THE STATUS QUO from Phoenix - "They All Want Her Love" b/w "All My Trials" (Grant Records, 45-690 — 1966)

by Achille Brunet

This menacing fuzz monster has seldom been compiled, only misplaced on a Texas-themed comp in 1985. As a matter of fact, the Status Quo was yet another forgotten hero from the Phoenix, Arizona scene.

Taking up the name years before the reknowned English band, Arizona's The Status Quo was formed by Camelback High School and Central High School students, with Stan Skoglund (guitar), Jim Grant (vocals, tambourine), George Cristea (guitar), Bob Kruse (drums) and Alan Snapp (bass).

The band likely formed in 1964-65, leading to the recording of their single at Audio Recorders Of Arizona in mid-1966.

"Every teenager's dream is to cut 

a record and hear it on the radio"

(The Arizona Republic - Sept 11, 1966)

The single was pressed at Wakefield Manufacturing in Phoenix in July and released on their own Grant vanity label, in reference to the band leader Jim Grant.

The standout side here is "They All Want Her Love", a prime track reminiscent of Count Five with its delicious, almost dissonant fuzz riff, that also echoes Destiny's Children's "For Me" also from Phoenix released a couple of months later. The song was written by member George Cristea.

The flip, "All My Trials" is a cover of the Peter, Paul And Mary version of a traditional spiritual. Though credited here to Peter, Paul and Milton Okun, the actual songwriter is in fact unknown and most likely originated from antebellum South. The song became a folk standard in the 1960s.

Alan Snapp in good company at a Hawaiian party.

(The Arizona Republic - Aug 14, 1964)

The single seemingly received a little airplay and likely sold at local venues. In Sept 1966, the band was among the seventy-five local groups who attended taping sessions at Bruce's World of Sound, Inc., established by Jim Mullins who invited bands all over the Valley to come and record so he could give the bands advices, everything all free of charges. 

A contest was held in the following weeks but the band didn't rank very high (which doesn't mean much since pre-Alice Cooper/Back From The Grave band The Spiders ranked even lower).

(Camelback High School - 1966-67)

The band played gym dances at local High Schools including Camelback and also in Flagstaff, Arizona. They likely disbanded when Stan Skoglund and Robert Kruse left for the ASU in Sept 1967.