'
between those born about before 1965-66-67 and after.

I think you are the oldest person in the world I have heard that didnt
know Quo from before. In the mid-70s they were one
of the absolute biggest acts globally.
What prevented you from listening to rock music in the 70s..?
A little too young, maybe? Me, I'm 43, but I'm apparently also influenced by older buddies and my friends older brothers.

Some time it strikes me how different the huge acts break...
Examples: Grateful Dead is not at all as big in Europe as in the States.
The Who seems to bigger in US than in Europe. Van Halen is much bigger in US.

Please dont take it, like I want to make fun of you not knowing about Quo..
They were pretty marginalized around their You're In The Army-now-hit
(1984?).. and the mid-80s offered a tough atmosphere for genuine r & r.

Honestly, I say you have much to discover.. Me; I did get an 'Instant-circa-6-cd-course' from
DandelionPowderman here on the board, some I had, some not..
I discovered Quos early era (not as accessible as the Stones 60s era,
but they h a v e been on as long) via a younger friend's vinyl purchases back in ab 1989-90...

Hey Mr Basoon Bro.....I never heard much about Status Quo either and I'm 48......I do like that "Matchstick" song......it seems to get played whenever there's a "psychadelic" radio show.....along with "Incense and Peppermint" (remember Ed King and the Strawberry Alarm Clock?)......sounds like I'm missing out on a good band......

BTW first Quo I have clear rememberings of is Rain (1976?)...
THe summer before I did get caught for the 2nd time in my life
with the Stones thru Metamorphoses (Swedish chart show Kvällstoppen)...

Bye Bye Johnny 1975...