dontquoteme
Rocker Rollin'
To Quo or not to Quo...that is the question
Posts: 213
Favourite Quo Album: QUO
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Post by dontquoteme on Nov 24, 2017 21:42:41 GMT
Wonder if he's thought about becoming a Tory MP when his band finally goes west....fits the criteria well these days 😏
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Post by madturk on Nov 24, 2017 21:45:42 GMT
A question for Bluehighway.....
I, like a lot of guys were totally immersed in music. My dream would have been to be a professional musician, go on tour etc etc. I just have a normal job and have realised I was just an amateur guitarist and lacked the qualities needed to be a successful musician.
But I just wondered what's the life like?
Recording, record company meetings, promotion, touring....
What are the down sides?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2017 22:06:13 GMT
It depends on who you're working with and what the record company demands. Recording is generally fun as it's just down to you what you play and for most of my post Rainbow career I've produced myself as well as many other people. Where recording can get tiresome is if you're in some foreign studio for months, away from home and closeted with the same people can lead to very short tempers and back in the old days it was only phone calls home of course.
Record companies can be s**t, when I started as a solo artist I was completely swindled by my first, an entire album of music was lost and never released and the masters "disappeared". This led me to a kind of double career releasing stuff under my own name and more experimental or political stuff under the Planet P Project name, something I've done now for over thirty years.
Touring is great apart from being away from home (two failed marriages and not seeing much of my kids growing up) but I was lucky to work with amazing musicians from the 80s onwards with Peter Maffay and his band and still do with my live band.Being on stage is the biggest thrill, new set list every night, solos by me or the lead guitarist being pretty free form so no two shows are the same, keeps the ageing brain going. The only downsides of touring back in the day were the huge amounts of drugs and alcohol, that at the time seemed normal particularly where I was living at the time near Munich. It was party central for rock musicians back then. But I kicked the drugs years ago and have been teetotal for coming up on ten years now.
Hope that wasn't too boring.
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Post by madturk on Nov 24, 2017 22:45:50 GMT
Thanks, it was interesting.
When I was younger, I think I watched too many VHS videos of concerts....
I was intoxicated by the thought of being in a band.
Whenever I tried to form bands though, I never met the right people.
I tried to organise a song or two to learn. I would learn my bit but nobody else could be bothered.
It wasn't meant to be.
On another point, I recently read that Steve Hackett was smart enough to start a personal pension plan in the 1970s.
Not everyone has the royalties of Paul McCartney 💰
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Post by Detroit on Nov 24, 2017 23:34:15 GMT
It depends on who you're working with and what the record company demands. Recording is generally fun as it's just down to you what you play and for most of my post Rainbow career I've produced myself as well as many other people. Where recording can get tiresome is if you're in some foreign studio for months, away from home and closeted with the same people can lead to very short tempers and back in the old days it was only phone calls home of course. Record companies can be s**t, when I started as a solo artist I was completely swindled by my first, an entire album of music was lost and never released and the masters "disappeared". This led me to a kind of double career releasing stuff under my own name and more experimental or political stuff under the Planet P Project name, something I've done now for over thirty years. Touring is great apart from being away from home (two failed marriages and not seeing much of my kids growing up) but I was lucky to work with amazing musicians from the 80s onwards with Peter Maffay and his band and still do with my live band.Being on stage is the biggest thrill, new set list every night, solos by me or the lead guitarist being pretty free form so no two shows are the same, keeps the ageing brain going. The only downsides of touring back in the day were the huge amounts of drugs and alcohol, that at the time seemed normal particularly where I was living at the time near Munich. It was party central for rock musicians back then. But I kicked the drugs years ago and have been teetotal for coming up on ten years now. Hope that wasn't too boring. Five more years Tony and I would have seen you on stage with Blackmore's Rainbow.
