Summary
In this episode of The Quo-Cast, Jamie Dyer pays tribute to Status Quo founder member Alan Lancaster, who passed away on the 26th of September 2021 at the age of 72.
In my two and a half years of presenting the Quo-Cast, this is the hardest thing I’ve done. I, like many Quo fans across the world, was lost for words when I heard of the passing of Alan Lancaster on the 26th of September 2021 at the age of 72. I looked around on social media and news websites and saw huge amounts of sadness but also a lot of love, appreciation and admiration for the bassist, singer and songwriter, who had struggled with MS for some time.
Reading the various comments, it was clear just how much of an impact Lancaster made on fans. Whether it was hearing his voice open 1974’s Quo album with Backwater followed by Just Take Me, the backing vocals he shared with Rick and Francis in that unique vocal blend, his thumping bass on countless Quo classics that still endure or via numourous TV appearances on Top Of The Pops, Disco, Countdown or TopPop; His contribution to Quo’s legacy is huge.
Upon hearing the sad news, one of the first recordings I sought out to listen to, was Rockers Rollin’, A Rick Parfitt / Jackie Lynton composition from the Rockin’ All Over The World album. The John Eden remix has a section right at the end into the fadeout, where the whole band are locked together in a tight groove. It’s not the most complex thing they’ve ever recorded, but the feel is right on point. I get similar feeling on sections of Forty-Five Hundred Times, Roadhouse Blues, Coming and Going, Ulmetung, Roll Over Lay Down, The Wild Ones and Down Down, thanks to the team of Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan; Sometimes referred to as The Frantic Four. Lancaster would sometimes refer to the band as being like a recipe, each member bringing their own ingredient to the table. Alan Lancaster, in dozens of recordings and hundreds of live performances, was an important part of establishing the Quo sound.
The story of the band is well documented. How Alan and Francis formed a group in 1962, the Butlins summer season of 1965, meeting Rick Parfitt and so the story goes. Alan once termed that in the early days they couldn’t play a note at the start. Its fair to say that by the time of their first record deal under the name of The Spectres, their skills, experience and confidence had grown.
Their debut single as The Spectres, I (Who Have Nothing) on Piccadilly featured the first of many Lancaster sung B-sides Neighbour Neighbour. Listening to it now, it feels like a bunch of Quo’s trademarks in early development; With Lancaster’s vocals front and centre. Other Lancaster fronted studio tracks from this early era, such as I Want It, Walkin’ With My Angel and When He Passed Me By are confident personality driven, sometimes aggressive, performances from someone who was, what, 17 years old! Same could be said for Gloria, the Van Morrison track they performed on Saturday Club on BBC Radio in 1966.
When The Spectres became Traffic Jam, they released the Rossi penned single Almost But Not Quite There. The groovy B-side Wait a Minute, the only recorded track to feature Roy Lynes on lead vocals, features a tasty and prominent Lancaster bass performance. Rick Parfitt would join as the band became The Status Quo, releasing their single Pictures of Matchstick Men. This, and the much derided follow up, Black Veils of Meloncholy, again saw Alan’s bass skills flourish.
Their first two albums, Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo & Spare Parts were not commercial successes, but showed a progression from their earlier work. Lancaster’s bass playing is somewhat funky at this point, providing a nice undercurrent to the 60s psychodelic pop they were producing. The way the band pull together on numbers such as Technicolour Dreams, When My Mind Is Not Live, Ice in The Sun, Make Me Stay A Bit Longer, Antique Angelique, Just What I Was Looking For Today among others is extremely underrated. Lancaster’s So Ends Another Life, sung by Rick Parfitt is a hauntingly beautiful composition with an uplifting melody that can often get lost when discussing the early years.
A lot is said about Lancaster as a Rocker, he could rock with the best of them and then some. But when it required it, he, along with Rick Parfitt, could help to shape some of the most beautiful lyrics and melodies. He may be most remembered for his contribution to boogie and hard rock, but Lancaster’s early forrays into Popular music will hold a special place in many fans hearts.
