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Post by dennis on Apr 30, 2016 22:42:36 GMT
It was almost comical to read how they each bring their songs in pre arranged because they know how they want it to sound, whereas in the bad old days they would self-indulgently work the arrangements collectively to develop the song into the finished piece. A shame he's never reflected on what that difference in approach means to product quality - or lack thereof! Excellent point Dennis I can think of no better example than "Caroline". If the band had simply recorded the slow bluesy arrangements of Bob and Francis, it would probably never have been a hit single Aye, Rossi seems to think his songwriting is much better than it used to be & maybe it is, but because the musical arrangements aren't developed in conjunction with Alan, John & Rick they don't get turned into Quo songs & remain bland strum-alongs instead.
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Post by freewilly on May 1, 2016 4:09:27 GMT
I think it's an interesting interview, quite different from the ones we get on a regular basis. So thanks for posting, railroad. I like what Francis says about music being an emotional thing. That's always been my way of thinking, too. "Do you like it? Yes. Then there's nothing else to say. Do you not like it? No. Then there's nothing else to say. You don't have to say it's shit or the band are shit." I can also relate to what he says about phrases and words sounding just right and the melody saying the words, like there's "a sound in the melody". Interesting what he says about the topics and meaning of Quo songs. And how the band work up the songs. And of course that they're not that young band anymore, and that he's from a pop background, but didn't and doesn't like the image of the people singing pop songs. And that he loves pop and country, and that country doesn't appeal to people in England, but that to him country music is the ultimate music. So he actually talks about a lot of different topics and not just the final fling and Alan and John. OK....I'll bite 1. Francis cannot write a proper country music song. He never has and never will write anything close to a good country music song. I'm sure you'll bring up Dirty Water but, that song would be shite without that bassline and Rick's guitar work. 2. Francis' problem is that he has wrote an awful lot of shit, that could have been very good but, he won't let the band near it. Even with the FF, he won't let us hear what he wrote recently with Alan....Why? Because he's not in control! He wrote very good songs when it was a band effort with Heavy Traffic and the singles that followed....(See Interviews) 3. Music is emotive....You're 100% correct....With the exception of Tongue Tied, Francis can't do it all by himself these days. You Let Me Down is an amazing, emotive song...Yet, it was the band that worked together with it. I mean, I respect 90% of what Francis has done, in terms of song writing but, his ideas of country music is awful. It's not even country.....Francis is at his best, bouncing ideas off another musician or writing songs he knows how to. His period between 2001-2007, I really thought he was back to his best
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2016 9:40:45 GMT
Criticism in various posts as there have been, is not necessarily a signal of lack of interest. There is no doubting it was an interesting interview, irrespective of how much one agrees with it or not as the case maybe. I've always welcomed the fact that Francis has diverse tastes in music. I've liked a lot of the songs he has written for both incarnations of Quo. I agree that it is the blending of others though that has turned good ideas into great ones. In this respect I think that Alan and Francis was an overlooked writing and playing partnership that could have produced more than the greats it already had, and its a big pity and loss to Quo that alpha male-ness got too much in the way.
However, the piece meal description of how songs are collaborated very much confirms what is already suspected about the CQ approach. It also offers an excellent illustrative explanation as to why they haven't included much more of their own material in the set. If it isn't created in the spontaneous collective way that the FF used to record, then they are indeed going to find it hard to include in a set to 'make it flow' (as they are so keen to keep using as the excuse)
It might have been possible for a band like Pink Floyd to record and reproduce live that way. But for a rock/boogie derived band, much more difficult. There is no surprise therefore that the spontaneous recordings of the 70's are much easier to simply keep copying than the construction kit numbers of the more modern day band. I just don't buy his retirement dismissal of liking rock music and appearing to make out that he regrets being identified with the out an out hard rock image during the FF glory days of the 70's. There was certainly a large amount of acting a role on a stage that created an alter ego to the very different aspects attributable to the offstage guy - but he must own some of it himself otherwise Quo would never have successfully radically changed the way they did so starkly at the turn of the 70's. It required all 4 of them to be fully motivated and attuned to the full barrelled assault - and none less than the frontman himself.
