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Post by fredbloggs on Nov 14, 2021 18:06:01 GMT
Personally I never thought the studio recording of this one had much 'energy', a slightly muted cover song, a bit "going through the motions". Not the cheesyness of Marguerita time, but certainly not the drive of Rain or the catchy hook of WYW. Absolute 80s were doing "this week in 1984" singles charts earlier, The Wanderer got a mention in the countdown but wasn't played. I was surprised by one or two of the tracks it was ahead of in the charts that week, so went and looked...... according to www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19841104/7501/, over the 4 weeks of November it was at number 7, 7, 10, and 18...... which seems rather good for a track that, to me at least, doesn't sound particularly commercial. To put it into context.... in the charts that same month were: ZZ Top - Gimme all your lovin The Pointer Sisters - I'm so excited Madonna - Like a Virgin Stevie Wonder - I just called to say I love you Paul McCartney - no more lonely nights Tina Turner - Private Dancer Giorgio Moroder / Phil Oakey - Together in Electric Dreams Julian Lennon - Too Late for Goodbyes Sister Sledge - We are family Chaka Khan - I feel for you Frankie Goes To Hollywood - The Power of Love Nik Kershaw - The Riddle Limahl - Never Ending Story Duran Duran - Wild Boys The Cars - Drive John Waite - Missing You Culture Club - War Song Ray Parker Jr - Ghostbusters Bronski Beat - Why Black Lace - Agadoo U2 - Pride (in the name of vomit) George Michael - Careless Whisper .......... all of which have more energy, more commercial appeal to the novelty brigade, or are just, to put it brutally honestly, classier songs. Looking at it in that context, I'm thinking..... wow, The Wanderer did amazingly well as a single to spend a month in the top 20 against what else was around! |
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gerh
Grizzled Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 2,956 
Favourite Quo Album: 'Hello' [and 'Quo Live']
Favourite other bands.: Zappa, Kansas, Rush, Deep Purple, Yes, Richard Thompson, Horslips, Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest etc etc. [ANYONE but Kiss!]
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Post by gerh on Nov 14, 2021 18:14:46 GMT
Yeah. It was just bloody awful stuff. A sign of things to come [tho' tbf, they'd already arrived by that point, imho!] [Actually - pretty much everything I hated about 80s music is on that list (just a few tiny exceptions)]
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matt
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 1,010
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Post by matt on Nov 15, 2021 7:35:04 GMT
Wow what a run down of songs though. Amazing
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col
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 631
Favourite Quo Album: Dog Of Two Head, Piledriver, Hello, Quo, Live
Favourite other bands.: Ramones, Warrior Soul, Soundgarden, King Buffalo, Small Faces, Motorhead, UFO, Screaming Trees, Kyuss, Clutch
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Post by col on Nov 15, 2021 10:59:46 GMT
That is a question I have often asked myself. |
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col
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 631
Favourite Quo Album: Dog Of Two Head, Piledriver, Hello, Quo, Live
Favourite other bands.: Ramones, Warrior Soul, Soundgarden, King Buffalo, Small Faces, Motorhead, UFO, Screaming Trees, Kyuss, Clutch
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Post by col on Nov 15, 2021 11:05:41 GMT
Personally I never thought the studio recording of this one had much 'energy', a slightly muted cover song, a bit "going through the motions". Not the cheesyness of Marguerita time, but certainly not the drive of Rain or the catchy hook of WYW. Absolute 80s were doing "this week in 1984" singles charts earlier, The Wanderer got a mention in the countdown but wasn't played. I was surprised by one or two of the tracks it was ahead of in the charts that week, so went and looked...... according to www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19841104/7501/, over the 4 weeks of November it was at number 7, 7, 10, and 18...... which seems rather good for a track that, to me at least, doesn't sound particularly commercial. To put it into context.... in the charts that same month were: ZZ Top - Gimme all your lovin The Pointer Sisters - I'm so excited Madonna - Like a Virgin Stevie Wonder - I