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.
Technicolor Dreams
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see your face now at the end of the day, purple shadows dancing in your eyes.
Technicolor dreams are all I see
Technicolor dreams of you and me
I see your shadow tripping through a silver glade, tiptoeing over crimson sand
Luring me onwards into a sea of jade, leading me gently by the hand
Technicolor dreams are all I see
Technicolor dreams of you and me
If I could escape through the windows of my mind
I would fly to your magic mountain land
There we would stay 'til the world had passed away
With a love only we could understand
Technicolor dreams are all I see
Technicolor dreams of you and me
I see your face at the dawn of the day, gold as the sun begins to shine
I see your face now at the end of the day, purple shadows dancing in your eyes.
In Status Quo's song Technicolor Dreams, the lyrics describe a dreamlike state where the singer sees the face of their loved one at the beginning and end of the day. The imagery used to depict this dream is vivid and colorful, with "gold as the sun begins to shine" and "purple shadows dancing in your eyes." The repeated phrase "Technicolor dreams" emphasizes the surreal nature of the dream, where reality and imagination intertwine.
As the song progresses, the listener is taken on a journey through various landscapes, including a silver glade and a sea of jade. The shadow of the loved one is depicted as luring the singer onward, leading them by the hand. Despite the fantastical nature of the dream, the desire to escape to this magical world is palpable, with the singer wishing to "fly to your magic mountain land" and stay there with their loved one "until the world had passed away."
The song's use of vivid imagery and dreamlike sequences creates a sense of escapism, allowing the listener to imagine a world beyond reality where anything is possible. The repetition of the phrase "Technicolor dreams" throughout the song acts as a reminder that life is not always black and white, and that our imaginations have the power to transport us to worlds beyond our wildest dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
I see your face at the dawn of the day, gold as the sun begins to shine
I begin my day with thoughts of you, your face shining like the first rays of the sun
I see your face now at the end of the day, purple shadows dancing in your eyes.
As the day ends, I see you again, your eyes reflecting the beauty of the twilight
Technicolor dreams are all I see
My dreams are vivid and colorful, filled with images of you and us together
Technicolor dreams of you and me
Our dreams together are vivid, brought to life with colors and adventure
I see your shadow tripping through a silver glade, tiptoeing over crimson sand
In my mind, I see your shadow moving gracefully through a peaceful landscape of silver and red
Luring me onwards into a sea of jade, leading me gently by the hand
You beckon to me to follow you towards a paradise of green, guiding me lovingly every step of the way
If I could escape through the windows of my mind
If only I could wander free from my thoughts
I would fly to your magic mountain land
I would soar towards a world where we could be together in harmony
There we would stay 'til the world had passed away
We would remain there until the end of time itself
With a love only we could understand
Our love would be a special, unique bond that only we would share
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANTHONY KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
비정한세상
"Technicolor Dreams"
I see your face at the dawn of the day, gold as the sun begins to shine
I see your face now at the end of the day, purple shadows dancing in your eyes.
Technicolour dreams are all I see
Technicolour dreams of you and me
I see your shadow tripping through a silver glade, tiptoeing over crimson sand
Luring me onwards into a sea of jade, leading me gently by the hand
If I could escape through the windows of my mind
I would fly to your magic mountain land
There we would stay 'til the world had passed away
With a love only we could understand
Michael Platter
Love the early Status Quo and this psychedelic Sound.
Tony Dean
Im not from the psychedelic era, but a great song is a great song, and this is a great song. Status Quo really are a very underated band. Alan Lancasters Bass playing is something else too. R.I.P.
QuoPotter
The start of the formation of the greatest band of all time!
Adrian R
I bought the Golden Hour of Status Quo album in the late 70's and loved their psychodelic era.
peacepixie2760
Thanks for uploading. My 4yr old son is obsessed with Status Quo and loving these early songs at the moment but so hard to find videos of then.
Nik Lel
Your son has great taste!
Tony Dean
Thats a 4 year old fella with great taste.
peacepixie2760
Yeah he even calls himself Rick and has his posters up everywhere haha
Tony Dean
🤣 Love it bless him ... good on the little man 👍
Michael Janse van Rensburg
It was actually 1968! I proudly owned the LP (vinyl. Still do!) "Picturesque Pictures of Matchstick Men" in my final year of High School, just before being conscripted into the air force. Great memories of a fantastic band. Thank you so much!