mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,835 
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 May 19, 2020 12:25:37 GMT
It's particularly interesting when you consider the hit singles. Rossi peaked in the early '70s, with very little to show after '74 apart from a brief flurry with Frost in '80 & a couple of efforts later in the '80s. It was just as well Parfitt came up with a few decent efforts in the late '70s, but even so, they depended on a fair few songs that weren't written/co-written by the band once the Rossi/Young hits well dried up.You gave me the spark of an idea so I've just counted how many singles since 1981 were released that were either cover versions or were not written by band members and I reckon it's 24, although I've had to go back and count and recount. It's in that area anyway. That surprised me, I must admit. I knew there had been a few, but not that many  That includes the covers albums (of course), two versions of In The Army Now and two versions of Anniversary Waltz. It also includes Running All Over The World. So maybe I'm taking liberties a little, but you get the idea. |
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gav
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 2,149
Favourite Quo Album: On The Level
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Post by gav on May 19, 2020 13:27:50 GMT
It's particularly interesting when you consider the hit singles. Rossi peaked in the early '70s, with very little to show after '74 apart from a brief flurry with Frost in '80 & a couple of efforts later in the '80s. It was just as well Parfitt came up with a few decent efforts in the late '70s, but even so, they depended on a fair few songs that weren't written/co-written by the band once the Rossi/Young hits well dried up.You gave me the spark of an idea so I've just counted how many singles since 1981 were released that were either cover versions or were not written by band members and I reckon it's 24, although I've had to go back and count and recount. It's in that area anyway. That surprised me, I must admit. I knew there had been a few, but not that many That includes the covers albums (of course), two versions of In The Army Now and two versions of Anniversary Waltz. It also includes Running All Over The World. So maybe I'm taking liberties a little, but you get the idea. Interesting. Kind of highlights their strategy of a great need to remain commercial at the expense of originality, in terms of hit singles at least.
I guess the hit singles promoted the albums, which promoted the tours so it's a sort of business model essentially.
They probably weren't overly bothered about the hit singles, as long as they had 'em. And so they could remain a reasonably credible albums band (though i don't think they were too bothered about that even) or at least a prolific one. The quality of the albums was on a downwards trajectory eventually, arguably - but even if they were aware of that, the albums reminded people they were still around, and so they could continue to make the big bucks from touring.
Sort of makes sense in a logical way, and i can even see why they aren't massively precious about their catalogue, and Francis has an ongoing need to prove himself artistically. Quo has been a money making machine at the expense of credibility since the 80's, and i can understand why he has a bit of a love/hate thing with Quo. I mean, he wanted to go solo in 1974 and 'express himself' ! He wanted to go Jeff Lynne a few years later, but i guess couldn't because of Quo's heavy workload. So we just got the naff backing vocals on a few Quo tracks instead!
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Post by MrWaistcoat on May 19, 2020 16:55:48 GMT
Very, very interesting, Viza! In their heyday Francis doesn't seem to be as prominent, as you've shown, but I think the graph/the curve would increase heavily in the following years. Regarding Gerdundula: I seem to remember that Francis (or Bob) once said, they were just messing around and having fun, so there's no significant reason for Manston/James. Apart from the wonga or whatever they were doing round this time  They did mention that recently so it may well have been them messin' around under the influence. The official line at one time may have been copyright stuff but Quo were given to moments of silly-ness. How else can you explain the lyrics to 'In My Chair' and 'Paper Plane'?! No idea if the tapes still exist or if long confined to the bin, but when Bob had been writing stuff with Micky Moody, in a hotel room in Bayswater, they had been consuming large amounts of Irish Stout and cheese and onion sandwiches and how, unsurprisingly, their legendary fart tape came to be recorded. Words to In My Chair can easily be explained in one word. Hashish  |
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Post by dennis on May 19, 2020 21:51:36 GMT
It's particularly interesting when you consider the hit singles. Rossi peaked in the early '70s, with very little to show after '74 apart from a brief flurry with Frost in '80 & a couple of efforts later in the '80s. It was just as well Parfitt came up with a few decent efforts in the late '70s, but even so, they depended on a fair few songs that weren't written/co-written by the band once the Rossi/Young hits well dried up.You gave me the spark of an idea so I've just counted how many singles since 1981 were released that were either cover versions or were not written by band members and I reckon it's 24, although I've had to go back and count and recount. It's in that area anyway. That surprised me, I must admit. I knew there had been a few, but not that many That includes the covers albums (of course), two versions of In The Army Now and two versions of Anniversary Waltz. It also includes Running All Over The World. So maybe I'm taking liberties a little, but you get the idea. Aye, Down Down was not only a peak but also a cliff edge. I presume you're starting your count with Something 'bout you baby, but it really started with Wild side of life 5 years earlier. |
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mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,835
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 May 20, 2020 4:54:46 GMT
You gave me the spark of an idea so I've just counted how many singles since 1981 were released that were either cover versions or were not written by band members and I reckon it's 24, although I've had to go back and count and recount. It's in that area anyway. That surprised me, I must admit. I knew there had been a few, but not that many That includes the covers albums (of course), two versions of In The Army Now and two versions of Anniversary Waltz. It also includes Running All Over The World. So maybe I'm taking liberties a little, but you get the idea. Aye, Down Down was not only a peak but also a cliff edge. I presume you're starting your count with Something 'bout you baby, but it really started with Wild side of life 5 years earlier. was the starter for 10 followed by Rockin'.... , I agree. I just thought it seemed to begin in earnest in the 80's. As a deliberate policy I mean. Or what became a bit of a policy. It's probably just me but, apart from the Thirsty Work period, I always thought Quo's own material was better than any cover they did. |
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Post by charles on May 20, 2020 7:05:39 GMT
With the exception of Roadhouse Blues: that song oozes Quo-ness; in fact I find it hard to believe it was written by the Doors.
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Post by MrWaistcoat on May 24, 2020 12:43:12 GMT
Does sound like a jig that we should all know but can't nail. Copyright issues seem to be the preferred reasons given for the Manston/James credits aka Rossi/Young. The song had been originally published by EMI and not Valley Music. There a number of incarnations of Gerdundula from Quo on different recordings.
The number of versions suggests to me that they weren't really sure what the best treatment the song needed. The live single is so different to the other versions. Light, heavy, instrumental....lots of arrangements possible with it. I really want to know now whether or not Francis came up with that melody, or whether it was lifted. Sounds like a trad jig type thing. If he did write it, no wonder he was thrilled with it. Back to the writing credits, can't help but suspect he did write it, but couldn't trust himself he didn't know that melody from somewhere else. |
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