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Post by roadhouse on Mar 12, 2024 18:00:05 GMT
Just wondering why non of the Quo songs that featured Alan on lead vocals was released as singles?
There has been a few belters over the years, Backwater seems the most obvious choice, but some others like Over the edge always sounded great live, and the discos I went to in my younger days the song Over the edge was always requested.
Having recently watched Quo play Big Man on Spanish TV, I kinda started imagining it as a single.
I'm sure Roadhouse Blues was concidered, but it's too long for radio, and would have needed to be edited which would have ruined it. Then we have Stones I really like, and Your kind of love.
Anyone think of potential Alan singles?
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Post by dennis on Mar 12, 2024 18:19:50 GMT
Ol' Rag Blues?
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Post by roadhouse on Mar 12, 2024 19:34:42 GMT
But they released the version with Francis on vocals. I think that could have been Alan's chance to shine. Its funny because I was always a bit surprised Alan and Keith Lamb wrote Ol rag blues as its quite poppy, but it was at a time Alan criticised heavily Marguerita time, but Ol rag blues isn't exactly a rocker.
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Post by MrWaistcoat on Mar 12, 2024 19:56:24 GMT
I think the question is here is one that Alan wondered aloud. No doubt his feelings contributed to the break up
In fairness to Francis and the record company, not many spring to mind as radio friendly. It would have been great to see how Backwater might have got on if it had had the nod over BTR
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Post by roadhouse on Mar 12, 2024 20:38:23 GMT
I tend to think quite a lot of Quo songs we're missed opportunities as being singles, not just the songs Alan sang on.
Quite a few are Quo live staples, here is just a short list of potential singles during the period Alan was still in the band:
Dirty Water. Little Lady. Hold you back. Backwater. Big Fat Mama. Over The Edge. Don't waste my time. Bye bye Johnny. Roadhouse Blues. Juniors Wailing.
You'd have thought at least one of Alan's songs would have slipped the net and be released over such a long career, but sadly it didn't.
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quodec
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Twelve bar blues is now alright.
Posts: 1,233
Favourite Quo Album: Blue For You
Favourite other bands.: early AC/DC, Angel City, Blackfoot, Rose Tattoo, Slade
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Post by quodec on Mar 12, 2024 20:47:38 GMT
In the record company's mind, even back in the 70s and 80s, Quo were Rossi and Parfitt, the front and centre of the band, and anything for release would include either one or the other singing - and not Lancaster! Alan reminds me oddly of Brian Jones from The Stones, one of the founding members, who ultimately gets side-lined by band-mates who can control the band narrative better than they can. Sad but true!
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Post by roadhouse on Mar 12, 2024 21:11:38 GMT
In the record company's mind, even back in the 70s and 80s, Quo were Rossi and Parfitt, the front and centre of the band, and anything for release would include either one or the other singing - and not Lancaster! Alan reminds me oddly of Brian Jones from The Stones, one of the founding members, who ultimately gets side-lined by band-mates who can control the band narrative better than they can. Sad but true! Yeah I think you hit the nail on the head there with the Brian Jones comparison. The thing that frustrates me is Quo didn't necessarily lack enough songs that could and should have been singles in the 70's early 80's. Yet strange choices were made because how can so many concert staples like Little Lady, Backwater be denied of a single release, yet songs that we're not concidered particularly favourites with the fans we're released as singles like Going down town tonight, I'm pretty sure Little Lady would have sold more copies than Going down town tonight, it's not even up for argument. Yet this went on, slowly degenerating and deviding the fans. I think towards the 80's the record company pushed out more singles per album, so we lost quality control. Yet ironically concert staples got left behind, the ship had already sailed.
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allyp
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 577
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Post by allyp on Mar 12, 2024 22:09:23 GMT
Just marketing reasons. Francis was seen as the frontman from the off and Rick secondary when he joined the band. Perhaps some of Alan’s songs weren’t strong enough no offence. Backwater was the band’s preferred choice as single until the record company insisted on Break the rules instead. I suppose not many groups have three lead singers. The Beatles stones and the who did but rarely got any singles with John Entwhistle , Bill Wyman singing on them. Even bands like Queen had 3 singers but none of Roger Taylor’s or Brian may’s ones got put out.
