The Best of Suzi Quatro: Legend | Review by Maggie Woods

“The fabulous Suzi Quatro surges
into the limelight once again with a
remastered, twenty track compilation
album from the late Seventies that
features the finest of classic rock —
The Best Of Suzi Quatro: Legend...”

SITTING ON MY SOFA (BUT NOT FOR LONG) in the 1970s, I recall that in those crazy days of twenties angst a tiny bundle of energised rocking dynamite known as Suzi Quatro burst onto the television screen in a haze of frenzied fervour. I was up on my feet: dancing — well, certainly moving anyway!

That lady has shaped the world of music ever since; relentlessly releasing out wave upon wave of delightful music. Now, Suzi has personally curated The Best Of Suzi Quatro: Legend. A masterstroke that includes the terrific tracks Can The Can, 48 Crash, Devil Gate Drive and Stumblin' In. Devil Gate Drive is a personal favourite of mine, along with The Wild One and If You Can't Give Me Love. Exciting, exhilarating and unmistakeably Suzi; sounding as if she is enjoying life to the full.

“The Best Of Suzi Quatro
is an amazing album.
Suzi is a total
professional; a great
personality and a true
star who continues
to sparkle and produce
music to hearten
the soul.
Play it one more time
for Suzi...”

Suzi's four original RAK studio albums, first released between 1975 and 1979, were: Your Mamma Won't Like Me (1975), Aggro-Phobia (1976), If You Knew Suzi (1978) and Suzi… And Other Four Letter Words (1979). They have also been digitally remastered and, for the first time, will be made available to download and stream across all digital platforms.

Suzi is very enthusiastic about her project: "I'm excited about my new compilation; it is not just these hits, which I love, but it also features favourite and important tracks from my albums, with an extensive Track By Track on the liner notes. Enjoy one and all."

To date, the only original RAK studio albums currently available digitally are Suzi's debut eponymous 1973 album Suzi Quatro and 1974's album Quatro. "The hits are the hits," says Suzi about the Best Of album, "but as Mickie Most always told me, 'your self-penned songs are the meat of what you do, Suzi'. Enjoy some of my personal choices."

One of five children, Susan Kay "Suzi" Quatro was born on 3 June, 1950, in Detroit, Michigan, USA. Music was clearly in her blood as, at the age of seven, she performed with her father's jazz band, playing bongos.

Taking a back seat playing bass and rarely singing lead in a band formed with her sisters, Suzi was spotted by the eagle-eyed Mickie Most in Detroit in 1971 and he immediately offered Suzi a solo contract. By October of the same year she was recording in London.

Now a highly talented rock singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actress, Suzi was the first female bass player to become a major rock star, paving the way for female participation in rock music.

Appearing as bass guitarist Leather Tuscadero in the tongue-in-cheek American 1950s-based television sitcom Happy Days with Henry Winkler and Ron Howard, Suzi was soon to see her duet with Smokie's lead singer Chris Norman, Stumblin' In reach Number 4 in the US charts. She has also appeared in Minder with Denis Waterman, Dempsey and Makepeace and Absolutely Fabulous — and who could forget her role as a singer who is electrocuted in Midsummer Murders?

In 1986 Suzi starred as Annie Oakley in the West End production of Annie Get Your Gun to great critical acclaim, and two years later she hosted her own television talk show, Gas Street. In 1989 she was the first Western act to go to Russia once Glastnost had begun, playing to over half a million people.

In the 90s she continued to work successfully, being featured on This Is Your Life after being caught out at the end of her concert at The London Palladium. In 2006, Suzi released her fascinating autobiography, Unzipped, before appearing at the West End again, this time alongside Charles Dance in Exonerated.

To hear Suzi is to experience the enjoyable, breath-taking ride that her most memorable tracks take you on. She packs a lot of punch into that voice. Suzi does lively, she does melancholy, honky-tonk and rock. And does she rock! Listen to the quirky, poetic track Hollywood; the delightful Free The Butterfly and superb If You Can't Give Me Love and She's In Love With You. Keep a song in your heart.

In 2013 Suzi received a lifetime achievement award in her home town Detroit; and became a member of the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame, performing at the ceremony live for the first time in the USA in over twenty years.

Suzi Quatro has sold over fifty million albums and continues to perform live, worldwide. In 2015 she performed at her "final" sell-out tour of Australia. She loves entertaining, making people happy, communicating. And most importantly continuing to create. She recently published a book of poetry Through My Eyes and her first novel, Hurricane, and in October (2017) she will headline an Arena tour in the UK.

She is working her way around an extensive "bucket list". As stoic as ever, Suzi promises: "I will retire when I go on stage, shake my ass, and there is silence." Like that is going to happen!

