Francis Rossi's "The Way We Were Vol.1" album was released on 2nd May through earMUSIC. It was described as an "illuminating collection of 17 previously unreleased demo recordings, all taken from his own personal archive, and written by the powerhouse songwriting team of Francis Rossi and Bob Young."
Five songs were previously unreleased, and have never before been heard outside the studio, whilst others went on to appear on a Status Quo or Francis Rossi album.
Francis's promo blurb for the release read, "People say you just can't recreate a demo; it's a real moment in time often with a relaxed feel that comes across in the song. A chord sequence or an idea can really shine. Collected on this album are demo recordings that I really like, or even that I now think are better than the recorded versions that people know already, and some alternate takes that really work in this format. Every so often, I would hear these versions and just really feel that they deserved to be heard, and I hope that the fans like them as much as I do."
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John Coghlan was interviewed by Dave Sweetmore on the ROOTS - The Dave Sweetmore Podcast on 10th May.
The hour-long chat was structured chronologically so John got to talk about the very early days all the way through to the Frantic Four reunion tours. The host, Dave Sweetmore, had done his research and asked decent questions, keeping John on track when he wandered off on (many) tangents.
Listen to the full podcast here.
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Francis was interviewed on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal in Oban on 13th May for the Siubhal gu Seachd le Pluto show. The Gaelic radio station aired a 90-minute Quo special featuring almost exclusively Quo, Quo-related and Francis tracks.
Francis talked about his early musical influences and the experience of having their first hit. He lamented the fact that Quo's simple songs get so much criticism and said that being told they were too old (in the eighties) gave them the fuel to keep going as long as possible. He misses the days of selling hundreds of thousands of copies of "product" and talking fondly about Live Aid.
Francis said it wasn't until "On The Level" that he thought the band would last, especially with the US proving so difficult to crack. He talked about resuming contact with Alan in Lancaster in 2010 and the resulting Frantic Four tours (which he described as "very rough"). On their Scottish gigs, he said the band were lucky in being liked there from the get go.
He acknowledged that still going out (with Quo and his own gigs) is his crutch and he "needs it" (and, of course, he dropped the "insecure show-off" line!) - and he "can't stop"! His love of the solo talk shows was very clear, especially the smaller, more intimate audiences.
A very unusual radio appearance with the Gaelic interviewer mixed with Rossi's English!
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An interesting interview with Francis was published in The Guardian on 14th May, written by Michael Hann. The author broached the idea that Francis could be neurodivergent and Francis seemed genuinely intrigued by the possibility! The full article can be found here.
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The long-awaited release of all three nights recorded at the Glasgow Apollo in 1976 for the "Live!" album finally happened on 16th May, in the form of a lavish 8-CD box set by Demon Music Group. Their official release promo follows.
"Recorded over 3 nights at the legendary Glasgow Apollo, Live is regarded as one of the most classic live rock albums of the seventies. It shows Status quo at their loudest; noisiest; and at their peak.
Live! Was the first live album that Status Quo released commercially. The album is an amalgam of performances at the Glasgow Apollo Theatre between 27 and the 29th October 1976, with the band deciding on the best takes from all three nights worth of concerts. It was recorded using the Rolling Stones' Mobile Studio (also known as the RSM), a recording studio that was built inside a DAF F1600 turbo truck that was once owned by the Rolling Stones.
This 8CD version contains the original album which has been newly mastered but contains the original mixes, as well as the rest of the shows from the 27th, 28th and 29th October 1976 which have never before been released in their entirety. The track list reflects the full sets in the order they were performed on the night. The audio has been mixed and mastered from newly discovered multi-track tapes (one was in a mislabelled box marked Peters and Lee) discovered after some forensic tape library work by Andy Gamble. The audio has been approved by Francis Rossi, who wasn't particularly happy with the audio quality of the first album but has since given this project his personal seal of approval. The audio has been newly mixed from the source 24 tracks and remastered at AVP Productions Ltd.
The 7" boxset contains new sleeve notes by Classic Rock's Dave Ling, chronicling the making of the record and the impact that it had on release. The booklet is crammed with biographical information, photography and memorabilia from the show and rounded off with a bonus article from Andy Gamble (AVP Studios) about the mastering processes and sound engineering behind the release."
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Andy Bown was interviewed by David Holloway on The Keyboard Chronicles podcast (Australia) on 16th May. The hour-long interview covered the entirety of Andy's life in music and the host had done his research, so there were some interesting questions - and even more interesting answers as you'd expect from Andy!
The following review of Francis's show in Edinburgh on 17th May appeared on All About The Rock on 18th May, penned by Jon Deaux.
"I dragged my poor, aching bones up to Queen's Hall last night. Legs like rusted hinges, lungs not much better. I hadn't planned on going, but my grandson wouldn't shut up about it. "You've been banging on about Status Quo since before CDs," he says. "You're bloody well going." So I did.
The seats were murder. Might as well have perched on a sack of bricks. Lucky I brought the cushion Mabel made back when her fingers still worked. She's been gone twelve years now. I still catch myself reaching for her hand in the dark.
Rossi came out, silver hair slicked back like it was still 1982. A bit like me - outdated, yes, but still ticking. Stubborn to the bone. He opened with a couple of self-deprecating stories before taking a seat next to his counterpart for the evening, Mr. Andy Brook.
Then came the music. The first chord hit like a nerve waking up. The room shifted. Backs straightened. Feet started twitching like they remembered how. My hearing aid was behaving for once, and I caught every syllable.
No noise, no distortion - just the meat of the songs. Honest. Stripped down. Like how we used to gather round the old wireless, back when everything wasn't trying to shout you into feeling something. This didn't shout. It just was.
The bloke beside me got glassy-eyed halfway through "20 Wild Horses," I think it was. Didn't ask. Didn't need to. Just handed him my handkerchief - the proper kind, cloth, not the papery nonsense they sell now. He nodded. That was enough.
After the interval, Rossi came back looser. But the songs came thick and fast - he was running overtime.
By the time he hit "Rockin' All Over the World," the place wasn't sitting still anymore. Even I got the boots moving, and that's saying something. And when it came time for "Caroline" at the end, everyone stood. I didn't want to - I'd been up and down enough for one night (she cried!) - but there's a point where the music pulls you, not asks you. So I stood.
On the way out, the grandson looked at me sideways and said, "Well?" I just nodded. "That's the real thing," I told him. "When I'm gone and you're sorting through my records, keep the Quo. They're built to last. Same as me."
This morning, everything aches. Feet. Knees. Neck. But it was worth it. Worth every goddamn step."
The show also led to a review in The Spectator, titled "We've underestimated Francis Rossi" and written by Graeme Thomson.
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