"ROCKIN' ALL OVER THE YEARS" - Status Quo in the year 1978

german cover of the Status Quo single 'Rockers Rollin'     french cover of the Status Quo Single 'Rockers Rollin'     dutch cover of the Status Quo Single 'Rockers Rollin'

    promo poster of the new single 'Again and Again'     backcover of the Bob Young book 'Alias the Compass'

concerts, publications, charts, miscellaneous

The year 1978 - the very successful "Rockin all over the world"-tour continued in the year 1978 with sell-out shows. The band played 42 shows in the first 3 months and received good critics everywhere. And in Germany it was kind of a "BRAVO QUO"-year. In Germany's biggest and best-known youth magazine BRAVO, Status Quo was one of the favourite bands. In 29 of the 52 BRAVO issue's a report or a poster about Status Quo was issued and with issue No.33 every week the Status Quo star-cut was published, which was one of the biggest star-cuts ever. More about that: BRAVO and QUO 1978
But there was another special thing in the year 1978. It was the so called "tax year" for Status Quo. To avoid high taxes, the band members lived in foreign countries. Francis Rossi lived in Ireland; Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan were in Australa or the Isle of Man and Rick Parfitt spent most of the time with his wife in her native Germany or he lived on the Isle of Jersey.
And that's the reason why the band did only one UK show in 1978, at the Reading Festival. The new album "If you can't stand the heat" was another big success in Great Britain and in Germany. And again a TOP hitsingle with "Again and Again" All recorded shows of 1978: ...more
Pictures: german, french, dutch cover of the Status Quo Single "Rockers Rollin", Promo poster of the single "Again and Again" and backcover of the Bob Young book "Alias the compass".

Chronological:

  • 05.01.1978: in Rouen the french tour with 15 concerts was kicked-off. ...Ticket of the concert in Pau
  • 12.01.1978: in german's BRAVO issue 03/78 a Status Quo series "Porträt" started with Rick Parfitt. The series was continued on the 19th January with John Coghlan (Bravo issue No.4) - 26th of January with Alan Lancaster (issue 5/78) and on February 2 with Francis Rossi.
  • 02.02.1978: start of a german tour in Dortmund with a total of 20 concerts.
  • 09.03.1978: in the Bravo issue 11/78 an A-3 sized poster of Status Quo was published with a report about Status Quo.
  • 20.03.1978: the band started recording new songs for a new album at the new Wisselvoord studios in Netherlands. Produced again by Pip Wiliams.
  • 29.03.1978: Alan Lancaster married Dayle Thornburn. There's a little press cutting out of the BRAVO "Hochzeitsglocken bei Status Quo" (engl.: wedding bells are ringing in the QUO camp.") -> Bravo-report
  • May 1978: the PYE record company released on their Hallmark-Marble Arch-Label the LP "STATUS QUO" (HMA260).
  • June 1978: Rick Parfitt suffered on Arthritis and couldn't play at all for more than 4 weeks.
  • July 1978: the single "Rockers Rollin" was released in Germany, France and Netherlands. The single was issued on the "Rockin all over the world" album. The song was written by Rick Parfitt and Jackie Lynton. B-Side is the Rossi Young Parfitt composition "Hold you Back".
  • July 1978: another PYE release in UK. This time the single: "Mean Girl" / "In my chair" (Cat.No. 7N46095).
  • 10.07.1978: the single "Rockers Rollin" entered the german charts and reached No.30 in the charts and stayed there for 7 weeks.
  • 18.07.1978: in Newcastle (AUS) kick-off of the "Rockin all over Australia"-tour with a total of 21 shows.
  • August 1978: again a compilations album with songs from the PYE-period was released by PYE in UK. The double-LP "The Status Quo Collection" (PDA046).
  • 10.08.1978: in german's No.1 youth magazine BRAVO started the Status Quo star-cut with the head of John Coglan and bits of Rick Parfitts scarf. It was one of the biggest star-cuts ever and after you cut and clued the 46 pieces together you had a really live size poster of the band (6 ft. high and 4 ft.bright). Every week the Quo star-cut was published until the full-size poster was finished. Look at the star-cut picture: ..picture of star-cut No.1 (a bit of Rick Parfitts scarf). (for collectors: Quo star-cut is in the BRAVO issue's 33/78 - 51/78)
  • 25.08.1978: release of the new single "Again and Again", which was written by Parfitt-Bown-Lynton. B-side was the Alan Lancaster song "Too far gone" which was issued on the "Rockin all over the world" album. By the way "Again and Again" became the first Quo single bearing the Cart.No. QUO1.
  • 26.08.1978: the only performance in UK of the year with headlining the Reading Festival.
  • September 1978: another PYE-Single-release. This time "Pictures of Matchstick Men / Ice in the sun" (PYE 7N.46103)
  • 01.09.1978: Charts entry of the Single "Again and Again" in UK. The single notched up at No.13 and stayed 9 weeks in the UK-Singles-Charts.
  • 09.09.1978: Status Quo were Headliner of the festival in Pforzheim. In the Bravo was a 4 pages special about this festival. (BRAVO Heft No. 40/78 from 28.9.1978)
  • 14.09.1978: in the show "Top of the Pops" the promo-video of "Again and Again" was played. Moderator: Jimmy Saville.
  • 18.09.1978: german charts entry of the single "Again and Again". It climbed up to No.18 and spent a total of 11 weeks in the charts.
  • 01.10.1978: even the german "Airplay-Charts" included the new single "Again and Again". Its highest position was No.33 with 8 weeks in the airplay-charts.
  • 27.10.1978: UK-release of the new Status Quo album "If you can't stand the heat". 10 tracks are included on this album, which wasn't a real Quo rocking one. The band moved away from its hardrocking direction and many fans disliked it. But the album was a big success.
  • 30.10.1978: german charts-entry of "If you can't stand the heat". Top position was No.11 with a long run of 27 weeks in the german album charts.
  • 04.11.1978: the new album entered the british charts peaking at No.3. Total weeks in charts: 14.
  • 17.11.1978: the 2.single release - the album track "Accident Prone" (Williams/Hutchins). B-Side was another song from the new album. "Let me fly", which was written by the songwriter team Francis Rossi and Bernie Frost.
  • 27.11.1978: Status Quo with a performance in Germany at Ilja Ricther's TV-Show "Disco '78" with the Song "Again and Again".
  • Status Quo was voted on No.6 of the best bands at the BRAVO-Otto-Wahlen.
  • Bob Young's book "Alias the Compass" was published.
  • at the end of the year the first Status Quo Fanclub "STATUS QUO OFFICIAL SUPPORTERS CLUB" was founded. The man behind the club was Jeff Thackeray.
  • in Germany PYE released the compilation album "Pop Gold".

