"ROCKIN' ALL OVER THE YEARS" - Status Quo in the year 1973

Concerts, publications, charts, infos

"Rockin all over the years" or a review of past years. If you look back 30 years in time an exact review can only be based on detailled information. The facts of the year 1973 are not properly. Dr. Lee Hawkins tried to list all gig dates of this year. So the following review includes not the complete facts of this year, but the aim is to collect more information and to update this page whenever new information is there. (whether it's about gigs or about releases). Recently a fan told me that he saw QUO in 1973 as a support band of T.REX in Germany. Therefore I would be pleased to get more information, if so send me an email. -> Info
(Thanks to Dave Oxley; some information is used out of his excellent book "Rockers Rollin"!)

Status Quo played in 1973 around 90 gigs worldwide.

The year (in chronological order):

The start of the year 1973 was impressed by the "Piledriver" album which was released in late 1972 (December 15, 1972). In 1972 Status Quo was a well-regarded live act and in 1973 Status Quo build up their image as the live-band !

  • from Januar 20, 1973 they travelled for 3 weeks to Australia as support band of Slade.
  • March 1, 1973 saw a remarkable Quo performance at the Paris Theatre in London, when the band played a show of the BBC "In Concert"-series. From this show some bootlegs exists, but in Spain and Italy an official CD was released, when this Live-CD was issued in the "Encyclopedia del Rock" entitled "Paper Plane". Most notable the furious performance of the song "Roadhouse Blues", which for many fans is the best live version of this song at all. The way Francis Rossi talks to the audience is later known as the 'jig'.
  • March 7 - April 10, 1973 the first UK-Headline-Tour called "The Piledriver" - Tour.
  • May 1973 America tour as support band of Savoy Brown and 2x with Slade.
  • August 25, 1973 appearance at the Reading Festival. Later a live compilation was released including QUO's "Don't waste my time".
  • August 31 - September 4, 1973 - 1.Headline-Tour in Australia.
  • September 19 - Oktober 16, 1973 - 2.UK-Tour called "Hello!" tour.
  • in June 1973 Andy Bown released his second 2. solo-album "Sweet William" (GM GML 1001) and the single "Sweet William/I won't let you down" (GM GMS 001)

    Listed below all releases of the year 1973 (England + Germany)

    Germany:

  • LP "Piledriver" - April 1973
  • LP "Golden Hour of" - (PYE GH 554)
  • LP "Hello" - November 1973
  • LP "Best of Status Quo" - (PYE 86773 IT)
  • Single "Mean Girl/Tune to the Music" - (PYE 12661)
  • Single Pop Gold "Pictures of Matchstickmen/Ice in the sun" - (PYE 12746)
  • Single "Gerdundula/Lakky Lady" - (PYE 12914)
  • Single "Tune to the music/Good Thinking" - (PYE 13940)
  • Single "Down the dustpipe/Face without soul" -(PYE 14680)
  • Single "In my chair/Gerdundula" - (PYE 14739)
  • Single "Caroline/Joanne" - (Vertigo 6059 085)

    England:

  • LP "Best of Status Quo" - May 1973 (PYE NSPL 14802)
  • LP "Golden Hour of" - June 1973 (PYE GH 554)
  • LP "Hello" - 28.September 1973
  • Single "Mean Girl/Tune to the Music" - (PYE 12661)
  • Single "Gerdundula/Lakky Lady" - (PYE 12914)
  • Single "Caroline/Joanne" - (Vertigo 6059 085)

    Charts (only highest position):
    England: "Piledriver" No. 5
    England: "Hello" No. 1
    Germany: "Piledriver" No. 31
    Germany: "Hello" No. 37
    England: "Caroline" No. 5
    Germany: "Mean Girl" No. 40
    Germany: "Caroline" No. 36

    miscellanous:
    1. September 15, 1973: Rick Parfitt married Marietta.
    2. 1973 an all-time-high album appeared. Pink Floyds "Dark Side of the moon" ! This album was more than 11 years in the US TOP100 of the Billboard-Charts.
    3. Hits of the year in Great Britain "Now and Then" - Carpenters and "Aladdin Sane" - David Bowie. QUO's album "Hello!" reached No.21 in the years charts.
    4. Football: FC Liverpool won the championship in England - Celtic Glasgow won the scottish championship.