Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 360 - Status Quo

 Rick Parfitt OBE

12th October 1948 - 24th December 2016

Aged 68

Guitarist, Songwriter and Vocalist of Status Quo 

1967-2016

I wasn't going to do a post today as it's Christmas Day but in the light of the sad news regarding the passing of Rick Parfitt, legendary guitarist of Status Quo I thought maybe I should at least post a little something. 

Status Quo are not and maybe have never been a band it is considered "cool" to listen to...though I have no idea who made the rule that they weren't! But as I've said previously they were one of the bands I was listening to as a kid and whilst there are a few albums I haven't cared to much for throughout their career there are many that I care a lot for.

I know quite a number of others for whom the passing of Rick Parfitt will be a moment of great distress and sadness. Firstly to his family, then to the band (especially Francis Rossi) and lastly to the legions of fans of the band across the world who have never been ashamed to pick up an "air guitar" and let it rip to a Quo tune of two.

Is there anyone out there who likes to Rock? Is there anyone out there who likes to Roll? Here for your listening pleasure the mighty Status Quo!

 12 Gold Bars - Status Quo

Vertigo

Released March 1980

UK Chart #3

For Some Early History of Status Quo CLICK HERE.

For Some Live Status Quo CLICK HERE. 

After the holidays are over I'll do a more detailed assessment of Rick Parfitt and the place of Status Quo.

Happy Christmas!

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Aquostic II - That's A Fact! - Status Quo (October 2016)

Aquostic II – That’s A Fact!  - Status Quo

Fourth Chord Records Ltd

Released 21st October 2016

Deluxe Version

Deluxe Edition 
CD1

1. That's A Fact
2. Roll Over Lay Down
3. Dear John
4. In The Army Now
5. Hold You Back
6. One For The Road
7. Backwater
8. One Of Everything
9. Belavista Man
10. Lover Of The Human Race
11. Ice In The Sun
12. Mess Of The Blues
13. Jam Side Down
14. Resurrection
15. Lies
16. Little Dreamer
17. Living On An Island
18. Is Someone Rocking Your Heart?
19. Rockers Rollin'

Deluxe Edition CD 2 [Live In Stuttgart]
01. And It's Better Now
02. Pictures Of Matchstick Men
03. Don't Drive My Car
04. Claudie
05. Whatever You Want
06. Rocking All Over The World

The album is also released as a 14 track CD and a 20 Track Double Vinyl Album (Which includes For You which is not on the CD).

Aquostic II – That’s A Fact! - Standard Edition
01. That’s A Fact
02. Roll Over Lay Down
03. Dear John
04. In The Army Now
05. Hold You Back
06. One For The Road [New Song]
07. Backwater
08. One Of Everything [New Song]
09. Belavista Man
10. Lover Of The Human Race
11. Ice In The Sun
12. Mess Of The Blues
13. Jam Side Down
14. Resurrection

Status Quo

Aquostic Live in Hyde Park
for BBC Radio 2

11th September 2016

 Setlist

 1. Pictures Of Matchstick Men
2. Paper Plane
3. Caroline
4. What You're Propsin'
5. Claudie
6. That's A Fact
7. Hold you Back
8. Rollin' Home
9. Down Down
10. Whatever You Want
11. Rockin' All Over The World
12. Burning Bridges

**********************

The first Aquostic album from Status Quo was a real surprise and actually quite brilliant. It was strange hearing them in this way (not that they hadn't done acoustic driven songs before because they had) for a complete album and live. It showed that there was more to the Quo than the 12 Bar Boogie that was often their lot.

With the news that they are out on the road under the banner of The Last Night Of The Electrics Tour one is left to ponder what future Quo shows will be like. Rick Parfitt, due to health issues is not on the road but is still involved in other capacities. They are off to Australia in 2017 and will be performing their Aquostic material.

The second Aquostics album was released five days ago and once again opinion is divided with some saying it's "just a Francis Rossi solo album" (there's a few reviews on Amazon that are saying that) and others are more welcoming (Read Dave Wilson's review for Get Ready To Rock!).

I understand that some might be upset with the style of songs like Roll Over Lay Down, Dear John, Backwater (which I'm more used to hearing Alan Lancaster singing), but I guess that they are so new to our ears that they take a bit of getting used to.

