R.I.P Alan Lancaster

Maybe as a bassist I have tunnel vision, but why does nobody - and I mean nobody - ever write anything about how pivotal Alan's bass playing was for how 70ies Quo sounded, even if he had never sung a note or written a song himself? Technically, Rhino can play circles around Alan (listen to Rhino's bass solo on the Judy Tzuke live album), but he never managed/manages to emulate Alan's idiosyncratic "down stroke with a pick"-insistence and urgency. When he was still healthy, Alan pummeling his Fender Mustang/Kramer drove and propelled the band. He played root note eights like no other bassist (though Roger Glover emulated him well on the Wild Side of Life single), he had a wonderful musical knack for his trademark slides across the fretboard, played sweet melodic lines up high, only to burst back into the beat with drama and renewed vigor. If you want to know what dynamic bass playing in a hard rock setting is (that is never dull or dead - like a lot of hard rock bass players can be), then listen to Down Down (long version) and you'll know. Alan's bass pulsated, throbbed & bobbed in the Quo wall of sound; Rhino is, with all due respect to him both as a person and a bassist, "just" a very good and powerful player laying down a solid fundamental.

When I started to play bass in 1977 or so, my style patterned itself after Alan's. Other influences (Glenn Hughes, Roger Glover, Jim Lea, Martin Turner, Gene Simmons) came over time, but Alan's sound and playing with, especially, the Fender Mustang (where the E-string always sounded quite different to the A-string due to the short scale nature of the instrument, so whenever he moved from one string to another, you'd hear it on the recordings!) draw a warm smile to my face to this day.

Of course, come the reunion, Alan was in no state to recapture his former bass energy, Quo was running on 3 1/2 cylinders at those gigs and Parfitt's inimitable rhythm roar held it all together. I'm still glad I saw the Frantic Four again at London Wembley and the following year in Stuttgart, it gave me closure after Status Quo in Wiesbaden in 1976 had been my first rock concert as a then 15-year-old, Alan stepping out of the dry ice and roaring "Love me baby, love me when I'm down" is etched in my memory forever.

That's still not 'nuff said about how well Nuff played (bad rhyme intended!), but it's a start. Don't rest in peace please, bludgeon the place with your Mustang, Alan!

I haven't posted on this thread because Alan passed away when I was on holiday in a cottage with no internet and no 4G and it was another week before I got back. It felt like too long after the fact. I only knew he had gone after my sister managed to get a text through to me and I was able to check e-mails in the odd café. 

Even now, I don't really know what to say that hasn't been said already. But here goes;

I only ever met him once. In 2010 in Sydney. Me and the future Mrs Mortified didn't know it then but we were present at a momentous meeting between Alan, Francis and Rick. Their first in I haven't a clue how long. We were just lucky to be in the hotel bar at the same time. 

I barely recognised Alan at first. He came into the hotel and it took me a minute or two to realise who it was. He looked very old and frail. Then it all began to pan out. He'd come to meet Francis in particular. Rick didn't know anything about it but he walked in on what was happening. I think the plan was maybe to surprise him later. 

Rick came over to our table and told me to run up to the room and get a camera because this was important. And this is the result. All 3 of them signed a notebook I had with me and dated it - Rick signed it "Quo 1968"; I have no idea why    It is all now beautifully framed and officially documents the moment. 



This is not a story I've ever put up on a message board. But now seems appropriate. Basically, this was the start of the reunion. Alan came up to us later after Francis and Rick had gone and he seemed like a true gentleman. Frankly, I was awestruck and could hardly speak but he just laughed. He hugged us both and off he went. We saw him at the gig at the side on the other side of the barrier close to the stage. There was some sort of party went on later that night. We weren't privy to that   But it was a memorable moment. Possibly as memorable as any of the gigs I'd seen him play with Quo up until the reunion (20 in all - I counted). 

RIP, Mr Lancaster. You gave me a memory that day I'll never forget. 

Mortified, a fantastic post. Yeah, so you were one of the first people to know of an impending reunion. You lucky thing!

Great story and photo Mortified. I've never seen such big smiles on the three guys - together! It even looks as if Francis and Alan are saying 'cheese'! I'd get that photo 'framed' if I were you!!!!

has alan beem laid to rest yet

Jeez Morty.. that's incredible.
And that photo..😲 Amazing story 👍👏👏👏

What a story! What a photo! Well done mortified.