Is it Status Quo without Parfitt?

TTony

ICBM said:

There was quite a big change after Blue For You when they stopped producing themselves - Rockin' All Over The World and onwards when they went a bit more commercial pop-rock - but I think they were still essentially the same band until Coghlan left after Never Too Late.

IIRC (it was a long time ago!), Blue4You was the first album that I bought on release.  It's still in a box out in the garage.  Wild Side of Life was the first single.

When Rocking all over the world was released to follow the Live album, it was one of the most disappointing musical events of my life at the time.

I always thought that Lancaster left because of the change in musical direction (and Coghlan went as he followed a different musical stimulant direction from R&P), but it seemed that Rocking was the trigger event that changed the band.

Still, I guess they could look at me and notice few changes between the 1976 me and the 2016 version.

koneguitarist

To me as well the change was Rocking all over the world, their sound changed a lot, yet they were far more successful after that, whatever you want, Never too locate and Just supposing (if memory serves me right) all had some decent songs, but they were not Quo albums like Hello or On the Level. 
The drive and intensity from Piledriver compared to Just supposing is completely lost, yet all same guys! When 1982 album came out I was actually serving in Falklands war and sent a Cheque home to brother to buy the album, record it and send it down so I could be first on ship to have it, probably the first person in SH to own it. Coghlan had left and Pete Kircher I think did a great job and fitted in well. 
But Lancaster was their had edge both vocally an musically, Rossi and Parfitt was always pop guys at heart and loved Everly Brothers and harmonies etc. 
So it's a no for me as its not really Status Quo, but it will be money well spent as they know how to entertain and put on a really great show. 

ICBM

TTony said:

When Rocking all over the world was released to follow the Live album, it was one of the most disappointing musical events of my life at the time.

I always thought that Lancaster left because of the change in musical direction (and Coghlan went as he followed a different musical stimulant direction from R&P), but it seemed that Rocking was the trigger event that changed the band.

I'm not sure - there were four years and five albums from RAOTW to when Coghlan left, so it wasn't exactly a sudden split.

'If You Can't Stand The Heat' is also a much worse album than RAOTW, I think - the low point of the original band for me. I didn't quite see it in real time though - I was a bit too young, the first Quo album I had was 12 Gold Bars.

Lancaster left over musical direction, certainly - the infamous Marguerita Time performance on Top Of The Pops was the trigger for him walking out I think, although he came back briefly for Live Aid.

koneguitarist

I think the beginning of the end for Lancaster was Rocking all over the world on top of the pops not Marguerita time. Would you be happy if they did a show using a dummy dressed up in your clothes using your gear and not many people noticing?
the other thing is with Quo is that people say they started to play more easy listening stuff and not rock as hard as they used to do. Their live album from 76, to me one of the finest at catching a bands true live performance , was epic, yet on all their early albums there are elements of pop  and country songs mixed in with the classic tracks and singles we all know. 
Like Claudie on Hello, All the reasons on Piledriver, Na Na Na Na on Dog of two head etc. 

koneguitarist

As @TTony knows there is a great country album of quo songs by former harp and tour manager Bob Young who do wrote some of their hits. Think Down Down with Albert Lee on guitar! 

TTony

koneguitarist said:

As @TTony knows there is a great country album of quo songs by former harp and tour manager Bob Young who do wrote some of their hits. Think Down Down with Albert Lee on guitar! 

Both Rossi & Parfitt have released some very non-Quo solo work.  Parfitt's Recorded Delivery (with Rhino on bass, allegedly) and Rossi's Live @St Lukes - although I'm just re-listening to the latter and its not quite as countrified as I remembered it, although it's at the softer end of Quo's stuff.

Whereas both of Rhino's solo albums are rockier and - to my mind - more "Quo".