|
|
Post by curiousgirl on Oct 24, 2016 10:10:34 GMT
The songs weren't "given a fair chance" for one reason - most were "beige" and instantly forgettable I can recall virtually every album track from the 70 to 81 albums.....  .....from 82 until the present day, for the most part, it's difficult to recall which insipid track was on which album  I partly agree with you kiwipom. But for me, I remember all the early stuff 'cos I was so young and everything was new. Or else why would Jealousy still be in my brain?  |
|
|
|
Post by markquo on Oct 24, 2016 12:28:32 GMT
Here's my choice of tracks 85-95 that wouid go on one album IMO
Not in any particular order either :
Lean Machine
The power of Rock
Cream of the Crop
One Man Band
No problem
Save Me
Long legged girls
Rotten to the Bone
Halloween
Goin nowhere
Like a zombie
That was hard enough to do to find 11
Cheers
|
|
|
|
Post by kachunk on Oct 24, 2016 16:10:14 GMT
I don't think that the FF could have been as successful in the mid-'80's if they'd have stayed together. Rock music was passé by the mid-'80's where as Metal wasn't.Guitar music became huge again around 1992/3 and had the FF kept on going and stuck to their principles,they perhaps would have had a rejuvenated reputation and certainly some credibility amongst the younger crowd. RAOTW & IYCSTH were done in that style and produced that way largely due to record company pressure to break America. From 1+9+8+2 onwards,it was a deliberate decision from the band,or one of them in particular,to become a soft rock/M.O.R band,mainly because one insecure show off was desperate to show the public and other artists that he was so much more than that bloke who does the songs with three chords. Even before the end of the '80's,Quo's record sales had paid the price for this decision. I think FR agreed with you during the 80's. Remember a late 80's interview where he said that rock fans "are into harder stuff now" My take is a little different Quo had the perfect thing going in the early to mid 80's: a rock audience / dedicated fanbase buying the albums and getting the singles into the charts. Genuine crossover into the mainstream/pop world via the singles/airplay and TV appearances. Take the NTL album - it was accepted by the rock (and metal!) world, yet the band covered it's tracks with SYBIL and got away with it. When rock went metal in the early 80's, Quo won fans from this genre. Rock was deadish 83-87, but Quo had a huge number of hits during this time and we agree that they hugely harmed themselves by trashing it's fanbase during this time Metal was big again by the late 80's - and although they weren't metal, the likes of Guns n Roses and Black Crowes were huge, and huge in the metal scene. Again, had Quo stayed true to it's 70's sound, they would have continued to win new fans. As it was, the band had become a joke in the rock world My point is that Quo had proved with punk that they could survive musical fashions and trends - all they needed to do was keep fans happy, keep the commercial (not poppy) singles coming, and keep the live heaviness going. By 1988, the were failing on all three fronts. You're right that they easily weathered the punk storm,like they also did with disco and glam rock. I think that three of the group would have been happy to have carried on in their '70's style but one was really wasn't. They used to sell around 300,000 copies of each album.That's a respectable number but Francis thought that Joe Public could be tempted into the fold by softening the sound.This was the mistake.Joe Public is fickle and dropped the band pretty soon after a brief interest in Quo.The long term fans felt betrayed and left as well. As you say,they should have stuck to their guns.I'm still sure that they would have a few lean years in the mid to late '80's,as all the big '70's acts did,but by the time guitar based rock came back to stay in the early '90's,Quo would have transformed into respected elder statesmen of rock. Remember when Oasis were dubbed "Oasis Quo"?.Instead of being seen as the worst compliment you could give somebody,had Quo remained the same then being compared to Quo would be a big plus for any act rather than the biggest minus ever. |
|
viza
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 412 
|
Post by viza on Oct 24, 2016 21:04:33 GMT
Here's my choice of tracks 85-95 that wouid go on one album IMO Not in any particular order either : Lean Machine The power of Rock Cream of the Crop One Man Band No problem Save Me Long legged girls Rotten to the Bone Halloween Goin nowhere Like a zombie That was hard enough to do to find 11 Cheers I can only recall about half of these. It must have been a musically poor time for the band. |
|
|
|
Post by Detroit on Oct 24, 2016 21:11:15 GMT
Here's my choice of tracks 85-95 that wouid go on one album IMO Not in any particular order either : Lean Machine The power of Rock Cream of the Crop One Man Band No problem Save Me Long legged girls Rotten to the Bone Halloween Goin nowhere Like a zombie That was hard enough to do to find 11 Cheers I can only recall about half of these. It must have been a was a musically poor time for the band. Fixed that for you. |
|
|
|
Post by bridsparegular on Oct 24, 2016 21:31:29 GMT
