Was interest in Quo boosted by the reunion?

My own interest in Quo rose a lot after the reunions, but it was effectively shot to pieces by TAFKAR & Co.... What a clever marketing ploy!

IMO, so much more could have been done to the acoustic treatment of the songs, I mean, me and my mates have created masterpieces by the campfire during the years...

I'm not sure. I thought that AQ1 was not aimed at the reunion fans.  It felt more mainstream to me. Aimed more at the casual fans who would realise what great tunes Quo wrote when they heard them rearranged like this. Why else did they go for that ridiculous cover and ad campaign.  And that's why it sold so well.  

But AQ2 was more experimental in its approach to a number of tracks popular with the more dedicated Quo fan. The only big hit is ITAN.  And then its mix of tracks from psychedelic era, the 70s, 80s and 90s. And without the hits, and it because its this strange mix with even stranger arrangements, it hasn't sold as well.

I think if they'd gone the real unplugged route, in the way that many of the reunion fans would have preferred it might still have sold well but in a slower way.  But it might well have got good reviews in the music press in the way that the reunion gigs did.  And that might have built a word of mouth sales campaign and buzz.  

But as they didn't do that, we'll never know for sure it that would have worked.  Even if it was was I hoped for. 

I think a number of people were drawn to the band because of the reunion, like anything really. But Quo's reputation was already being boosted due to QPQ, Radio 2, Glastonbury, the OBEs, etc.

Aquostic would have sold well regardless. Aquostic II should have sold better, but that's down to the lacklustre promotion and general nothingness feeling from the songs that have been used to promote it.

A vast majority of the sales for Aquostic were Xmas presents, and as it was an album that was far too long and samey, I don't think a lot of people would have been convinced to buy the follow-up regardless of how more experimental it is. Quo also waited far too long to capitalize on the success of the first album.

The sensible thing would have been to release Aquostic II LAST YEAR, giving a clear run-in to promote LNOTE this year. All too messy. Hold back Accept No Substitute for next year - the 50th anniversary.

Thanks vivfromcov, I see more what you're getting at.  My interest in Quo was sparked long before the reunion when I saw that C4 doc in 2001 and then I bought Heavy Traffic.  And that took me both back down memory lane with their old albums but I also checked out newer albums as they were released like ISOTFC and QPQ.  

But from going to the reunion gigs, I'm sure many older fans who stopped following them even as far back as 76, had a renewed interest for a while. And I was struck by the serious gig reviews at last.  And delighted that they were being recognised for their musical talents as a serious rock band. 

But then Bula Quo happened and I think that did as much or if not more damage to my interest in Quo.  And I suspect for other fans too.

Having said that, I doubt I would have gone to the Roundhouse if I hadn't gone to the reunion gigs. I wanted that excitement again and the novelty factor was a hope that it might be as good. And for that I agree with what I think you're getting at.  

As far as the Aquostic album goes, I think the first one would have done well because of all the publicity. Plus the backing from R2 who also backed the band for QPQ (live studio recording) and for their Sept Hyde Park gig.  

The reunions rekindled my interest in wanting to listen to the original 4 , now RAOTW is my fav album and that's after slagging it off for over 3 decades .

A small sample I know, but the people I talked to who liked Quo in their younger days, still remembered them with great fondness but weren't particularly interested in the "reunion". Possibly if it had been a longer tour, and not talked up as a hardcore special, they might have been. I'm not aware of anyone who thought that they would go and see current Quo on the strength of the reunion publicity.

So I suspect that the reunion project has not impacted much on the Aquostic project. Am inclined to agree with Deepthroat that they should have followed through with the second one sooner (but the time just whizzes by anyway).

In hindsight now, the reunion tours were a blip in the grand scheme of things. They were a money making opportunity, which came about as a direct consequence of the Hello Quo! documentary. Whilst I, as a fan, saw it at the time as the Second Coming, now that all the fuss has died down, and everything that has happened subsequently, I find it easier to understand Frame's take on it.

The Quo machine - the Continuous World Tour - has rumbled on regardless. There was never any romantic notions of the original band getting back together. It has been a succession of very sad marketing campaigns that, frankly, are devoid of any inspiration or creative mojo.

We should be grateful to Alan G Parker for getting the band back to play together in the film. If it hadn't been for that - I don't think the reunion tours would have happened.

Forget the reunion tours happened, and this is what the last few years have been like:

2010/11 Quid Pro Quo
2011/12 QuoFestive
2012/13 Made in Britain
2013/14 Bula Quo
2014/15 Live In Concert
2015/16 Accept No Substitute

Since there has been no new album to promote, it's just been naff themes. Made in Britain? Live in Concert? Accept No Substitute?

It's all just dwindled down to a Groundhog Day situation, with the same setlist year in, year out. Sure, they play very tightly together, but it's no surprise when you play the same songs over and over and over again. The endless medleys. It's a very well oiled mechanical entertainment machine.