Whilst not as strong as the first Aquostic - Stripped Bare album Aquostics II - That's A Fact! does have some good moments. Some interesting string arrangements turn up in unexpected places like That's A Fact that first appeared on the Blue For You album and Hold You Back (which was on the Rockin' All Over The World album) which when it starts you think it sounds like a mad folk song!

All in all it's not a bad album but you'll have to get used to this sound because this might just be what the Status Quo of the future sound like!

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 171 - Status Quo

Live! - Status Quo

Vertigo

Produced by Status Quo & Damon Lyon-Shaw

Released March 1977

UK Chart #3

Note on the Playlist

The song order corresponds to the setlist on the double vinyl album of 1977,
or Re-iissue as a double CD.

Songs that do not correspond to the original-audio-material are:
02 Backwater / Just Take Me - live in Lyon 13/2/77 (audio taken off vinyl bootleg)
04 In My Chair - live in Lyon 13/2/77 (audio taken off vinyl bootleg)
07 Roll over lay down (this is a link for the Live! version)
10 Rain 

Tracklist

A1     Junior's Wailing    
A2     Backwater / Just Take Me
A3     Is There A Better Way
A4     In My Chair
B1     Little Lady / Most Of The Time
B2     Forty-Five Hundred Times
C1     Roll Over Lay Down
C2     Big Fat Mama    
C3a     Caroline    
C3b     Bye Bye Johnny
D1     Rain    
D2     Don't Waste My Time
D3     Roadhouse Blues

Personnel
    Francis Rossi - guitar, vocals
    Rick Parfitt - guitar, vocals
    Alan Lancaster - bass, vocals
    John Coghlan - drums
    Bob Young - harmonica
    Andy Bown-keyboards

Yesterdays post on The Greatest Hits Live album by Ramones got me thinking that maybe it would be good in this coming week to shine the spotlight on Live Albums that I really like and so today we kick off with one of my most favourite ones of all-time.

Recorded over the course of three days (27-29 October) at the Glasgow Apollo in 1976 Live! is a record of Status Quo's Blue For You Tour. It was their first Live Album (to date they have released six).

Getting released in 1977 it probably would have been one of those albums that the Punks would have a moan about as it contained a couple of tracks that could easily been seen as over-indulgence by the band (Forty Five Hundred Times clocking in at 16 minutes and 35 seconds and a cover of The Doors' Roadhouse Blues clocking in at 14 minutes and 16 seconds). But even though at the time I was listening and buying mainly Punk records no amount of mocking by the "Punk Elite" would dampen my enthusiasm for a live Status Quo record!

Not sure what albums will follow this one in the coming week, I'll have a wee dig around and see what I can come up with that will tickle your musical tastebuds.

Dedicated to my buddy Phil Kean and his Status Quo Tribute band On The Level.

Also a little shout out to Rick Parfitt who seems to be having some heart troubles again. I hope that he's able to rest up and get better soon.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Rewind: Quo - Status Quo (1974)

 I always smile whenever I hear the early Quo albums because when I was a kid they were such a big thing for me. Some laugh at that knowing that I went on to love Punk music because they grew up listening to the likes of Bowie and for me it was Slade, Sweet and Quo! But I feel no shame about it, never have, and never will.

The Seventh Studio Album from Status Quo simply called 'Quo' was the follow up to their #1 Album 'Hello' (1973). The only single from the album, Break the Rules, was not the choice of single the band had wanted - Backwater was their choice. The eight tracks on the album were all written by the band and a couple of co-writes between Francis Rossi and Bob Young who had been involved with the band since 1969 playing harmonica and  an integral part in the writing as well (up until the release of Quo he had co-written Spinning Wheel Blues, Mean Girl, Don't Waste My Time, Paper Plane, Caroline, and more).

Quo is considered to be one the heaviest of Status Quo's albums and that probably has a lot to do with the fact that Bassist Alan Lancaster had a hand in co-writing six of the eight tracks.

It's not always an album that gets the credit it deserves as other records like Hello, On the Level, Blue For You take the spotlight over it. I for one love it and it was great listening to it today for the first time in a few years.

