Yeah, I'm going there!

The Status Quo albums from Pile Driver to Blue For You are killer records, and at this point can all be found in the dollar bin.

Lately the more I listen to them, I hear a lot of similarities between them and the Flamin Groovies.

Aside from obviously looking much cooler than Status Quo (possiby the worst dress rock band in history),

I never understood why a group like the Groovies are considered Punk Forerunners while Status Quo are

considered a joke.

Listen to the following songs are tell me that these don't rival anything from the classic early 70's era Groovies. This is total Proto Punk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhwCqAmggnM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muEXpv_RnUI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzPNJwa5FRY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PATv0L3WRlI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW7ovu-ffa8

Wow. That's one helluva argument......It breaks down like this. I don't know where you're finding Status Quo records for a Dollar , but , will you please refer me to the ones you already have.........Being as how Status Quo is like Soccer , huge everywhere but in America , their albums do turn up , but , even less frequently than The Flamin' Groovies' first three records , barring "Sneakers", which I've seen a total of twice in my life . I DIG THE QUO , DON'T GET ME WRONG . I even saw them , live , once , on an extremely rare and brief US tour 10 or 12 years ago....I'm one of the rare few who even likes their Psych/Pop early days , but , as much as I like 'em , I find a lot of Quo's better - known 70's material just what they call it , BOOGIE , but played better than a lot of their peers ,without losing it's rough edges . They got into a more melodic Blues - Rock hybrid in the early to mid 70's. Are they more Proto - Punk than Humble Pie , Savoy Brown or Canned Heat ? I'd say so.......But , the Loney - era Groovies veered from Rockabilly  to Yardbirds speedfreak boogie to non - Suck Blues Rock (One trait I see them sharing with Status Quo.). By the time Chris Wilson had joined The Groovies , Status Quo was finding a style of their own.

I don't disagree with what you're saying , here , but , I would have to listen to each song you've posted to figure out if , for the first time ever , I could put either of these two bands up against the other.

Yeah, I guess I'm not really thinking about how much more diverse the Flamin Groovies were. I'm thinking mainly of the one aspect of the Flamin Groovies that was heavy the Boogie Rock side of things.....I've been listening to Status Quo a lot lately and the energy and rawness of  a lot of those songs (from '72 to '76) rival the intensity of punk.

 I guess a better comparison would be to those pub rock bands like Eddie and the Hot Rods and Dr. Feelgood. THOSE bands don't even come close to matching the greatness of Status Quo in their prime, yet those bands are considered pre-cursors to punk, while Status Quo isn't.

I assume it has a lot to do with the huge amount of garbage Status Quo released immediately after "Blue For You", and their image.

I find that insane that it's easier to find Groovies records in America than Status Quo. Status Quo records here in the maritimes are in with the cheapos.

ANOTHER NOTE: I remember Johnny Rotten being asked what he thought of the Ramones, and he said "they just reminded me of Status Quo". Obviously he was just being Johnny Rotten and that's pretty far offf, but at the same time, a song like "Paper Plane" is all downstrokes and 8th note 4/4 drumming.

NEW 'STIR THE POT' CLAIM: Supercharger "Goes Way Out" is just Status Quo songs recorded in a garbage can by 3 people who've only been playing their instruments for 2 weeks. (Not a knack by the way....Goes Way Out is one of my favourite records ever)

Thank you for the tip on Status Quo.....was only familiar with Pictures Of Matchstick Men....

Paper Plane blew me away!!!! Sorta power poppy but with Tons of energy!! Adding that to my want list for sure!! Shades of Bram Tchaikovsky and The Motors, both somewhat similar sounding combos with those chugging guitars and heartfelt vocals!

But the Bye Bye Johnny was the one that did it for me! Yep, definite Flamin' Grooves comparisions there ala when Chris Wilson just joined the band and they were hammering out Slow Death!!!

All I can says is Thanx!!!

No prob!
Yeah it's great stuff.

For one album, I would recommend "On the Level". There's songs on that one that border both Roy Loney era grooves as well as the Chris Wilson Power Pop era too. "Over and Done" and "Most of the Time" are both Power Pop songs to these ears.
Plus, it's like a 5 dollar album at most. Totally worth it.

Their live album from 1977 is killer too. Most people would probalby recommend that for one single great Status Quo collection. I wouldn't disagree at all.

