Status Quo
From:
United Kingdom
Last Known Status: Active
Latest Status Quo News
Below is our complete Status Quo news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Column
Look-Alike Metal Album Covers Part 2
Through the history of popular music, many album covers have paid homage to the iconic War World II photograph, "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima." This still features a group of United States Navy men raising a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi in Iwo Jima. The original, taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in 1945, won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize and even inspired the equally iconic Marine Corps War Memorial monument located at Arlington, Virginia.
Two of the most recognizable cover album homages came out in 1986, barely months apart from each other. One was the sleeve for Savatage's third full-length, "Fight for the Rock" and the other belonged to Status Quo's "In the Army Now."
Savatage Vs. Status Quo
There are many factors that indicate that the conceptual similarities between both artworks were just coincidental. Ripping off each other or the original photo wasn't the point here. First, there was a short time frame between both albums' release dates—Savatage's in June; Satus Quo's in August. Probably, by the time "Fight for the Rock" came out, the cover for "In the Army Now" was already completed and heading into production and promotion. After all, let's remember that albums take a long time to put together from writing, production, to graphic design, marketing to release.
On top of that, the origins of both arts cannot be more different: Heavy metallers, Savatage, ordered their image (featuring the members of the band raising an American flag) apparently as a direct consequence of not including band photos in their previous albums' layouts. Their label (Atlantic) was demanding a portrait so instead of just simply posing like any other band, they opted for re-recreating the famous Iwo Jima still.
In the case of rockers, Status Quo, designer Mark Wilkinson (Judas Priest, Europe) remembers that the cover concept for his hand painted image (featuring fans and a British flag) "was suggested to me by singer/guitarist Rick Parfitt,—to reflect their 'denim army', the fans who followed them." More...
Lake Of Tears To Play Lebanon And Other Shows
Swedish metallers LAKE Of TEARS have issued the following update:
"For the first time ever, LAKE Of TEARS will play a show in Lebanon, at the Tantra Kaslik in Beirut on January 9, 2009. Opening bands are ARMORY, POSTMORTEM and ELEMENT 26. Tickets are on sale at Cheers club (Broumana) and Cherry's pub (Anthelias). The whole event will be broadcast on LebaneseBands.com."
Here are the upcoming LAKE Of TEARS shows:
Jan. 09 - Tantra Kaslik - Beirut, Lebanon
Jul. 18 - ProRock Festival - Kiev, Ukraine
Oct. 24 - Sundown Festival - Gaildorf, Germany
LAKE OF TEARS' latest album, "Moons and Mushrooms," was released in April 2007 via Dockyard 1. The follow-up to 2004's "Black Brick Road" was mixed by Christian Silver. The CD was issued in two editions — a normal version with eight tracks and a limited-edition digipack containing a cover of STATUS QUO's "Is There a Better Way" "played with the energy of a punk rock song!"
Status Quo Guitarist On BBC Radio Tomorrow
STATUS QUO guitarist John "Rhino" Edwards will be interviewed by Eamonn Holmes on BBC's Radio 5 Live, Saturday, March 25th between 10:15 and 10:45. As previously reported, a new book about the UK rock legends has been announced - Status Quo 40 is the authorized book of personal and professional photographs of the band taken between 1966 and 2006, plus hundreds of photos of rare memorabilia all compiled by Bob Young and edited by Francis and Rick. You can reserve a copy of this limited edition book at this location.