Quo - Status Quo

Vertigo

Produced by Status Quo

Released 3rd May 1974

UK Chart #2

Personnel
    Francis Rossi - guitar, vocals
    Rick Parfitt - guitar, vocals
    Alan Lancaster - bass, vocals
    John Coghlan - drums
    Bob Young - Harmonica
    Tom Parker - Keys

(German Picture Cover)

UK Chart #8

Break The Rules (Live)

Llandudno

1st December 2010

The Soundtrack4Life Concert Series: Status Quo

It seems fitting having posted about The Quo to include them in The Soundtrack4Life Concert Series. So, here's a double hit of the band in action. Firstly at Wembley in 2013 on The Frantic Four Tour which brought together the original line up of the band.

And secondly, one I never tire of watching, The Aquostic Live Show from The Roundhouse.

The Frantic Four Tour 2013

Aquostic Live at The Roundhouse

Rewind: 1975 On the Level - Status Quo

On the Level - Status Quo

Vertigo

Produced by Status Quo

Released 21st February 1975

UK Chart #1

Personnel
    Francis Rossi - guitar, vocals
    Rick Parfitt - guitar, keyboards, vocals
    Alan Lancaster - bass, guitar, vocals
    John Coghlan - drums

On the Level was the 8th Studio Album from Status Quo and their 2nd album to reach #1 (Hello in 1973 being the first). It went straight in at the top spot and spent only a week there before being toppled by Led Zeps' Physical Graffiti.

Late November 1974 they had released Down Down as a single (the only one to be featured on the album) and that became the band's only #1 single. It hit the top of the charts on the 18th January 1975.

Singles Featured on On the Level

Down Down

Released 29th November 1974

UK Chart #1

S4L Presents: The Best Debut Albums #22 - (The) Status Quo (1968)

In 1962 Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster formed a band whilst they were still at school (Sedgehill Comprehensive School, Catford, South East London - a few miles down the road from where I grew in Sydenham) and they called that band The Scorpions. They made their live debut a year later in Dulwich, South East London at a sports club.

In the same year that they played live for the first time John Coghlan took over the drum stool and the band changed their name to The Spectres. Writing their own material they met Rick Parfitt (around 1964 I think) and by the end of 1965 Parfitt and Rossi were good mates and made a commitment to continue working together (though Parfitt would not join the band until 1967). Parfitt was involved in a cabaret band called The Highlights.

July 18th 1966 The Spectres signed a record deal with Piccadilly Records, a five year deal and in 1966 they released two singles: 'I (Who Have Nothing)' and 'Hurdy Gurdy Man'. In 1967 they relased a third single, 'We Ain't Got Nothing Yet', a song originally released by a New York Psychedelic band The Blue Magoos. None of the singles reached the charts.

In 1967 they changed their name to The Traffic Jam and then had to change it again due to confusion with Steve Winwood's  band Traffic. Under this name they released another single ('Almost But Not Quite There') that also failed to chart. The new name of the band was The Status Quo and with Rick Parfitt now on board their fortunes were about to change.

Released in January 1968 the first single from The Status Quo was 'Pictures of Matchstick Men'. It would reach #7 on the charts and I love Francis Rossi's explanation about how the song came to be written:
"I wrote it on the bog. I'd gone there, not for the usual reasons...but to get away from the wife and mother-in-law. I used to go into this narrow frizzing toilet and sit there for hours, until they finally went out. I got three quarters of the song finished in that khazi. The rest I finished in the lounge."

The follow-up, 'Black Viels of Melancholy' though did not chart and was thought of as just a copy of their debut single! 'Ice in the Sun', written by Marty Wilde followed and again they had a top ten single (eventually peaking at #8).

By 1969's Spare Parts album they had dropped "The" and were just known as Status Quo.

Whilst it's true that they made much better albums than the debut, and it's not really "great" due to the fact that it did not chart in the UK (and neither did their next three albums - all of which I still regard as special for one reason or another). It's an album I have a real affection for and that's why it would be on my list of The Best Debut Albums.

