Remake/Remodel #3: Status Quo and the Camper Van

Pictures of Matchstick Men - Status Quo and Camper Van Beethoven

Pictures of Matchstick Men was the first single, and first hit record, by Status Quo in 1968. Back then, they were a psychedelic band, trying to follow in the footsteps of Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd, I guess. Lead singer and former ice cream van driver Francis Rossi wrote the song, apparently while on the toilet of his London apartment (I'm not making that up).

"When I look up to the skies, I see your eyes, a funny kind of yellow..."?

Hmmm. But just what was the inspiration? Jaundice?

Either way, it was a hit in that heady time that was the late 1960s. Looking at the clip below, you'd be surprised that this even exists. From 1970 onwards, the band hit upon the denim 'n' boogie formula that would pay them massive dividends (and earn them scorn and ridicule) for the next four decades. Prior to that, they were very Carnaby-Street, Swinging Sixties, almost bubblegum pop at times. The band didn't play this song in their live sets much after 1970. Apparently they play it a bit more now, at least since their 40th anniversary celebrations in 2008.

The Quo version of the song has all the hallmarks of a psychedelic record of the era - obtuse lyrics, strange, almost off-key guitars, wah-wah guitars, flanging, phasing, paisley shirts...

It was a sizable hit in Australia and in the UK. However, the Quo have never been at all popular in the United States. This track was a reasonable hit in 1968 however, as such, this track has rarely been heard over there in it's original configuration, until...

...the arrival of Camper Van Beethoven, stage left.

College rockers who were peers and labelmates of other college rock scene stalwarts such as REM and Oingo Boingo, they gave this track a spit polish and shine, adding it to their first LP for Virgin records in 1989, "Key Lime Pie". It was a number one Billboard Modern Rock hit for the band.

The CVB version is almost note-for-note identical to the original. The main difference is that, where Quo's version sounds thin and dinky, it is largely because of the then-state-of-the-art, now-primitive, recording gear it was captured on. The Camper version sparkles and shines. The trippy flanged/tremolo guitar of the original is replaced with a violin, and the guitars are revved up significantly.

Here's the original Status Quo version, live on BBC's Top Of The Pops:



And Camper Van Beethoven's version:



Verdict? Both versions are great. They both keep the integrity of the song intact, but the additional polish of the Camper Van Beethoven version has the edge for my taste.

Which one do you prefer? Drop us a line in the comments below.

Status Quid?

Probably one of the most annoying advertising campaigns in Australia recently was the Coles one, where they asked Status Quo to re-record "Down Down" to advertise their grocery price cuts. You know the one, with the giant red hands? And the guitars shaped like giant red hands?



Within no time at all it has seemingly annoyed everybody in earshot of it. The thing is, as great as the original version was, it still sounds like bloody Status Quo!

In Latin, status quo means "the current state of affairs". To upset the status quo means to change things. The band Status Quo have been mining that four-on-the-floor boogie (duh-na-DUH-NA-duh-na-DUH-NA) and the boogie shuffle (duh---na-na---na-nah---na-nah---na-nah) since 1970. It's almost become a cliche - the name of the band being apposite for the music they create, i.e. the bloody same, album after album. It's fair enough to say that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". And let's face it - a hell of a lot of people like what they do. The period of the band's music from 1970 up until 1980 is heaps of fun, but really, how long can you recycle the same grooves for? A long time, apparently - almost half a century!

While this recent Coles campaign presents the band almost as a parody of themselves, the HeeBeeGeeBees absolutely nailed a parody of Quo in 1981 as "Status Quid".

Angus Deayton and a couple of Oxford University mates formed a parody band called the HeeBeeGeeBees, initially to parody the Bee Gees (which they did magnificently, by the way) but also they diversified and skewered their barbs into David Bowie (as David Bowwow), Bob Dylan (as Bob Vylan), Kenny Rodgers (as Kenny Rodgered), Prince (as Ponce), Human League (as Human Leak) and many more. Sometimes they miss the mark, but some are dead on, and they are hilarious. The back catalog of HeeBeeGeeBees can be found on Spotify.

To milk a bit of mirth from the once-mighty Status Quo, here's Status Quid, aka the HeeBeeGeeBees, live on the Don Lane show in Australia in 1981 doing "Boring Song".

Enjoy!