Ol Rag Blues (With Alan On Vocals)

[Deleted]

Guess I'm the only one on here that prefers this version of this great song over the officially released version with Rossi on lead vocals ?!

[mortified]

It's not a favourite song of mine. I really don't like the album generally. But, put it this way; this version is no worse than the single that was released. The backing track sounds pretty much the same.

Alan's vocals do it justice - he wrote it after all. So I think his version should have been the single. Record company decisions decreed otherwise alas.

Shame. It wouldn't have made the single any better but it would have been fairer to Alan.

[Deleted]

Sept 14, 2016 7:39:25 GMT mortified said:

Alan's vocals do it justice - he wrote it after all. So I think his version should have been the single. Record company decisions decreed otherwise alas.

Shame. It wouldn't have made the single any better but it would have been fairer to Alan.

Totally agree with you, but was it purely a record company decision ?

[mortified]

Sept 14, 2016 7:43:58 GMT ive said:

Sept 14, 2016 7:39:25 GMT mortified said:

Alan's vocals do it justice - he wrote it after all. So I think his version should have been the single. Record company decisions decreed otherwise alas.

Shame. It wouldn't have made the single any better but it would have been fairer to Alan.

Totally agree with you, but was it purely a record company decision ?

I can only imagine so. I know Francis takes the blame for "taking over" and/or making band decisions at that time but there's no way he could put the single out himself without record company sanction.

We don't know the whole truth about it all but I have always just assumed that Phonogram (or whoever it was) asked for vocals to be re-recorded for single purposes. I don't think it would have made the slightest difference to sales. It was Quo and it would still have got to no.10 no matter who sang it.

I never much liked the track but it was probably the most appropriate song on the album to be released as a single given what came next.

[Deleted]

Sept 14, 2016 8:39:04 GMT mortified said:

Sept 14, 2016 7:43:58 GMT ive said:

Totally agree with you, but was it purely a record company decision ?

I can only imagine so. I know Francis takes the blame for "taking over" and/or making band decisions at that time but there's no way he could put the single out himself without record company sanction.

We don't know the whole truth about it all but I have always just assumed that Phonogram (or whoever it was) asked for vocals to be re-recorded for single purposes. I don't think it would have made the slightest difference to sales. It was Quo and it would still have got to no.10 no matter who sang it.

I never much liked the track but it was probably the most appropriate song on the album to be released as a single given what came next.

The story I heard was that Rossi went back into the studio 1 night, alone, and rerecorded the lead vocals cos he didnt like Alans vocals, & then insisted his version was released,,, sounds about right to me

[mortified]

I know. I read that as well although not from any official source. Sometimes I do wonder though. I'm far from convinced that Francis could 'insist' on his vocals being on any single. That's a record company decision. As is what track or tracks to release.

I know Francis is often seen as the villain concerning all matters Quo - and he is undoubtedly the alpha male in the band - but I often think many stories are simply urban myths.

Maybe one day, we'll find out. I doubt it though.

[fisherman]

IMO it doesn't matter whether Francis or the Record-company has made this decision, it was the right one. Fran's voice is better, much better.

[Deleted]

Sept 14, 2016 10:19:00 GMT mortified said:

I know. I read that as well although not from any official source. Sometimes I do wonder though. I'm far from convinced that Francis could 'insist' on his vocals being on any single. That's a record company decision. As is what track or tracks to release.

I know Francis is often seen as the villain concerning all matters Quo - and he is undoubtedly the alpha male in the band - but I often think many stories are simply urban myths.

Maybe one day, we'll find out. I doubt it though.