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Post by Gaz on Nov 25, 2017 11:51:19 GMT
It depends on who you're working with and what the record company demands. Recording is generally fun as it's just down to you what you play and for most of my post Rainbow career I've produced myself as well as many other people. Where recording can get tiresome is if you're in some foreign studio for months, away from home and closeted with the same people can lead to very short tempers and back in the old days it was only phone calls home of course. Record companies can be s**t, when I started as a solo artist I was completely swindled by my first, an entire album of music was lost and never released and the masters "disappeared". This led me to a kind of double career releasing stuff under my own name and more experimental or political stuff under the Planet P Project name, something I've done now for over thirty years. Touring is great apart from being away from home (two failed marriages and not seeing much of my kids growing up) but I was lucky to work with amazing musicians from the 80s onwards with Peter Maffay and his band and still do with my live band.Being on stage is the biggest thrill, new set list every night, solos by me or the lead guitarist being pretty free form so no two shows are the same, keeps the ageing brain going. The only downsides of touring back in the day were the huge amounts of drugs and alcohol, that at the time seemed normal particularly where I was living at the time near Munich. It was party central for rock musicians back then. But I kicked the drugs years ago and have been teetotal for coming up on ten years now. Hope that wasn't too boring. id reckon the biggest negative of being in the bubble of a very successful band would be the lack of family life especially when children are involved. Those years of a child’s life are priceless. Tony, whenever Francis mentioned his thoughts on not liking nostalgia re: the F4 reunion tours, I’m of the opinion that he means all those negative memories of the drugs grog culture which led to arguments and eventual partings of John and Alan... I don’t believe he’s talking about the music. Your thoughts?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2017 13:29:10 GMT
It depends on who you're working with and what the record company demands. Recording is generally fun as it's just down to you what you play and for most of my post Rainbow career I've produced myself as well as many other people. Where recording can get tiresome is if you're in some foreign studio for months, away from home and closeted with the same people can lead to very short tempers and back in the old days it was only phone calls home of course. Record companies can be s**t, when I started as a solo artist I was completely swindled by my first, an entire album of music was lost and never released and the masters "disappeared". This led me to a kind of double career releasing stuff under my own name and more experimental or political stuff under the Planet P Project name, something I've done now for over thirty years. Touring is great apart from being away from home (two failed marriages and not seeing much of my kids growing up) but I was lucky to work with amazing musicians from the 80s onwards with Peter Maffay and his band and still do with my live band.Being on stage is the biggest thrill, new set list every night, solos by me or the lead guitarist being pretty free form so no two shows are the same, keeps the ageing brain going. The only downsides of touring back in the day were the huge amounts of drugs and alcohol, that at the time seemed normal particularly where I was living at the time near Munich. It was party central for rock musicians back then. But I kicked the drugs years ago and have been teetotal for coming up on ten years now. Hope that wasn't too boring. Five more years Tony and I would have seen you on stage with Blackmore's Rainbow. Oh dear god I'd have been in an asylum after another five years or have murdered Ritchie with his own stratocaster. Things got no better as the years went as I'm good friends with Bobby Rondinelli and Joe Lynn Turner who kept me informed.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2017 13:35:46 GMT
It depends on who you're working with and what the record company demands. Recording is generally fun as it's just down to you what you play and for most of my post Rainbow career I've produced myself as well as many other people. Where recording can get tiresome is if you're in some foreign studio for months, away from home and closeted with the same people can lead to very short tempers and back in the old days it was only phone calls home of course. Record companies can be s**t, when I started as a solo artist I was completely swindled by my first, an entire album of music was lost and never released and the masters "disappeared". This led me to a kind of double career releasing stuff under my own name and more experimental or political stuff under the Planet P Project name, something I've done now for over thirty years. Touring is great apart from being away from home (two failed marriages and not seeing much of my kids growing up) but I was lucky to work with amazing musicians from the 80s onwards with Peter Maffay and his band and still do with my live band.Being on stage is the biggest thrill, new set list every night, solos by me or the lead guitarist being pretty free form so no two shows are the same, keeps the ageing brain going. The only downsides of touring back in the day were the huge amounts of drugs and alcohol, that at the time seemed normal particularly where I was living at the time near Munich. It was party central for rock musicians back then. But I kicked the drugs years ago and have been teetotal for coming up on ten years now. Hope that wasn't too boring. id reckon the biggest negative of being in the bubble of a very successful band would be the lack of family life especially when children are involved. Those years of a child’s life are priceless. Tony, whenever Francis mentioned his thoughts on not liking nostalgia re: the F4 reunion tours, I’m of the opinion that he means all those negative memories of the drugs grog culture which led to arguments and eventual partings of John and Alan... I don’t believe he’s talking about the music. Your thoughts? I think Francis has got so used to being the boss and one of the main stars he didn't want to go back to having to share the limelight and actually Alan and John getting the lions share of the limelight as they were the ones we all went to those gigs to see. Also there was the fact that it was a real return to rock and boogie, the pop element didn't feature and the pop element has always been Francis's thing, the rock was always Rick and Alan. The actual memories of drugs and drink aren't bad, I had the most fun and some terrific nights out with certain musicians over the years and reminiscing is a happy thing but none of us would go back, we're too old and sensible now. Francis didn't know what he wanted musically back in the 70s and still doesn't, that's always been his problem and now he's calling all the shots it just leaves the band in a sense of confusion.
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royston
New Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 24
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Post by royston on Nov 25, 2017 14:41:29 GMT
There seems a general negative vibe against old Rossi on this thread,a definate gold nugget of a debate topic,so i'm gonna toss my load on this biscuit as well.... As a player,I adore his style.Many a goosebump moment.He has written some of the finest songs ever recorded.He comes across as fairly decent bloke and has undeniable stage presence.However I always felt he seems slightly conflicted,while not ever fully embracing the rock side of Quo,even at times suggesting he doesn't really enjoy that period of the band. He seems ok use it when needed. A perfect example is the current Plugged in and rockin tour.