ON THE LEVEL FULL ALBUM : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbOXYR78pgU

.....The difference - as to why Status Quo were never regarded as a precursor to Punk , despite the blatant rawness of their better stuff , is because they were/are GINORMOUS. NO ONE WAS GOING TO ADAPT A BAND THAT'S SOLD IN THE SIX FIGURES and more , and , yes , dressed like The Quo , as Punk's true daddies. Even The Pink Fairies and Mick Farren were being called "Hippies" by some in the 70's.

I even had to explain to a kid why Blue Cheer were Punks ,not Hippies. Some even more misguided fucks have called  The MC5 "hIPPIES" , why? Because , just because it'd be hip to look like Richard Deacon 30 years later , did'nt mean they were going to jump on the bandwagon , early.

The thing about The Groovies was ,they had half decent distribution for a band who'd need almost 40 years to build up a sizeable following. I was still seeing "Teenage Head" and maybe "Shake Some Action" (A whole nuther band , by then , but , irrelevant to the Groovies vs. Quo discussion.) in the bargain bins in 1984.

It's difficult to fathom that Quo , AND Punk Rock WERE AS BIG In Britain , Western Europe and Australia , as compared to here. I READ about Punk ,HEARD ABOUT IT , WHEN IT WAS HAPPENING , but , apart from seeing "rOCK'N'rOLL hIGH sCHOOL" , i DID'NT HEAR any pUNK OR New Wave (If you will. Not all  New Wave IS Power Pop AND vice versa.) UNTIL 1980 . It was'nt on the radio , in record stores , scarcely ever on Television (Save for  TV news or documentary footage......or exploitation devices on forgotten sitcoms like "CPO Sharkey" (The Dickies !) and "Sugar Time".

I only knew Status Quo , beyond the one US hit , because I had a friend from Sussex , UK , who'd play the live '77 album in the car......HE told me how big they were. Punk was a blip on the radar in the states. Some bands were well - known , but , you had to BUY their records to hear them , and I was still gettingmost of my vinyl in pawn shops......In Britan , Quo COULD have been regarded as an influence on Punk , like The Feelgoods , The Pirates (Who were coming out of retirement in 76 - 77.), Hurracanes , Troggs , Downliner Sect , Slade , Crushed Butler , Stackwaddy , but, most of those bands did'nt approach Quo's Metal cred (Something I never understood.).......Even Black Sabbath influenced Punk , fer Chrissake . But , it was'nt cool to embrace mainstream rock. I only ever heard early Stones and early Who gettin' any love.    

Also , The Quo did a very good "Get out of Denver" , but , the only version I've heard that sucked was by Springsteen. "Flamingos " era Groovies could have NAILED it , if Bob Seger had written it , yet ! Roy Loney told me the Groovies were were big on The MC5 , but , when he saw Iggy , it was all over but the crying. They probably could'nt have forseen Punk , or being a direct influence on it , but , they knew what it was like to be handed bottom of the barrel status on a plate , in San Francisco. Roy said they were friendly with a lot of the bigger bands , but hung more with Quicksilver , The Charlatans and Country Joe and The Fish. They were'nt part of the social elite , and Bill Graham hated them so much , he had them banned from The Fillmore (However , he did let them run the old Fillmore when his base of operations moved.). Status Quo had already seen success , but , with an image and musical overhaul , they sky was , and is , the limit. They did have some albums that seemed watered - down , but , when they were ON. The classic four piece just toured , proving anything is possible . the Groovies had planned to reform the original lineup , several years ago , but , they got as far as one rehearsal. Of course , Roy and Cyril KILLED it , for a while , with The A- Bones , and the Sire lineup (Most of it)is touring as we speak.

"Down Down" is one of my favorites , but , to these ears , it's more like proto - Pub Rock. It was when Quo had found their identity. Good on ya , lads.  "Stir The Pot" is good and raw , like slate set to music (I thought Slade were "Slate" when I was a kid , because they sounded sharp and rough.).

