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Post by railroad007 on Apr 30, 2022 15:58:34 GMT
They did some new things on that tour. The Drone. Opening with Caroline. Vox backline. Down Down. Andy Bown as part of the band onstage. Easing up for Dirty Water
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Post by blagult on Apr 30, 2022 18:34:28 GMT
Yeah I remember. Was a strange little UK Tour.
The thing I most remember from this tour was the complaints from fans at gigs about the sound being low and not as punchy. People didn’t seem to take to the new ac30’s back line.
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mortified
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Post by mortified on May 1, 2022 6:53:48 GMT
My main memory is that it seemed quite a change from what had gone before. And not that long before. It was only a year after I'd witnessed the recording of the live album and even less since the Stafford Bingley Hall TV broadcast. I couldn't put my finger on it at the time - I still can't - but something was missing. It was particularly noticeable during the encore. Down Down simply didn't work live back then. It has improved greatly since and is now a highlight. The thing is, the set was pretty terrific with a number of new songs in there; Rockin', Rockers Rollin', You Don't Own Me, Hold You Back and Dirty Water. Don't get me wrong, the gigs were still tremendous. But it did feel like the end of something. I suppose it was. It was the end of my teens for a start  |
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Post by railroad007 on May 2, 2022 14:58:50 GMT
My main memory is that it seemed quite a change from what had gone before. And not that long before. It was only a year after I'd witnessed the recording of the live album and even less since the Stafford Bingley Hall TV broadcast. I couldn't put my finger on it at the time - I still can't - but something was missing. It was particularly noticeable during the encore. Down Down simply didn't work live back then. It has improved greatly since and is now a highlight. The thing is, the set was pretty terrific with a number of new songs in there; Rockin', Rockers Rollin', You Don't Own Me, Hold You Back and Dirty Water. Don't get me wrong, the gigs were still tremendous. But it did feel like the end of something. I suppose it was. It was the end of my teens for a start Beginning of the end? That was my first tour, had the rawness gone a bit? I remember You Don't Own Me as a real highlight. |
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mortified
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Post by mortified on May 3, 2022 7:09:05 GMT
My main memory is that it seemed quite a change from what had gone before. And not that long before. It was only a year after I'd witnessed the recording of the live album and even less since the Stafford Bingley Hall TV broadcast. I couldn't put my finger on it at the time - I still can't - but something was missing. It was particularly noticeable during the encore. Down Down simply didn't work live back then. It has improved greatly since and is now a highlight. The thing is, the set was pretty terrific with a number of new songs in there; Rockin', Rockers Rollin', You Don't Own Me, Hold You Back and Dirty Water. Don't get me wrong, the gigs were still tremendous. But it did feel like the end of something. I suppose it was. It was the end of my teens for a start Beginning of the end? That was my first tour, had the rawness gone a bit? I remember You Don't Own Me as a real highlight. I've never been able to nail the difference and sometimes think it was my imagination. Maybe it was, although col of this parish shares the same view. He actually calls it a sea change! I wish we had concerts we could compare but there's almost nothing available from the 70's to allow us to do that. Certainly no full gigs. All I can say is that the 1982 NEC concert seems, in my head anyway, to be light years from what I saw in 1973 or 1976. Still magnificent. Just not the same. I suppose Dirty Water was an interesting one to throw in because up until that point, or certainly since 1973, they hadn't performed a 'quieter' song. They had done Claudie and Gerdundula (in 1975) to be fair but I never viewed these in the same way for some reason. 1977 was also my sister's first Quo gig and it blew her away so maybe it was just me coming out of my teens and seeing things differently. It was 45 years ago and memory can play tricks. But it was 45 years ago and memory can play tricks  |
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gav
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Post by gav on May 4, 2022 17:22:08 GMT
It's a funny one.
Maybe it was the first signs of the mood of the band changing. There will have been things going on behind the scenes that people weren't privy to - there always is, i suppose.
Alan always made the point that particular songs didn't work live because they had been dreamed up before being brought to the band/studio. The ones that had always worked required a 'performance' from the whole band together. And you can really sense that, for sure.
