allyp
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Posts: 577
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Post by allyp on Jan 20, 2022 7:24:19 GMT
This is probably the best unreleased song the band did in that period it sounds finished. Maybe if Breaking away had not come into the equation it would have been a good closing track to the Whatever you want album. Maybe because it wasn’t written by the band (Williams/Hutchings) it may have been left off due to royalty reasons as it is certainly good enough to go on an album..
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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 Jan 20, 2022 8:36:29 GMT
Yeah, it's a wee beauty this. Odd that it wasn't on the album but that's happened a few times over the years. Even as a B-side to, say, Living On An Island. It's inclusion may have seen that single climb a little higher. Speculation, of course. That Williams/Hutchins writing combination only produced about 3 songs for the band but they were all good. And slightly different. Although someone called C Bradford is also co-credited with this one. I'd never heard this until the Rockers Rollin' compilation came out but the song was credited to Alan Lancaster at that time for some reason. And I've always associated it with him because of that. I agree that it sounds more finished than the demo it is credited as being, although maybe not to the standard that Pip or the band would have wanted. Sounds fine to me though. Nice
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nino
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Favourite Quo Album: Hello!
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Post by nino on Jan 20, 2022 9:09:35 GMT
I love this track! Love the whole of WYW in fact - my favourite album after Hello! The guitar tone and the whole mood on the album and especially on this one, Highflyer, Who Asked You and Breaking Away are astonishing, somehow quite "magical" (in lack of a better word), different and simply awesome! But to this very moment I was convinced that the song was credited to Alan Lancaster - well, you live and learn, obviously
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nino
Rocker Rollin'
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Favourite Quo Album: Hello!
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Post by nino on Jan 20, 2022 9:27:27 GMT
Adding to this: Francis' voice is magnificent here and on the two others mentioned...maybe his best vocal performances ever. To my ears at least.
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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 Jan 20, 2022 9:48:16 GMT
Adding to this: Francis' voice is magnificent here and on the two others mentioned...maybe his best vocal performances ever. To my ears at least. For me, THE essential Francis vocal will always be the original version of In My Chair but his voice was always very distinctive. He sings/delivers songs completely differently these days. It's much stronger; more accurate pronunciation. He still has a very good voice, especially for his age, but he (and the band) lost something when that nasal quality disappeared.
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col
Rocker Rollin'
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Favourite Quo Album: Dog Of Two Head, Piledriver, Hello, Quo, Live
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Post by col on Jan 20, 2022 11:28:19 GMT
The odd thing is, I do believe Alan believes he wrote it.
In the Rockers Rollin' sleevenotes Alan is quoted as saying " I wrote that for the the Whatever You Want album, but it was rejected for another track".
Later, Pip asserted it was his song and put it in the hands of his publisher for dispute.
Strange things these Quo writing credits.
Alan has previously claimed he co-wrote Mystery Song, the whole band get a credit on ROLD when it seems to be accepted it's a Rossi-Young composition.
Rick blagged credits on Long Legged Linda and WYW by adding the guitar intros. He also got a credit for Gravy Train when Rhino's (better) demo was in existence long before Quo released it.
This Is Me was a Rhino song given to his mate.
We could spend hours on this.
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allyp
Rocker Rollin'
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Post by allyp on Jan 20, 2022 12:23:03 GMT
The odd thing is, I do believe Alan believes he wrote it. In the Rockers Rollin' sleevenotes Alan is quoted as saying " I wrote that for the the Whatever You Want album, but it was rejected for another track". Later, Pip asserted it was his song and put it in the hands of his publisher for dispute. Strange things these Quo writing credits. Alan has previously claimed he co-wrote Mystery Song, the whole band get a credit on ROLD when it seems to be accepted it's a Rossi-Young composition. Rick blagged credits on Long Legged Linda and WYW by adding the guitar intros. He also got a credit for Gravy Train when Rhino's (better) demo was in existence long before Quo released it. This Is Me was a Rhino song given to his mate. We could spend hours on this. Some times people are given a writing credit to even out the royalties and possibly as you say come up with a line or a guitar riff etc. The most famous example in Quo is John Coghlan getting a writing credit for Roll over lay down Break the Rules and Lonely night.
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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 Jan 20, 2022 13:35:58 GMT
The odd thing is, I do believe Alan believes he wrote it. In the Rockers Rollin' sleevenotes Alan is quoted as saying " I wrote that for the the Whatever You Want album, but it was rejected for another track". Later, Pip asserted it was his song and put it in the hands of his publisher for dispute.Strange things these Quo writing credits. And it appears Pip must have won that dispute. It would have been extremely interesting if Alan had sung it, because that would have been quite indicative. " I've seen the snake that comes away And lives beneath the moon And you, you call the tune You're bad company" Very odd verse that. Is it something Alan would come up with? Hard to tell. The song generally has those daft 70's lyrics where women cast their spell over us defenceless males Apparently, this one is not only bad company but is also the witch in the wild and the devil inside. Obviously she moved on to Michael Hutchence at one point. But then, who didn't?