Backwater , to me , is the kind of early Hard Rock that's now becoming popular , with kinda acidic lead breaks at the beginning......Then it picks up steam.....That two chord Chuck Berry thing always served them well , Gravelly SLATE-ish guitars. I'm reminded that they have a song that sounds like "Two Headed Dog"........Could have influenced pUNK , BUT Quo were'nt cool with that crowd. iN THE 80'S , THE WORST POSSIBLE HARD ROCK INFLUENCED WHATWAS CALLED PUNK. i SAW fLAMING LIPS two or three times ca. 86 -87. It was all bad , sloppy Zeppelin , Doors and Tommy - era Who. Horrendous. Everybody loved them. Everybdy but me.

You're not the only one that hated Flaming Lips John....saw them in a little club here in sleepy London Ontario about 1987. Was all psyched up to hear some psyche rock of some sort, something out of the ordinary, like their early records led me to believe.

Let me emphasis it was a little club, called Key West.....maybe 80 legal capacity. As Flaming Lips started the show, their smoke machines were turned on full tilt... You couldn't see a fucking thing and the smoke remained there for the entire set! All you could see was the odd power light from an amp or something. And they were crunchng out these led zeppelin style guitar riffs! Fucking horrible!! I don't think there were many others to see them at that show, but you literally could not tell as the smoke was so dense! I have no idea what the members of the band even looked like....but i do have a live tape of the show that i made that night....hahahaha.   I've only played it a coupla times cause people don't believe they were a classic schlock metal band!

But back to Status Quo, i do have a double LP of their greatest hits, but it only covers the 60's stuff (including Matchstick Men, the reason i bought it) and is absolutely nothing like their 70's pre punk stuff!

Regarding it being more "proto-pub rock", I definitely get that. But it's just that....why groups like Dr.Feelgood and Eddie and the Hot Rods get very often associated with punk when a song like "is there a better way" sounds more punk to these ears than anything the hot rods did.  

3 chords, and downstrummed, 4/4 beat and 8th note drumming on a lot of those songs. I understand that they had ALOT of albums, and anything after that live '77 lp is pretty horrible, but even T-Rex, Slade and Sweet get nods from Punk more than Status Quo do, and those bands were pretty big in the UK too.

Whatwave Dave , THANK YOU !!!!! I know people did'nt like them , and I know people still don't , for varying reasons , but , I seldom hear from any....Tho' they were from Oklahoma , in Dallas , where I lived at the time, you did NOT dare say you disliked them. People would jump all in your shit. I THOUGHT THEIR first LP was all right , at the time. I did'nt like it enough to BUY it , but , it was OK FOR SYD BARRETT - wannabe stuff , I thought , at the time. I'm sure I'd hate it , now. But , live, they were'nt Psychedelic at all. I don't remember a smoke machine , but , I do remember Wayne Coyne (?) , TWICE , wearing a pig's head on a chain , around his neck , while Jim Morrisson phoned in the vocal parts from Paris. If it'd been a Punk song , like Eater's "NO BRAINS" in "The Punk Rock Movie" or even some Black Metal SHISER , IT MIGHT HAVE MADE SENSE....

You were smart to keep the tape , if only to prove your point, that this is where Flaming Lips got their start.  I also saw Smashing Pumpkins about six months after they started. I paid three bucks to get in. I did'nt know they were playing. I STILL WANT MY THREE DOLLARS BACK . I'd met Corgan about a month earlier. I could not believe how pretentious and in love with himself he was , for someone with nothing to show. Well , they sounded like The Cure , Flock of Seagulls and THE CULT in a three way clusterfuck , honed down to Pink Floyd in 1972 SPEED.     THEY GOT WORSE , But , they were quickly becoming the band you did NOT say you disliked in Chicago. Of course , I said it , every chance I got.

AS I SAY , I LIKE THE 60's STATUS QUO (AND their embryonic band , The Quotations - No relation to the Walker Bros.' backing band.) stuff , but , there was no way they could have survived without drastically changing their sound....

i THINK "Is there a Better Way" rocks like fuck , but , I'm not hearing a lot of proto - Punk , exc.the chording toward teh end. ...Mind you , some of the more open - minded Punk bands like The Damned , or the who - gives - a fuck (For real)variety , like The Stranglers , might have secretly got it with The Quo. I don't know. It just was'nt acceptable to dig mainstream rock at that time. Even if it was as High - Energy as this. The only staunch allies I ever heard of , in the mainstream Rock camp , that Punk had were Marc Bolan and Phil Lynott. Maybe a few others. Pete Townsend , I suppose , though , he saw , plain as day , he was being usurped by these bands , at least in terms of credibility.

