"ROCKIN' ALL OVER THE YEARS" - The Status Quo in the year 1969

   From german's Bravo: announcement of the new single 'Make me stay a bit longer  german single cover 'The Price of love'
The last year of the sixties. What a year in the modern music history! The Woodstock-Festival attracted not only the music scene. At the end of the year the Altamont-Fetival was in the spotlight. And "a giant leap for mankind", when men landed on the moon. But also a decisive turn for The Status Quo. After they tried to have success with the kind of music they were successful the year before, they decided at the end of year to change their musical direction. To leave the beat, pop, psychedelic and tending more to bluesy rockier songs. But with no success things were not good for Status Quo. Some 60 recorded shows are known in 1969. But many shows are not known. For example in January they were support band of The Small Faces at a nine-dates tour in Germany and Austria, but only the show in Vienna is recorded. In the autumn Status Quo stayed in Germany and played in different clubs and discos, these dates are not known too. All recorded shows of 1969: ...more
Pictures: Single-Cover "Make me stay a bit longer" (Germany) - Cutting from the german youth mag BRAVO to announce the release of the single "Make me stay a bit longer" and the german single-cover "The Price of love".

Chronological:

  • Januar 1969: The Status Quo played as support band of The Small Faces 9 shows in Germany and Austria. There's a bootleg from the show in Vienna (but with poor sound quality).
  • 11.01.1969: Quo songs out of the BBC session were played in the Pete Murray's People show.
  • 25.01.1969: the 2. performance in the german Beatclub (Folge 39) with the song "Technicolor Dreams", which was released as single in Germany the year before.
  • 31.01.1969: the 1. single release of the year with the Rossi/Parfitt Song "Make me stay a bit longer" (Rossi) Lead-Vocals: Francis Rossi. The b-side is the Alan Lancaster song "Auntie Nellie". Lead-Vocals: Francis Rossi. The single couldn't chart although the music critics talked about another upcoming hit for The Status Quo. By the way: it's the last single showing the band name as "The Status Quo".
  • 20.02.1969: first performance in the Royal Albert Hall, London.
  • 21.02.1969: performance in the show "Crackerjack".
  • March 1969: from March on the "The" in the band name was dropped, calling themselves now "Status Quo". Some more shows were played in March and April, but with the lack of success the interest in the band was gone and the money too.
  • April 1969: Anthony King's ballad "Are you growing tired of my love" was chosen as next single release. They say the song was about John Schroeder's girl friend who had left him. This is the first Status Quo song featuring Rick Parfitt as lead-vocalist.
  • 25.04.1969: release of the single "Are you growing tired of my love" (King). The B-Side was the Alan Lancaster song "So ends another Life" (Lancaster). The single could enter the charts and with No.46 it was a minor hit for the band in UK but also in Netherlands. And its the only single who could reenter the charts.
  • 05.-09.05.1969: out of the BBC-sessions Quo songs are played in the Jimmy Young show.
  • 19.-23.05.1969: in the Dave Cash Show Status Quo songs were played which were recorded during the BBC sessions.
  • 22.05.1969: Status Quo in the Show "Top of the Pops" with the song "Are you growing tired of my love".
  • June 1969: the british teenager-mag "Fabulous208" arranged a kart-race between Status Quo and The Love Affair, which was later published in one of these magazines.
  • 07.06.1969: another performance in the german Beatclub (Folge 43) with the song "Are you growing tired of my love".
  • July: the cinemas showed the film "Easy Rider", who achieved cult-status of a whole generation. The song "Born to be wild" was many years later covered by Status Quo on their album "Riffs".
  • 11.-15.08.1969: another BBC-sessions. Quo-songs were played in the Jimmy Young show.
  • 18.-22.08.1969: while in Amerika the Woodstock-festival started, the Tony Brandon show broadcasted Status Quo songs out of the BBC-Sessions.
  • September: the band started to turn over from the beat, pop and psychedelic music which the record company wanted from them. The band got more and more disillusioned with these kind of music and rehearsed and played more bluesy songs. When touring in Germany one night the band heard "Roadhouse Blues" from the Doors and they were so inspired by this song, that a musical change started. They grew their hair longer and left the Carnaby-Street Look behind them and wore jeans. Francis Rossi was always very much influenced by the music of the Everly-Brothers and the next single choice was the Everly song "The Price of Love" from the year 1965. This song features first time Bob Young on the blues harp. Bob already became tour manager and rehearsed with the band. Meanwhile the band were in studio recording their second album.
  • 26.09.1969: release of the single "The Price of Love" (Everly/Everly) Lead-Vocals: Francis Rossi - Rick Parfitt. The B-Side was another Rossi/Parfitt partnership: "Little Miss nothing" (Rossi/Parfitt). Lead-vocals: Francis Rossi. The single failed to chart.
  • 26.09.1969: 2. Album release "Spare Parts". The album didn't make an impact and was no success.
  • 01.11.1969: another BBC-session broadcasted in the show "Saturday People".
  • 09.11.1969: Quo songs out of the BBC-sessions were played in the John Lee Travis show.
  • November/December 1969: the musical change was seen at live performances; more bluesier and rockier numbers came into the live set and the old stuff went out. The managers Pat Barlow and Joe Bunce didn't like the new direction and were disillusioned with what to do with the band. The gap between the management and the band became bigger. With no success and no money the wifes of Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster had to work to save the band money. In November the record company came up with idea to release a batch of the old hits on a compilations album to get the band back in public mind. On the Marble Arch label the compilations LP "Status Quo-tations" was released but with no success at all.

