The Spectres, the Scorpions and Traffic: these three band names all preceded the name Status Quo between 1962 and 1967. The core of the band was eventually formed by Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt, who continued to work together after meeting in 1964. When they decided to call themselves Status Quo and signed a record deal with PYE records, their debut album 'Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo' was released in 1968.'Pictures of matchstick men' became the band's first hit, peaking at number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the Dutch top 40. The B-side on this re-release 7" single is their next hit, 'Ice in the sun', which was written by Marty Wilde (Kim's father). That one reached number 8 in the UK and number 24 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 2932
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 17, 1998
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Pictures of matchstick men' / 'Ice in the sun'
In the U.S., the single was issued on the Cadet Concept label, which was distributed by the legendary R&B label Chess; Cadet Concept was for more pop/rock-oriented fare. (Rotary Connection, of which the late Minnie Riperton was a member, was another Cadet Concept act.)
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