"ROCKIN' ALL OVER THE YEARS"
- Status Quo in the year 1988
concerts, publications, charts, miscellaneous
Chronological:
January-March 1988: after the rumours around the band caused with the South Africa shows the year before, there were no shows in spring 1988.
But the band went into recording studio to re-work the announced album, because the record company wasn't pleased with the existing song-material.
Eventually the chosen songs was to everybody's pleasure and they decided to release a first single with the title track "Ain't complaining".
14.03.1988: UK-release of the single "Ain't complaining". The song was written by Rick Parfitt and Pip Williams and was issued on different formats. As 7"-vinyl-single and as 7"-limited edition including the Quo History Pack 1. This "History Pack" featured the first part of the Status Quo family tree designed by Pete Frame. The B-Side of the 7"-vinyl-format is the Rossi-Frost-Parfitt song "That's alright", which originally was written from Francis Rossi and Bernie Frost for their planned 1985 album "Flying Debris". The b-side featured a re-recorded version. Additional song on the 12"-vinyl-maxi-single is the song "Lean Machine", a Rossi-Parfitt-writing. And finally the single was issued on CD-format. The Maxi-CD included the song "In the army now". It's the first Status Quo maxi-CD which was released in UK.
21.03.1988: the new single entered the UK-Singles-Charts and climbed up to No.19.
31.03.1988: the promo-video of "Ain't Complaining" was showed in the british charts show "Top of the pops". Moderator: Mike Smith, Nicky Camphell
11.04.1988: Release of the "Ain't complaining"-single in Germany. The single was issued on 7"- and 12"-vinyl-format and as Maxi-CD. But the "History Pack" wasn't released in Germany.
18.04.1988: "Ain#t complaining made its german charts-entry and went to No.39. It stayed 11 weeks in the german charts.
April 1988: the enlish Fanclub "Quo Army" published the "Quotations" magazine for the first time.
05.05.1988: in german youth magazine BRAVO a report about Status Quo was issued.(No. 19/88)
09.05.1988: 2.single-release in UK. "Who gets the love?" again from the forth-coming album "Ain't complaining" is a song, who was written by Pip Williams and Johnny Goodison. One of the best-produced Status Quo songs. B-side is the Parfitt-Williams-Rossi composition "Helloween", which was due to be released on Rick Parfitts planned solo-project "Recorded Delivery" in 1985. Again the single was issued on several formats. This time the second part of the "History Pack" was released on 7"-vinyl format. Additional track on the 12"-vinyl-format wasthe Pip Williams-Johnny Goodison song "The Reason for goodbye". And a 4th song was included on the Maxi-CD with "The Wanderer (Sharon the Nag Mix)".
10.05.1988: Status Quo kicked-off the 1988 concerts in Cork/Ireland. Followed by Another 3 Ireland- and 4 Northern Ireland-concerts.
16.05.1988: "Who gets the love?" first time listed in the UK-Charts. The song went only to No. 34.
21.05.1988: start of the "Ain't complaining" tour at the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle of Hamburg. Status Quo played a total of 20 shows in Germany.
Notable: the tour programmes showed "Europe 1988" on the front cover. the later in England published tour programmes were differnt to this "continental" ones.
23.05.1988: release of the new Status Quo album "Ain't complaining" in Germany. Producer: Pip Williams. 12 songs were issued on this long-player and 4 singles were taken from this albumt. (3 in UK and 1 single in France (I know you're leaving)).
And its the first time that the new band members Jeff Rich and John "Rhino" Edwards contributed with a song, whom they wrote with Mike Paxman - "Everytime I think of you". And there's a rerecorded version of Andy Bown's 1979 solo-single "Another Shipwreck". The album was issued on LP, CD and cassette.
30.05.1988: the album "Ain't complaining" entered the german album-charts peaking at No. 33 with a chart-run of 6 weeks.
May 1988: the Castle Communications record label released the Status Quo compilation "The Collection" on CD-format. This comopilation was already released on LP and cassette format in 1985. With the new CD-medium there was a new market and the record company wants to fit in this market.
(Kat.Nr.: Castle CCSCD114)
06.06.1988: UK-release of the album "Ain't complaining".
18.06.1988: the new album entered the UK-album-charts and climbed up to No.12 with a total of 5 weeks in the charts.
24.06.1988: UK tour kicked-off in St. Austell. 11 shows were played and the tour ended in London*'s Wembley Arena.
Juli 1988: the Band again in the studio, to rerecord their big hit "Rockin' all over the world" for the worldwide event "Sport Aid - The race against time". The song was retitled into "Running all over the world" and the lyrics were changed.
08.08.1988: release of the new Status Quo single "Running all over the world". B-Side is the Rossi-Frost Song "Magic" which is taken from the "Ain't complaining" album.
15.08.1988: the new sinlge first time in the UK-singles-charts. The song was successful and notched up at No. 17.
15.08.1988: another milestone in the bands long history - the band played 14 consecutive shows at the Olympia-hall of Moscow / Russia. The shows were a big success in a land which was governed by communismus at the time. All 14 shows were a complete sell-out with 17,500 people every night.
