Status Quo

Status Quo are an English rock band whose music is characterized by their distinctive brand of boogie rock. The group originated in The Spectres, founded in 1962 by schoolboys Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster. After a number of lineup changes, the band became The Status Quo in 1967 and Status Quo in 1969. In 1991, Status Quo received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. The band continues to play music, despite facing criticism of being uncool and lacking air play on BBC Radio One during the 90's and beyond.

Links To Peel
Peel was an avid fan of the group in the 70's and even wrote a complimentary text on their 1975 Live E.P.:


 * "Amazing to think that when they first annoying the neighboors from scout halls and cricket pavilions, John Kennedy was still alive, only a fistful of daft Scousers and Hamburgers had heard of the Beatles, and I was selling crop insurance in West Texas. Even more amazing in this is - thirteen years on, their music is so fresh and vital that wherever you do a disco you know it's going to be a either 'Brown Sugar' or a Quo record that finally get's them moving. You know too, that there's always going to be a row of loonies - Maybe including you - who'll get down into that celebreated Quo boogie stance and churn to and fro like creatures possessed. Status Quo are good lads, they make exciting and unpretentious records, they make me feel positively carefree, have saved many a potentially disastrous gig for me, and if they rock on for another thirteen years - well that's just fine by me."

After the 70's, Peel was not keen on their music, which changed in the 80's when the band dropped their boogie rock style. In the 80's and beyond, he rarely played some of their music and if he did, it was always the group's material from the 70's. However, he defended his choice of Down Down for the Peelenium 1974:

"'Let me tell you, Status Quo actually recorded three sessions for this programme, and I did play the whole of a Status Quo LP upon its release and interviewed the band as well, so I've got nothing to be ashamed of there.' (18 November 1999."

In 2002, the nightclub Fabric wanted Peel to compile a compilation of his favourite songs on their album. Peel suggested a track from Status Quo in their tracklist, and commented in an interview.


 * “They wouldn’t let me put a Status Quo track on there, they thought that would be too uncool. I was a bit disappointed about that.”

The band's single Down Down appeared on John Peel's Record Box and the group appeared on the Channel 4 documentary of that programme in 2005, describing how honoured they were, when they found out that Peel kept a copy of the single in his special record box.

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1977 Festive Fifty: Can't Give You More #25

Peelenium

 * Peelenium 1974: Down Down

Live Concert
Status Quo concert, first TX 24 March 1973. Repeated: 12 September 1977. Recorded Paris Theatre, 1973-03-01.
 * 1) Junior's Wailing
 * 2) Someone's Learning
 * 3) In My Chair
 * 4) Railroad
 * 5) Don't Waste My Time
 * 6) Paper Plane
 * 7) Roadhouse Blues
 * 8) Bye Bye Johnny

Sessions
1. Recorded: 1972-02-07. Broadcast: 03 March 1972. Repeated: 12 May 1972

2. Recorded: 1972-11-20. Broadcast: 07 December 1972. Repeated: 28 December 1972 3. Recorded: 1973-01-08. Broadcast: 16 January 1973. Repeated: Unknown
 * Mean Girl / Na Na Na / Railroad / Someone's Leaving
 * Don't Waste My Time /Young / Oh Baby / Parfitt / Unspoken Words / Paper Plane / Softer Ride / Lancaster


 * Paper Plane / Softer Ride / Don't Waste My Time

Other Shows Played
(The following list was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and is certainly incomplete. Please add further details if known.)

1972 1973 1974 1977 1978 1979 1982 1983 1984 1999 2001 2004
 * 18 February 1972: Mean Girl (LP – Dog Of Two Head) Pye
 * 1973 In Concert: Status Quo In Concert (24th March 1973)
 * 19 December 1974:  Down, Down (single) Vertigo (JP: “They’re a great band, you know, and that’s a great record, I think. One of their best ever, in my view.”)
 * 03 October 1977: Ring Of A Change (7", Single: Rockin' All Over The World) Vertig
 * 22 December 1977: Can’t Give You More (LP – Rockin’ All Over The World) Vertigo
 * 26 December 1977: Can't Give You More (LP – Rockin’ All Over The World) Vertigo FF #25
 * 10 July 1978: Mean Girl (single) Pye (JP: “There were a lot of Quo buffs at a gig that I did on Saturday night in Derby. Unfortunately there were also a great number of John Travolta fans there as well, so it was kind of a mixed gig.”)
 * 17 August 1978: Again And Again (single) Vertigo
 * 25 August 1978: Again And Again (7": Again And Again) (Vertigo)
 * 29 August 1978:  Again And Again (7") Vertigo QUO 1 (JP decides this is one of their best after his 10th listen...)
 * 20 October 1978: Accident Prone / Let Me Fly / Like A Good Girl (LP – If You Can’t Stand The Heat) Vertigo
 * 23 October 1978: I’m Giving Up My Worryin’ (LP – If You Can’t Stand The Heat) Vertigo
 * 27 October 1978: unknown (Possibly a track from If You Can't Stand The Heat, to be released on 11 November 1978.)
 * 07 November 1978: Accident Prone (LP – If You Can't Stand the Heat) Vertigo
 * 10 September 1979: Whatever You Want (7") Vertigo
 * 12 September 1979: Whatever You Want (7”) Vertigo
 * 15 October 1979: Who Asked You (LP – Whatever You Want) Vertigo
 * 01 April 1982 (TOTP): Dear John #25
 * 05 May 1983 (TOTP): Pictures Of Matchstick Men (clip from 15 February 1968)
 * 05 January 1984 (TOTP): Marguerita Time #05
 * 18 November 1999:  'Down Down (7")' (Vertigo) Peelenium 1974
 * 17 April 2001: Down The Dust Pipe (Pye)
 * 28 September 2004: "Whatever You Want" (7") - (Vertigo)