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Post by roadhouse on Mar 12, 2024 22:30:55 GMT
Just marketing reasons. Francis was seen as the frontman from the off and Rick secondary when he joined the band. Perhaps some of Alan’s songs weren’t strong enough no offence. Backwater was the band’s preferred choice as single until the record company insisted on Break the rules instead. I suppose not many groups have three lead singers. The Beatles stones and the who did but rarely got any singles with John Entwhistle , Bill Wyman singing on them. Even bands like Queen had 3 singers but none of Roger Taylor’s or Brian may’s ones got put out. I never thought of it that way, I suppose lots of bands had members that did lead vocals on certain tracks. The Beatles being the most obvious, but then even Ringo got to sing on some of the Beatles hits, Yellow Submarine springs to mind. But what frustrates me as a Quo fan, it would have been nice to have at least one hit single with Alan on lead vocals, as there was so many he sang lead vocals on live and was proven to be live favourites. It makes you think agonisingly was there bad blood towards Alan in the camp even from the start?
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Post by kursaal75 on Mar 12, 2024 22:35:15 GMT
Alan's Who Asked You, would of made a good 3rd choice single from the Whatever You Want album as it was completely different to Living On An Island.
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matt
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 1,013
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Post by matt on Mar 12, 2024 23:20:52 GMT
Backwater is the one that got away
Who asked you is a fantastic song as well
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Post by roadhouse on Mar 13, 2024 15:51:57 GMT
Alan's Who Asked You, would of made a good 3rd choice single from the Whatever You Want album as it was completely different to Living On An Island. But Alan doesn't sing lead vocals on Who asked you.
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Post by The Lord Flasheart on Mar 13, 2024 16:22:30 GMT
Techincally he sang on 2 Singles but they never charted and they were not "Status Quo" Hurdy Gurdy Man was the 2nd singles The Spectres released. While he shared vocals with Francis on We Ain't Got Nothin Yet.
Having said that What Your'e Proposing Alan is on backing vocals througout that one. Rick never sings any of it.
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Dark
Rocker Rollin'
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Favourite Quo Album: Quo
Favourite other bands.: Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Huey Lewis,
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Post by Dark on Mar 13, 2024 16:24:50 GMT
I understand why the Record company went with the Rossi sung, Ol' Rag Blues, as he was the recognised frontman of the band, and had sung lead on the majority of their singles. But I think from a marketing opportunity, to have released the Lancaster version. Surely they could have got column inches/coverage out of saying, for the first time here is a single release sung by Alan. Actually made a thing about it.
On the topic of who sung the singles. There was that period in the mid to late 70s where you had Rick sing a few, two each from Blue For You & Whatever You Want, plus Again & Again. After which it never happened again, unless you count Don't Drive My Car, but for all you can say it was a double A-side, in reality it was on the flip side of the vinyl. So other than tracks which had a Rick sung verse or bridge, the record company decided to only release Rossi sung tracks.
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Post by The Lord Flasheart on Mar 13, 2024 16:26:57 GMT
Just marketing reasons. Francis was seen as the frontman from the off and Rick secondary when he joined the band. Perhaps some of Alan’s songs weren’t strong enough no offence. Backwater was the band’s preferred choice as single until the record company insisted on Break the rules instead. I suppose not many groups have three lead singers. The Beatles stones and the who did but rarely got any singles with John Entwhistle , Bill Wyman singing on them. Even bands like Queen had 3 singers but none of Roger Taylor’s or Brian may’s ones got put out. Long Away was released as a single in America and New Zealand, that's all Brian May. Plus he gets to sing the opening verses of Who Wants to Live Forever and the Bridge of I Want It All. Though released after Freddie's passing Let Me Live from Made In Heaven has all 3 of them on vocals. While No-One but You again has both Brian and Roger on vocals but of course Freddie was long gone by the time that was written and recorded.
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