25.08.1988: while the band stayed in Moscow the british chart-show "Top of the Pops" played the promo-video of the new single "Running all over the world". Moderator: Gary Davies, Nicky Camphell
12.09.1988: one day after the Sport Aid event took place, the "Running all over the world" single was released in Germany.
19.09.1988: the Sport Aid sinlge entered the german chart with a No.48 and 6 weeks in the charts.
31.10.1988: the PRT-Label released in UK a vinyl Picture Disc limited editionAuflage entitled "From the Beginning" (Cat.No.: PRT PYX 4001).
07.11.1988: again an Austria-Tour; 7 shows were played in Austria kicking off in Amstetten.
21.11.1988: third single-release from the new album "Ain't complaining" in UK. The Rossi-Bown song "Burning Bridges", the tune was based on a traditional. B-Side of the 7"-vinyl-single is "Whatever you want". Additional song on the 12"-vinyl-maxi-single and the maxi CD is "Marguerita Time".
28.11.1988: "Burning Bridges" crashed into the UK-charts and went up to No.5 becoming another TOP5 hit for the band and was a big success.
November 1988: the first Status Quo Video-CD-Single "Ain't Complaining" (Cat.Nr. Vertigo 080 322-2) was released (cover see above). Featurning the songs "That's alrigt" / "Lean Machine" / Remix "In the army now" and the video of "Ain't complaining" the VCD appeared on the 5"-format and it could played only on special CD-players. Nowadays it should be compatible with the new DVD-players.
08.12.1988: Status Quo performing at the show "Top of the Pops" with the new single "Burning Bridges. Moderator: Nicky Camphell, Caron Keating
14.12.1988: Status Quo rounded off another successful year with another UK-tour, kicking-off in Paignton/Torquay.
22.12.1988: a repeat performace of "Burning Bridges" in the "Pop of the Pops" show. Moderator: Nicky Camphell, Steve Wright
31.12.1988: at a big "Top of the Pops" special the performances of "Pictures of Matchstickmen" and"Rockin all over the world" were repeated.
in Germany Status Quo appeared at Mike Krügers TV-Show "4 gegen Willy" with the song "Ain't Complaining".
another german TV appearance at the saturday night sport show "ZDF-Sportstudio". Status Quo performed their single "Running all over the world".
the single "Burning Bridges" was released at the end of the year in Germany too. The single went to No. 26 in the german charts.
in 1988 the german coverband "QUO" was founded and is still existing.
Status Quo are recording with german artist Stefan Remmler on his song "Drrrrei weisse Birrrrken" which was released as single and featured on Stefan Remmlers album "Lotto".
UK discography 1988:
LP: "Ain't complaining" (Vertigo VERH58) (CD VERHC58) (cassette: 834604-4)
Single: "Ain't complaining" (Vertigo QUO22) (12"-Vinyl QUO2212) (Maxi-CD QUOCD22)
Single: "Who gets the love?" (Vertigo QUO23) (12"-Vinyl QUO2312) (Maxi-CD QUOCD23)
Single: "Running all over the world" (Vertigo QUAID1) (12"-Vinyl QUAID112) (Maxi-CD QUAIDCD1)
Single: "Burning Bridges" (Vertigo QUO25) (12"-Vinyl QUO2512) (Maxi-CD QUOCD25)
CD: "The Collection " (PRT CCSCD114)
Picture Disc: "From the beginning" (PRT PYX 4007)
UK-Chart notes:
LP: "Ain't complaining" (UK) No. 12
Single: "Ain't complaining" (UK) No. 19
Single: "Who gets the love?" (UK) No. 34
Single: "Running all over the world" (UK) No. 17
Single: "Burning Bridges" (UK) No. 5
Sonstiges:
1. 3 outstanding albums of the year 1988:
a) the US-Band "Queensryche" with their concept-Album "Operation Mindcrime" a real masterpiece in hardrock history, telling the story of a mindcrime.
b)"Look Sharp" is the name of a fantastic album from the swedish band "Roxette", with whom the swedish duo of Per Gessle and Marie Frederiksson were the new shooting stars. Very good rocksongs and ballads are the trademark of "Roxette". The song "The Look" was a chart-breaker and became an all-time-high.
c) and on the "Heavy Metall-front" the american band "Metallica" released their album "...and justice for all". One of the best heavy metal songs is featured on this album - "One", a definitive anti-war-song who impressed with his video-clip.
Some more albums of the year 1988: "Nobody's Perfect - live" Deep Purple / "A delicate sound of thunder - live" Pink Floyd / "Rattle and Hum - live" U2 / "The Beatles Past Masters Vol.1 und Vol.2"
2. Hits of the year in UK:
Albums: 1. Kick (INXS) 2. Hearsay (Alexander O'Neal) 3. Bad (Michael Jackson)
3. Football: english champions were FC Liverpool. Scottish trophy won Celtic Glasgow. The european championship in Germayn was won by the Netherlands.
4. Some cinema films of the year 1988: "No false game with Roger Rabbit" "Prinz of Zamunda" - "Crocodile Dundee II" - "Rambo III"