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Post by colmfoley on Jan 27, 2016 20:43:55 GMT
The 1973 live version of "Railroad" destroys the 2013 version so much it's not even funny. I often see people being hyper-critical about CQ but generously overlooking any aspect of the FF reunions that wasn't so pretty. Neither of the two come close to FF in their prime. Any song that was played live in 1973 and also the live 1976 album destroys the 2013 versions but also totally wipes the floor with CQ attempts . But why compare this ?? The penny must be dropping a small bit, earlier the reunion gigs were been compared to CQ ''live'' 06.
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Post by vivfromcov on Jan 27, 2016 22:54:36 GMT
I've got no axe to grind here. I approached this band with no knowledge whatsoever, and didn't even know there had been a lineup change for the first few weeks. In my eyes, 'Hello' had the same weight as 'Thirsty Work'. It wasn't until I became familiar enough with the music to make my own judgments that I started coming to conclusions. Remember, I LIKE a lot of the later work. I think they should play mostly later work on stage, with a few oldies thrown in. That would be playing your own material, and there's more than enough to fill a great setlist. Yet, they do not do it. Why not? The standard answer is they are giving the fans what they want, and yet, they really aren't. If the fans want to hear the old songs, then the fans would prefer to hear them by the people who wrote, influenced, recorded and produced them. That's giving the people what they want, if the people want the oldies, and according to Quo's current management, they do. They are talking out of both sides of their mouths. Anyway, I love the band and love a lot of the later material. I can understand your point of view. I would like them to play more recent stuff. It's just that when I listen to the Bula Quo Live World Tour double CD I don't hear a band doing nostalgia, and when I listen to the CDs from the Frantic Four reunion I do hear nostalgia. It's not about the songs themselves, it's about how you play them. When the FF reunited they listened (!!!!!) to the 77 Live album before playing. That's nostalgia. Whereas CQ have adapted the FF songs, at least the ones they've been playing over the years, to their own playing style, hence they are not being nostalgic. It doesn't sound like it used to in the 70s. I think it's great that you hear the newer cd's with no sense of nostalgia, just goes to show we're all different. For me, it's not just the way the songs are played or by whom, but how they are received and certain characteristics are more important to some than others e.g. a slick show or a loose gig. IMO in the limited time left, there is room for both current Quo and some reunion line up gigs. I disagree with your comments that the 13/14 reunion tours were just an inferior attempt to copy the Live album. Yes it was based on it but they adapted some songs ie MOTT, they introduced New old songs ie ASS&W and they didn't sound exactly the same as the 70's, so using your own argument, they were not being nostalgic at all!!! But in answer to the OP, actually yes I think their Live shows are based on nostalgia but does it matter? No I don't think it matters at all! Now that's one I would love to hear Al sing!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2016 23:57:41 GMT
The point about the wealth of post-86 material Quo have to play with is an understandable one, but the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of it won't ever see the light of day again because the band themselves don't have any faith in it. They have persisted with the HT songs so long because that is an album they are all proud of. HT was a concentrated effort to deliver a rock album, unlike those which preceded and have followed it, which were/are now seen merely as product.
David Walker's kind of promotion ensured that the band weren't taken seriously, and as such, albums hardly set the charts alight. DS charted behind What's The Story Morning Glory, but you'll never hear DS being compared in anywhere near the same light. It was a novelty record, and like all novelty records, of its time, and shit.
Quo have had 30+ hits since 1986, but again, these were bought for other reasons (completists) rather than for them exhibiting any musical prowess. TPAOY - a #11 hit, but like nearly all hits which have been released since the band became a parody of themselves (round about 1982), it's simple, harmless, melodic, but equally as dull, samey and repetitive.
Songs like YCR and DTG have something going for them, but the band thought that about TWT and LR. They were dropped immediately after the tour ended.
What's the point now anyway? The band only have a couple more years left. They've made their money. They wasted the opportunity to be seen as a proper rock band. Between 2002 and 2004 they were on fire - live and on record. Then Corrie came along, and it was as if Walker hadn't died.
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Post by dennis on Jan 28, 2016 0:54:08 GMT
Nostalgia just ain't what it used to be!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2016 11:33:03 GMT
CQ playing songs in their copy act like Blue Eyed Lady after the FF had played them as their originals, especially in the context of all the atmosphere and emotion created by playing together again, was a sure-fire way to undo some of the glow of appeal, excitement and spontaneity that was created by the original members in the first place.
Why oh why not place something from post 86 instead? Hey there is only another 30 yrs of choice available? doh It was easier for them to have a crack at Blue Eyed Lady and Oh Baby than it would have been to rehearse Dust to Gold. And I would love to hear them play that.