(These introductory comments were taken from a previous blog I posted called The School of Quo 1962-77) 

Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo - Status Quo

Pye Records

Produced by John Schroder

Released 27th September 1968

UK Chart: Did Not Chart

German Chart #8

 Personnel
    Francis Rossi - vocals, lead guitar
    Rick Parfitt - vocals, rhythm guitar
    Alan Lancaster - bass guitar
    John Coghlan - drums
    Roy Lynes - vocals, organ

The 2009 Deluxe Edition

Disc 1 featured the album in Mono + Extras

Disc 2 featured a Stereo Mix of the album + BBC Sessions as The Spectres, Traffic Jam and The Status Quo

Singles From The Album

Pictures of Matchstick Men / Gentleman Joe's Sidewalk Cafe

January 1968

UK Chart #7

US Chart #12

Black Veils of Melancholy

April 1968

Did Not Chart in the UK

German Chart #36

Dutch Chart #18

Ice in the Sun

September 1968

UK Chart #8

US Chart #70

Technicolour Dreams / Paradise Flat

Withdrawn from Release

The August Album Challenge: 13. - Album With Either ! or ? In The Title

This one was going to be a tough one, find an album with ! or ? in the title, well I had a wee trawl through my collection to see what was up for consideration and each of them was as bizzare as the next and some I couldn't find the complete album to post so I thought why not go with something that's a bit familiar but at the same time just a wee bit out there! And so Status Quo is the choice! "What?" I hear you say.

When Status Quo released their Aquostic (Stripped Bare) album back on 17th October 2014 it was a real revelation because you had never heard The Quo like this! Twenty five Quo songs given an Acoustic treatment. But the big question was, would they be able to pull this off live or would it be a total bust?

Five days after the release of the album they set up shop at The Roundhouse at Chalk Farm, London. BBC Radio 2 were on hand to broadcast the show and to film it (you can see the show below) and goodness me, they not only pulled it off but it was so much better than you honestly could have imagined.

On 13th April this year the album was released on DVD and CD and Vinyl. 

Aquostic! Live @ The Roundhouse

BBC Records

Released 13th April 2015

Tracklist

1. And It's Better Now (Live)
2. Break The Rules (Live)
3. Again and Again (Live)
4. Paper Plane (Live)
5. Mystery Sog/Little Lady (Live)
6. Rock 'n' Roll (Live)
7. Caroline (Live)
8. What You're Proposing (Live)
9. Softer Ride (Live)
10. Down Down (Live)
11. Pictures Of Matchstick Men (Live)
12. Down The Dustpipe (Live)
13. All The Reasons (Live)
14. Reason for Living (Live)
15. Rollin' Home (Live)
16. Don't Drive My Car (Live)
17. Claudie (Live)
18. Rain (Live)
19. Marguerita Time (Live)
20. Nanana (Live)
21. Whatever You Want (LiVe)
22. Rockin' All Over The World (Live)
23. Rock' Till You Drop (Live)
24. Burning Bridges (Live) 

Alphabet Beats #127: S is for....Status Quo

  S is for...

In almost fifty years Status Quo have released 31 Studio Albums (only the first four albums failed to chart), 6 Live Albums, 9 Compilations and 85 Singles (67 of which charted)! They have racked up more than 170 Million in Album sales alone! For a band so popular you have to wonder why there are haters! Actually I think the haters secretly like them in some small way and cannot but help tap their toes along with a classic Quo tune!

There are periods in the life of Quo that I don't care for too much myself but I have to hand it to them, they just can't seem to stop rocking and just when you think they are down and out for the count they rise up and claim the hearts of the people afresh (their latest work Aquostic: Stripped Bare is total proof of that!).

Prior to the latest project they had spent a couple of years touring as their classic line-up, The Frantic Four, that had existed from 1970 through to 1976 when they added a fifth member on Keyboards, Andy Brown. 

Francis, Alan and John had been playing together since 1962 as The Spectres (and released two singles), changed their name to The Traffic Jam in '67, Rick joined (he had known them since 1964) and they changed it again as not wanting people to confuse they with Steve Winwood's Traffic. They released one single under that name which failed to chart and then changed their name again to The Status Quo. By 1969 they were plain old Status Quo...And the rest as they is history!

Click on the links to enjoy the music. Heads down, air guitars to the ready!

