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(from scrapbook 2, page 39)

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ALL THINGS AREN'T QUITE EQUAL FOR STATUS QUO

MIKE ROSSI paused amid a generous helping of spaghetti Bolognaise and confessed that he thought "Soley Soley" was a lovely record. What's more he was mightily impressed by the early Monkees and quite taken by the Fourmost, whom he recently saw in Sheffield.

"Why people have to slag a group just because they're not a rock band... They always have to add 'they're a pile of crap' instead of leaving it at 'I don't like what that band are doing'."

Mike and his group, Status Quo, have had more than a reasonable share of instant appraisal - mostly negative - from what he calls the powers that be.

Their first and biggest hit was "Matchstick Men." It topped British and US charts in 1968 and brought them the work they eagerly sought. It also earned them a teeny bopper tag which they have doggedly resisted ever since.

RE-EMERGED

The teeny title was reinforced by two lesser hits that year - "Ice In The Sun" and "Down The Dustpipe."

Things began "cooling out" in 1969 and Status Quo were no longer wanted around. They spent 1969 "rehearsing." Rehearsing for an act nobody got to see.

When they re-emerged the fussy trendiness had vanished. They had joined the ranks of the unkempt, unshaven heavies. And they were immediately lumbered with a fresh tag.

Says Rossi: "People take one look at us and think 'Ah, we've got you tagged.' You wear tatty jeans on stage. But we could just as easily wear clogs and short pants.

"Jeans and tee-shirts happen to be right. We work bloody hard on stage as people who come to our concerts will testify. We sweat a lot so we wear as little as possible.

"When we come off we change into other gear and when people see this they think we're just being cool, as if we're manufacturing something again.

"Our audiences are fine, mind you, It's just those who look at us from a distance and think they've got us pegged."

So it seems whatever Status Quo attempt they can't escape the industry's branding iron. They were hot when it was hip to be cool and they're now cool when it's hip to be hot.

In 1968 they used to sit backstage playing cards and would send out for drinks. They wouldn't dare be seen in the bar or in the audience.

"We wouldn't dream of showing ourselves out front because you were supposed to uphold this mystique. On photo sessions we'd take a change of clothes. I don't know if all this was right. We were told it was.

"These days everything is so tense. People are scared to say Middle of The Road or New World make good records, yet they do. I'd rather listen to Climax Chicago or Rory Gallagher but that doesn't mean the others are crap.

"It's the same with these cigarettes (No. 6). When I pull one out I get these snide remarks like 'hard up, ay.' But they suit me.

"As it happens the money situation is not too bad. We could make a lot more if we put out more singles and I'm convinced we could manufacture a hit single tomorrow if we wanted to.

"If we happen to write a short and catchy song about two minutes long then we'll put it out but we're not going to engineer anything. We don't need to anymore. We're working solidly, sometimes five or six nights a week, and we're a very contented group."

The group's new album, "Dog Of Two Head," was released November 5. It is an album of simple, uninvolved rock music - what might have been called high-school hop in a different era. The songs are based on fairly simple riffs and they amble along in a self-indulgent way, demanding little of the mind. It's body rock and it thrives on the eyeball-to-eyeball contact that only a live performance can provide.

In addition to Mike on lead guitar and vocals, the line-up is: Ritchie Parfitt on second guitar, piano and vocals; Alan Lancaster on bass and six-string electric, and John Coughlan on drums.

"We've had four airplays since its release," says Mike, "and each time it's been 'GerdundUla,' which is only about four minutes long. Trying to get the others played is like trying to get an elephant up your nose.

SLOGGING

"They want something short and jolly. It all lies with one man who makes his decision after listening to four bars. So we have to get to the people in person. All the hard slogging up and down the country is finally paying off. You have to play a place three or four times before you click.

"At the Greyhound in Croydon we drew 500 on our first night. The next time it was 700, 1,000 and then 1,500."

The group might be venturing to the Far East in May taking in Singapore and Australia, and there's the possibility of a March US visit. But don't expect to see the group's name racing up the singles charts.

"We're not terribly worried about singles anymore," says Mike. "We were offered 'Can't Let You Go,' which is destined to be a hit for Barry Ryan, but we knew it wasn't right for us."

ANDREW TYLER

Image caption: STATUS QUO's Mike Rossi (left) and Rick Parfitt.