Talk about scoring an own goal. They did it in 2013 by releasing Bula Quo straight after FF, and then they did it again by attempting to please the hardcore by playing these 'niche' FF songs on the 2014 winter tour. It pleased neither the hardcore, nor the casuals. After the joyous reception those songs had received earlier in the year, it was thoroughly depressing to see them being 'covered' by CQ, and to go down so badly. So how to respond? Just do Somethin Bout You Baby and The Wanderer so that we can all twirl our fingers in the air. Then we're back in the comfort zone and it's business as usual.
Dust to Gold is a perfect example. You'd think it was written with exactly the purpose of live inclusion in mind. Such a waste!
The problem is that the more the usual path is followed, and the audiences that attend to the gigs are attuned to happy clappiness, the less well received something like DTG will be received. This is indeed what has happened, and why the changes that so many want aren't happening, and which in turn makes it so easy for the management to keep the status quo and not make the changes.
Its interesting about both SBYBIL and TW. Back at the time I quite liked both of these based on the usual Quo gig of the time, which remained rooted in good rock boogie. Clearly they are pop/rock commercial songs, but at the time they were simply covers that Quo had done. I also thought the videos that accompanied both of these songs also were very good and did not harm at all to the image of Quo back then
The problem became that by incorporating them into medleys and dumbing then down in Stars on 45 type clap alongs, they have degraded from Status Quo covers, through the years to parodies of the original band doing covers. It is this association which is reflected in the heightening of all the publicity and marketing.
CQ still write some very good rock songs - the problem is that the public image, and through live gigs is a far cry from a fair amount of the studio product that appears on albums. Hence most of it gathers dust, rather than uncovers gold
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Post by Gaz on Jan 28, 2016 11:55:09 GMT
It was easier for them to have a crack at Blue Eyed Lady and Oh Baby than it would have been to rehearse Dust to Gold. And I would love to hear them play that.
Talk about scoring an own goal. They did it in 2013 by releasing Bula Quo straight after FF, and then they did it again by attempting to please the hardcore by playing these 'niche' FF songs on the 2014 winter tour. It pleased neither the hardcore, nor the casuals. After the joyous reception those songs had received earlier in the year, it was thoroughly depressing to see them being 'covered' by CQ, and to go down so badly. So how to respond? Just do Somethin Bout You Baby and The Wanderer so that we can all twirl our fingers in the air. Then we're back in the comfort zone and it's business as usual.
Dust to Gold is a perfect example. You'd think it was written with exactly the purpose of live inclusion in mind. Such a waste!
The problem is that the more the usual path is followed, and the audiences that attend to the gigs are attuned to happy clappiness, the less well received something like DTG will be received. This is indeed what has happened, and why the changes that so many want aren't happening, and which in turn makes it so easy for the management to keep the status quo and not make the changes.
Its interesting about both SBYBIL and TW. Back at the time I quite liked both of these based on the usual Quo gig of the time, which remained rooted in good rock boogie. Clearly they are pop/rock commercial songs, but at the time they were simply covers that Quo had done. I also thought the videos that accompanied both of these songs also were very good and did not harm at all to the image of Quo back then
The problem became that by incorporating them into medleys and dumbing then down in Stars on 45 type clap alongs, they have degraded from Status Quo covers, through the years to parodies of the original band doing covers. It is this association which is reflected in the heightening of all the publicity and marketing.
CQ still write some very good rock songs - the problem is that the public image, and through live gigs is a far cry from a fair amount of the studio product that appears on albums. Hence most of it gathers dust, rather than uncovers gold
Another good post...especially the very clever last line.
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Post by lazypokerblues on Jan 28, 2016 13:15:33 GMT
Ooh yes, very clever last line, Catlady!
Yes they really are stuck in a no-win situation.
It wouldn't matter what they played. They could play April Spring, or Is it Really Me, or Breaking Away, or Cross That Bridge or The Power of Rock or Gravy Train or Dust to Gold and it wouldn't make a bit of difference. The crowd would, in the main, be static, with a flat response, impatiently waiting for the Proposin Medley or whatever would feel like a familiar routine.
Can you imagine what would happen if they swapped out Creepin up and Oriental for, let's say, You'll Come Round and Don't Waste My Time?
It would be like a breath of fresh air, and it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to the flow of the set, and EVERYONE loves Don't Waste My Time.
