They began as a rock and roll freakbeat band called The Spectres. By 1967, with very little commercial success, they discovered psychedelia and changed their name to Traffic (later Traffic Jam, to avoid confusion with Steve Winwood's Traffic.) At this time the line-up also included organist Roy Lynes and drummer John Coghlan. Late in 1967 they recruited second guitarist Rick Parfitt and became The Status Quo, scoring Top 10 singles with Pictures Of Matchstick Men and Ice in The Sun. "Pictures of Matchstick Men" remains the only Top 40 hit single the group has ever charted in the United States. They have never achieved the same level of success there, that they have enjoyed in their home country.
After their second album Spare Parts they decided to change into a heavy boogie rock band. During the seventies they became one of the UK's leading rock bands, gaining a faithful following due to their excellent live gigs. They showed a great amount of energy during this decade and in the early 80s. They and are best known for songs from this era such as Paper Plane (1972), Caroline (1973), Down Down (1975), John Fogerty's Rockin' All Over The World (1977) and Whatever You Want (1979). Down Down topped the UK charts in January 1975 (their only British No. 1 single to date).
Lynes left in 1971, to be replaced initially by guest keyboard players on album, including Jimmy Horowitz and John Parker, and later on a more permanent basis on record and stage by ex-The Herd and Judas Jump member Andy Bown, though as he was contracted as a solo artist with EMI, he was not credited as a full-time member until 1982. Coghlan left in late 1981, to be replaced by Pete Kircher from 1960s band Honeybus. This short-lived lineup played its last gig in 1984 at the Milton Keynes Bowl, and reformed briefly to open the Live Aid charity event at Wembley in July 1985.
That year Rossi recorded and released two solo singles with longtime writing partner Bernie Frost. Parfitt was also working on a solo album which is still unreleased, although some tracks have been re-recorded by Status Quo and released as 'B' sides. Bass player John Edwards and drummer Jeff Rich, both ex-Judie Tzuke Band and Climax Blues Band, assisted Parfitt in the studio.
In the summer of 1985 Rossi, Parfitt and Bown, along with Edwards and Rich started work on a new album. Lancaster, who was living in Australia at the time, took out a legal injunction to stop the band using the Status Quo name on any records. The injunction was lifted after a court hearing in January 1986. Lancaster had had increasing musical differences with the group, notably during the sessions for the 1983 album Back to Back over two tracks which became hit singles for the group around that time. He had written Ol' Rag Blues, but was angered when the producers chose to release a version with Rossi singing lead vocal in preference to the one sung by himself, and he objected to Marguerita Time, which he thought unduly corny and too pop-oriented for them. He remained in Australia, forming a band called Party Boys, who had no success in Britain.
The commercially successful In The Army Now album was released in 1986, and the band continues to this day with the revised personnel. Rich left in 2000 and was replaced by Matthew Letley. Andrew Bown took a year off at the same time for family reasons and was replaced on stage by Paul Hirsh, formerly of Voyager.
According to Songfacts.com, Quo's 29th studio album, Quid Pro Quo, was released in a deluxe format exclusively at Tesco on 30 May 2011. The regular edition was released elsewhere a week later on 7th June. The LP debuted at #10 in the UK charts, the band's best chart placing for an original album since Don't Stop peaked at #2 in 1996.
Although Quo still release new material every few years, recent years have seen them release a series of greatest hits compilations and covers albums. One of the band's most recent original albums, Heavy Traffic, shows a return to classic form not seen since the late 1970s.
Status Quo have often been characterized, perhaps unfairly, as producing very simple songs, always in the same format: 4/4 rhythm, three chord structure. However, the recordings from their first decade demonstrate a diversity in musical style and complexity to rival most of the late 60s UK bands, and several of their singles and album tracks from later show considerable subtlety, not least the mainly acoustic 1979 single Living On An Island, and the 1980 album track, later a single, Rock'n'Roll, which is ironically one of the least rock'n'roll-like songs they have ever recorded.
They have a loyal group of fans in the United Kingdom, where they have enjoyed more hits than any other group in rock and roll history (over 60 as of mid-2005), as well as a big following in Europe, notably in The Netherlands.
In September 2005 a contestant on the long-running BBC television quiz programme Mastermind chose Status Quo as his specialist subject. That same year they took part in the long running ITV soap opera Coronation Street in a storyline which involved them being sued by the layabout Les Battersby.
In December 2005 it was announced that Parfitt was undergoing tests for throat cancer. All subsequent dates of the UK tour were cancelled as a result. However on 20th December it was further announced that the growths found in Parfitt's throat were benign and had been removed.
