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Post by roadhouse on Mar 26, 2024 23:11:03 GMT
Just going back to the time when Quo came back all newly refreshed when the album In the army now came out, it even had the slogan Quo's Back on the reverse cover, but in hindsight would you say it seems sad that after just two albums In the army and Ain't complaining the steam seemed to run out, and by the 3rd album of this major comeback Perfect remedy really highlighted the fans that Quo had just 5 years previous to all this have really deserted them.
Sales of the PR album highlights this mostly, but it starts to make you think we're Quo really dedicated into making this comeback a lasting success.
The PR album wasn't widely respected by fans, but it seemed to be a major period where all the writing cracks were showing, and even musically by now it's a very different Quo compared to the FF era.
It pains me to say but we're Francis and Rick just using the name Status Quo to sell records, and to hell about the integrity of the band and legacy that the band built up over the years. In some ways the late 80s material really did upset the apple cart.
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Post by Quoincidence on Mar 26, 2024 23:52:57 GMT
I'd say far from it. The studio output, to many, had been poor for some time, but it was the production side that was now becoming the issue.
It also doesn't help that the band was still surrounded by vultures during this period, who only cared about how much money they could swindle from the band without anyone noticing.
They were a completely different animal. '86 and '87, imho, were very rough years, but that was bound to happen with Rhino and Rich needing to properly embed themselves into the band. By 1989, they were well on the money with how tight they were on stage.
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Post by MrWaistcoat on Mar 27, 2024 8:58:30 GMT
I think there was a huge amount of live steam. The band were very tight on the Army tour and the sound was great (apart from horrible keys on dreamin!). The enthusiasm and joy of the band was plain to see. Way too fast for some but no shortage of steam!
I think the band were massively focused on having huge hit singles with the name SQ. They would have said it was always like that, but that the new band had none of the old constraints. I think that with AC the band genuinely tried really hard to make a great adult middle of the road album and win new fans. It didn't work but I don't think it was for lack of effort / Integrity.
I'm not too sure what they were trying to do with PR. Francis at the time said "we want to sound like there's a band in there playing", which I think was a reaction to the negative fan reaction to AC. Again, it didn't work
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Post by Quoincidence on Mar 27, 2024 10:49:17 GMT
I think there was a huge amount of live steam. The band were very tight on the Army tour and the sound was great (apart from horrible keys on dreamin!). The enthusiasm and joy of the band was plain to see. Way too fast for some but no shortage of steam! I think the band were massively focused on having huge hit singles with the name SQ. They would have said it was always like that, but that the new band had none of the old constraints. I think that with AC the band genuinely tried really hard to make a great adult middle of the road album and win new fans. It didn't work but I don't think it was for lack of effort / Integrity. I'm not too sure what they were trying to do with PR. Francis at the time said "we want to sound like there's a band in there playing", which I think was a reaction to the negative fan reaction to AC. Again, it didn't work They made the mistake of going to Nassau to record, like they did with going to Montserrat for Back To Back. It was treat more like a holiday. |
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col
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 627
Favourite Quo Album: Dog Of Two Head, Piledriver, Hello, Quo, Live
Favourite other bands.: Ramones, Warrior Soul, Soundgarden, King Buffalo, Small Faces, Motorhead, UFO, Screaming Trees, Kyuss, Clutch
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Post by col on Mar 27, 2024 11:14:02 GMT
From 1+9+8+2 onwards, there had been a major shift, accelerating from when they had become a 'singles' band with the release of RAOTW.
71-76 they were an albums band who released great singles.
77-81 they were a singles band who released great albums (although somewhat patchy in places)
82-89 they were a singles band who released albums
The 90's were the wilderness years
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Xland
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 305 
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Post by Xland on Mar 29, 2024 13:20:12 GMT
Yeah I don't think running out of steam was the issue, but rather like when you're driving to somewhere you don't know and you follow someone who you think does, then you lose site of them, take a wrong turn, seems ok for a few minutes, then you reach that point where there is nobody in front of you, nobody behind you and your stuck down some country lane, in completely the wrong place, with nobody to ask for help, so you do what nature tells you to do, which is to turn around, go back the way you came and reach a place of reference.
Quo in that late 1980's period were just trying to be different to Status Quo for whatever reason, but with the same name, same live set etc, but on record wanted to be different or chase what was happening musically at that time. It was always going to muddy the waters.
I tried to liken it to Cadbury Dairy Milk in another thread, if you think of 1970's Quo or even just the 12 Gold Bars album as Cadbury Dairy Milk and the late 80's Quo on record as Milkybar, you had a situation where the wrapper said Dairy Milk, but inside was the Milkybar.
They did what they did, sounded like they sounded, some of the singles were fine and big hits, whether that did "gain" them new fans as Rossi has said about Army I'm not sure, were these people still buying Perfect Remedy, Rock 'Til You Drop, Thirsty Work and going to gigs etc?
In that late 80's period and through the 90's too, something that doesn't maybe get the attention it should, is how many 70's Quo fans were bringing their wives, girlfriends and children to gigs, might have been you alone or you and your mate in the 70's, but now it was you, some woman, maybe a mate and 2-3 kids too. That would have had a big impact on Quo ticket sales through the 90's especially I reckon.
Mike Paxman said it well though on one of those documentaries, something like, you had this great live rock band who were great live, but were going into the studio and making the wrong albums. Pretty much sums up the late 80's period really.
They had the fuel, they had the right engine, the right vehicle, they were just misdirected.
If in 1986, 1988 and 1989 they'd released Rock 'Til You Drop, Heavy Traffic and In Search Of The Fourth Chord, nobody bats an eye.
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