The Best Of Suzi Quatro: Legend is an amazing album. Suzi is a total professional; a great personality and a true star who continues to sparkle and produce music to hearten the soul. Play it one more time for Suzi…

• Chrysalis Records announces the release of The Best of Suzi Quatro: Legend, a 20-track compilation album personally curated by Suzi featuring digitally remastered versions of her biggest hits, including Can The Can, 48 Crash, Devil Gate Drive and Stumblin' In. Released on Friday 22 September, the album will be available on Gold Coloured Double Vinyl, CD and digital formats.

The Best of Suzi Quatro: Legend (2017)

1 Can The Can (2017 Remaster) | 2 Shine My Machine (2017 Remaster) | 3 48 Crash (2017 Remaster) | 4 Skin Tight Skin (2017 Remaster) | 5 Daytona Demon (2017 Remaster) | 6 Devil Gate Drive (2017 Remaster) | 7 The Wild One (Single Version) | 8 Cat Size (2017 Remaster) | 9 Too Big (2017 Remaster) | 10 Michael (2017 Remaster) | 11 Half As Much As Me (2017 Remaster) | 12 Stumblin' In (2017 Remaster) | 13 If You Can't Give Me Love (2017 Remaster) | 14 Suicide (2017 Remaster) | 15 Wiser Than You (2017 Remaster) | 16 She's In Love With You (2017 Remaster) | 17 Hollywood (2017 Remaster) | 18 15 Minutes of Fame | 19 Free The Butterfly | 20 Dancing In The Wind.

"The Best Of Suzi Quatro: Legend is an amazing album. Suzi is a total professional; a great personality and a true star who continues to sparkle and produce music to hearten the soul. Play it one more time for Suzi…" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar

Suzi Quatro, The Legends Tour (with David Essex, The Osmonds and Hot Chocolate):

Kicks off on Friday 13 October, 2017, at The SSE Hydro, Glasgow (Ticketmaster www.thessehydro.com); Genting Arena, Birmingham on Saturday 14 October, 2017, (TicketLine www.gentingarena.co.uk); First Direct Arena, Leeds on Sunday 15 October, 2017, (Eventim www.firstdirectarena.com); Liverpool Echo Arena on Wednesday 18 October, 2017, (EchoArena www.echoarena.com); Manchester Arena on Thursday 19 October, 2017, (Eventim www.manchester-arena.com); The SSE Arena, London Wembley on Friday 20 October, 2017, (www.AXS.com); Brighton Centre on Saturday 21 October, 2017, (Ticketmaster www.brightoncentre.co.uk); and Sunday 22 October,2017, Cardiff Motorpoint Arena (Ticketmaster https://motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk).

Soon to be re-released (all tracks Remastered in 2017) —

Your Mamma Won't Like Me (1975)

1 Bit Off More Than I Could Chew | 2 Strip Me | 3 Paralysed | 4 Prisoner Of Your Imagination | 5 Your Mamma Won't Like Me | 6 Can't Trust Love | 7 New Day Woman | 8 Fever | 9 You Can Make Me Want You | 10 Michael.

Aggro-Phobia (1976)

1 Heartbreak Hotel | 2 Don't Break My Heart | 3 Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) | 4 What's It Like To Be Loved | 5 Tear Me Apart | 6 The Honky Tonk Downstairs | 7 Half As Much As Me | 8 Close The Door | 9 American Lady | 10 Wake Up Little Susie.

If You Knew Suzi… (1978)

1 I Don't Change My Luck | 2 Tired Of Waiting | 3 Suicide | 4 Evie | 5 The Race Is On | 6 If You Can't Give Me Love | 7 Breakdown | 8 Non Citizen | 9 Rock 'n' Roll Hoochie Koo | 10 Wiser Than You | 11 Stumblin' In.

Suzi… And Other Four Letter Words (1979)

1 I've Never Been in Love | 2 Mind Demons | 3 She's In Love With You | 4 Hollywood | 5 Four Letter Words | 6 Mama's Boy | 7 Starlight Lady | 8 You Are My Lover | 9 Space Cadets | 10 Love Hurts.

More about Suzi — Suzi Quatro studied classical piano and percussion and at the age of 14, in 1964, she started the first all-girl band with her sisters, teaching herself to play bass guitar. They toured successfully for eight years with Suzi as the main vocalist and bass player and in 1969 they disbanded to reform as Cradle, writing their own material and with baby sister Nancy as the main vocalist.

Having been spotted by Mickie Most, by 1972 Suzi had formed her first English band and they became the support group on Slade's first nationwide tour, performing Suzi's original material. Mickie Most got his new signing to RAK's hit song-writing team Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn to go see a show with the idea of writing Suzi a hit single based around her own work. And in 1973 Can The Can, was a Number One hit single in a number of countries around the world — including the UK and Australia — and sold two and a half million copies.

The same year she also released her eponymous debut album; the following year she repeated the success at the top of the charts with Devil Gate Drive.

Suzi featured in the British charts for 101 weeks between 1973 and 1980 and during that time she was awarded six Brave Ottos. She has sold over 55 million records to date. Although during the 1970s Suzi scored a string of hit singles, her greatest success was in European and Australian territories rather than in her homeland.

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