As said before I think he tries too hard to promote his different tastes and come across as too much of a contrarian, and in the process contradicts not just his words, but his past. When such relevance extends to his old band mates, in terms of the things he says about them, that comes across as dismissive and rather patronising.
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Post by Whoppa Choppa on May 1, 2016 9:45:01 GMT
"He tries too hard to promote his different tastes and come across as too much of a contrarian, and in the process contradicts not just his words, but his past. When such relevance extends to his old band mates, in terms of the things he says about them, that comes across as dismissive and rather patronising."
Thanks Cats! Those sentences nailed my feelings exactly.
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Post by Victor on May 1, 2016 9:46:42 GMT
"He tries too hard to promote his different tastes and come across as too much of a contrarian, and in the process contradicts not just his words, but his past. When such relevance extends to his old band mates, in terms of the things he says about them, that comes across as dismissive and rather patronising."
Thanks Cats! Those sentences nailed my feelings exactly. And mine
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Post by 4th Chord on May 1, 2016 10:05:08 GMT
How was it nostalgia when I bet half the audience hadn't seen them before? Sigh.
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Post by Mrs Flittersnoop on May 1, 2016 12:35:50 GMT
I don't know if I've read that before or not, I don't think so, anyway it was good to read it.
He misses something. Like, he wonders why people don't notice the "comment" in All We Really Wanna Do (Polly) but people don't notice comment in most songs ... meanwhile, he loves Polly but it is still a nursery rhyme. It might have been hooky, but he's kind of buried the hook.
I was watching that programme on the Everlies the other day. It occurred to me how their sound - the harmonies and the pacing and the counterpoint with the acoustic guitars ... lifted many a fairly ordinary song into the realms of a masterpiece.
That is what the old Quo Sound could do on a good day. Caroline being the outstanding example. But that has trickled away now.
I'm sure he got off on the energy once, but it's like the noise and the posturing not to mention the negativity, first from the press, later from fans, got too much for him.
He's never going to take much notice of people shouting names at him, because he had all that from the press, and he didn't respect them, why should he respect rude fans? They seem to have this sense of entitlement that most people would not take with neighbours or people in their own community.
And I know that the FF was partly nostalgia because many a fan on the message board, whichever one was still in action at the time, said it was bringing it all back, the way it had been. That is why the tears (which I felt myself, even though I am a newer fan). But it's not just nostalgia (for anyone who has read this far .... ) A Spitfire is nostalgia, but it's also a wonderful thing in its own right. So with Quo. That is the bit he doesn't get.
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Post by Gaz on May 5, 2016 20:51:30 GMT
NO Frame. The "reunion" tours were not nostalgia - they were a REVIVAL, a RESURRECTION. For a few hours, you achieved greatness again - and it is still there; right within your grasp! Watch the Hammersmith 2014 4500X youtube video, for pity's sake, Francis. Re: FF at Hammersmith, Francis said he just couldn't understand what the audience were seeing or feeling... ask Alan John and Rick. The audience were seeing a great rock band playing with feeling.
