Alan Lancaster, one of the founders of rock band Status Quo, has died in Australia at the age of 72. The bassist had been suffering from multiple sclerosis for several years.
Lancaster founded the band The Scorpions in London in 1962 with classmate Francis Rossi, although they could not actually play an instrument at that time. After guitarist Rick Parfitt had joined in 1967, the band was renamed The Status Quo, the article expired a few years later.
The group scored their first hit with Pictures of Matchstick Men, which opened with a catchy guitar riff. Later, Top 2000 evergreens followed as Whatever You Want, Roll Over Lay Down on Down Down. “Masters of musical simplicity”, the band was typified by a Dutch music critic. “Hard music on three guitars and a drum set.”
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The worldwide popularity would also lead to Lancaster’s departure from the band. On a tour in Australia in 1973 he met his future wife Dayle, for whom he would move to the continent on the other side of the world.
Lancaster refused to come back to Britain for the music video of Rockin’ All Over the World, on which he was replaced during the recordings by a life-size doll dressed in a leather jacket, which was kept out of the picture by the camera as much as possible.
Check out what that looked like here:
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