just called to say I love you Paul McCartney - no more lonely nights Tina Turner - Private Dancer Giorgio Moroder / Phil Oakey - Together in Electric Dreams Julian Lennon - Too Late for Goodbyes Sister Sledge - We are family Chaka Khan - I feel for you Frankie Goes To Hollywood - The Power of Love Nik Kershaw - The Riddle Limahl - Never Ending Story Duran Duran - Wild Boys The Cars - Drive John Waite - Missing You Culture Club - War Song Ray Parker Jr - Ghostbusters Bronski Beat - Why Black Lace - Agadoo U2 - Pride (in the name of vomit) George Michael - Careless Whisper .......... all of which have more energy, more commercial appeal to the novelty brigade, or are just, to put it brutally honestly, classier songs. Looking at it in that context, I'm thinking..... wow, The Wanderer did amazingly well as a single to spend a month in the top 20 against what else was around! I am not a great fan of Eighties music and there are only two in that list I would listen to, ZZ Top and U2. If The Wanderer was in that list, there would be two songs I would listen to!! If I was in the "right" mood, I wouldn't take offence at Madonna or Sister Sledge, kitsch dance music has it's place. But there is some serious dross in that list. It's almost the definitive list of all that went wrong in music. |
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Post by granny on Nov 15, 2021 11:25:59 GMT
Was its success anything to do with the video of them playing on the back of a lorry? The video is not available on youtube but I have it on DVD. I don't know whether the video came at the same time as the record release but it would have appealed to more casual Quo fans.
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Post by 4th Chord on Nov 15, 2021 11:53:45 GMT
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Post by dennis on Nov 15, 2021 12:33:40 GMT
Rather sad that this was the sole post EOTR output before Alan was dumped - so much for the "we're not splitting up, we'll still be a band" comments. Francis forgot to add "er, not you Alan"!
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Post by backwater67 on Nov 15, 2021 13:39:50 GMT
It kept Quo in the public eye & helped the sales of 12 gold bars vol 2. Big seller in the UK, going silver & selling over 300k.
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Post by dennis on Nov 15, 2021 13:52:10 GMT
It kept Quo in the public eye & helped the sales of 12 gold bars vol 2. Big seller in the UK, going silver & selling over 300k. aye, the cynic in me thinks it was knocked off to give them the last song needed to complete the compilation |
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mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,861
Favourite Quo Album: Hello!
Favourite other bands.: Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, Gary Numan, Alabama 3, ZZ Top, Paul van Dyk, Jeff Beck, Bowie, Gerry Rafferty, Band of Skulls, UFO, S.A.H.B
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Post by mortified on Nov 15, 2021 13:54:49 GMT
I know that list is getting a bit of stick but I have to confess to liking quite a few and some of the artists I followed for quite a while. In my over-coiffured, cap-sleeved, Hi-Tec squash and fatigues days  That Julian Lennon single is a gem and I've bought all Nik Kershaw's albums to this day. But the point is well made. Quo's The Wanderer served no artistic purpose. It had no redeeming features and seemed to be chucked out in advance of the second 12 Gold Bars album. Something they didn't do with the first one. Release a single for it, I mean. But it performed extremely well chart-wise bearing in mind they'd just had 4 hit singles off the one album not long before. The video was pretty much the start of the cheeky-chappy, wotcha cock, approach to their public persona. Which actually grew more tiresome as the years progressed. Or, more likely, as I got older and more cynical  Incidentally, I thought ZZ Top's Gimme All Your Lovin' was earlier than this bearing in mind the Eliminator album was the summer of 1983 and this was the first of the singles 'trilogy'. Every day's a school day |
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per
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 600
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Post by per on Nov 16, 2021 12:13:51 GMT
Wow what a competition! Of these 23 songs at least 15 can be concidered more or less classics nowadays! I wonder what (if any?) will be remembered of todays list in 37 years?
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