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Quatro --- Suzi Quatro --- 1974 (RAK)


My very first rock and roll female crush, and that of thousands or more of hormones-raging teenage boys, was this lady. The first major female rock star, certainly the first female bass player to achieve fame on her own merits, Suzi Quatro was ahead of her time. Taking the British charts by storm during the early seventies and eighties she had a string of successful hit singles like "Can the can", "48 crash", "Devil gate drive" and "If you can't give me love". For us young rockers of the male persuasion, she epitomised both the allure of hard rock and the pure sex of the female performer. She characteristically wore tight leather outfits that often left little to the imagination (down, Trollheart! Control yourself!) and flouted the image of the archetypal tomboy, a woman --- a very sexy woman --- breaking into what was mostly considered exclusively male territory. Of course there had been female singers, but even the likes of Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush were more seen as "softer performers", whereas Suzi played as loud and as proud and as raunchy as any of the boys. It's probably fair to say there are more than a few young men who may have been turned on to rock initially through her (ahem) gyrating hips and husky voice.

With at present fourteen studio and numerous live albums to her credit, this is her second and contained one of her big smash hit singles, and it opens with a big statement of intent as she yells "All my life I wanted to be someone/ And now here I am!" kicking off "The wild one", a big fast rocky uptempo number, not Iggy Pop's song in case you were wondering, or indeed Thin Lizzy's later effort. Like most of her music this is written by the famous songwriting duo of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who were responsible for all her hit singles. Great bouncy piano and raucous guitar, as well as Suzi's trademark basswork, but it's her distinctive voice that you instantly recognise, though on this song it's a little higher and less raw then it would later become. Her version of "Keep a-knockin'" is prefaced by some advice to young girls about not just "giving it away" to be cool: girl power? Spice Girls? This lady started it! A real role-model for young girls, she would sadly not have as much influence then as she would have done now, as back then not too many women were into the whole rock thing, certainly not as many as now.

Great guitar solo and it's a real fun song with a slick bass line from Suzi; you really get the idea she's totally enjoying herself and jsut having a good time, while still trying to deliver a serious message to the youth of the time. The song sounds as if it's live, though I don't think it is. Big heavy crunchy blues drums and a boogie-woogie piano on "Too big" with Suzi at her sultry, unrepentant best; she'd never apologise for being a woman in what was mostly a man's world, and she could hold her own with the best of them. Perhaps a sly dig at herself, a little self-deprecating humour as she grins "I'm too big for my boots" --- oh, those boots! Is it getting hot in here? She has a great blues voice and can sing with the fervour and soul of any of the great masters, this song swaying along carried on the rising wave of her infectious enthusiasm. "Klondyke Kate", the first of three songs she writes herself (well, co-writes) is another boogie number, with a real swinging tempo and some sort of fifties style male backing vocals. You can hear the growl, the little pussycat becoming a lioness now, as Suzi gets into her stride.

A big powerful swirling organ intro to "Savage silk", on which she cuts back on her vocal for about ten seconds before unleashing the weapon we loved in the seventies, yelling at the top of her voice with real power and passion. More great piano, as well as some stirring organ from Alastair MacKenzie, soft but powerful backing vocals from her drummer and guitarist. This song is slower and more restrained than the others, but still nowhere near a ballad. The organ runs on the song really make it, then Suzi's vocal drops down to a seductive mutter before the song fades out and we're into a bg guitar intro courtesy of Len Tuckey for a storming version of Cliff Richard's "Move it" --- sorry, did you just say...? Yeah, Cliff Richard --- and somehow she manages to give the song new teeth, kicking it up the arse and rocking out like there's no tomorrow.

Another cover next in Percy Mayfield's "Hit the road Jack", where she really turns on the tomboy image; this ain't no shrinking violet you're listening to! While Suzi would never be identified with the harder singers of the punk era, she in some ways advanced the cause for women in rock by simply refusing to just fade into the background as a bass player. Up till she arrived no female bassist had ever achieved solo fame --- in fact, I don't even know if there were any female bass players --- but she changed all that, paving the way for the likes of Sheryl Crow, Joan Jett and a whole host of others. Her version of this song is slower than the more recognised ones, more based around a stuttering guitar from Tuckey and her own clean bass lines. One more cover version then in "Trouble", a watchword for Suzi Q if ever there was one! Surely the woman your mother warned you about, and that your father secretly lusted after! A real blues shuffle this one, with Suzi channelling the ghost of Muddy Waters (yes I know he was alive at the time, but you know what I mean!) with one of her most compelling and powerful performances on the album yet. Janis who?

It sort of descends into a fast frenetic jam there at the end, as Suzi goes completely crazy on the vocals, MacKenzie matching her on the piano, then another of her own songs, and the first ballad on the album, in "Cat size", with a lovely lilting piano line from Alastair with what sounds like violin joining in and setting a completely different mood. Very passionate, and shows Suzi could sing gently as well as belt out the rockers. Super little guitar solo from Tuckey, kind of his first real chance to take the spotlight, and he doesn't waste it. Back to the rockin' then with a storming "Shot of rhythm and blues", big growly guitar and pulsing bass, electric piano giving the song a certain progressive rock feel, though I could live without the bad Elvis impersonation by one of the band, don't know who. The last song on the album on which she has a writing input is "Friday", and though it's okay I have to admit it's not up to too much. Still, the album ends powerfully on that big hit single, again a Chinn/Chapman composition which you may know if you're as old as me. "Devil Gate Drive" was one of her huge hits (I said HITS!) and it just punches your face in and takes your breath away with its raw energy and power, Suzi jumping all over the place and screaming at the top of her voice, she and the band obviously having a great time. The song actually reached number one, being one of her two singles to do so, and it's a storming way to close the album.

TRACKLISTING

1. The wild one
2. Keep a-knockin'
3. Too big
4. Klondyke Kate
5. Savage silk
6. Move it
7. Hit the road Jack
8. Trouble
9. Cat size
10. Shot of rhythm and blues
11. Friday
12. Devil Gate Drive

Think of all the female rockers you love; those who front bands, those who have come out from bands to make a solo career, even all-girl bands like The Bangles and No Doubt. I'm not saying these people would not have achieved fame without Suzi blazing the trail for them, but there's no question that she was a trendsetter and a woman who took on the male-dominated music world to push the bass guitar front and centre for women, and prove that girls could be more than just pretty backing singers, and could rock just as hard, loud and long as the boys! God bless 'er!

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