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Post by curiousgirl on Dec 24, 2020 11:36:11 GMT
I found a paperback copy of the book by Andrew Cope on Quo's music. Looks fascinating and he sets them in the context of the 70s music scene. That's Christmas reading sorted. One up from the annual or latest Tintin book I would get as a kid. I'll report back once I've read it. Its slim, no photos but lots and lots of info on their music.
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Post by curiousgirl on Dec 24, 2020 12:00:22 GMT
Just read the short intro and already excited to read on. Interviews with Alan and John and Bob Young.
Won't be reporting anything further yet as I have things to do for now. But if you want to know how they recorded those early tracks, this is looking like the book to tell you.
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Post by curiousgirl on Jan 6, 2021 8:32:36 GMT
I've started reading this now. And its a gem of a book.
Andrew Cope was, like many of us here, a teenage fan from the 70s and he played lead guitar.
I'm only on Ch 1 but I'm loving how he puts their music in detailed context of the other bands around at the time and how they all influenced one another. Stuff we know but he writes so well.
A couple of lines that leapt out at me, (a writer).
Describing the hardcore 70s fans. "Keep calm and carry on rocking became their mantra as the Quo machine bulldozed and crushed every bad review into insignificance."
Of the whole musical shift of the late 60s into 70s rock, he says, "those bands were all moving together like interacting cogs in some kind of rock machinery set in motion by shifting cultural changes."
And final quote is on the album Spare Parts which he affectionately describes as "sounding like the love child of the Bee Gees and Marmalade."
Really enjoying it so far. And for the musicians amongst us, it goes into real detail about composition etc. I have a basic musical knowledge to play piano/guitar but I suspect that will be harder for me to grasp. I'm curious about learning more though.
I'll write a short review once I've finished it. But couldn't resist sharing these snippets here.
Thanks Andy, if you read this. I delighted to see Quo finally given the respect we all know they deserve.
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mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,833
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 6, 2021 10:25:46 GMT
....And final quote is on the album Spare Parts which he affectionately describes as "sounding like the love child of the Bee Gees and Marmalade.".... That's quite an ironic quote because when Marmalade changed their style around 1973, one review called them " a poor man's Status Quo" One of my favourite all time singles which I still play to this day is their Our House Is Rockin' which, to me, is terrific and very much in that heavy Quo vein of the time. Glad you're enjoying it though. It's not a book I've seen before
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Post by Gaz on Jan 6, 2021 11:29:14 GMT
Awesome cover photo... amazing to think Captain Rossi has steered the good ship Quo through over 50 years of adventures from full steam ahead to those abandoning ship, dismissals, storms, and then onto clearer waters to what is now left of the mighty Quo drifting in the doldrums while waiting for a clearer future with this pandemic in place. He is a survivor but just reflecting on that particular photo leaves me in no doubt of that magical band I saw and HEARD in Canberra, then Sydney back in the 70s... they were the real deal.That is Quo.
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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 Jan 6, 2021 13:16:18 GMT
Is it purely from a fan/music lover's perspective, or is their any "insider" type info we might now know about? For example - who wrote which bits of songs? (not that i'd expect anyone other than the band to know). Cheers!
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mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,833
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 6, 2021 13:29:23 GMT
Awesome cover photo... amazing to think Captain Rossi has steered the good ship Quo through over 50 years of adventures from full steam ahead to those abandoning ship, dismissals, storms, and then onto clearer waters to what is now left of the mighty Quo drifting in the doldrums while waiting for a clearer future with this pandemic in place. He is a survivor but just reflecting on that particular photo leaves me in no doubt of that magical band I saw and HEARD in Canberra, then Sydney back in the 70s... they were the real deal.That is Quo. Another shipwreck?
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Post by curiousgirl on Jan 6, 2021 13:39:48 GMT
Is it purely from a fan/music lover's perspective, or is their any "insider" type info we might now know about? For example - who wrote which bits of songs? (not that i'd expect anyone other than the band to know). Cheers! From both points of view. He's interviewed as many band members as he can but sadly not Rick and Francis. But he does quote them from anything available. He's also a trained musicologist as well as a musician, so there is great info on music/playing styles etc. Today I learned the difference between 12 bar blues and a honky tonk blues riff. I'm also enjoying how he discusses studio techniques, what instruments and tricks they used to create the sound. This is so much more than a fan's pov. But being a fan he's not sneering in anyway. And he knows a lot about the other bands of the same period. I'm only on the early years of the 60s but he is able to spot their influences and note how much they studied other bands of the time as they learned their craft. And he references specific songs from others who influenced the whole scene. He is not saying that Quo copied them. I'm enjoying that as much as the Quo specifics. John and Alan gave freely of their times/interviews and I'm hoping they will reveal more of who played what.
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Post by curiousgirl on Jan 6, 2021 13:46:43 GMT
....And final quote is on the album Spare Parts which he affectionately describes as "sounding like the love child of the Bee Gees and Marmalade.".... That's quite an ironic quote because when Marmalade changed their style around 1973, one review called them " a poor man's Status Quo" One of my favourite all time singles which I still play to this day is their Our House Is Rockin' which, to me, is terrific and very much in that heavy Quo vein of the time. Glad you're enjoying it though. It's not a book I've seen before Wow, I love that insight about Marmalade to support his description. That really tickles me. When the book first came out in hardback is was over £100. And it has no photos and its A5. So it wasn't really discussed on here. It's mostly aimed at music students at college but he has written it to make it accessible to fans also. And there are plenty of cultural references too. And gigs I've never heard of. He mentioned one from 73 (can't find exact one but I'll to post later). Fingers crossed it will be a goldmine of details in that way. Its now in paperback and I found it for £34 online. Not cheap but with all that research and insight, I'm very happy with that.
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mortified
4500 Timer
Posts: 5,833
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 6, 2021 14:19:42 GMT
Just had a look online. The hardback is available on Amazon but it's still a whopping £79.43. The paperback is £34.95 and the Kindle edition £26.63. I'd get the e-book but I do like my Quo stuff to be part of the physical collection. I got a handsome voucher for Amazon for Christmas. I've got my eye on a few vinyls but now I'm torn. As Natalie Imbruglia once told me during some pillow talk He wished How many pages is it, curiousgirl?
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Post by curiousgirl on Jan 6, 2021 18:01:11 GMT
Just had a look online. The hardback is available on Amazon but it's still a whopping £79.43. The paperback is £34.95 and the Kindle edition £26.63. I'd get the e-book but I do like my Quo stuff to be part of the physical collection. I got a handsome voucher for Amazon for Christmas. I've got my eye on a few vinyls but now I'm torn. As Natalie Imbruglia once told me during some pillow talk He wished How many pages is it, curiousgirl ? I know its not cheap, is it! They put out the kindle and paperback versions due to demand from Quo fans, I gathered from the author's website. It was originally aimed at university and college libraries. Page count = 130. Its slim but type face is small and its densely written. I think it depends on how much of a musician you are and/or whether you would read it more than once. I do understand that pull for the physical copy though. Its why I've waited over a year to read it.
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gerh
Grizzled Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 2,946
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 Jan 6, 2021 19:01:28 GMT
I see it's a Routledge publication - that usually means 'Academic' material - that be right in this case? [Btw, Yeah, I love the cover too - that's my Quo!]
Damn, sorry cg - I just read your last post now! 🙄
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Post by dennis on Jan 9, 2021 0:57:33 GMT
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