Down Down: A Tribute to the Great Quo Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. After changing their name from "The Spectres" to "The Status Quo" in 1967, the group scored their first UK chart single in 1968. What was it called?

Answer: Pictures of Matchstick Men

Released in November 1967 from the album "Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo", "Pictures of Matchstick Men", written by Francis Rossi, reached number seven in the UK singles chart. This release even made it to number twelve in the US 'Billboard Hot 100'-- the group's only Top 50 single in the USA, ever! "Ice in the Sun" was the group's second chart single, reaching number eight in September 1968. "Paper Plane" also reached number eight, in November 1972. "Caroline", now always the opening number at Quo concerts, was the group's first top five single, reaching number five in August 1973.

2. In which England city was Francis Rossi born?

Answer: London

He was born Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi in Forest Hill, London on May 29 1949. Both Francis and Rick Parfitt were awarded OBEs in the 2010 New Year Honours List.

3. None of the first four Quo albums made it into the UK album charts. Since then, four Quo albums have topped the UK album chart. Which of these did not make it to number one?

Answer: Rockin' All Over the World

"Piledriver" in 1972 began a ten-year run of fourteen consecutive top five albums (including one live album and two compilations). That span also included the group's four number one albums: "Hello! in 1973, "On the Level" in 1975, "Blue for You" in 1976 and "1+9+8+2" in 1982. Remarkably, the 1977 album "Rockin' All Over the World" made it only to number five in the UK album chart.

4. A handful of early Quo releases failed to make the UK singles chart, but they then had a string of consecutive releases that easily gave them the record for the most UK chart singles by any artist. This run ended in 2010. Can you estimate how many chart singles Quo had during that 40-year run?

Answer: 60-80

Including three singles on which the artist was listed as someone else "with Status Quo", the group have scored a remarkable total of sixty-nine chart singles out of a total of just over eighty releases in six different decades. Of these, twenty-two have reached the Top 10.

5. What item of Quo memorabilia was won by a long-time Quo fan in a competition organized by "The Sun" newspaper in 2009?

Answer: Francis's ponytail

After 35 years, Francis finally decided it was time to cut off his trademark ponytail. The unique heirloom (pardon the pun) was won by fan Sharon Littleton in "The Sun" competition.

6. The only one the four Quo live albums to score significant chart success was the 1977 album simply entitled "Live!". Where was it recorded?

Answer: Glasgow Apollo

The two-disc, 87-minute long "Live!", which went Gold and reached number three in the UK album chart, was recorded over the three nights of October 27-29 1976 at the Glasgow Apollo Theater.
The 1984 album "Live at the N.E.C." made it only to number eighty-three in the UK chart.

7. In addition to their number one hits, three Status Quo singles have climbed all the way to number two in the UK singles chart before stalling there. Which of these is not one of those?

Answer: Again and Again

"Again and Again", although one of the most recognizable Quo anthems, failed even to make it into the Top 10 of the UK singles chart. It topped out at number thirteen in August 1978.
"What You're Proposing" got to number two in October 1980; "In The Army Now" did so in September 1986; and "The Anniversary Waltz - Part One" made it to number two in September 1990.

8. Status Quo have toured and recorded with the same five members since 2000. Which of these is not one of those five?

Answer: Alan Lancaster

In addition to Rossi and Parfitt, the band has comprised Andy Brown on keyboards, bass player John Edwards and drummer Matt Letley since 2000. Indeed, the group has been remarkably stable for a band with more than forty years under their belts. There has been only one change in this line-up in the last twenty-five years -- Matt Letley replaced Jeff Rich on drums in 2000. Bass player Alan Lancaster (along with Rossi and drummer John Coghlan) was an original member of the 1962 "Spectres" and Parfitt joined in 1967. That foursome remained as the 'original line-up' until Pete Kircher replaced Coghlan in 1982. Lancaster was replaced by Edwards in 1986.

9. Fans of which English Football League Club have adopted as their anthem "Shrimpin' All Over the World", sung to the tune of Quo's "Rockin' All Over the World"?

Answer: Southend United

Fans of Southend United (nicknamed 'The Shrimpers') adopted the song as their anthem after their exploits in the 2004 Football League Cup took them to all corners of the country. Fans of Dutch soccer club Vitesse have also adopted their own version of a Quo song as their anthem -- for them it's "Whatever You Want".

10. I couldn't end this quiz without at least a reference to Quo's first (and only exclusively Quo) UK number one single, "Down Down". They scored a second number one in April 1994 in partnership with which English Football League team?

Answer: Manchester United

The song was "Come on You Reds", which was released with the artist listed as "Manchester Untied F.C. with Status Quo". The song was a revamped version of Quo's 1988 release, "Burning Bridges" with new lyrics to fit the football theme.
"Come on You Reds" spent fifteen weeks in the chart and two weeks at number one. Although the England football team have released a handful of songs that have topped the UK chart over the years, this was the first song released by an individual club to do so. (Chelsea's 1972 hit "Blue is the Colour" made it only to number five.)

Source: Author EnglishJedi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Much maligned as a '3-chord band', Status Quo have given us some of the greatest hits in the history of rock. This is my tribute to the "Great Quo".

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