I think FR agreed with you during the 80's. Remember a late 80's interview where he said that rock fans "are into harder stuff now" My take is a little different Quo had the perfect thing going in the early to mid 80's: a rock audience / dedicated fanbase buying the albums and getting the singles into the charts. Genuine crossover into the mainstream/pop world via the singles/airplay and TV appearances. Take the NTL album - it was accepted by the rock (and metal!) world, yet the band covered it's tracks with SYBIL and got away with it. When rock went metal in the early 80's, Quo won fans from this genre. Rock was deadish 83-87, but Quo had a huge number of hits during this time and we agree that they hugely harmed themselves by trashing it's fanbase during this time Metal was big again by the late 80's - and although they weren't metal, the likes of Guns n Roses and Black Crowes were huge, and huge in the metal scene. Again, had Quo stayed true to it's 70's sound, they would have continued to win new fans. As it was, the band had become a joke in the rock world My point is that Quo had proved with punk that they could survive musical fashions and trends - all they needed to do was keep fans happy, keep the commercial (not poppy) singles coming, and keep the live heaviness going. By 1988, the were failing on all three fronts. You're right that they easily weathered the punk storm,like they also did with disco and glam rock. I think that three of the group would have been happy to have carried on in their '70's style but one was really wasn't. They used to sell around 300,000 copies of each album.That's a respectable number but Francis thought that Joe Public could be tempted into the fold by softening the sound.This was the mistake.Joe Public is fickle and dropped the band pretty soon after a brief interest in Quo.The long term fans felt betrayed and left as well. As you say,they should have stuck to their guns.I'm still sure that they would have a few lean years in the mid to late '80's,as all the big '70's acts did,but by the time guitar based rock came back to stay in the early '90's,Quo would have transformed into respected elder statesmen of rock. Remember when Oasis were dubbed "Oasis Quo"?.Instead of being seen as the worst compliment you could give somebody,had Quo remained the same then being compared to Quo would be a big plus for any act rather than the biggest minus ever. |
|
|
|
Post by bridsparegular on Oct 24, 2016 21:35:20 GMT
Think the term the music press coined was actually "QUOASIS", and there were actually mock t-shirts on sale at the time. Now there's an idea for Porter to ponder for the next covers album if/when AQ2 bombs...
|
|
|
|
Post by whoaskedyou on Oct 24, 2016 21:51:18 GMT
I think part of the problem here is that they started down this road in 1982... then looking back there was a big image change in 86 ..look at some of those clips of Dreaming for example....quite a lot to take on board..there are some good tracks on a lot of those albums from 85 to 95.. And I was still buying product out of loyalty..but let's face how many singles got the juices flowing..Not At All? I didn't mean it ? ...they had run out of ideas..I actually don't mind Burning Bridges..I see why they went down the Thirsty Work route..I dig this album out a fair bit..for a change of mood..but it is miles away from Backwater.
By the time we had got to the 85 to 95 period many of us had long given up on a rock boogie album since we had been given 1+9+8+2 and Back to Back as offerings.
I not sure a fan of early Quo 70 to 75 could really get into these albums..a bridge too far..so they were searching for middle ground with few takers.
For me having got into quo 78/79.. I could adapt a bit better.
Perhaps that is why I have struggled with Bula and Aquostic as these are my bridges too far.
Peace and love to all.
|
|
|
|
Post by bridsparegular on Oct 24, 2016 22:01:09 GMT
Can you imagine AL & JC entertaining the idea of recording the track/& ridiculous video of Dreamin?, and a couple of years later asking "do you think it would be a good idea to film the video for our next single in a shed with Griff Rhys fuckin Jones"?
|
|
|
|
Post by The Lord Flasheart on Oct 24, 2016 22:35:19 GMT
Think the term the music press coined was actually "QUOASIS", and there were actually mock t-shirts on sale at the time. Now there's an idea for Porter to ponder for the next covers album if/when AQ2 bombs... Not sure if was the press or Damon Allbarn of Blur who first coined the phrase. Quo made a mistake that year of not capitalising on the Britpop era. Many Oasis songs had the Quo rhythm to them, Quo should have released an album like Heavy Traffic in 1995 instead of Don't Stop. Granted DS was a big seller but it sowed the seeds of the end of the Pier stuff they ended up doing around 2000. The whole embarrising Radio One debacle might have been avoided if they had done something with a bit more credibilty at the time of Britpop. I think this was the song that coined the Quoasis term. |
|
|
|
Post by bridsparegular on Oct 24, 2016 23:21:46 GMT
Think the term the music press coined was actually "QUOASIS", and there were actually mock t-shirts on sale at the time. Now there's an idea for Porter to ponder for the next covers album if/when AQ2 bombs... Not sure if was the press or Damon Allbarn of Blur who first coined the phrase. Quo made a mistake that year of not capitalising on the Britpop era. Many Oasis songs had the Quo rhythm to them, Quo should have released an album like Heavy Traffic in 1995 instead of Don't Stop. Granted DS was a big seller but it sowed the seeds of the end of the Pier stuff they ended up doing around 2000. The whole embarrising Radio One debacle might have been avoided if they had done something with a bit more credibilty at the time of Britpop. I think this was the song that coined the Quoasis term. |
|
|
|
Post by bridsparegular on Oct 24, 2016 23:23:31 GMT
I agree LF, yet another missed opportunity by the then management!
