Quatermass tribute band

[Baldwin Funster]

I know there is maybe 3 quatermass fans here and I'm two of them. I dont care. I found this and I'm posting.[video:youtube]

[Baldwin Funster]

[video:youtube]

[MrVegas]

Oh man, this is crazy. I bought the album when released in 1970 with the pterodactyl's flying around and wore the damn thing out on my father's turntable. It was one of the early influences on trying to learn organ along the likes of Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, etc.

 

Those keyboard players in this tribute band are bad a$$ for sure.

[Delaware Dave]

Tribute band? Didn't Quatermass have like two CD's (or were they LP's back then)? LOL .....

[Baldwin Funster]

Tribute band? Didn't Quatermass have like two CD's (or were they LP's back then)? LOL .....

One album and a later release that was mostly a totally different band and sound. The original was a trio but it takes at least a 5 member tribute to sound like them. This band Pteranodon nails it. I wish I had more than just these gig "digests" to enjoy. I doubt they will play the USA.

[EscapeRocks]

Never heard of them (the original or tribute) I dig the keys. Thanks for posting

[CEB]

Nevermind. Not Quarterflash.

[MrVegas]

I think the male vocalist in the 2019 video is way better than the vocalist in the 2018 video. Sounds almost exactly like the original. The female vocalist gives off more of a Janis Joplin vibe which does not fit the original music at all, IMHO.

[GRollins]

I don't recall ever hearing of Quatermass before. Granted, this isn't necessarily the best way to form an opinion about them, but it seems that they're not sure whether they're blues, prog, or rock. That said, I'll try to dig up some of the original stuff and see what I think...it's promising.

 

Grey

[MrVegas]

That's a really interesting observation Grey, they really were a mash up of prog, rock, jazz and blues. At the time (50 years ago! when music was exploding in multiple new directions), I don't think I cared that they were all over the place. I just remember them being amazingly innovative with KILLER Hammond chops.

[Baldwin Funster]

Full original album. Props to John Gustafson, my favorite over the top vocalist and bass.

 

[video:youtube]

[ChiefDanG]

They were always a fave of mine. Had the LP, then the CD with a couple bonus tracks. Heard some live things on YT. They are always on my IPod (yes, I still own an iPod).

Thanks, Jr.

[Marzzz]

Nevermind. Not Quarterflash.

First thing I thought of...

 

[video:youtube]

[GRollins]

The more successful bands of the era managed to meld their influences seamlessly. Carlos Santana poured blues, rock, and Latin rhythms into a pot and stirred until he'd formed a smooth blend. Led Zeppelin began as a blues/rock experiment and quickly found a formula that worked. I'm listening to the album link provided above and I keep getting whiplash. One moment I think I'm listening to early Grand Funk Railroad (particularly the vocal style). The next it sounds like Uriah Heep. Then perhaps a fleeting touch of ELP before veering back to generic rock, followed by movie soundtrack music. Then guitar-less Deep Purple.

 

When there's singing going on, I think the most apt comparison would be Grand Funk, but with Jon Lord playing Hammond instead of Craig Frost or Mark Farner. Farner's heavily Motown blues-influenced vocal style is often overlooked by those who prefer to mock his guitar playing. As a vocalist, he was wonderfully expressive--hard to beat. I don't know how much air play Grand Funk was getting in the UK, but they were the biggest band in America prior to the rise of Led Zeppelin. If Quatermass was paying any attention to American music, it would have been hard to miss Farner's singing. I think an argument could be made that the drummer in Quatermass was taking cues from Don Brewer. For those who might not be familiar with Grand Funk, start with their first live album, the one with the black and white photo cover. The performance was recorded at the Atlanta Pop Festival in...1969, I think. For me, that's a desert island album. Energetic, take-no-prisoners, power funk-rock. Doesn't hurt my feelings that Mel Schacher was one helluva bass player--one of my earliest influences.

 

I'm about half way through the album and they just lapsed into instrumental ELP mode, even as I type. (Later note: I'm about 3/4 through and they're in some sort of blues-funk free form jam--it's not working for me.)

 

The problem I'm facing is not that they're changing musical styles, but that the transitions are often clunky. From what I'm seeing, they only did the one album (discounting the '90s version with different personnel). I wonder what might have happened if the band had stayed together and matured. After all, early Jethro Tull (just to name one example) was pretty weak tea compared to what they were doing by the time they recorded Aqualung.

 

Grey