Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words

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Suzi...and Other Four Letter Words
Suzi Quatro Suzi...and Other Four Letter Words album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Released1979
StudioMCA/Whitney Studios, Glendale, California
Genre
Length31:29
Label Rak
Producer Mike Chapman
Suzi Quatro chronology
If You Knew Suzi...
(1978)
Suzi...and Other Four Letter Words
(1979)
Rock Hard
(1980)
Singles from Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words
  1. "She's in Love with You"
    Released: 1979
  2. "Mama's Boy"
    Released: 1980
  3. "I've Never Been in Love"
    Released: 1980

Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words, released in 1979, is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter, bass guitar player, and actress Suzi Quatro. By August 2012 this was still Quatro's highest-charting album in Norway (at number 4) and her second-highest-charting album in the United States (at number 117). [1] :1–3 [2]

Contents

The album contains three singles, all of which charted. "She's in Love with You", a number 1 hit in South Africa (where it topped the chart for 7 weeks), a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland, a top 40 hit in Australia and also a minor chart hit in New Zealand and the United States. "Mama's Boy" made chart appearances in both the United Kingdom and in the Netherlands and "I've Never Been in Love" charted in the United States as well as the United Kingdom.

Background

This, Quatro's sixth studio LP, was released after she moved from the United States to Britain. It is her last studio album before she decided not to renew her contract with record producer Mickie Most's RAK Records label. (Instead she signed a contract with Dreamland Records, which had been set up by songwriters/producers Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn). [3] :4

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Smash Hits 7½10 [5]

Writing for Smash Hits in 1979, Red Starr described the album as "ten immediately accessible chunks of bouncy, straightforward pop-rock". [5] In his retrospective review for AllMusic, Donald A. Guarisco sees Quatro as making "a strong return to her hard-rocking roots" with the album. Example "bracing rocker" tracks are "I've Never Been in Love" and "She's in Love with You". These are "judiciously balanced with a string of tuneful, keyboard-based mid-tempo tunes" such as "Hollywood" and the "pop-inflected reggae groove" of "Four Letter Words". Guarisco feels that the downside of the album is that "many of the songs recycle the same double-time backbeat" and singles out "You Are My Lover" whose melody "is minimalist to the point of being repetitive". He concludes that:

"Despite these minor problems, Suzi...and Other Four Letter Words remains a solid slab of rock that is guaranteed to please the Suzi Quatro fanbase." [4]

Commercial performance

By August 2012Suzi...and Other Four Letter Words (1979) was still Quatro's highest-charting album in Norway, beating both Quatro (1974), which reached number 5, and Suzi Quatro (1973), which reached number 6. [6] It was also her second-highest-charting album in the United States, behind If You Knew Suzi... (1978), which reached number 37 in The Billboard 200. [7]

Track listing

  1. "I've Never Been in Love" (Melissa A. Connell) – 3:02
  2. "Mind Demons" (Suzi Quatro, Len Tuckey) – 2:25
  3. "She's in Love with You" (Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn) – 3:32
  4. "Hollywood" (Quatro, Tuckey) – 2:57
  5. "Four Letter Words" (Chapman, Chinn) – 3:27
  6. "Mama's Boy" (Quatro, Tuckey) – 3:35
  7. "Starlight Lady" (Quatro, Tuckey) – 3:36
  8. "You Are My Lover" (Jack Lee) – 3:12
  9. "Space Cadets" (Quatro, Tuckey) – 4:18
  10. "Love Hurts" (Quatro, Tuckey) – 2:45

Personnel

Technical

Charts

Album

ChartPeak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [8] 47
Norway4 [6]
Sweden36 [6]
United States, The Billboard 200 117 [9]

Singles

"She's in Love with You" / "Space Cadets" (or "Starlight Lady" in the US)

ChartPeak
position
United Kingdom11 [10]
Austria4 [11]
Netherlands6 [11]
New Zealand24 [11]
Norway10 [11]
Switzerland6 [11]
United States, The Billboard Hot 100 41 [7]

"Mama's Boy" / "Mind Demons" (1980 single)

ChartPeak
position
United Kingdom34 [10]
Netherlands43 [12]

"I've Never Been in Love" / "Starlight Lady" (or "Space Cadets" in the US) (1980 single)