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Post by Victor on Jan 20, 2022 16:06:39 GMT
I like the song , it's not that at all. But...strnge enough for me it sounds more like a track that would be more of a Just Supposin' track. If you listen to some of the guitar work it has some quute similar things to some of the riffs in Coming and Going. But ok, aside that, as I said, I do like the track and quite a bit. Actually both this one and Hard Ride deserve to be on the album
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Post by Victor on Jan 20, 2022 16:09:57 GMT
The odd thing is, I do believe Alan believes he wrote it. In the Rockers Rollin' sleevenotes Alan is quoted as saying " I wrote that for the the Whatever You Want album, but it was rejected for another track". Later, Pip asserted it was his song and put it in the hands of his publisher for dispute.Strange things these Quo writing credits. And it appears Pip must have won that dispute. It would have been extremely interesting if Alan had sung it, because that would have been quite indicative. " I've seen the snake that comes away And lives beneath the moon And you, you call the tune You're bad company" Very odd verse that. Is it something Alan would come up with? Hard to tell. The song generally has those daft 70's lyrics where women cast their spell over us defenceless males Apparently, this one is not only bad company but is also the witch in the wild and the devil inside. Obviously she moved on to Michael Hutchence at one point. But then, who didn't? Interesting how everyone can interpret text in different ways. For me that verse actually doesn't sound odd at all. I think from my perspective that it actually fits quite a lot of persons I have met in my life and then I don't mean specifically women but both. People. That verse describes them pretty perfect actually.
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Post by MrWaistcoat on Jan 20, 2022 16:37:47 GMT
I like it, but then of course it was a genuine lost track
Would I like it so much if it had always been on the album? Not so likely
Same goes shifting sands, a song I'd still like them to finish!
The songwriting thing isn't easy to understand. Two people both honestly thinking they wrote the same song...surely you just know if something is your work?
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gav
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
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Favourite Quo Album: On The Level
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Post by gav on Jan 20, 2022 17:45:54 GMT
I've read about some unusual 12-string electric that Pip wrote the main riff on. Who knows though. Alan was writing in a similar style around this time. And, basically, they were all writing for Quo so there's bound to be a commonality to the writing.
Sounds like a 'working mix' to me, unfinished, slightly rougher than the final mixes of the WYW tracks, getting there, but not quite.
Wasn't there a thread on here not so long ago that mentioned that this one was going to be re-worked for the Back To Back album? QI?
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roquer
Rocker Rollin'
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Post by roquer on Jan 20, 2022 18:43:09 GMT
Always like it. Since the first time I heard it, and I hate thinking that it isn't a original Quo composition. I believe the version that it was a Pip Williams composition. He obviously liked the BB tunning of Rick (Accident Prone), it seems that this one was written on CC tunning but maybe I'm wrong (Don't remember right now in which key is). Also, it appeared on a misspressed Ireland Back to Back label (not on the actual record) and reflects it is a Williams composition. I remember reading somewhere that it isn't a demo, but a proper finished song, that Phonogram dumped it because of the lyrics, which caused the delay of the release of the album. Anybody got the original tracklist of the As It Happens album? I remember the last song was a Lancaster song called "Didn't Have To Lie", which it appears to be Who Asked You, and the last song of the Side A was Wolf Manure (which was the original title of Breaking Away). ashakike Do you still got it somewhere?
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Post by Victor on Jan 20, 2022 18:51:27 GMT
Always like it. Since the first time I heard it, and I hate thinking that it isn't a original Quo composition. I believe the version that it was a Pip Williams composition. He obviously liked the BB tunning of Rick (Accident Prone), it seems that this one was written on CC tunning but maybe I'm wrong (Don't remember right now in which key is). Also, it appeared on a misspressed Ireland Back to Back label (not on the actual record) and reflects it is a Williams composition. I remember reading somewhere that it isn't a demo, but a proper finished song, that Phonogram dumped it because of the lyrics, which caused the delay of the release of the album. Anybody got the original tracklist of the As It Happens album? I remember the last song was a Lancaster song called "Didn't Have To Lie", which it appears to be Who Asked You, and the last song of the Side A was Wolf Manure (which was the original title of Breaking Away). ashakike Do you still got it somewhere? Wolf Manure ?? Thank goodness that that became Breaking Away then !
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Post by curiousgirl on Jan 20, 2022 18:54:26 GMT
Thanks for posting 'cos I've not heard this before. I have the original release of WYW on cassette tape but no later rerelease with any bonus tracks.
Really liked it.
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