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Post by frozenhero on May 25, 2016 11:07:21 GMT
Stuck in the 70's eh? Yup well I guess the rest of the FF and an overwhelming number of fans are stuck liking and enjoying fantastic music. Why would he denigrate the stuff that most folks like best? He may think his current song writing is best, but I hate to break the news to that thick skulled prick... it sucks. No one likes it very much. It's flaccid. It's boring. It's soul-less. And it's the reason CQ has become a joke. The problem is, you can't go back... and if you're a songwriter you mustn't come to the conclusion that your early work was better. Because if you reach that conclusion, it takes away all the motivation. Why do anything new? Let's just try to replay what we did in the 70s. As for the bold parts, those are obviously incorrect statements - and I don't even need to refer you to GHB's 'cutoff point' thread to make that point
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Post by frozenhero on May 25, 2016 11:19:49 GMT
Criticism in various posts as there have been, is not necessarily a signal of lack of interest. There is no doubting it was an interesting interview, irrespective of how much one agrees with it or not as the case maybe. I've always welcomed the fact that Francis has diverse tastes in music. I've liked a lot of the songs he has written for both incarnations of Quo. I agree that it is the blending of others though that has turned good ideas into great ones. In this respect I think that Alan and Francis was an overlooked writing and playing partnership that could have produced more than the greats it already had, and its a big pity and loss to Quo that alpha male-ness got too much in the way.
However, the piece meal description of how songs are collaborated very much confirms what is already suspected about the CQ approach. It also offers an excellent illustrative explanation as to why they haven't included much more of their own material in the set. If it isn't created in the spontaneous collective way that the FF used to record, then they are indeed going to find it hard to include in a set to 'make it flow' (as they are so keen to keep using as the excuse)
It might have been possible for a band like Pink Floyd to record and reproduce live that way. But for a rock/boogie derived band, much more difficult. There is no surprise therefore that the spontaneous recordings of the 70's are much easier to simply keep copying than the construction kit numbers of the more modern day band. I just don't buy his retirement dismissal of liking rock music and appearing to make out that he regrets being identified with the out an out hard rock image during the FF glory days of the 70's. There was certainly a large amount of acting a role on a stage that created an alter ego to the very different aspects attributable to the offstage guy - but he must own some of it himself otherwise Quo would never have successfully radically changed the way they did so starkly at the turn of the 70's. It required all 4 of them to be fully motivated and attuned to the full barrelled assault - and none less than the frontman himself.
As said before I think he tries too hard to promote his different tastes and come across as too much of a contrarian, and in the process contradicts not just his words, but his past. When such relevance extends to his old band mates, in terms of the things he says about them, that comes across as dismissive and rather patronising.
I agree that it would be better if they worked it out as a band and it would be easier to translate the arrangements onto the live stage. A lot of the studio stuff sounds great on the studio albums, but listen to the live versions of LOFC and GGG - they completely mess up the vocal arrangements. However, it's unfair to blame this on one person, because Rick obviously prefers this way of writing as well. And it started already in the early 80s, as Alan tells so well in an interview. So again, not really CQ-specific though something that separates the FF approach from later lineups Francis has always been a contradictory person, it's part of his character. No doubt that the focus shifted over the years, and many of us go from rebellious and cocky to conservative and reserved through their life. In his case, I guess it swings both ways whereas Rick and Alan have not changed as much because their stage image reflects their actual character more. For what it's worth, I think the interview is fair and understandable given his POV. Having not grown up in the 70s and not being 'spoiled' by nostalgia, I can hear the cracks very clearly and that's why I hardly enjoy the reunion documents, apart from a measly few tracks. Live! is a million miles away and still the yardstick for Quo live (though I know Francis doesn't like that sentiment), and when I want to hear a proper representation of what an aging rock band is still capable of, the recordings with Matt are much more satisfactory because the band is well-oiled and it lives up to its own standards, IMO. Had the FF reunion consisted mainly of rarities, I would probably view them differently.