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Post by MrWaistcoat on Jan 28, 2016 17:04:33 GMT
Ooh yes, very clever last line, Catlady! Yes they really are stuck in a no-win situation. It wouldn't matter what they played. They could play April Spring, or Is it Really Me, or Breaking Away, or Cross That Bridge or The Power of Rock or Gravy Train or Dust to Gold and it wouldn't make a bit of difference. The crowd would, in the main, be static, with a flat response, impatiently waiting for the Proposin Medley or whatever would feel like a familiar routine. Can you imagine what would happen if they swapped out Creepin up and Oriental for, let's say, You'll Come Round and Don't Waste My Time? It would be like a breath of fresh air, and it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to the flow of the set, and EVERYONE loves Don't Waste My Time. Not sure I agree its a no win situation for CQ Yes they gambled (incorrectly) that old fans would return if they threw in some of the ff songs But what would win for them is further cementing their reputation as a greatest hits band Again and Again Mess of blues Ole rag blues Break the rules Lies Down the dustpipe Dear John If they replaced album tracks with these then the crowd would imo appreciate it a great deal... I think its a tad unfair for us to pigeonhole CQ gig goers as folk who only know raotw. Imo the vast majority have a greatest hits album and would enjoy hearing more of them As for nostalgia,if Oasis came back and toured ...that would be 90's nostalgia What band of 20 years plus in existence is anything other than nostalgia ? Not many
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2016 18:28:08 GMT
Its a situation that has been carved out to make what many fans on here want as difficult as possible that is for sure!
I agree that it is wrong to pigeonhole fans too much, and I admit to getting a little prosaic myself in that respect without ever meaning to offend anyone Its more about attitude and approach when it comes to gigs, instead of happy clappy show business, that's all.
I prefer my elephants to arrive wild as they should be rather than trussed up in unnatural circus pomp.
There is nothing actually wrong with nostalgia, its just a case that we get 'the wrong type of nostalgia'
A British Rail Slow Train anyone? letsrock
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2016 18:30:00 GMT
Regarding DTG, it should have been a single. It would have made people sit up and take notice.
But in one way I'm glad it wasn't released. Just imagine how much of an abomination the promo video would have been... As sick and disgusting as ITAN 2010. John Keeling strikes again.
Quo got it right with AIBN. It showed another side to the band. People were raving about it on Twitter. Aquostic wouldn't have done as well had one of the strum along numbers on the album been released instead.
The same principle applies to CGYM, IDMI, TWIG, JSD, TPAOY, RNRNY. They all hampered sales of the subsequent studio album due to being overly generic.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2016 19:06:35 GMT
I agree. We all deserve a breath of fresh air. It would be much appreciated if Quo swapped some of the songs they have played to death over the years for songs we haven't heard in ages. I'm not quite sure why they included Oh Baby and Blue Eyed Lady in their winter set 2014. I admit after hearing the original band play the songs the March before, it did come across as a bit weird. I probably enjoyed the songs a bit more than some of the other fans in the crowd. That's because I knew them and they didn't. So they were made to listen and find out. The stagnant set list has been discussed for ages, and I cannot for the life of me understand why they don't choose to play an overhauled set on each new tour. But that's a different matter now... They had medleys in their set as far back as the beginning of the 80s if my memory serves me well. They played one on their EOTR tour. I know quite a few people who actually like medleys. I don't. I prefer hearing the complete song(s). I think Quo like them as a crowd pleaser and for squeezing a couple of their better known songs into the set. RAOTW is one song they have played way too often in my opinion. But of course it was a massive hit when it came out. That really says it all. People loved the song, and it became Quo's anthem, more or less. I'm not a fan of the song, never have been. But there you go. It was one of their biggest hits, and it happened in 1977/78. So it's definitely not a 'CQ' thing. It has already been said here how much Quo's audience have changed over the years. But just look at the Live Aid performance and you can see how much the band had already changed by that time. And what followed then. It's not the band we knew before the EOTR. But it's not only Quo who have changed. A lot of other bands have changed, too, got new members, changed their style in order to survive and to adapt to the changing of the times. Quo went through some weird times, played some strange songs, but they have always been great live. And more or less true to themselves. They're still Status Quo although they do look and sound different. But what can you expect? It's been 30 years since the original band ceased to exist, and Quo are still going after all these years. That in itself is amazing. They have lost many of their old fans on the way, they have found new fans, got some of the old ones back (like me). If Quo were such a bad thing, people wouldn't still be here after all this time to discuss the band, would they? They would have quit 30 or 25 years ago, and that would have been it. Maybe it's also some kind of nostalgia - criticizing Quo for what and who they are and what they do, and not being able to let go. Just a thought.