But , you're right , Glam and Pub Rock got more nods from the early Punk scene , if only because it was fresh in everybody's minds. Remember , also , Punk was influenced a great deal by Rockabilly ,but, the Punks could'nt go where the Teds hung out , they'd get "A right 'iding .", if you ever saw that interview at a Teddy Boy club. They go on to talk about how bizarre The Punks Looked , when The Teds SURELY FREAKED OUT A LOT A LOT of people in their day , and after their day , in the early 70's ,when they grew their hair out and wore exaggerated versions of the classic drape jackets (See "The London Rock 'n'Roll Show".).

I think you're on to something , but , when the Sex Pistols said "Kill YourIdols" , meaning the likes of Led Zeppelin , pINK fLOYd , AND , YEP , STATUS QUO , how could they not have forseen that THEY would BECOME IDOLS , THEN SACRIFICIAL LAMBS ?    Most Americans don't know the overrated (aT LEAST , COMPARED TO BAD NEWS.) Spinal Tap was based largely on Quo.

THIS IS THEIR LEGACY ,AND THEY'RE LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK.

It's because of bands like Flaming Lips that Led Zeppelin now have "Punk cred".

i could'nt tell you why it has'nt happened  with Quo. They had their own thing , and I still have'nt heard anyone try to copy it , maybe that's why.

Incredible points all around man!
I think what it comes down to (for myself) is that I never gave Status Quo much of a chance even though I've always saw the name and records. When I finally heard them (the early-mid 70's stuff, i mean) it floored me. I couldn't figure out why i never saw their name alongside names like Slade, Mott the Hoople, T-rex, etc.  I guess when I say "proto punk" too, i mean "pre-punk"...in that they predated punk with a sound that was structured very similiarly in terms of simplicity and energy.
 And maybe their name WAS alongside those aforementioned bands very often, and I just missed it. Nevertheless, I missed it!

I think in a roundabout way , Quo was mentioned alonside Slade , T Rex , and/or The Purps , The Sabs , whoever was popular in England at the moment. Their image was decidedly not glam , with the denims and all , but , you're right in saying that should'nt matter.  I admit , my English friend I mentioned , he looked very much like Vyvian on "tHE yOUNG oNES" (Barring the metal studs on his forehead !). He could've been easily mistaken for a Punk , as the character , Vyvian , is , but , he called himself a Rocker- not a leather , bikes and raw 50's R'N'R Rocker , but someone who preferred Metal , but liked Punk and other relatively current sounds ( THIS WAS 1982)  AS WELL. I MET ANOTHER GUY WHO CALLED HIMSELF A ROCKER , AND LIKED Metal and Punk , before Crossover and Speedmetal TOOK OFF , and Motorhead's following in The US began to pick up steam. MY FRIEND from Sussex played ME STUFF LIKE SAXON , and , well , all I could say was , it was good for what it was. When he played Status Quo , ca. 77 , my otherfriend muttered "That's some primitive Rock'n'Roll.". He was trying to say something good about it without saying he LIKED it.......It's be years before I really appreciated them. Seeing them live really did it for me. I could'nt believe how tight they were.

It's a little difficult to get a foothold on how they figured into thelater  sounds coming up the pike , because they labelled themselves a Boogie BAND - WHICH THEY WERE , BUT , TO ME , THEYWERE MORE CHUCK BERRY THAN FOGHAT. THEN , they got lumped in with the Metal scene , why , I don't know......When I got to theshow , I saw several Mexican Metalheads. I thought ,maybe I had the wrong night. But , I was mistaken , to think I wasmistaken. The crowd was probably about 40% Mexican , 40% English , and , the rest , stray yanks , like me , and we all had a FUCKING goodtime , together.

Quo have that closed shop appeal, nearly all rock/metal fans I know LOVE Quo, from the heavy pop psyche of the 60s up until the mid 70s.

I remember John Peel describing (I think Down Down) as orgasmic, fine praise indeed. The problem with them is that they did go v v pop in the 80, although the last single I heard (One Way Street) was pretty rocking, to some they will never be forgotten for Margerita Time. Slade are a bit like this in certain respects, amazing early work, sold the fuck out in the 80s.

