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Post by paradiseflats on Oct 18, 2020 11:58:48 GMT
I thought there had been a bit of a falling out between FR and Dave Edmunds and that’s why the rest of the album went to Pip. But that was from an article from many years ago, or perhaps I dreamt it. There was something at the time. I remember Francis saying in an interview that he'd lost respect for Dave Edmunds after he'd produced Rollin' Home and Red Sky. Not sure if they fell out or just that the decision was taken not to use him for the album. Almost like these two tracks were a dummy run and it wasn't the sound they (or Francis) wanted or hoped for. But Quo were all over the place at the time. Some of the decisions seemed incomprehensible, not least of which was the decision to play Sun City in South Africa. That bordered on the suicidal career wise. They're very lucky they got away with that one. I know I was very unhappy and just a little embarrassed about it at the time. I am not surprised they played Sun City... but thats my view of Francis and Rick just follow the money. But they weren't alone.. Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa, Elaine Page, Frank Sinatra, Queen, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, Julio Iglesias, The O'Jays, Ray Charles, Boney M., Black Sabbath, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, Laura Branigan and Thomas Anders all played as well. Although in fairness to Bev Bevan he refused to play when he was in a version of Black Sabbath and left rather than play there.
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Post by frozenhero on Oct 18, 2020 13:20:19 GMT
We had 'Rollin' Home' and 'Red Sky' produced by Dave Edmunds...superb, guitar based Quo sound, I remember thinking 'Quo REALLY are Back'...but then Pip Williams produced the rest of 'ITAN' (and 'AC' with 'PR'), it rapidly went downhill (chart wise, although looking back, times were changing) was it Pips' production or Rossi/Frost 'taking over and saturating' Quo offerings with their solo orientated song writing? On the other hand, "In the Army Now" was by far the biggest hit from that album, the only song from it they still play regularly, and Pip's style was fantastically suited to the song. "Rollin' Home" and "Red Sky" did show a reinvigorated band but I'm not sure they appealed to people who didn't have an affinity to Quo before. By the way, the kind of speech on this thread seems very based on "if .. would've been better"... Rollin' Home (a song that I really enjoy) doesn't really have more guitar than, say, Dreamin'. It sure doesn't have more guitar and it's not as rockier as End Of The Line or Overdose. There's nothing in Rollin' Home and Red Sky that can make me say with any level of confidence that Dave Edmunds would have produced a rockier or "better" or more Quo-sounding album than the ones we had with Pip. Dreamin' was originally produced by Dave too, I suppose (?). But anyway, I can see what you're saying - the keyboards are also quite heavy on the two Dave Edmunds produced singles, but maybe more in a ZZ Top manner, i.e. accentuating the rhythm guitar parts. I'd certainly say that the rhythm section sounds fatter / more prominent on those two songs as compared to the rest of the album. It's quite a change from Rollin' Home to Calling... much more echo and reverb on the latter.
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Post by Quoincidence on Nov 24, 2020 20:33:17 GMT
Having heard the early mixes for Army from the Sampler, I now believe it would have had more fans had it been left that way.
Natural kit sound, before it had been triggered like Petes kit had for 1982 and B2B (on the odd song), less reverb and overall more guitars in the mix.
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Post by twentytwenty on Nov 24, 2020 20:40:42 GMT
Having heard the early mixes for Army from the Sampler, I now believe it would have had more fans had it been left that way. Natural kit sound, before it had been triggered like Petes kit had for 1982 and B2B (on the odd song), less reverb and overall more guitars in the mix. Can that be heard anywhere?
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Post by Quoincidence on Nov 24, 2020 20:51:08 GMT
Having heard the early mixes for Army from the Sampler, I now believe it would have had more fans had it been left that way. Natural kit sound, before it had been triggered like Petes kit had for 1982 and B2B (on the odd song), less reverb and overall more guitars in the mix. Can that be heard anywhere? Not currently, no
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gerh
Grizzled Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 2,952
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 24, 2020 21:14:18 GMT
...An album completely produced by Dave Edmunds would have been a very different beast, he may have been able to make something of even the popiest numbers on ITAN. Hey TC, Even the Pope couldn't have saved the awful shite that had begun to erupt from Mount Quo back then! G
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Post by durango95 on Dec 3, 2020 11:46:18 GMT
Pip Williams did an excellent job on the WYW album and later on the ISOTFC album ,really good sound imo.
The albums ITAN,AC and PR couldn't been saved by anyone...
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Post by railroad007 on Dec 3, 2020 13:47:51 GMT
Total rubbish disc with a cover that I thought patronized the fans and insulted the Yanks at Iwo Jima.