The Music
    Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo (1968)
    Spare Parts (1969)
    Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon (1970)
    Dog of Two Head (1971)
    Piledriver (1972)
    Hello! (1973)
    Quo (1974)
    On the Level (1975)
    Blue for You (1976)

Live! (1977)
    Rockin' All Over the World (1977)
    If You Can't Stand the Heat (1978)
    Whatever You Want (1979)
    Just Supposin' (1980)

12 Gold Bars (1980)
    Never Too Late (1981)
    1+9+8+2 (1982)
    Back to Back (1983)*

Live at the N.E.C. (1984)
    In The Army Now (1986)
    Ain't Complaining (1988)
    Perfect Remedy (1989)
    Rock 'Til You Drop (1991)

Live Alive Quo (1993)
    Thirsty Work (1994)
    Don't Stop (1996)
    Under The Influence (1999)
    Famous in the Last Century (2000)
    Heavy Traffic (2002)
    Riffs (2003)
    The Party Ain't Over Yet (2005)
    In Search of the Fourth Chord (2007)

Live at the BBC (2010)
    Quid Pro Quo (2011)
    Bula Quo! (2013)

The Frantic Four Reunion (Live at Hammersmith Odeon) (2013)

The Frantic Four's Final Fling - Live at the Dublin O2 Arena (2014)
    Aquostic: Stripped Bare (2014)

Aquostic! Live at the Roundhouse (2015)

*incomplete, link contains a track from the album. 

The Soundtrack4Life Top 20

Status Quo

20. Junior's Wailing.

19. It's Better Now (Acoustic).

18. Paper Plane.

17. Rain.

16. Down the Dustpipe.

15. The Beginning of the End.

14. Rock and Roll (Acoustic).

13. Pictures of Matchstick Men (Acoustic)

12. In My Chair.

11. Rockin' All Over The World.

10. Whatever You Want.

09. Again Again.

08. Roadhouse Blues.

07. Mystery Song.

06. Forty Five Hundred Times.

05. Roll Over Lay Down.

04. Caroline.

03. Wild Side of Life.

02. Down Down.

01. Is There A Better Way.

Status Quo - Aquostic Live at The Roundhouse

The Concert

22nd October 2014

Review of the Show.

Ask Quo

 

Status Quo - Aquostic Stripped Bare (October 2014)

1. Pictures Of Matchstick Men
    2. Down The Dustpipe
    3. Na Na Na
    4. Paper Plane
    5. All The Reasons
    6. Reason For Living
    7. And It's Better Now
    8. Caroline
    9. Softer Ride
    10. Claudie
    11. Break The Rules
    12. Down Down
    13. Rain
    14. Rockin' All Over The World
    15. Again and Again
    16. Whatever You Want
    17. What You're Proposing
    18. Rock 'N' Roll
    19. Don't Drive My Car
    20. Marguerita Time 

21. Rollin' Home 

22. Burning Bridges
    23. Rock 'Til You Drop.

Prepare yourself!

You've never heard or seen Status Quo like this before! (though the seeing part

you'll be mighty glad you haven't!).

The 31st Studio album from Status Quo is unleashed today. 

Photos for the album were by Bryan Adams (yes him, the one

who had that annoying song at #1 for what seemed

like an eternity!).

And the music? Well, I let you judge for yourself (Click on the links above).

I have to confess that I was very surprised and some of the tracks

work better than others but overall I think the Quo have made one

of their best albums in quite a few years.

You are going to hear a lot of this album and on Wednesday this week on

Radio 2 (BBC) you'll be able to catch the Quo in action Live from

The Roundhouse in Camden Town. 

The School of Quo 1962-77

Status Quo get a lot of stick, some of it may seem like it is justifiable as they drifted from being a hard nose working man's rock and roll band to some form of family entertainment that would normally be found on a stage at Butlins. But the original line-up is very hard to find fault with. I have to confess that I have a soft spot for the band, especially their early material between 1968-77. I make no apology for posting this even though they are not a fashionable band to like! Click on the links to enjoy the music.

So I thought it would be good to have a little history lesson in the School of Quo 1962-77 before focusing on the current Frantic Four Reunion Tour that has four dates left to play (see picture below).