1970 saw the birth of a new Quo, you know the story. Its told on many Quo documentaries and in many published biographies. What the audience must have thought as Status Quo, without the THE and alongside Bob Young on harmonica, launched into Dustpipe, Spinning Wheel Blues, Roadhouse Blues and the long Is It Really Me Gotta Go Home on Granada TV’s Doing Their Thing. I know there were rules about movement on television, but it is clear some of the audience appear perplexed at times. If they thought ten minutes was long, the band would perform a 27 minute version of Is It Really Me / Gotta Go Home on Germany’s Beat Club. I watched the whole thing yesterday, its on the Accept No Substitute DVD, and its really something. Coghlan’s consistent drumming is like an unstoppable metronome, Parfitt’s rhythm pretty much the same. The take away for me though, was seeing the musical interplay between Rossi and Lancaster, trading licks on their very different guitars and keeping the audience guessing as to what was coming next.
The next two albums introduced a version of Quo’s now trademark sound, although Ma Kelly’s Greasy Spoon and Dog Of Two Head were not the commercial successes they deserved to be. The band’s performances on tracks like April Spring Summer and Wednesdays, Someone’s Learning, Daughter, Ulmetung, Lakky Lady, Gerdundula and Need Your Love are sublime. Many of these tracks became firm favourites in a live setting, especially the whole band coming together on Railroad. So many recordings of that song exist, but I reccommend checking out the Paris Theatre recording from Live at The BBC, the band are on fire.
Speaking of gigs, Quo in the seventies and eighties played hundreds if not thousands of them, many of which were documented. I’m sure every fan has fond memories of seeing Alan play live, whether in person or on the many pieces of audio and video footage that exist from his era. Just a few examples of film footage that exist include the Marquee club gig of 1972, Madrid in 75 and Wembley 74. I actually watched the film from the 74 gig last night, the band premiering Lancaster’s Backwater and Just Take Me. Seeing this as a teenager during the mid 00s, blew my mind. There was this guy with long hair curly, a jacket with no shirt underneath, bags of attitude and a rock voice with a raw edge.
When talking about notable gigs, the live album of 1977 serves as a reminder of just how rocking the frantic four lineup could be. The fact that the reunion tours were based on these performances shows just how powerful they were.
Although later and without John Coghlan, fans hold a fondness for the NEC gig of 1982, where the band performed in front of Prince Charles for the Prince’s Trust. A fond memory for all of those fortunate enough to attend this momentous occasion, and a striking one for those that saw it broadcast on BBC One, and Radio One’s The Friday Rock Show. If anything, for that amazing 21 minute performance of 4500 times, and the piercing version of Lancaster’s Over The Edge. The other gig which provokes a lot of reaction is that of the End Of The Road Tour of 1984. The band may not have been on the greatest of form, but Alan Lancaster’s last tour with Quo …so we thought for many years!… holds a special place in many fans’ hearts.
Then, surely the biggest stage of Lancaster’s career, On the 13th of July 1985, Quo would open Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, launching into Rockin’. They also played Caroline and Don’t Waste My Time, in front of a huge worldwide audience. It was, until 2013, to be the last time Alan was to play as part of Status Quo.
Quo’s first albums on Vertigo, that span between Piledriver and Blue For You before the live album, are seen as something of a golden period for the band. Musically, they were harnessing their boogie rock sound and continuing to experiment as time wore on. Piledriver is a starting block they built on successfully. Lancaster has two writing credits on the album, All the Reasons and A Year with Parfitt, both beautiful compositions that back up my previous comments. He also has a lead vocal on a version of The Doors’ Roadhouse Blues; A track that would become iconic for the band during live performances thanks to that locked in groove, and Rossi’s jig. The Hello album, Quo’s first number one. Ah. Roll Over Lay Down, Blue Eyed Lady (my goodness it was good to hear that on the reunion tour wasn’t it), Caroline, Softer Ride, Forty Five Hundred Times. I don’t need to describe these songs, you’re listening to this podcast and you know.
The Quo album from 1974: Parfitt and Lancaster wrote many of the tracks, creating possibly the heaviest album they ever produced. The selection of tracks are loaded with memorable moments. Slow Train for starters, the insightful Lonely Man. And Drifting Away and Don’t Think It Matters, surely have to rank up there with some of Lancaster’s best vocal performances.
1975’s On The Level, featuring number one single Down Down, was another chart topping affair. My favourite Quo album of all time, I’ve listened to Alan’s bass closely on many occasions. The lines he puts down on tracks like I Saw The Light, Little Lady and Nightride are extremely funky. Its also here you realise how Coghlan, one of the best shuffle drummers out there, and Lancaster really work together to create that groove. The album closes with Lancaster’s vocal on Chuck Berry’s Bye Bye Johnny, it’s loud, it’s frantic yet Lancaster’s diction is clear.
