Listening Party #10 - Blue for You by Status Quo - start playing at 8pm on 25th May

Jonathangus · May 2022

Anyway, that was good rocking fun. Cheers, @TTony !

TTony · May 2022

Jonathangus said:

TTony said:

It's not easy keeping the beat that steady, and that fast, and that clear.

There was an interview in Guitarist back in the day where Francis was comparing Rick to the Vais and Satrianis of this world. He said something like, 'I'd like to say to some of these guys that can seriously play, "right, give me two minutes of that, in time, and don't cock up." But Rick's doing it for eight or nine minutes at a stretch.'

Rick was doing it for 45-odd years ... pissed, stoned, asleep,

DiscoStu · May 2022

There was nothing on there that blew me away but a couple of tracks did stand out above others and will get listened to again. I can leave the Chas & Dave stuff though.
Overall, good fun and refreshing!

TTony · May 2022

Devil#20 said:

Just listening to the track Daughter again. It's right out ot the 60's. It's brilliant.

LOLz @Devil#20 ; - you had me going back to that album - Junior's Wailing isn't bad - used to do that one live

TTony · May 2022

Thanks all - I don't regret buying it all those years ago.

Nor all the reissued & remastered versions that have come out since.

My Quo collection is quite "extensive"!

Devil#20 · May 2022

TTony said:

Devil#20 said:

Suppose it's because FR has an unmistakable voice.

And that can be a bit marmite too

Don't mind his voice to be honest. I was a listening to a track on Ma Kelly's this afternoon called Junior's Wailing and it's not him. If I didn't know better I'd say it was Alvin Lee. If I didn't know it was Status Quo I'd say it was Ten Years After.

Edit: @TTony You beat me to it. I've just seen your comment above regarding Junior's Wailing. It really is a corking track. Listened to it 3 or 4 times now. They really were different on those early albums. I'd only heard Piledriver and Hello all the way through before today. I've missed out on some good stuff of theirs. Cheers for the heads up.

markv · May 2022

Just been watching some of those clips from Download that @Jonathangus mentioned. Very impressive

DiscoStu · May 2022

s'funny. I assumed that this album was proto-Quo and before the stuff that I know and like but it isn't. Down Down for one was on the previous album. In my head that sounds like peak Quo, not the 80's stuff.

Philly_Q · May 2022

I must admit the only two tracks which really grabbed me were the two famous ones, Rain and Mystery Song. But perhaps that's just familiarity.

There's nothing at all to dislike, but it probably won't inspire me to check out more of their stuff. Sorry, I feel bad saying that!

TTony · May 2022

Philly_Q said:

There's nothing at all to dislike, but it probably won't inspire me to check out more of their stuff. Sorry, I feel bad saying that!

How very dare you have an opinion

Devil#20 · May 2022

Philly_Q said:

I must admit the only two tracks which really grabbed me were the two famous ones, Rain and Mystery Song. But perhaps that's just familiarity.

There's nothing at all to dislike, but it probably won't inspire me to check out more of their stuff. Sorry, I feel bad saying that!

You might want to re-think that. Like I said, I was listening to some really early stuff today knowing I'd be listening tonight and I uncovered some real gems I'd never heard before. That early stuff was a very different Quo. Some fillers I guess but some standout tracks. They were a lot less formulaic from what you're used to listening to I think you'll find.

EricTheWeary · May 2022

These will be some random thoughts from across the day as I can’t make the party:

for years when I heard that song on the radio I thought it was
‘I can’t live without Lorraine’

the vocals on Quo records are interesting. They aren’t rock in the sense of gruff or Gillanesque screaming nor really sweet pop vocals, maybe folky.But I think that helps make them distinctive and less like a British band trying to sound American which is perhaps the obvious trap playing all those shuffles.

The playing on songs like Ring of a Change makes you feel exhausted just thinking about it, it’s the sound of sweat.
I know that Lancaster objected to the later pop songs but some of this, like Ease Your Mind, is quite twee so I don’t think the leap was as big as he seemed to think. Is the live stuff from this era raunchier?

Some use of effects/pedals in evidence which is maybe not something I’d associate with the Quo. The beginning of Mystery Song is that a phaser? It does leap out as one of the better songs as well although maybe that’s just familiarity.

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At the end of all that it made me want to revisit Vardis from my adolescence. Fond memories of seeing them live and their shtick was essentially Quo on steroids. Although in retrospect they did appear to have only two songs that worked.

_________________________________

I think I thought Blue for You would be a more rock Quo which it isn't. The singles still hold up although overall maybe it's more an album of it's time than a timeless classic. Interesting choice though, thanks @TTony ;

RustySpanner · May 2022

Couldn't join in last night, but a huge Quo fan.
Thanks btw and lovely to read everyone's thoughts.

I've always thought of BFY as their big 'cocaine revelation' album, hence the change in sound.

For me, Quo was the 'heaviest' album, probably due to Alan Lancaster co writing most of the tracks.
It would have been interesting to see how they would have progressed if they'd stuck to this formula, but I think Rossi and Parfitt's increasing use of coke around this time massively influenced the change of pace on BFY.

Parfitts use of P90 Gibsons (after the psychedelic, Gibson Hollowbody era, up to Piledriver and some of Hello!) gave them a different flavour, Piledriver especially is a great sounding, well produced album and I love the playing on that one.

They relied more on external producers after BFY, but Rocking All Over The World and If You Can't Stand The Heat were decent albums.
I still think they'd have been better with a sparser, heavier production, but sadly that's not the route they decided upon.

Such a shame Alan Lancaster was marginalised, his vocals and songwriting suited the heavier stuff perfectly.

StefB · May 2022

Jonathangus said:

TTony said:

Devil#20 said:

Did FR play all the fingered parts or did Rick play any of them. Seems to me that Rick stuck to power chords and 12 bar and not much else. Could be wrong.

Yup - mostly.

Rick did the rhythm.

Watch a video of him playing Caroline. Wrist action!!

Funnily enough, that's what I was watching...

Any time the 'who are the greatest rhythm guitarists?' thread comes up, the answer's always the same: Malcolm Young, James Hetfield, Rick Parfitt.

Sends shivers down my spine whenever I see footage of that intro, one of the most glorious sounds in all of rock music.

RIP Rick.

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Listening Party #10 - Blue for You by Status Quo - start playing at 8pm on 25th May

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