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Post by frozenhero on May 25, 2016 11:24:04 GMT
How was it nostalgia when I bet half the audience hadn't seen them before? Sigh. You could say the same of tribute bands like The Australian Pink Floyd Show. Many of their audience members haven't seen Pink Floyd but the goal is to see something 'like it was back in the old days'. The reunion, as good as it was, wasn't organic. It came with the expressed aim of trying to recreate the feeling of the 70s gigs, using the 1977 setlist as a template, ignoring every song written by Rick, Alan or Francis after 1976, even including the original announcement (that's pretty much the ultimate proof of the nostalgic conception). Something like Santana IV is the exact opposite.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2016 17:48:06 GMT
It was almost comical to read how they each bring their songs in pre arranged because they know how they want it to sound, whereas in the bad old days they would self-indulgently work the arrangements collectively to develop the song into the finished piece. A shame he's never reflected on what that difference in approach means to product quality - or lack thereof! Don't know if it relates but I recall Al saying that in the studio they recorded as if it were live. Not sure what he meant by that.Hi All, Possibly try to do whatever they were recording in one take or just imagining they were performing the song for the first time to an audience to add that rawness ?
I think that judging by the amount of negative posts written here about the interview he has obviously stirred up a lot of emotion. It is this feeling he is failing to understand, that most on this forum and in general long term followers through the formative years He/Alan/John and Rick played together still feel the band are quite capable of generating, dare I say even without John and Alan if he could be arsed to do so.
The years of poprock that CQ have dished out with the odd heavier track have while making them shed loads of money also alienated the older followers who have put Quo where they are. I like many have continued to buy there albums but prefer the FF like many fans grew up with at school.
His attitude of the reunion tour stinks and is very ignorant of the fact that others have helped put his band where they sit. He acts at times as if he wished the FF never existed or at least remind him of a time he is embarrassed about. The sad thing is it's his history he owes all of what he has now to the FF and their success.
When he quoted about John and Alan being stuck in the 70's (Not for the first time) and when playing looking left and right because he could not see what the fans could. Maybe it is nostalgic ? So what nothing wrong with that, but to then slag off his so called friends was crass to say the least. I had always had a high opinion of Francis as being the band leader must be a high pressure job ? well that was until what he said about the reunion worst of all he shows how little he really cares and proves what many have said on the forum in the past.
Such a shame really................
Geoff.
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Post by Detroit on May 25, 2016 18:03:44 GMT
Don't know if it relates but I recall Al saying that in the studio they recorded as if it were live. Not sure what he meant by that.Hi All, Possibly try to do whatever they were recording in one take or just imagining they were performing the song for the first time to an audience to add that rawness ?
I think that judging by the amount of negative posts written here about the interview he has obviously stirred up a lot of emotion. It is this feeling he is failing to understand, that most on this forum and in general long term followers through the formative years He/Alan/John and Rick played together still feel the band are quite capable of generating, dare I say even without John and Alan if he could be arsed to do so.
The years of poprock that CQ have dished out with the odd heavier track have while making them shed loads of money also alienated the older followers who have put Quo where they are. I like many have continued to buy there albums but prefer the FF like many fans grew up with at school.
His attitude of the reunion tour stinks and is very ignorant of the fact that others have helped put his band where they sit. He acts at times as if he wished the FF never existed or at least remind him of a time he is embarrassed about. The sad thing is it's his history he owes all of what he has now to the FF and their success.
When he quoted about John and Alan being stuck in the 70's (Not for the first time) and when playing looking left and right because he could not see what the fans could. Maybe it is nostalgic ? So what nothing wrong with that, but to then slag off his so called friends was crass to say the least. I had always had a high opinion of Francis as being the band leader must be a high pressure job ? well that was until what he said about the reunion worst of all he shows how little he really cares and proves what many have said on the forum in the past.
Such a shame really................
Geoff. about the fans who buy his material that put hi money in the bank.
Good post but just to mention that I haven't bought any Quo since NTL.
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Post by gentlemanjoe on May 25, 2016 19:20:01 GMT
...am not even going to bother,
All I can say is, Manchester FF gig in 2013, got me going like nothing had done since the Charlie gig in 1982.
Nuff said.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2018 18:58:39 GMT
Interesting. Not seen that before.
From a musical point of view I just love the bloke. He’s given me countless hours of listening pleasure. Do I like him as a person? No.
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