|
|
|
|
Post by kachunk on Oct 24, 2016 23:32:47 GMT
I agree LF, yet another missed opportunity by the then management! But I suppose that this would have been the one suggestion from the management that Francis would have said "bollocks" to........ |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2016 18:26:23 GMT
Hi All, It was the band who released the music they must have thought they were the better tracks off the albums for that to of happened, unless he trying to say it wasn't down to him ? FR must of realised they wre chancing teir arm by releasing softer poprock music. If a band releases poor output then what can he expect having said all this the band were trying to survive in whatever era.
What's to say if Quo had carried on releasing pure rock would they still be around or been as successful as their FF days ? If's/But's and maybe's are all fine but you have to take into account and look in each era at the Charts/Fads/Styles/Bands both of a similar era to Quo and new generations of rock bands, let alone all the sub genres of rock that splintered from what was around over those eras.
To be honest Quo were trying to stay afloat at difficult times, as fans like myself and I dare say many who are reading this discovered heavier bands and bought their albums instead, getting into other music tastes etc.etc. In the end you move on if the band you are a fan of doesn't and you end you just buy what you want of that band. Personally I have bought all the studio albums but can understand why many never have and we are truly listening to the last gasps of this once giant of bands die sadly..... 
Geoff. I don't think that the FF could have been as successful in the mid-'80's if they'd have stayed together. Rock music was passé by the mid-'80's where as Metal wasn't.Guitar music became huge again around 1992/3 and had the FF kept on going and stuck to their principles,they perhaps would have had a rejuvenated reputation and certainly some credibility amongst the younger crowd. RAOTW & IYCSTH were done in that style and produced that way largely due to record company pressure to break America. From 1+9+8+2 onwards,it was a deliberate decision from the band,or one of them in particular,to become a soft rock/M.O.R band,mainly because one insecure show off was desperate to show the public and other artists that he was so much more than that bloke who does the songs with three chords. Even before the end of the '80's,Quo's record sales had paid the price for this decision. Hi All, K, I dare say you are correct with what you say but I stand by what I put as my opinion. At the end of the day after all the crap that happened it was the record company who waved the contract into the bands/FR's face. If the band hadn't been contractually obligated I think Quo would not exist, they had to fit in somewhere and Metal was not their niche so obviously FR took the band a different route. Like he has said we the fans do not affect the bands decisions in their material so it's goes without saying he means everything else whether we like it or not.
At the time because they had lost so much ground between the EOTR tour,Court case and the release of the album ITAN, mixed with FR pop-rock and other influences (Country ?) he was certain it was the way to go. That's aside from everything else going on with band politics, never mind what he thought at the time RP should have manned up and said what he thought instead of just going along with him if he had I think we would have had a less pop-rock orientated band.
Another thing to think about is it must have been like trying to catch up with the other runners after the starting gun went off half a lap earlier, even in the relatively short term between EOTR tour and ITAN the music industry had moved on quite a bit. Quite rightly you point out that FR was the main instigator of the change in direction, I would say that having read various posts on the forum it's evident that RP just went along with what FR said for an easier life and the new members at that time just nodded in agreement as they obviously never had a say either way while not wanting to upset the applecart so that gave FR free reign for the most.
Add to the mix Management problems/Drugs/Booze/Personal relationships (Wives or girlfriends) let alone between themselves making a recipe for bad decisions etc.etc.etc. despite all this whether we like it as fans they have had some success even if a lighter version of the Quo we love the rest is history, at the end of the day you either like them or not in whatever line up or era...
Geoff.
|
|
|
|
Post by gentlemanjoe on Oct 25, 2016 19:32:43 GMT
Here's my choice of tracks 85-95 that wouid go on one album IMO Not in any particular order either : Lean Machine The power of Rock Cream of the Crop One Man Band No problem Save Me Long legged girls Rotten to the Bone Halloween Goin nowhere Like a zombie That was hard enough to do to find 11 Cheers I can only recall about half of these. It must have been a musically poor time for the band. I can hardly recall any of these, just a troubling feeling of wanting to turn them off.. |
|