The thing with those bands was they weren't arty in any way, pure goodtime boogie n roll, part of the reason the rocksnob press hated them, and the reason the lumpen proles (like what I am) loved them.

And Tap wasn't largely based on Quo, it was largely based on Sabbath (ie the Stone 'Enge bit).

But nice to see the Quo getting a bit of revisionist attention. Check out their cover of the Doors Road House Blues from Pile Driver!

I AGREE, QUO HAS A VERY FAR -REACHING APPEAL , I JUST , PERSONALLY , THOUGHT THEY WERE UNFAIRLY LUMPED IN WITH THE METAL BANDS  ( "We're not just another STOOPID' Eavy Metal band !!!" - Vim Fuego.)....By saying they influenced much of Spinal Tap , I meant more their personna than their actual songs or stage productions (i.e "Stonehenge"). I don't doubt The Sabs influenced the concept of Spinal Tap , but , I saw an intervew with , sorry , I always forget his name , ol' boy from Lenny and The Squiggtones ,and he said Tap were a mixture of Quo , Jeff Beck , and The Troggs Tapes , speaking clearly from  a personality point of view.....

It pains me to say Slade sold out , but , you're right. IN '83 OR '84 when "Run , Run Away" was their only big hit here in the states , I realized , that's what  they had to do to get into the charts . I grew to like the song just fine in later years , it's just not the Slade we knew (And  I knew 'em , too. My Brother had most of their records in the early 70's , and they got nominal airplay in Chicago , so I assumed , at the time , they were pretty big in America.). They still had some good tunes after that , but , they largely went in for that HI - Tech Rock sounds .....Still , I have'nt seen any footage from say , their last ten  years as a band on You Tube or anything. The Reading footage and live 45s (nOT TO MENTION "sLADE ON sTAGE") are SAVAGE !!! Their live show was their strength . I don't doubt they still brought it ,live.

YOu're right about that version of "Roadhouse Blues". Quo almost made cover songs a second career , later , and they did some great ones , though it got out of hand. When I saw them , they did "The Wanderer' , the rest was all originals,.  No "Get Out of Denver"or "Crawling From The Wreckage" . So it goes. Not the song , "So It Goes" , just , so it goes.

Regards the song " Is there a better way" by S Quo, check out the version by an obscure band Detox When Dead.  There,s really goes Garage mental!!!!   I got them on a uk comp of 90,s garage/rock,n,roll from the UK.     Shorter/sharper and to the point!.  I liked SQUo as a kid, but really they are PANTS when you grow up!!! cheers!     PS. I was 13 years old when i bought the first 3 albums by them......

Piledriver, Hello, Quo, and On the Level all seem to be common records in Toronto. I often grab them and give them to friends. I have a few after those, like Blue For You, but I feel those four early to mid-70s ones are the best. 

As much as I love those albums, I don't think they can touch Flamingo or Teenage Head. 

To me , it's just fun. Neither band was out to make an art statement. Tho' Roy , with his theatrical background , and Cyril , with his cartoons , they COME FROM an arts background , sure. iF Quo did'nt start out laying bricks, they'd have you thinking they did. But that "Working class" image was kind of put on them, I thing , whereas Springsteen just found a way to exploit working class sentiments , which , guess what? Exploits the working class ! I think (Rather , I know ,because you're all bound to agree.) The Groovies found more focus , found THEIR thing , with "Flamingo " and "tEENAGE hEAD" . "SUPERSNAZZ" was neither a commercial nor an artistic success , because they were out to utilize so many musical ideas , most of which did'nt work together as an album. It lacked the balance that , say , Moby Grapes's debut had in spades.   BUT , when you separate the songs , there's some great stuff on there......It just worked better when they brought out the rough edges , on the next two LPs , with more Rockabilly , Blues , Detroit High Energy AND sTONES INFLUENCES. then , THEY BECAME THE BAND TO BEAT.   Incidentally , I've only heard "Sneakers" once or twice. I had a line on an original copy, but.....long story.

"GET FUCKED , BABY !" was their "KICK OUT THE JAMS , MOTHERFUCKER !".....in  fact , Iggy once called the group "Faddish" , but , was'nt above saying "G.F.B!!!"on "Gimme Some Skin". ..But , like Quo , America was'nt ready for The Groovies.