1960's

In 1962 Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster formed a band whilst they were still at school (Sedgehill Comprehensive School, Catford, South East London - a few miles down the road from where I grew in Sydenham) and they called that band The Scorpions. They made their live debut a year later in Dulwich, South East London at a sports club.

In the same year that they played live for the first time John Coghlan took over the drum stool and the band changed their name to The Spectres. Writing their own material they met Rick Parfitt (around 1964 I think) and by the end of 1965 Parfitt and Rossi were good mates and made a commitment to continue working together (though Parfitt would not join the band until 1967). Parfitt was involved in a cabaret band called The Highlights.

July 18th 1966 The Spectres signed a record deal with Piccadilly Records, a five year deal and in 1966 they released two singles: 'I (Who Have Nothing)' and 'Hurdy Gurdy Man'. In 1967 they relased a third single, 'We Ain't Got Nothing Yet', a song originally released by a New York Psychedelic band The Blue Magoos. None of the singles reached the charts.

In 1967 they changed their name to The Traffic Jam and then had to change it again due to confusion with Steve Winwood's  band Traffic. Under this name they released another single ('Almost But Not Quite There') that also failed to chart. The new name of the band was The Status Quo and with Parfitt now on board their fortunes were about to change.

Released in January 1968 the first single from The Status Quo was 'Pictures of Matchstick Men'. It would reach #7 on the charts and I love Francis Rossi's explanation about how the song came to be written:
"I wrote it on the bog. I'd gone there, not for the usual reasons...but to get away from the wife and mother-in-law. I used to go into this narrow frizzing toilet and sit there for hours, until they finally went out. I got three quarters of the song finished in that khazi. The rest I finished in the lounge."

The follow-up, 'Black Viels of Melancholy' though did not chart and was thought of as just a copy of their debut single! 'Ice in the Sun', written by Marty Wilde followed and again they had a top ten single (eventually peaking at #8). The debut album 'Picturesque Matchstickable Messages From The Status Quo', which contained the three singles, only managed to break into the charts in Germany (#8).

In 1969 a further three singles ('Make Me Stay A Little Bit Longer', 'Are You Growing Tired Of My Love' and The Everly Brothers' 'The Price of Love') and an album ('Spare Parts') were issued all without any great success. The band in the meantime had changed dropped The and were just known as Status Quo.

1970's

Having ditched the sound of Psychedelia after the lack of success the band began focusing on a more blues rock sound.  'Down the Dustpipe' became a Top Twenty Hit reaching #12 in 1970. The follow-up, 'In My Chair' reached #21. The first album with this line-up was 'Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon'. The album failed to chart.


1971 was the year that The Frantic Four - the classic Quo line of Rossi, Parfitt, Lancaster and Coghlan - took centre stage as Roy Lynes, who had played keyboards for the band since 1964 departed. They released one single ('Tune To The Music' and an album 'Dog of Two Heads'), what would be their last releases for Pye Records. Both were unsuccesful, though when Status Quo began gaining success with their new label, Pye issued 'Mean Girl' and 'Gerdundula' as singles in 1973 with only 'Mean Girl' breaking into the chart at #20.

'Piledriver' would begin to change the fortunes of the band. It was their first album on Vertigo and also the first album to be produced by themselves. The album was also the first one of theirs to make it to the charts peaking at #5 and spending 37 weeks on the chart. The only single from the album was 'Paper Plane' and that broke into the top ten peaking at #8. A few songs from the album would become live Quo classics - 'Don't Waste My Time', 'Big Fat Mama', and the cover of The Doors' 'Roadhouse Blues'.

The Quo hit the big time in 1973 with a #1 album in 'Hello' and a #5 single with 'Caroline'. Also on the album were two songs destined to remain crowd favourites at live shows, 'Roll Over Lay Down' and 'Forty Five Hundred Times'.

'Break the Rules' in 1974 peaked at #8, though it was not the single choice by the band themselves. The 'Quo' album hit the #2 spot on the UK charts when released in May that year. Later in the year they would have their one and only #1 single with 'Down Down'.

