Reading the Charlie Watts post, it struck me that we’ve neglected to celebrate another recently-turned octogenarian, Ms Leather Tuscadero herself, the fabulous Suzi Quatro. She is acknowledged as a significant cultural pioneer and inspiration to many of the punk and rock princesses that followed. Her own biggest hits were, of course, written and masterminded by the titans of early 70s glam, Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, and their indispensable wing-man, pop eminence-grise Mickie Most. The tsunami of hits for Suzi, Sweet, Mud and to a lesser extent Smokie and, er, Racey formed the soundtrack of my and I suspect many others’ childhoods, and I still adore the thrilling wide-eyed optimism of their brash stomping anthems…the very Menton of ‘Chinnichap RAK’ brings a Proustian rush of playgrounds, platforms and POPSWOP magazine.
Chapman, of course, went on to garner great acclaim as a producer, of Blondie in particular. Although their relationship was fractious to say the least (Chapman seems to have what clinicians now recognise as Waters’ Ego Complex) they did occasionally team up again in the 80s and created hits for Exile, Tina Turner and Toni Basil (perhaps ‘Mickey’ is a belated tribute to their erstwhile colleague).
So, would anyone like to join me in saluting the mighty Suzi Q and the chart-straddling hit factory that was the Chinnichap chaps?
Oh, cripes! Just ignore that ‘octogenarian’ bit …I’m sure I read an article the other day saying she was 80. SORRY, SUZI!! She’s not even 70, she’s 71…#epicfail. Anyway, it’s still a good theme for a thread…please carry on whilst I go and give myself a jolly good ticking-off. 🥴
Spooky coincidence: I just bought a Suzi Q compo album and was listening to it this very afternoon
(whilst pulling weeds up – I know how to live!).
This was one of the last Chinnichaps the Suzi recorded in 78
Chinnichap also did this one for Weston-Super-Mare’s finest (Mickie Most twiddled the production knobs though)
They also had a minor hit with Kitty – later re-worked by by Chapman as Mickey for Toni Basil
There’s something really ghastly about Racey, isn’t there?
Although they give hope to those of us with dogy barnets, crooked teeth and limited musical ability.
They split into two versions eventually – the short bloke; and the rest. Like Sham 69, really. Or Barclay James Harvest.
One of my neighbours is called Suzy Quatro. She’s a senior nurse.
I don’t think she’s ever played a bass, let alone worn a leather jump suit.
The uniform would be good enough.
Er, if you like that sort of thing.
Surely she must’ve been tempted in the 80s to call one of her offspring Audi?
I’ll get my coat…
A cowboy’s favourite car is the Audi Partner.
I’ll also get my coat.
…or the Audi Murphy?
I’ll also tae as well get my coat…
Can the Can – @flicker ‘s new personal anthem.
At least it’s a tune though I can hear them jamming 48 Crash
She was on the Rockonteurs podcast and was curiosly unlikable so I switched it off. I loved her back in the day.
I heard that and was surprised. As I mention below she is very pleasant in person, but on Rockonteurs she seemed to be single-mindedly set on demanding respect as a bass player, even though Kemp and Pratt never tried to pull the conversation in any other direction.
always the same self deprecating interview, a right pain
Their last Top 10 hit with Sweet – Six Teens
That’s as good as I originally believed it was. Great song. I met Brian many years after the heyday, at a Glam Rock weekender at Pontins somewhere in Suffolk, and it was so sad to see the state he was in.
For the very last outing with Sweet – Turn It Down which failed to make the Top 40 – they seemed to invent US Hair Metal of the early 80s
Brian Connolly must have been the source of the inspiration behind David St Hubbins.
Especially his Al Jolson impressions.
….what?
I saw them live in 1980 or 81. By then touring as the full on Purplesque rock band they’d always intended to be.
Love is like Oxygen is superb! No irony.
I can’t get this out of my head (SWIDT?)
https://youtu.be/H-ev8M8vBXs
This lot got booked to headline the summer ball bash for my final year at university. There was much derision heaped upon the social secretary at the announcement. Guess what? They were bloody brilliant. What you saw and heard on TOTP was a thin shadow of their stage presence, and they could really deliver a rocking show. Superb live band.
We had them for my final year bash at university too. There were no complaints from me especially as the headliner the previous year was the underwhelming John Miles. I think the Christmas bash was Slade who were awesome so the social secretary knew he was on firm ground.
My problem that night was that I hadn’t actually finished all my exams and had one the very next morning. I’d like to blame Mud for my very poor degree but I think it may be stretching things!
They were fabulous though.
Les Gray was 28 in that clip. Young people often looked much older in those days.
What a fabulous theme for a thread. Suzi Quatro set my pulse racing as a young boy. Completely unique to my eyes…
The RAK thing though just brings Racey to mind and the brilliant “Lay Your Love On Me”. One of my first singles played to death.
Listening again, the song reminds me of a less horny version of Dexys Midnight Runners.
Observation of the week. It really is isn’t it?
They may have loved Rock n Roll, but The Arrows first couple of singles were Chinnichap penned.
This one may also have given AC/DC a future song title.
Like many other Chinnichaps, there is something vaguely recognisable about the riff – this one nicks and bends Summertime Blues
Suzi was a fairly regular customer in the last bookshop I worked in. She was always lovely to me and the other staff, and you could often spot her because she was the only one wearing a ‘Suzi Quatro’ satin tour jacket. I once had a short but invigorating conversation with her about a book called ‘How to Make Love Like a Porn Star’.
Remarkable for an octogenarian…🥴
Amazing isn’t it? She barely looks a day over 71!
She was on the Radio 3 series yonks so where they played Bach every day up to Christmas and had famous people on to talk about him, and hopefully play a bit. She was great on that and played a little piano sonata too.
I was much amused to find this clip of Suzi on ITV`s Revolver exhorting the audience to go on down to Devil Gate Drive. One chap 15 seconds in announces his intention of not following instructions…
Arf! Top camerawork!
Is it a young Dave Rowntree?
The first record I ever bought was The Sweet’s “Wig-Wam Bam” (still bonkers, still brilliant), so I have Chinnichap going through me like a stick of rock… I saw “Andy Scott’s Sweet” a few years back for a Christmas gig at the tiny Nell’s near Earl’s Court, and it was a great night… as for La Quatro, if you haven’t heard it before, this rather fruity version of The Normal’s “Warm Leatherette” (unreleased until being included on the recent box-set) will put hairs on your chest…
That’s really rather alarming (and very good). No wonder it remained in the can, though.
Lesser lights in the Chinnichap canon, and unlikely to have ever caused the dads to tut or leer during TOTP, but a cracker nonetheless..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F6W68HJuvg
I only just discovered that ChinniChap were also responsible for this ear worm from Exile
Ahem… mentioned in the OP 😏
My apologies. Maybe that is why the song had been in my subconscious for days.