Love ‘em or hate ‘em, it’s impossible to deny Status Quo of their staying power. Over the last 35 years, Quo’s inimitable style has carved a niche in the music industry to make them more of a British institution than a ruby murray and ten pints of lager on a Friday night.
But how have they managed to survive in such a ‘disposable’ industry where artists are considered ‘veterans’ if they manage to hang onto their celebrity for more than a few months and pop idols are made out the most unlikely members of the general public? Perhaps having more persistence than a Jack Russell on your trouser leg has helped them to retain their position in the hearts of music buyers but the more probable explanation is…they are simply very good!
Often criticised for their limited 4-chord guitar work, they have come in for some stick over the years, but anyone who has had the fortune of seeing them live cannot refute the fact that they are stunningly entertaining. Their slick, polished delivery of powerful, gutsy, rock and their well-staged choreography are undeniably the Quo’s trademark and over the last three decades their reliable, steadfast, style of fusing 12-bar riffs to catchy melodies is a formula from which they have rarely strayed.
Neither have they strayed from the UK charts: 58 hit singles, more than any other artist, 13 hit albums, more than any other artist with the exception of the legendary Rolling Stones, and 112 million record sales worldwide, leaves you in no doubt of their popularity. Their ‘heads down no-nonsense boogie’ style, as they call it, may be predictable but it is certainly a winning combination.
But it hasn’t all been plane sailing for the band. Internal wrangling forced them to take a lengthy break in ‘80 and saw the departure Lancaster who was then substituted with a cardboard cut-out in several TV appearances! The only remaining members of the original band; Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt, had to face court action in ‘85 before securing the rights to the famous Status Quo name and later attempted to sue the BBC in ‘96 for not play-listing their album Don’t Stop.
The enduring partnership of Rossi and Parfitt is the thing that has kept Quo rocking for so long and was only really threatened in ‘97 when Parfitt was rushed to hospital complaining of chest pains. By far the biggest hurdle faced by the band, Parfitt underwent an emergency quadruple heart by-pass operation and fortunately made a full recovery. Although, once known as the ‘wild man of rock’, he now admits to being more like the ‘mild man of rock’.
So, perhaps its not Status Quo’s persistence or musical ability that has been the explanation for the longevity of their career but in fact to their unique ability to triumph over adversity. Long may it continue………