Quo have even been the subject of a Doctoral Thesis, purporting to demonstrate that their music composition skills could be favourably compared to the likes of the classical music composers, such as Beethoven!
In Autumn 2008 German techno legend Scooter released new single Jump that rock together with Status Quo.
On 1 February 2016, it was officially announced that Status Quo, in addition to the spring and summer dates already scheduled, would tour Europe starting in October. The final dates would take place in the UK towards the end of the year, after which the group would retire from playing 'electric' tours.
On 28 October 2016, Rick Parfitt permanently retired from live performances after suffering a heart attack earlier the same year. On 24 December 2017, he died in hospital in Marbella, Spain as a result of severe infection, after suffering an injury to his shoulder. Parfitt's funeral was held at Woking Crematorium on 19 January 2017. Irish guitarist Richie Malone, who had substituted for Parfitt during some 2016 live shows, took his place on rhythm guitar.
Black Veils Of Melancholy
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
the tree it moves ,lets me see what I wanna see
a poison gaze´f your mind is all that´s worrying me
The pictures that I see are seen by no one else but me
to cause the night to be in sight ,a little point of me
I imagine nearly anything I want to see
black veils keep shadowing my mind
black veils that make my mind seem small
Black veils of melancholy falling on me
black veils keep shadowing my mind
black veils that make my mind seem small
I see you with my eyes closed getting closer and closer to me
I open my eye up and you´re not there ,it´s all in my mind
Black veils of melancholy falling on me
black veils keep shadowing my mind
black veils that make my mind seem small
Black veils of melancholy falling on me
black veils keep shadowing my mind
black veils that make my mind seem small ........
"Black Veils of Melancholy" by Status Quo is a song that seems to be about someone who is haunted by their own thoughts and feelings. The lyrics describe a person who sees things that nobody else can see, and who imagines nearly anything they want to see. This person is worried about the poison gaze of their own mind, and they are constantly being shadowed by black veils of melancholy that make their mind seem small.
The imagery in the song is quite powerful, as it evokes a sense of darkness and isolation. The peppercorn tree is a symbol of life, but it is also moving and changing, which suggests that the singer is struggling to find stability and meaning. The black veils of melancholy that keep shadowing their mind make it difficult for them to see clearly, and they are constantly haunted by their own thoughts and feelings.
Overall, "Black Veils of Melancholy" is a poignant song that captures the sense of loneliness and despair that can sometimes accompany our most profound thoughts and feelings. It is a reminder that we are all vulnerable to the dark side of our own minds, and that the road to happiness and fulfillment is often a difficult one to navigate.
Line by Line Meaning
If I see you hiding in the night by a peppercorn tree
If I happen to catch a glimpse of you attempting to conceal yourself under the cover of darkness, near a specific type of tree.
the tree it moves ,lets me see what I wanna see
Movement of the tree reveals what I desire to see, as if it adjusts itself to help me see it.
a poison gaze´f your mind is all that´s worrying me
The thought of you harboring poisonous thoughts is what concerns me the most.
The pictures that I see are seen by no one else but me
The images that I experience only occur within my own mind and no one else can perceive them.
to cause the night to be in sight ,a little point of me
There is a small part of myself that is able to bring the obscurity of the night into focus.
I imagine nearly anything I want to see
My imagination has the capability to conjure nearly anything that I desire to see.
Black veils of melancholy falling on me
A deep and pervasive sense of sadness has been cast over me, like a veil.
black veils keep shadowing my mind
My mind remains shrouded in darkness, as if completely engulfed by these black veils of melancholy.
black veils that make my mind seem small
The shadow that these black veils cast over my mind seems to shrink it, making it feel insignificant.
I see you with my eyes closed getting closer and closer to me
Even with my eyes closed, I can envision you drawing near to me, as if you are actually present.
I open my eye up and you´re not there ,it´s all in my mind
When I open my eyes, I realize that you were never actually there and that the experience was purely a creation of my own mind.
Black veils of melancholy falling on me
The all-encompassing cloak of sadness continues to loom over me, drawing me deeper into its embrace.
black veils keep shadowing my mind
The shadows of melancholy persist, continuing to cast their weight over my thoughts and emotions.
black veils that make my mind seem small
My mind feels compressed and impeded, as if it is trapped beneath the weight of these dark veils that obscure my vision.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FRANCIS DOMINIC MICHAEL NICOLA ROSSI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jaime Alvarado
on Rain
great song ,,, !!!!!!!