So in 1977, this had changed, massively. And they were trying things like Down Down, which weren't working. They were trying to become more, what, refined, or sophisticated, or something? And the awkwardness they maybe felt in doing that was somehow playing out beneath the surface in the gigs? They were uncomfortable, maybe? Or there was some weird tension developing because of that (and other things - drugs, Alan moving to Australia) which was somehow manifesting in this "sea change" which no-one can quite put their finger on?? I think they were also probably under massive pressure, individually, as a band, from record company, etc. etc. Francis admits in his book to being extremely unhappy, which you can imagine, but not to the extent that he describes. Him and Rick, maybe. Alan, leaving the bubble, was maybe able to view things more objectively and keep his feet closer to the ground. John, pretty unhappy too, but with no outlet.
The live gigs though - sounds like they might have been encouraged to be a bit less raw, a bit more refined. Maybe? Times were changing i suppose. They still had America to think about at that point, and i suppose mainstream America was loving the MOR/AOR (is there a difference?) sound.
But certainly, they had fractured after that golden period. You can make the case for that, musically and personally, although it's probably more nuanced than that.
But, you know, Status Quo still exists 45 years later, so.....
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mortified
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Post by mortified on May 5, 2022 5:55:41 GMT
There's something ironic about Quo becoming more "sophisticated" or professional in their approach, if that's what it was, when the punk and new wave explosion was starting to have a major impact.
Looking back, Quo were almost the epitome of some sort of punk mentality for a while. But heading in the opposite direction is something Quo seem to have done their entire career. I guess the lure of America, who came late to the new wave party, was still there.
I'd like to emphasise the point that the gigs towards the end of '77 - and way beyond - were still superb. They were still pretty much the best you could witness. But from this point on, and this is only looking back in retrospect, there seemed to be a concerted effort to put together the set into something that flowed. That old chestnut that has stayed with them ever since. I guess you could say a more professional approach.
Since these gigs, the opening song has barely changed in 45 years. They've dabbled with Paper Plane, Down Down and Whatever You Want but only quite briefly. What seemed like spontaneity has gradually diminished. Perfection sought, genuine pleasure discarded?
All very analytical. And probably way off the mark.
But something happened.
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col
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Post by col on May 7, 2022 12:04:45 GMT
There's something ironic about Quo becoming more "sophisticated" or professional in their approach, if that's what it was, when the punk and new wave explosion was starting to have a major impact. Looking back, Quo were almost the epitome of some sort of punk mentality for a while. But heading in the opposite direction is something Quo seem to have done their entire career. I guess the lure of America, who came late to the new wave party, was still there. I'd like to emphasise the point that the gigs towards the end of '77 - and way beyond - were still superb. They were still pretty much the best you could witness. But from this point on, and this is only looking back in retrospect, there seemed to be a concerted effort to put together the set into something that flowed. That old chestnut that has stayed with them ever since. I guess you could say a more professional approach. Since these gigs, the opening song has barely changed in 45 years. They've dabbled with Paper Plane, Down Down and Whatever You Want but only quite briefly. What seemed like spontaneity has gradually diminished. Perfection sought, genuine pleasure discarded? All very analytical. And probably way off the mark. But something happened. Something did happen. I have spent (wasted) far too much of my life trying to work it out, because sometimes it actually bothers me, which is truly quite sad, being bothered by something I have no control over and does not really affect my wealth, health or wellbeing. The gigs changed, the line up changed (keyboards on stage), the records changed, even the audience changed. The gigs were far slicker, some might say more professional. They were now a singles band who made albums, not an albums band who released singles. I dunno, but there was a massive change. They were now "mainstream". Any other band who changed, or got stale, I moved on from. For some reason, with this band, I didn't, or couldn't. |
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Post by railroad007 on May 7, 2022 12:48:02 GMT