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gav
Veteran Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 2,152
Favourite Quo Album: On The Level
Member is Online
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Post by gav on Dec 3, 2020 15:27:08 GMT
They could have taken the opportunity to portray the actual Quo army on the front cover of the album, something along the lines of the cover of 'Twelve Gold Bars Vol 1+2', although we'd still be debating what a terrible case of product confusion that would have been to this day!
I know they showed an audience-from-the-stage shot on the back of the 'Army' single, but that was largely a Queen audience, though probably all they had at that point, or the biggest crowd at least.
It would have been a nice touch to pay direct tribute to the fans - "for sticking with us, despite our diversion into ballet" - instead of the literal, military interpretation. I know that's what the song is about, but i believe it was a deliberate play on the 'Quo Army' thing as a nice bonus.
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Post by 4th Chord on Dec 3, 2020 15:41:02 GMT
There was something at the time. I remember Francis saying in an interview that he'd lost respect for Dave Edmunds after he'd produced Rollin' Home and Red Sky. Not sure if they fell out or just that the decision was taken not to use him for the album. Almost like these two tracks were a dummy run and it wasn't the sound they (or Francis) wanted or hoped for. But Quo were all over the place at the time. Some of the decisions seemed incomprehensible, not least of which was the decision to play Sun City in South Africa. That bordered on the suicidal career wise. They're very lucky they got away with that one. I know I was very unhappy and just a little embarrassed about it at the time. I am not surprised they played Sun City... but thats my view of Francis and Rick just follow the money. But they weren't alone.. Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa, Elaine Page, Frank Sinatra, Queen, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, Julio Iglesias, The O'Jays, Ray Charles, Boney M., Black Sabbath, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, Laura Branigan and Thomas Anders all played as well. Although in fairness to Bev Bevan he refused to play when he was in a version of Black Sabbath and left rather than play there. I'll tell you who didn't play Sun City. Don't ask me how I know...
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Post by railroad007 on Dec 3, 2020 19:17:18 GMT
I went to see them at Wembley in 1986 and at Hammersmith the same year, it just never had that specific Quo atmospheric intensity as before. A lot fans never came back after EOTR and it was a visual disaster with Rhino and Orville. At Hammersmith it was like the people who always liked to sit down in the rear of the balcony finally got to the front and had a nice relaxing evening listening to some band. I mean Dreamin instead of Over The Edge...nah.
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Post by railroad007 on Dec 3, 2020 19:23:28 GMT
I am not surprised they played Sun City... but thats my view of Francis and Rick just follow the money. But they weren't alone.. Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa, Elaine Page, Frank Sinatra, Queen, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, Julio Iglesias, The O'Jays, Ray Charles, Boney M., Black Sabbath, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, Laura Branigan and Thomas Anders all played as well. Although in fairness to Bev Bevan he refused to play when he was in a version of Black Sabbath and left rather than play there. I'll tell you who didn't play Sun City. Don't ask me how I know... Set a new outdoor record for piss bottle dodging at Selhurst Park.
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Post by dennis on Dec 3, 2020 21:12:38 GMT
I'll tell you who didn't play Sun City. Don't ask me how I know... Set a new outdoor record for piss bottle dodging at Selhurst Park. Aye, although I was very impressed with twinkle toes Sting at Reading '79, he was a nifty mover when he had to be
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Post by charles on Dec 3, 2020 22:17:19 GMT
At 3'30" Alan's taking the moral highground. Sore loser
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Post by Mrs Flittersnoop on Dec 3, 2020 23:31:40 GMT
I thought there had been a bit of a falling out between FR and Dave Edmunds and that’s why the rest of the album went to Pip. But that was from an article from many years ago, or perhaps I dreamt it. There was something at the time. I remember Francis saying in an interview that he'd lost respect for Dave Edmunds after he'd produced Rollin' Home and Red Sky. Not sure if they fell out or just that the decision was taken not to use him for the album. Almost like these two tracks were a dummy run and it wasn't the sound they (or Francis) wanted or hoped for. I remember that with great clarity. I was baffled and quite miffed by it - not because I am a rampant Dave Edmunds fan, or even because I think they are the two best tracks on the album (I do), but because .... if you don't want tracks that sound like Dave Edmunds produced them, then why ask Dave Edmunds to produce them??? Francis said something along the lines that it was all embarrassingly old fashioned, traditional, 1960s or something of that nature. I thought one of us, me or him, had missed something somewhere ... I'm still puzzled to this day. Maybe your theory is the one!
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