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STATUS QUO LIVE AT THE OLYMPIA
I first went to see Status Quo in the National Stadium on the South Circular Road some thirty years ago when I should have been studying for my Leaving Certificate. I bought a ‘Quo’ scarf that night on the way in and later after the concert I had the luck to meet Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi, the original band members, in the late night restaurant in Jury’s Coffee Dock, where they did me the honour of autographing the scarf. I had already by then bought some of their records and I still recommend the 1977 Live album recorded in the Apollo in Glasgow, now on CD, for inclusion in any respectable rocker’s collection. They have quite a musical history starting in 1962 in Sedgehill Comprehensive School, Beckenham, England where Francis Rossi teamed up with a fellow orchestra member, Alan Lancaster. They began their stage career as an act called ‘The Scorpions’, but later changed their name to ‘The Spectres’ and played their first gig at the Samuel Jones Sports Club in Dulwich, South London. The partnership with Rick Parfitt goes back to 1965 when they met in Butlin’s in Minehead while playing the summer season where Rick Parfitt was playing with his band ‘The Highlights’. By 1967 Rick Parfitt quit The Highlights and after trying some other band names they settled on the name ‘Status Quo’. Rick joined the band in time for the November 1967 release of ‘Pictures Of Matchstick Men’ gaining success in both the UK and US Singles Charts. After the breakthrough, the band management hired Bob Young as a ‘roadie’ and tour manager. Over the years Young became one of the most important songwriting partners for Status Quo. By 1970 they had developed a rhythmic, blues scale beat and a major breakthrough came when they signed with the well-respected heavy rock and progressive label Vertigo with their first album. During this period, and throughout the rest of the 70s, they became one of Europe’s leading rock bands, gaining a faithful following due to their relentless touring and energetic live gigs. Quo’s more popular songs from this era include ‘Paper Plane’ (1972), ‘Caroline’ (1973), ‘Down Down’ (1975), ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’ (1977) and ‘Whatever You Want’ (1979). ‘Down Down’ topped the UK singles chart in January 1975, becoming their only British number one single to date. All these hits were played for the supporters at the Olympia gig with some well known favorites such as ‘Little Lady’ shortened to try and get in as many numbers as possible. Status Quo have sold in excess of 118 million records worldwide and have a large repertoire to call on when it comes to concerts. They’ve had their splits and changes in line-up down the years, with drummer John Coghlan being replaced by Pete Kircher in 1982 and in 1986 the group went on tour with a new line-up with John ‘Rhino’ Edwards (bass) and Jeff Rich (drums). They must be remembered for opening the 1985 Live Aid charity event at the old Wembly stadium organised by Bob Geldof. They’ve had their health scare moments too with Rick Parfitt undergoing quadruple by-pass surgery in 1997 but thankfully he was able to make a full recovery and returned with a performance at the Norwich Football Club ground three months later. More recently in 2005, Rossi and Parfitt made cameo appearances in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street in a storyline which involved them being sued by the notorious layabout Les Battersby, and performing live at his wedding as compensation. They have a loyal fan base here in Ireland and in the UK where they have enjoyed more hits than any other group in rock and roll history as well as a big following in Scandinavia and mainland Europe, most notably in the Netherlands. where they played last November in the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam as part of the latest tour. Francis Rossi sent NewsFour some words regarding the Dublin session saying, “Gigs in Ireland are always special and the Olympia crowd did not disappoint! We had a blast and look forward to the next time– see you all soon!” Above: Rick Parfitt (left) and Francis Rossi (right) by kind permission of showbiz.ie.
Last November, Van Morrison gathered together as many of the original musicians as possible to recreate the enthralling album from 1968, ‘Astral Weeks’. ‘Live at the Hollywood Bowl’ has all the magic in the places where it should be, and breathes new life into these songs. Initially conceived as a song cycle, the original records Van Morrison at 22 years in all his raw talent and desperate desire, rendering what he would later call “the inarticulate speech of the heart.” ‘We strolled through fields all wet with rain and back along the lane again. There in the sunshine in the sweet summertime. The way that young lovers do…’ explodes the opening track, destabilising you and shocking you out of your adolescence. No-one in pop music, before or since, has sounded so consumed by what they are singing. There are lifetimes behind the voice, which with its flinty edge paints an unconscious elegy to a Belfast before the troubles. It was a rare and spontaneous album which was out of synch with prevailing moods and tastes, taking 31 years to go gold. This live rendition 40 years on adds a new dimension. The results are astounding, although the songs are played out of order. The crowd’s joy is infectious. It is very exciting to hear this again at this time. It’s definitely an album to be passed through generations. Tracklisting on ‘Live at the Hollywood Bowl’:
ALBUM REVIEWS Requiem (2005) and The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace (2001), by Karl Jenkins. A Requiem is a Mass for the souls of the dead. Requiem is scored for mixed choir, string orchestra, soprano solo, boy treble, harp, two horns and shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute). With a duration of about fifty-five minutes, there are thirteen movements, five of which are set to texts called Jisei, or Japanese death poems. Each Jisei is in the form of a haiku (poems usually to do with nature, have a single idea, and consist of seventeen syllables divided 5-7-5 over three lines). These are performed by soprano Nicole Tibbels. This CD sounds amazing, the alternate movements being very soft, followed by hard and rhytmic, back to soft voices, and so on. The choirs are, of course, Welsh. And for choirs with high ambition, the vocal score is available for purchase as sheet music. Check this out if you like beautiful vocal and symphonic music. The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace (2001). This piece was commissioned by The Armouries War Museum ‘both to look back and reflect as we leave behind the most war-torn and destructive century in human history, and to look ahead with hope and commit ourselves to a new and more peaceful millennium.’ This CD takes you on a journey from the start of war (The Armed Man with trudging, marching feet, drums and fifes, and the poignant Call To Prayers, which is simply the unearthly solo voice of a muezzin singing the Islamic call to prayer in Arabic), through to sadness and fear at the start of battle ( Kyrie, Save Me From Bloody Men), heroism and passion ( Sanctus, the extraordinary and stirring Hymn Before Action, words by Rudyard Kipling) and of course, tumbles down into the real tragedy and pain of war (Angry Flames and Torches) and ends with the bitter sorrow of Agnus Dei and Now The Guns Have Stopped. The final, serene and lovely Benedictus (played with sweet and haunting cello) and Better is Peace (medieval, dancy and joyous), is a fitting end. Not for those who are easily depressed, but well worth it for the emotional journey and the beautiful voices. |
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The wintry weather of the first week of February was no deterrent to the fans of the veteran English rock and roll band Status Quo from making it to the Olympia on Dame Street for a Sunday night gig that was a must-see event for many who have followed their progress down the years.
VAN MORRISON