a very odd year
2016 has taken so many talented people. Yesterday I woke to the news that Rick Parfitt had died, and was instantly transported back to Christmas 1978 and my almost thirteen year old self: bored on a hot, dusty summer's day so I raided my brother's albums (If You Can't Stand the Heat was the new one) and really listened to their music for the first time. This was about the time I decided to not allow my brothers to play their own records if they came home drunk. I'd get up and put the records on, and take them off. Music was too important to be treated badly, as far as I was concerned. I never had teenage crush attractions to the musicians who created the music I liked (though I did feign one on Leif Garret so as to fit in at high school.) But the music itself? I just can not imagine life without music. For me, Status Quo was a big part of that. Their music is woven around so many important milestones in my life, good memories, sad memories, their music was there.
It never worried me that they shifted at some stage to become a caberet act.That music and time wasn't what I remembered best, I was just happy for them that they were still working. But the words Status Quo to me, encompasses the albums from Dog of Two heads to Back to Back. Vale Rick, and thank you for the music.