Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #198708 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-17
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 384 pages

Customer Reviews

Quo, back in my head again
I'm not really what you'd call a hardcore Quo fan at all. But like most of us who grew up through their 70's and 80's heyday I've always had a soft spot for their greater no nonsense heads down 12 bar rockers such as "Caroline", "Proposin'" etc... and yes, I have been guilty of pushing my thumbs into the loopholes of my jeans and doing that dance!
I came accross this book completely by accident in a friends house, seeing it left on the shelf. Picking it up for a quick browse I became instantly absorbed and quite anti-social as I settled into their sofa reading from cover to cover of Francis and Ricky's tales of hitmaking, alcohol, drugs, heartbreaks, ego's, farwell's, media and management manipulation and comebacks.
Although all of these of course relate to many rock 'n' roll stories, the difference here to most is that all is told with a humour and blazing honesty that put me in mind of Bob Geldoff's brilliant "Is that it?". It reads quickly with all the buzz of one of Quo's smasheroonies!
That, plus of course the fact that the Quo have always had a knack and suss to know a damn good hit tune when they hit one. This is of course what separates those that last through these "XS's" to the also rans.
By the end, all those songs which have served to make Status Quo such an institution were running through my head, "In the army now", "Margarita time", "Living on an Island" etc, etc...Pete Doherty, take note!

Surprisingly honest and better than you might think!
Someone bought me this as a present and it remained on the shelf unread and unwanted, until my wife persuaded me to see them live at the Fairfield Halls, Croydon recently. The show was great and reminded me why I used to like them before they became a middle of the road covers band. I've now read the book and can honestly say that it was one of the best rock (auto)biographies I've read. Francis and Rick alternate chapters to tell their stories with very few punches pulled. It is brutally honest and cuts through the marketing crap too often associated with the biz. They know that much of their recent output has been poor and explain why, they know their failings and now so do we. Buy this book if you want to know too...

Honestly Rocks
Firstly, I have been a great fan for many years. I disliked the period when they seemed to release album after album of the "best of" variety. That period reeked of blatent commercialism. However Francis and Rick explain all of that so frankly and honestly in this book that I forgave them those shortcomings. Yes, there is repetition as the guys tell their story in alternate chapters, but it only serves to reinforce those stories. It is a tale of sudden rise to stardom after so many unsuccessful attempts where many would have thrown in the towel. Then come the tales of drug and alcohol abuse and abuse my those they employed and trusted to manage them. Behind their backs they had been ripped off for years and were practically destitute. There were the inevitable internal frictions within the band - of course we are only hearing two sides of the story. I was never a fan of Alan Lancaster and the new band members seemed to fill the bill very successfully and ended the dissention.
Francis goes into great detail about his many failed relationships and speaks frankly about his regrets at missing out on really getting to know his daughter who lives across the pond and whom he seldom sees.
Rick opens up his heart on the loss of his daughter little Heidi, yet he had to perform on stage and smile through the pain. He spiralled out of control after this tragic event.
Francis seems to be the one who eventually came down to earth and got some normality into his own life, whereas Rick, even though he underwent major heart surgery, thoroughly abused his body and ran riot for years. Heidi's death broke his heart and he ceased to care what happened to him.
The one thing that stood out for me is that these guys really love each other. Frankly they are like chalk and cheese. They have little in common, but there is that bond between them that is evident when they are on stage and is the sort of relationship that few of us ever experience in a lifetime.
I can only wish them well as they soldier on, still smiling and rocking and writing the sort of music the fans love and which they themselves enjoy and perform like no other band can.
This is a terrific read. Whether they actually wrote it themselves or had help writing it, matters not. It is forthright and lets the fans have it straight. Well done guys.