'On The Level' was released in February 1975 and went straight in the charts at #1! To celebrate 13 years in the business Status Quo released a three track live EP in 1975. 'Roll Over Lay Down' was the lead track.

The EP was seen by some as a foolish thing to do and the band were discouraged by many from releasing it but the success of it showed who was the wiser. The EP reached #9 in the UK, #2 in Holland and Australia, and a Top Ten hit in Norway, Austria and Belguim.

Oh, and John Peel did the sleeve notes on it!:
It is 1968 or 1969, some year like that, and Gaffer Peel is compere at a rock festival in Nottingham. The organizers expected a crowd of 40.000, got 400, and a poor time is being had by all. Band after band has numbered us with meaningful stuff about the revolution (whatever happened to it anyway?), or bored us with their suite base on 'Alice Through The Looking Glass'. I'm supposed to dart between the two stages to announce each band but I'm busy trying to fascinate a young woman (unsuccessfully, I'm afraid) and this shower get on stage unnnounced. "Ello", the below, stirring the stoned handful out of their torpor, 'you're not gonna like us at all, we make hit singles and we're very loud'. They didn't, they do and they are. At the time I was outraged. Who, I asked myself, are these outrageously vulgar yobboes? We wanted beauty and thruth, not rowdiness; certain substances, not brown ale.
Status Quo played, unabashed and basic, and since then, secretly at first because, I mean, Quo weren't, as we said then, where it was at, I've been a believer.
Amazing to think that when they first annoying the neighboors from scout halls and cricket pavilions, John Kennedy was still alive, only a fistful of daft Scousers and Hamburgers had heard of the Beatles, and I was selling crop insurance in West Texas. Even more amazing in this is - thirteen years on, their music is so fresh and vital that wherever you do a disco you know it's going to be a either 'Brown Sugar' or a Quo record that finally get's them moving. You know too, that there's always goign to be a row of loonies - Maybe including you - who'll get down into that celebreated Quo boogie stance and churn to and fro like creatures possessed. Status Quo are good lads, they make exciting and unpretentious records, they make me feel positively carefree, have saved many a potentially disastrous gig for me, and if they rock on for another thirteen years - well that's just fine by me. - John Peel.

'Rain' was released in February 1976 and peaked at #7 on the charts and then the album 'Blue For You' followed in March 1976 and is the final studio album to feature The Frantic Four (as Andy Brown joined the band on keyboards following its release). The album entered the chart at #1 and stayed there for three weeks. The second single from the album was an edited version of 'Mystery Song' which would reach #11 on the UK charts.

Then in 1977 there was the release of one of my favourite live albums ever - 'Live!' went to #3 in the charts and was a superb record of the 'Blue For You Tour' as it reached The Glasgow Apollo for a three night stand between 27-29 October 1976. Bob Young plays harmonica on it and keyboard parts by Andy Brown were actually added in the studio!

Glasgow Apollo 1976

Is There A Better Way.

Don't Waste My Time.

Big Fat Mama.

Roadhouse Blues.

Backwater/Just Take Me.

Little Lady/Most of the Time.

 

The Frantic Four are back out on the road again and I thought that they would be doing something different from last year but it's pretty much the same set as last year!

Article from The Guardian Website 31st March 2014.

 2013 Set

2014 Set

So here's a whole bunch of links to songs played on the tour from this year.

64 Minutes of The Frantic Four (Paris 26/03/14).

Gotta Go Home (Berlin 18/03/14).

Junior's Wailing/Backwater/Just Take Me (Oberhausen 19/03/14).

Railroad (Berlin 18/03/14).

Roadhouse Blues (Paris 26/03/14).

Down Down (Stuggart 21/03/14).

Caroline/Bye Bye Johnny (Oberhausen 19/03/14).

Rain (Paris 26/03/14).

Forty Five Hundred Times (Netherlands 23/03/14).

Big Fat Mama (Berlin 18/03/14).

Is There A Better Way (Netherlands 23/03/14).

Down Down (Hammersmith Odeon 28/03/14).

Blue Eyed Lady (Netherlands 23/03/14).

(April) Spring, Summer and Wednesdays/Railroad (Netherlands 23/3/14).

Forty Five Hundred Times (Hammersmith Odeon 29/03/14).