Fair comments above BUT!,, to the record companys Quo is Rossi, so if he spits his dummy out if he dont get his own away I reckon the record companies will backdown to his demands, I mean they even released a solo album of his under the Quo brand name as there was no other way to get it out  :lolflg: ,, TICK TOCK  :-*

[Deleted]

Sept 14, 2016 12:56:56 GMT fisherman said:

IMO it doesn't matter whether Francis or the Record-company has made this decision, it was the right one. Fran's voice is better, much better.

ah, so you prefer a whine to a rock growl then ,, fair enough dude (    fish-head-smash-smiley-emoticon   :lolflg:   )

[fisherman]

Sept 14, 2016 14:16:42 GMT ive said:

Sept 14, 2016 12:56:56 GMT fisherman said:

IMO it doesn't matter whether Francis or the Record-company has made this decision, it was the right one. Fran's voice is better, much better.

ah, so you prefer a whine to a rock growl then ,, fair enough dude (    fish-head-smash-smiley-emoticon   :lolflg:   )

No I prefer Quo's voice over constrained macho-attempts. But you know that anyway. 

[Deleted]

Sept 14, 2016 14:27:39 GMT fisherman said:

Sept 14, 2016 14:16:42 GMT ive said:

ah, so you prefer a whine to a rock growl then ,, fair enough dude (    fish-head-smash-smiley-emoticon   :lolflg:   )

No I prefer Quo's voice over constrained macho-attempts. But you know that anyway. 

So Rossi is Quo ?

[mortified]

Sept 14, 2016 14:30:44 GMT ive said:

Sept 14, 2016 14:27:39 GMT fisherman said:

No I prefer Quo's voice over constrained macho-attempts. But you know that anyway. 

So Rossi is Quo ?

In my younger days (i.e. when I was a teenager and even as an adult in my early 20's) I thought so. He was my hero. He was the band. It was his voice that I wanted to hear on record more than anyone else's. I even recall his backing vocals when I first heard High Flyer and it made an ordinary track listenable for me. I remember that really clearly for some reason. Such is the way hero worship works.

Many Quo fans thought the same. Even down to Lars Ulrich when he went to see Quo in the 70's. It's well documented that it was Francis Rossi that stood out as the front man and created such an aura for him. Since then, of course, I've grown to appreciate the parts that all other members had or have. He is nothing without them and vice versa.

But if my thoughts matched many others, you can see why a record company would put his vocals above everyone else's. I'm not saying that's right or wrong or even if it worked. But in the cut-throat music world, especially the way it became in the 80's, you can see why they'd do it.  

It probably eventually created resentment within the band. You can see why it would. And Ol' Rag Blues might well be a case in point.

[Deleted]

Sept 14, 2016 15:01:13 GMT mortified said:

Sept 14, 2016 14:30:44 GMT ive said:

So Rossi is Quo ?

In my younger days (i.e. when I was a teenager and even as an adult in my early 20's) I thought so. He was my hero. He was the band. It was his voice that I wanted to hear on record more than anyone else's. I even recall his backing vocals when I first heard High Flyer and it made an ordinary track listenable for me. I remember that really clearly for some reason. Such is the way hero worship works.

Many Quo fans thought the same. Even down to Lars Ulrich when he went to see Quo in the 70's. It's well documented that it was Francis Rossi that stood out as the front man and created such an aura for him. Since then, of course, I've grown to appreciate the parts that all other members had or have. He is nothing without them and vice versa.

But if my thoughts matched many others, you can see why a record company would put his vocals above everyone else's. I'm not saying that's right or wrong or even if it worked. But in the cut-throat music world, especially the way it became in the 80's, you can see why they'd do it.  

It probably eventually created resentment within the band. You can see why it would. And Ol' Rag Blues might well be a case in point.

I can relate to much of what you say, and agree in many ways, up until 84 I regarded Rossi as a rock god, although Rick was always my fav in the band, the reunion gigs proved (not that I ever doubted it) Rossi still has it, but as I see it, Rossi hasnt wanted Quo since 84, he was forced back initially to fullfill contractual obligations or pay the record company a hefty amount of money for breaking the contract.

If some of the fanbase like & enjoy Aquostic, thats fine, but I get the increasing feeling that no negativity towards the band is permitted by some,, and thats not right as I see it

[fisherman]

Quo's voices for me always were Fran's and Rick's.

[Deleted]

What made the classic era work was the combination of their talents blending to make one marvellous whole. This all fell apart as the balance of power steadily shifted in Rossi's direction & the output steadily diminished in quality as his influence grew. Nothing lasts forever.