Where were you the first time you heard Lancaster sing Is There A Better Way? Man that really grabbed me the first time I heard it. His vocals were aggressive, but not too aggressive. The arrangement functional yet varied, exciting. This was the start of Blue For You, and it had plenty of surprises in store. Lancaster’s contributions included Rolling Home, Ease Your Mind and the gorgeous title track that showed the Quo could do slow moody blues. That album cover too, must be etched in the memory of many a Quo fan.
The rest of the 70s and early 80s would have many hits, and a few misses in the studio. Although much derided in it’s original form, I do enjoy Alan’s Let’s Ride, You Don’t Own Me and Too Far Gone from Rockin’, the latter always impressed me with his faultless and rhythmic pronounciation of the words Liquer Drinking Money Grabber and double dealing money maker. Also, who can forget the bassy intro before the slide on Like A Good Girl, and the poignant nature of Stones on If You Can’t Stand The Heat. How about the fierce honesty that was the Whatever You Want album, featuring Lancaster credited songs Who Asked You and High Flyer, both sets of lyrics full of bite. I’m sure many people have fond memories of flipping over the single to Whatever You Want, and hearing Lancaster and Mick Green’s Hard Ride, what an opening riff that song has.
It’s fair to say that by the early 80s, Quo had their share of issues within the band. This subject has been written and discussed many times. However, it is the music that continues to dominate the Quo conversation.
In life after Quo, Alan would go on to feature in many bands in his new homeland of Australia, where he had lived with his wife Dayle since the late 70s. In 1987, he joined an all star ensemble called The Party Boys. With The Angels’ John Brewster, he produced an album on CBS. The album spawned two hit singles in Australia. A version of Argent’s Hold Your Head Up and John Kongos’ He’s Gonna Step On You Again, the latter of which reached number one on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart in Australia. The single, sadly, only got to 92 in the UK singles chart.
In 1988, Lancaster with John Brewster would form a band called The Bombers, featuring Steve Crofts, Tyrone Coates and former bandmate John Coghlan. One of their performances was recorded in Sydney in 1989, and released on Barrel and Squidger Records very recently. Man they were on fire. The band, minus Coghlan, would then release the album Aim High in 1990 on A&M Records. He would help pen tracks including the heartfelt Is This The Way To Say Goodbye, the rocking title track and the fun Crime Investigator. The Bombers supported Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper and Skid Row on their tours of Australia between 1988 and 1990. Upon the Bombers dispanding, Lancaster would perform in the Lancaster Brewster Band then his in own band Alan Lancaster’s Bombers, who released an EP featuring a rocking version of Matchstick Men. Alan also occasionally appeared with John Coghlan during this time too.
Then some time later, something incredible happened. During the filming of Alan G Parker’s Hello Quo, Lancaster reunited with Coghlan, Parfitt and Rossi to jam together at Shepperton Studios. My goodness that was exciting wasn’t it. It left us wondering if we would see the Frantic Four reunited on stage again. In 2013 and 14, all our wishes came true. I was fortunate enough to see one of their Hammersmith shows on the 2013 tour, the atmosphere was palpable. Hearing Alan’s voice amplifed to 5000 spectators, performing the likes of Backwater, Just Take Me, Is There A Better Way, Blue Eyed Lady, Roadhouse Blues and Bye Bye Johnny, was such an emotional experience for all concerned. In fact, the whole thing was. The power of the music, the groove, the rocking, when all came together, were so emotive. For fans who saw the Quo in the 1970s and 80s, it was a chance to relive the experiences they’d often remembered with great fondness. For fans like me who had only seen footage or heard stories, it was an unbelievable occurance that had seemed almost impossible just five years previously.
In recent years, Alan tried to keep in touch with his fans in all the ways now available. Although I never met the man, I got the opportunity to interview him in 2011 as part of a radio charity broadcast. I was 21 years old, calling him at 3am my time all the way to Sydney. Listening back to my call now, because I recorded the whole thing in those days, it still feels like a surreal experience. I, for some reason, told him the interview would last around ten minutes! Over 35 minutes later and we were still talking. He was incredibly generous with his time, as seen recently with the appearances at the Status Quo fan club convention.
RIP Alan Charles Lancaster. My condelnces to to his family and firiends. He was one of a kind, and we shall all miss him.