    UK discography 1978:

  • Single: "Again and Again" (Parfitt/Lynton) / "Hold you Back" (Rossi/Young/Parfitt) (Cat.No.: QUO1)
  • Single: "Mean Girl" / "In my chair" (Kat.Nr. 7N.46095)
  • Single: "Pictures of Matchstick Men" / "Ice in the sun" (PYE 7N.46103)
  • LP: "If you can't stand the heat" (Vertigo 9102 027) (Cassette: 7231 017)
  • LP: "STATUS QUO" (HMA260)
  • LP: "The Status Quo Collection" (PDA046)

    Charts 1978:

  • Rockers Rollin' - No. 30 (D)
  • Again and Again - No. 13 (UK)
  • Again and Again - No. 18 (D)
  • "If you can't stand the heat" - No. 3 (UK)
  • "If you can't stand the heat" - No. 11 (D)

    Miscellaneous: 1. a selection of good albums in 1978: The Cars (The Cars), Pyramid (Alan Parson Project), Double Vision (Foreigner), Outlandos d'Amour (The Police), Jazz (Queen), Parallel Lines (Blondie), Some Girls (Rolling Stones), Heavy Horses (Jethro Tull) and a must for rockfans the stunning Thin Lizzy Live-Album "Live and Dangerous".
    2.Hits of the year in UK:
    Singles: 1. Rivers of Babylon (Boney M) 2. Man's Boy Child (Boney M) 3.You're the one that I want (Olivia Newton-John/John Travolta)
    Albums: 1. Saturday Night Fever (Bee Gees) 2. Wish you were here (Pink Floyd) 3. Watch (Manfred Mann's Earthband)
    3. Football: english champions Nottingham Forest and in Scotland the Glasgow Rangers
    4. cinema films of the year 1978: The China Syndrome, Coma, Grease, Helloween, Superman, Shark 2 and the musical film Stgt Peppers Lonely Heartclub Band (Peter Frampton and Bee Gees)