I’ve got to have a boost or something

To the casual observer, Status Quo always swung on the Rossi/Parfitt axis, but for many of us in the Quo Army during the ’70s, powerhouse bass player/vocalist Alan Lancaster was very much the “Third Musketeer”. Your tribute following his sad passing [MOJO 337] invites a deeper appraisal of

his influence. Criticism of Status Quo’s sometimes formulaic musical signature, and their penchant for lightweight singles, is well-documented, but Alan Lancaster gave the band an extra, tougher dimension on their classic-era albums. For example Quo, from 1974, is arguably the heaviest, hardest-rocking and most diverse work they ever produced. Not only did Alan co-write six of the eight songs, but four of them featured his lead vocal. For many, Quo is the band’s magnum opus, and it’s Alan Lancaster’s finest hour.

I was at the opening gig on the Frantic Four Reunion tour in 2013; the first time they had played together in 30 years. Alan’s health wasn’t great, even then, and I wondered if he could pull it off. He sang lead on the first four songs of the set, and anything less than his trademark robust delivery would have been an unbearable disaster. He absolutely nailed it, bless him. RIP “Nuff ”.

Brian Ritson, via e-mail