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.
Spicks And Specks
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That shone on my head
The sun in my life
It is dead, it is dead
Where is the light
That would stay in my street
And where are the friends
I could meet, I could meet
I left far behind
The spicks and the specks
Of the girls on my mind
Where is the sun
That shone on my head
The sun in my life
It is dead, it is dead
Where are the girls
I left far behind
The spicks and the specks
Of the girls on my mind
Where are the girls
I left far behind
The spicks and the specks
Of the girls on my mind
Where is the girl
I have loved all along
The girl that I love
She is gone, she is gone
All of my life
I've tossed with the day
The spicks and the specks
Of my life gone away
All of my life
I've tossed with the day
The spicks and the specks
Of my life gone away
Where is the sun
That shone on my head
The sun in my life
It is dead, it is dead
The lyrics to Status Quo's "Spicks and Specks" convey a sense of melancholy and loss, as the singer reflects on a past that has faded away. The opening lines, "Where is the sun / That shone on my head / The sun in my life / It is dead, it is dead," suggest that the singer is mourning a time of happiness and warmth that has passed, leaving him in a state of darkness and coldness. The repetition of the refrain, "Where are the girls / I left far behind / The spicks and the specks / Of the girls on my mind," reinforces this sense of loss, as the singer remembers with regret the women he has loved and lost.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses a deep nostalgia for the past, and a sense of disconnection from the present. The lines "Where is the light / That would stay in my street / And where are the friends / I could meet, I could meet" suggest that the singer feels isolated and alone, missing the familiar people and places that once provided comfort and community. The final lines, "All of my life / I've tossed with the day / The spicks and the specks / Of my life gone away / Where is the sun / That shone on my head / The sun in my life / It is dead, it is dead," convey a sense of resignation, as the singer comes to terms with the fact that he can never recapture the happiness and warmth of the past.
Overall, "Spicks and Specks" is a poignant and poignant song that captures the bittersweet nature of nostalgia and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Where is the sun
I'm trying to find joy and positivity, but I can't seem to locate it
That shone on my head
The happiness that used to radiate from me is now gone
The sun in my life
The positivity that used to illuminate my life has disappeared
It is dead, it is dead
The joy that I used to know is gone forever, and I mourn its loss
Where is the light
I'm searching for guidance and clarity, but I can't seem to find it anywhere
That would stay in my street
I used to have a sense of stability and home, but that has vanished
And where are the friends
I miss the companionship and camaraderie of the people I care about
I could meet, I could meet
I long for the opportunity to connect with others, but it seems out of reach
Where are the girls
I'm nostalgic for my past romantic connections and the memories they bring
I left far behind
Those past relationships are over, and I can't go back to them
The spicks and the specks
The specific details and memories of those past relationships are still vivid in my mind
Of the girls on my mind
I can't stop thinking about those past relationships and the girls I loved
Where is the girl
The one I truly loved above all others, and who completed me in every way
I have loved all along
She has been a constant in my life, but now she's gone
The girl that I love
My heart belongs to her, and without her, I feel lost and empty
She is gone, she is gone
I have lost the love of my life, and the pain is unbearable
All of my life
For as long as I can remember
I've tossed with the day
I've struggled and battled to find my way through life's challenges
The spicks and the specks
The specific details and memories of my struggles are still vivid in my mind
Of my life gone away
All the memories and experiences that have shaped me are now in the past
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BARRY GIBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Reinaldo Ptizer
Muito superior a versão dos Bee Gees (que é também maravilhosa). Mas está é a versão definitiva, cantada com vários "bits" a mais de emoção.
natninja bell
I looooove this version much more psychedelic ❤️🎶
``Strickly`` 60`s
Although I've only known "the Bee Gees" version of this song, after hearing "S.Q." job I say they both do commendable performances of the song. I enjoyed both. Thanks.
Jebediah Wimson
@Diego Altieri ugh okay
Diego Altieri
The Bee GEES wrote and Composed this song
Sandy Sandy
``Strickly`` 60`s
Agreed .
Santana Ana Julia
Qué elegante hubiera sido nacer en esa época, nada más fino que estos temas!!
Ramiro Treviño
Im here not because of a movie or a tv show or a video game, im here because this is great music.
CrankyRay
alright
Frederick Martin
this was such a good song that disappeared until now!