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Quatro - Quatro

Well, I am a little ashamed to admit that 11-year-old me generally didn't think girls should sing rock songs. I mean, I liked some Olivia Newton-John songs I heard on the radio, and I'll even admit that when Helen Reddy sang "I Am Woman" in 1972, I sang along. It was catchy, shoot me.

Our shitty AM radio station where I grew up would occasionally play rock songs, and for what seemed like an eternity, "Devil Gate Drive" got special treatment and was played over and over and over.

I really liked it. I remember my mum turning off the radio - that just made it better.

I mean, it wasn't B.T.O., but she had a growl and she was killing it. I don't think I ever really thought about it again after that brief period of time. Sure, like a lot of other kids, when she showed up as Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days it was like, "Ooh." In hindsight, I think this pushed her into the realm of caricature and used up any rock credibility she had accumulated.

This may explain why she doesn't seem to get a lot of love on classic radio, which is kind of weird considering she cut a trail for a lot of other artists to follow. This was pure rock and roll of the purest variety. Heck, I suppose this would be viewed as glam rock. I'll have to ask my buddy Rob Dayton* as he's the authority on all things glam and stores a musical encyclopedia where his brain should be.

It's a weird coincidence this was released in 1974, as I'd just finished listening to Wishbone Ash's fine release There's the Rub, which was also from the same year and is worlds away in terms of style. Quatro was a new-to-me listen, and I have to admit I'm getting a kick out of this. Regardless, Suzi wasn't just stuffing a pair of leather pants and looking sexy for the boys, she was a badass musician who played bass, wrote rock songs, and sang with a snarl and passion.

The album was produced by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, who'd worked with bands like The Sweet and Mud and wrote a lot of hits (yeah, I suppose I should have gone and looked for a few to list, but dang it, you have the internet too). On Quatro, they penned "The Wild One," "Too Big," and "Devil Gate Drive," among others, and they're killer tunes. However, it wasn't like Suzi didn't have a hand in penning a few tracks herself, as she co-wrote a few of the songs with guitarist Len Tuckey.

Since I'm dropping band names, I may as well list the other guys on the back cover, just to prove I can read. Dave Neal played drums, Alastair McKenzie played keyboards and had the best pic on the cover. I'm guessing Julian from The Trailer Park Boys wanted to be Alastair as a kid.

The pairing of the two Chapman/Chinn tunes as bookends to start and end the album are really, really good. "The Wild One" is a melt-your-face power pop special that is pure awesome. "Devil Gate Drive" is as infectious as I remembered, and while there were lulls in the album, generally the dozen songs here are a lot of fun. I'm not sure I'll be looking for more of her albums, as this was the one I'd always wanted, but if I find something I'm pretty sure I'll take a chance on it.

The copy of Quatro I managed to find was pretty beat up, and has probably the thinnest cardboard jacket I have in my record collection. There was no liner for the vinyl and the record itself was kind of iffy, but cleaned up better than I expected, so this was worth the dollar.

As I read up on the album there was mention of a slower version of "The Wild One" that was on the UK and US (North American?) pressings, but the version I had was a barn burner. I checked my copy and it was the Rak Records SRAK 509 release, which meant that at some point my record made it here from Australia. I'm not complaining. I have no idea who thought the slow version was the one people wanted to hear.

Considering I'd picked this up to satisfy my curiosity about the song "Devil Gate Drive," I can say this was a pleasant surprise. It's too bad there isn't more love for this kick-ass chick who fronted a band and played a mean bass.

She was the real deal.

*Me, "Hey Rob, Quatro from 1974, glam or bubble gum? Quite a few Chapman/Chinn songs. I am leaning more to bubble gum than glam, especially given how she leans backward to old covers."

Rob, "Oh she is full on GLAM!!! All the way! But there's no denying that bubblegum connection to Chinnichap and Glam in general. Glam loved the old covers, the nods to the 50's especially. I mean there's lots more. Both Mickie Most and Chinnichap did key Glam acts. There's a great book called Performing Glam Rock: Gender and Theatricality in Popular Music that has a chapter on her. And the documentary on her is good too."

Additional: Robert Dayton wrote Cold Glitter: The Untold Story of Canadian Glam published by Feral House (2025).

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