Suzi Quatro - Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words

Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words was another in a long line of Mike Chapman produced albums for Suzi Quatro. It's a mystery as to how Mr. Chapman found the time to work in Suzi when he had been working with The Knack and then Blondie on their breakthrough albums that same year.

I never really kept up with Suzi Quatro in real time. I was less than a casual fan and aside from when I heard "Devil Gate Drive" as a kid, didn't know any of her songs. The little AM station in my small town seemed to play it over and over back in 1974. Of course the reality was this all likely happened over the course of a week ... but hey, time is different when you're young. Other than Happy Days and that one song I really didn't know much about her, other than she looked good in black leather.

1979 was the height of new wave (disco was still huge too, but let's pretend it wasn't), Suzi Quatro dropped a glam infused collection of tight pop songs that were honestly a tad out of step with what was current. Heck, the lead off track "I've Never Been in Love" sounded like something Jim Steinman could have written for Meat Loaf.

Suzi was still backed by guitarist and co-writer Len Tuckey and the pair wrote quite a few of the songs on the record, while Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn contributed a pair of tunes. The songs all work together and the album is remarkably cohesive. I found myself enjoying this a lot more than I expected. One song in particular was especially engaging. "Hollywood" one of the Suzi / Len compositions was really good. It's an unusual song in that it's just a simple musical sequence that just keeps repeating while the story unfolds. It shouldn't work but I kept coming back to it.

It's strange that Suzi Quatro never really hit it big. Her influence on rock and roll is undeniable. She was always a musician first and she just played to her sexuality. Why not? Name it and claim it and all that. Suzi blazed a trail others would follow to greater success.

While she had several charting singles, the only US hit to attain certification (gold) was her duet with Chris Norman "Stumblin' In" from her previous album If You Knew Suzi... released in December of 1978. She had and knew her audience and always seemed to be on the periphery of rock stardom.

Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words was good fun, but I can also see why it wasn't a big hit back in 1979. It didn't really fit with what was current. I don't know if it mattered to her. Suzi was charting her own course and releasing her music. Which is really all I know about Suzi.

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