    Discography 1969:

  • Single: Make me stay a bit longer (Rossi/Parfitt) / Auntie Nellie (Lancaster) Cat.No.: 7N.17665
  • Single: Are you growing tired of my love (King) / So ends another life (Lancaster) Cat.No.: 7N.17728
  • Single: The Price of love (Everly/Everly) / Little Miss Nothing (Rossi/Parfitt) Cat.No.: 7N.17825
  • LP: Spare Parts Cat.No.: MAL NPL 18301 (Mono and Stereo(NSPL 18301))
  • LP: Status Quo-tations Cat.No.: MAL 1183 (Mono and Stereo(MALS 1183))

    Miscellaneous:
    1. what a year in music history: from August 15 to August 19, 1969 the famous Woodstock Arts and Fair Festival took place on Max Yasgur's farm in the east of USA. 500.000 people attended this festival, which showed the basic attitudes of the young generation: Love and Peace. More about this famous unique festival here: Woodstock 1969
    2. the Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones was found dead - a few days later the Rolling Stones played a free concert in the Hyde Park, London.
    3. again the Rolling Stones: after a very successful US-tour the band announced a free show in Altamont - December 6, 1969. They expected 20.000 people, but more than 200.000 people came to see the festival. The security was helpless in front of so many people and because of the agressive mood. In the mess one of the Hell's Angels, who were security staff members, shot a black people. The whole festival can be seen on the film "Gimme shelter".
    4. the highlight of the year was the landing on the moon July 21, 1969 when Neil Armstrong was the first man who stepped on the moon.
    5. a milestone in the rock history: Led Zeppelin's album "II". For many the first hardrock-album at all.
    and not to forget the rock opera "Tommy" from The Who.
    6. the hits of the year 1969 in UK:
    Singles: 1. Sugar Sugar (Andy Kim and the Archies) 2. Get Back (Beatles) 3. Two little boys (Rolf Harris)
    Albums: 1. Led Zeppelin II (Led Zeppelin) 2. Hair (Soundtrack) 3. Britisch Motown Chartbusters Vol.3 (different artists)
    7. Football: Leeds United won the english championship and again Celtic Glasgow were scottish champions.
    8. Films of the year: "Alice's Restaurant" - "Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid" - "007 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service" - and the cult-film of the generation "Easy Rider".