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paul70
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Post by paul70 on Jan 28, 2016 20:41:16 GMT
I agree. We all deserve a breath of fresh air. It would be much appreciated if Quo swapped some of the songs they have played to death over the years for songs we haven't heard in ages. I'm not quite sure why they included Oh Baby and Blue Eyed Lady in their winter set 2014. I admit after hearing the original band play the songs the March before, it did come across as a bit weird. I probably enjoyed the songs a bit more than some of the other fans in the crowd. That's because I knew them and they didn't. So they were made to listen and find out. The stagnant set list has been discussed for ages, and I cannot for the life of me understand why they don't choose to play an overhauled set on each new tour. But that's a different matter now... They had medleys in their set as far back as the beginning of the 80s if my memory serves me well. They played one on their EOTR tour. I know quite a few people who actually like medleys. I don't. I prefer hearing the complete song(s). I think Quo like them as a crowd pleaser and for squeezing a couple of their better known songs into the set. RAOTW is one song they have played way too often in my opinion. But of course it was a massive hit when it came out. That really says it all. People loved the song, and it became Quo's anthem, more or less. I'm not a fan of the song, never have been. But there you go. It was one of their biggest hits, and it happened in 1977/78. So it's definitely not a 'CQ' thing. It has already been said here how much Quo's audience have changed over the years. But just look at the Live Aid performance and you can see how much the band had already changed by that time. And what followed then. It's not the band we knew before the EOTR. But it's not only Quo who have changed. A lot of other bands have changed, too, got new members, changed their style in order to survive and to adapt to the changing of the times. Quo went through some weird times, played some strange songs, but they have always been great live. And more or less true to themselves. They're still Status Quo although they do look and sound different. But what can you expect? It's been 30 years since the original band ceased to exist, and Quo are still going after all these years. That in itself is amazing. They have lost many of their old fans on the way, they have found new fans, got some of the old ones back (like me). If Quo were such a bad thing, people wouldn't still be here after all this time to discuss the band, would they? They would have quit 30 or 25 years ago, and that would have been it. Maybe it's also some kind of nostalgia - criticizing Quo for what and who they are and what they do, and not being able to let go. Just a thought. Some good points , yes. There was some interview, bout the new (88?) Quo album. FR said its frustrating that people say they want to hear something different quo material , not always that 3 chords, and then band (he) wrote some different stuff and people moaning; its shit. Ok. Then you do 'just' basic rock tracks; its shit. Again.. hard to be a Rossi:-)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2016 16:18:57 GMT
Some good points , yes. There was some interview, bout the new (88?) Quo album. FR said its frustrating that people say they want to hear something different quo material , not always that 3 chords, and then band (he) wrote some different stuff and people moaning; its shit. Ok. Then you do 'just' basic rock tracks; its shit. Again.. hard to be a Rossi:-) Only some...?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2016 16:45:21 GMT
They had medleys in their set as far back as the beginning of the 80s if my memory serves me well. They played one on their EOTR tour. I know quite a few people who actually like medleys. I don't. I prefer hearing the complete song(s). I think Quo like them as a crowd pleaser and for squeezing a couple of their better known songs into the set. RAOTW is one song they have played way too often in my opinion. But of course it was a massive hit when it came out. That really says it all. People loved the song, and it became Quo's anthem, more or less. I'm not a fan of the song, never have been. But there you go. It was one of their biggest hits, and it happened in 1977/78. So it's definitely not a 'CQ' thing. Its hard to criticise any element of an FF era gig, but the the FF medleys were probably the weakest link (if there ever was one at all) However, even with that said, because a lot of the songs in the medleys were at least edited slots of their own songs, and they were a bit-part of a rock gig rather then entertainment show they were quite acceptable
In a similar way, RAOTW was an FF chosen song to cover - and one that I personally liked and enjoyed live a lot back them. Of course the RAOTW tour was my opening Quo tour, so I am bound to be partial to the song in terms of such origins.
However, on the other hand post Live-Aid 85, I have increasingly disassociated the song from its initial appeal because it has been covered and re-covered by CQ so many times, and re-packaged commercially more times than a Nando's Chicken TV dinner...and then played to death for such an eternity beyond that, so now it is the ultimate circus ring song and a country mile from the anthem song that I thought it was in the 77 to 85 yrs.
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Post by frozenhero on Feb 5, 2016 15:53:54 GMT
Any song that was played live in 1973 and also the live 1976 album destroys the 2013 versions but also totally wipes the floor with CQ attempts . But why compare this ?? The penny must be dropping a small bit, earlier the reunion gigs were been compared to CQ ''live'' 06. I was comparing because some people were claiming that the 2013 or 2014 gigs were as good as the 70s gigs. Well they weren't and the fact that people say this shows how much nostalgia colors the experience. Quod erat demonstrandum (now that would be a good album title eh?)
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