Quo is a business as much,in fact more now,as it is a band. In truth I'd bet Rossi wanted to go solo in the 80's,but couldn't cos the name Quo was still worth loads to the bean counters. Iommi did a solo album in the 90's I think but had to release it under the name Sabbath. They call the shots.
Perfect timeline...Quo split at end of road....everything that Quo put out after is actually released as Francis Rossi...everyone does their own thing...frantic four reunite for a tour,maybe an album at some point in the future...perfect.
I feel sorry for these guys. We should never have had the any post 84 Quo album bar Heavy Traffic put out as Quo. Can you imagine how classic Heavy Traffic would have been with John and Alan as well..as a reunion record,tour then...they would have abit younger as well.
If only......
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Post by 4th Chord on Nov 25, 2017 15:11:08 GMT
Five more years Tony and I would have seen you on stage with Blackmore's Rainbow. Oh dear god I'd have been in an asylum after another five years or have murdered Ritchie with his own stratocaster. Things got no better as the years went as I'm good friends with Bobby Rondinelli and Joe Lynn Turner who kept me informed. What a voice - JLT.
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Post by madturk on Nov 25, 2017 15:56:38 GMT
From the point of view of the musicians who are hired in to replace a band member, what a fantastic opportunity it must be.
It really must be exactly what they had always wanted.
I suppose for Rhino, Leon and Ritchie they are living the dream irrespective of us all grumbling about the band name being misused.
I have nothing against them, they're just earning a living.
All Rossi had to do was tweak the band name a bit and I would have no I'll feelings for him. What about Francis Rossi's Status Quo?
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Post by Gaz on Nov 25, 2017 20:01:35 GMT
id reckon the biggest negative of being in the bubble of a very successful band would be the lack of family life especially when children are involved. Those years of a child’s life are priceless. Tony, whenever Francis mentioned his thoughts on not liking nostalgia re: the F4 reunion tours, I’m of the opinion that he means all those negative memories of the drugs grog culture which led to arguments and eventual partings of John and Alan... I don’t believe he’s talking about the music. Your thoughts? I think Francis has got so used to being the boss and one of the main stars he didn't want to go back to having to share the limelight and actually Alan and John getting the lions share of the limelight as they were the ones we all went to those gigs to see. Also there was the fact that it was a real return to rock and boogie, the pop element didn't feature and the pop element has always been Francis's thing, the rock was always Rick and Alan. The actual memories of drugs and drink aren't bad, I had the most fun and some terrific nights out with certain musicians over the years and reminiscing is a happy thing but none of us would go back, we're too old and sensible now. Francis didn't know what he wanted musically back in the 70s and still doesn't, that's always been his problem and now he's calling all the shots it just leaves the band in a sense of confusion. Re: the limelight and having to share it with Alan and John on the reunion, it definitely made Francis lift a few notches as I thought he was sensational on the DVD.
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Post by Mrs Flittersnoop on Nov 26, 2017 10:57:32 GMT
That time certainly demonstrated that he doesn't need "young" musicians to put a squib under him musically. He needed the challenge of his old colleagues. Exactly what he didn't really want. He does like a quiet life, does Francis, he always said so.
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Post by Mrs Flittersnoop on Nov 26, 2017 11:26:48 GMT
One of the funniest things I ever saw was Jon Lord in a TV interview doing an impression of Ritchie sitting watching everyone like a small rodent or vulture (I forget which). Sadly I seem not to have kept the video, as I never saw it again.
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Post by Gaz on Nov 26, 2017 23:07:29 GMT
Ronnie Dio came across as a great guy from what I have seen of him but evidently their were clashes of ego between him and Tony during his Black Sabbath times. Ronnie was one of the nicest guys ever and one of my closest friends right up to his death but he was very driven and knew where he wanted to go musically and what worked for him. To say there were clashes between him and Ritchie is putting it mildly, it's what led to Ronnie quitting Rainbow that he wouldn't go down Ritchie's hit driven pop style. The same was true in Sabbath although he and Tony didn't have the fall outs he did with Ritchie, there was always a mutual respect between the two of them. Respect is a word that doesn't feature in Ritchie's dictionary. I found this short video with Ronnie James Dio, where he discusses Ritchie Blackmore, are fascinating and he certainly doesn't hold back. His comments about Tony (@bluehighway) towards the end of this video certainly back up Tony's feelings on Ritchie. This second video shows a glimpse of Ronnie's sharp wit and I had a laugh as he breezes through a few of Rainbow's releases where Ritchie wanted to be front and centre.
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