Status Quo is a UK rock band founded by Alan Lancaster and Francis Rossi in 1962. . They began as a rock and roll freakbeat band called the Spectres. By 1967, and with very little commercial success, they discovered psychedelia and changed their name to Traffic (later Traffic Jam, to avoid confusion with Steve Winwood's Traffic.) Finally, in 1968 they became The Status Quo, and after their second album Spare Parts they decided to change into a heavy boogie rock band. Throughout the seventies they rivalled with Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple as one of the UK's leading rock bands. They showed a great energy during this decade and in the first years of the following one, and are best known for songs from this era such as Whatever You Want, Rockin' All Over The World and Down Down.

Original drummer John Coghlan left the band in late 1981, to be replaced by Pete Kircher from 1960s band Honeybus, but this short-lived lineup played its last gig in 1984 at the Milton Keynes Bowl, and reformed briefly to open the Live Aid charity event. While the remaining members recorded a new album in secret with a new bass player and drummer, Lancaster took out a legal injunction to stop them playing as Status Quo, which he later lost. The remainder of the band reformed in 1986 with the commercially successful In The Army Now album and continue to this day with a revised personnel. The core membership of Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt remain the focus of the group. Although Quo still manage to release new material every few years, their management seem have taken to making them release an endless stream of greatest hits compilations and covers albums. The band's most recent original album Heavy Traffic shows a return to classic form not seen since the late 1970s.

Status Quo has often been characterized, perhaps unfairly, as producing very simple songs, always in the same format: 4/4 rhythm, three chord structure. They have a loyal group of fans in England, where they have enjoyed more hits than any other group in rock and roll history, as well as a big following in Europe, notably in The Netherlands. 'The Quo' are noted for always laughing in the face of disaster. The band have recently (December 2004) completed a mini-Asian tour including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Original UK Albums

• Pictures of Matchstick Men (1968)
• Spare Parts (1969)
• Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon (1970)
• Dog Of Two Head (1971)
• Piledriver (1973), UK #5
• Hello! (1973), UK #1
• Quo (1974), UK #2
• On the Level (1975), UK #1
• Blue for you (1976), UK #1
• Live (1976), UK #3
• Rockin' All Over The World (1977), UK #5
• If you can't stand the heat (1978), UK #3
• Whatever you want (1979), UK #3
• Just Supposin' (1980), UK #4
• Never too late (1981), UK #2
• 1+9+8+2 (1982), UK #1
• Back To Back (1983), UK #9
• Live at the N.E.C. (1984), UK #83
• In The Army Now (1986), UK #7
• Ain't Complaining (1988), UK #12
• Perfect Remedy (1989), UK #49
• Rock Til You Drop (1991), UK #10,
• Live Alive Quo (1992), UK #37
• Thirsty Work (1994), UK #13
• Don't Stop (1996), UK #2
• Under the Influence (1999), UK #26
• Famous In The Last Century (2000), UK #21
• Heavy Traffic (2002), UK #15
• Riffs (2003)
• XS All Areas (2004), UK #16