Harsher in Hindsight: In the Hammer film version of Quatermass and the Pit at one point Quatermass asks Roney "What would we do if our planet was in danger of extinction, say from climate change" to which Roney replies "Nothing. We'd just go on squabbling as usual". A bit of a cynical take on humanity in 1967, come the 2020's and the climate crisis...
Nightmare Fuel: The BBC put up one of the first ever content warnings before an episode of Quatermass II. Nigel Kneale once said in an interview he didn't want kids to watch the stories.
In Quatermass II, the reporter Hugh Conrad is played by a clean-shaven Roger Delgado.
Frankie from the Quatermass II episode "The Flood" is played by Melvyn Hayes, who would later be best known for playing Bombardier Beaumont in It Ain't Half Hot, Mum.
Special Effects Failure: Watch for the control rod attached to the rocket at the end of Quatermass II. Other than that, there aren't any to speak of, which is pretty remarkable. Even the monster at the climax of the original serial, which was just a glove puppet stuck through a photograph of Westminster Abbey's interior, is quite unsettling judging by the surviving photographs of the effect.
For the band:
Awesome Music: Quatermass as a whole qualifies, but particularly "Post War, Saturday Echo" and "Laughin' Tackle".
Covered Up: Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (featuring Ronnie James Dio on vocals) covered "Black Sheep of the Family" in their typical proto-Power Metal style on their 1975 debut. In fact, the band was formed because the other members of Deep Purple refused to cover the song.
Ending Fatigue: Listening to all of "Laughin' Tackle" will take it out of you.
Epic Riff: "Black Sheep of the Family", "Up on the Ground", "Laughin' Tackle". Also, the riffs that begin and end "Post War, Saturday Echo".
Funny Moments: "Black Sheep of the Family" uses all cliches related to the unlucky, despised vagabond, to quite humorous effect:
I've got half a pound of rice and a beard full of lice Condition called retrogression I've got a pocketful of dust, and eatin' is a must If you wanna make a good impression
Nightmare Fuel: Quatermass... is not a happy album. The long and short of it is, don't listen to it late at night. It'll haunt you.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: The 2013 reissue. The biggest deal-breaker is the incomprehensible placement of "One Blind Mice" as the opening track. There's also the remix; while the sound is largely improved, many songs often have sections that are borderline unrecognizable as a result, and the instruments don't coalesce like they should. Some also complain about some songs being split up, and others, combined. Oh, and one of the pteranodons is green now.
Vindicated by History: Quatermass, like seemingly all prog acts of the day, were shunned by rock critics of the '70s. Now, those very same critics regard it as a classic piece of work.