There's something ironic about Quo becoming more "sophisticated" or professional in their approach, if that's what it was, when the punk and new wave explosion was starting to have a major impact. Looking back, Quo were almost the epitome of some sort of punk mentality for a while. But heading in the opposite direction is something Quo seem to have done their entire career. I guess the lure of America, who came late to the new wave party, was still there. I'd like to emphasise the point that the gigs towards the end of '77 - and way beyond - were still superb. They were still pretty much the best you could witness. But from this point on, and this is only looking back in retrospect, there seemed to be a concerted effort to put together the set into something that flowed. That old chestnut that has stayed with them ever since. I guess you could say a more professional approach. Since these gigs, the opening song has barely changed in 45 years. They've dabbled with Paper Plane, Down Down and Whatever You Want but only quite briefly. What seemed like spontaneity has gradually diminished. Perfection sought, genuine pleasure discarded? All very analytical. And probably way off the mark. But something happened. Something did happen. I have spent (wasted) far too much of my life trying to work it out, because sometimes it actually bothers me, which is truly quite sad, being bothered by something I have no control over and does not really affect my wealth, health or wellbeing. The gigs changed, the line up changed (keyboards on stage), the records changed, even the audience changed. The gigs were far slicker, some might say more professional. They were now a singles band who made albums, not an albums band who released singles. I dunno, but there was a massive change. They were now "mainstream". Any other band who changed, or got stale, I moved on from. For some reason, with this band, I didn't, or couldn't. Quo don't have fans, they have supporters like a football team. Thick or thin, rain or shine. |
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mortified
4500 Timer
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Favourite Quo Album: Hello!
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Post by mortified on May 8, 2022 6:33:28 GMT
There's something ironic about Quo becoming more "sophisticated" or professional in their approach, if that's what it was, when the punk and new wave explosion was starting to have a major impact. Looking back, Quo were almost the epitome of some sort of punk mentality for a while. But heading in the opposite direction is something Quo seem to have done their entire career. I guess the lure of America, who came late to the new wave party, was still there. I'd like to emphasise the point that the gigs towards the end of '77 - and way beyond - were still superb. They were still pretty much the best you could witness. But from this point on, and this is only looking back in retrospect, there seemed to be a concerted effort to put together the set into something that flowed. That old chestnut that has stayed with them ever since. I guess you could say a more professional approach. Since these gigs, the opening song has barely changed in 45 years. They've dabbled with Paper Plane, Down Down and Whatever You Want but only quite briefly. What seemed like spontaneity has gradually diminished. Perfection sought, genuine pleasure discarded? All very analytical. And probably way off the mark. But something happened.
For some reason, with this band, I didn't, or couldn't. Nailed 👍 And as railroad007 suggested, a large number of Quo fans were somehow a different breed. This band did something to you if you saw them in the early to mid-70's. It was like a form of mass hypnosis that a lot of us never came out of  Although I appreciate many did. I know; that sounds like pretentious or deluded bollox. Probably is. Probably just indicates that I'm easily swayed or open to suggestion Whatever it was, I never got over it. |
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Post by railroad007 on May 8, 2022 9:51:59 GMT
Any other band who changed, or got stale, I moved on from.
For some reason, with this band, I didn't, or couldn't. Nailed 👍 And as railroad007 suggested, a large number of Quo fans were somehow a different breed. This band did something to you if you saw them in the early to mid-70's. It was like a form of mass hypnosis that a lot of us never came out of  Although I appreciate many did. I know; that sounds like pretentious or deluded bollox. Probably is. Probably just indicates that I'm easily swayed or open to suggestion Whatever it was, I never got over it. Not going to deep but it's got to be something primal that your modern critic can't possibly be expected to like...they can't add anything to what's blindingly obvious, you're either from the tribe that tapped it's toes or you're not or, this what really happens, you're in denial. All shuffles come from blues in the USA and where does that come from? A long way from Mississippi or Forest Hill for that that matter. |
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Post by blagult on May 10, 2022 10:53:37 GMT
Everyone has their reasons it got to them. For the record personally it was the Power of the Shuffle live and no one did it better and a massively charismatic front man. Fairly simple.
Has never left me.
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Although I appreciate many did. 
Although I appreciate many did.