ChartPeak
position
United Kingdom56 [10]
United States, The Billboard Hot 100 44 [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzi Quatro</span> American rock musician (born 1950)

Susan Kay Quatro is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter and actor. In the 1970s, she scored a string of singles that found success in Europe and Australia, with both "Can the Can" (1973) and "Devil Gate Drive" (1974) reaching #1 in several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smokie (band)</span> English rock band

Smokie are an English rock band from Bradford, Yorkshire. The band found success at home and abroad after teaming up with Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. They have had a number of lineup changes and were still actively touring in 2023. Their most popular hit single, "Living Next Door to Alice", peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart and, in March 1977, reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as going to No. 1 on the Australian singles chart. Other hit singles include "If You Think You Know How to Love Me", "Oh Carol", "Lay Back in the Arms of Someone", and "I'll Meet You at Midnight".

<i>If You Knew Suzi...</i> 1978 studio album by Suzi Quatro

If You Knew Suzi... is the fifth studio album by Suzi Quatro, released at the end of 1978, but with a 1979 copyright date. By August 2012 this was still Quatro's highest-charting album in the United States. The album also yielded Quatro's biggest US single hit, a duet with Chris Norman named "Stumblin' In" (which reached number 4 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. It also had an advertising billboard on Sunset Boulevard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicky Chinn</span> Musical artist

Nicholas Barry Chinn is an English-American songwriter and record producer. Together with Mike Chapman he had a long string of hit singles in the US and UK in the 1970s and early 1980s, including several international number-one records. The duo wrote hits for the Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Mud, New World, Arrows, Racey, Smokie, Tina Turner, Huey Lewis and the News, Exile and Toni Basil.

Michael Donald Chapman is an Australian record producer and songwriter who was a major force in the British pop music industry in the 1970s. He created a string of hit singles for artists including The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Smokie, Mud and Racey with business partner Nicky Chinn, creating a sound that became identified with the "Chinnichap" brand. He later produced breakthrough albums for Blondie and The Knack. Chapman received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2014 Australia Day Honours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can the Can</span> 1973 single by Suzi Quatro

"Can the Can" is the second solo single by American singer-songwriter Suzi Quatro and her first to reach number one in the UK, spending a single week at the top of the chart in June 1973. It also reached number one on the European and Australian charts in whose market Quatro achieved her most consistent success throughout her career as a recording artist. The single belatedly became a hit in the US peaking at number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. It was re-released as a single in the UK, with "Devil Gate Drive" as the B-side, in 1984, but failed to chart. The single made the charts again in 1987 in the UK at number 87, it also appeared on her 1995 album What Goes Around.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devil Gate Drive</span> 1974 single by Suzi Quatro

"Devil Gate Drive" is a song by American singer Suzi Quatro. It was Quatro's second solo number one single in the UK, spending two weeks at the top of the chart in February 1974. According to ukcharts.20m.com, she only reached number one again, in the UK, 13 years and 26 days later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">48 Crash</span> 1973 single by Suzi Quatro

"48 Crash" is Suzi Quatro's third solo single and was released after "Can the Can". It was included on her debut album Suzi Quatro. It later appeared as a track on her 1995 album What Goes Around. The single peaked at number three in the UK in July 1973, and number one in Australia for one week. It also hit number two in Germany, and charted well in other European countries.

<i>Suzi Quatro</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Suzi Quatro

Suzi Quatro is the debut solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter and bass guitarist of the same name. The LP was originally released in October 1973, by the record label Rak in most territories. The album was released under Bell Records in the United States and Canada, EMI Records in Japan, and Columbia Records in some European countries. It was titled Can the Can in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stumblin' In</span> 1978 single by Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro

"Stumblin' In" is a song written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, performed by Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro. Originally released as a standalone single, it was later added to some editions of the Quatro album If You Knew Suzi... It was Norman's first single as a solo artist.

<i>Bright Lights & Back Alleys</i> 1977 studio album by Smokie

Bright Lights & Back Alleys is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Smokie, released on 29 September 1977 in continental Europe and 7 October in the United Kingdom by RAK Records. Recorded primarily at Whitney Recording Studios in Glendale, California, from March to April 1977, it was produced by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, as were all the band's previous albums.

<i>Back to the Drive</i> 2006 studio album by Suzi Quatro

Back to the Drive is the eleventh studio album by Suzi Quatro. Released in March 2006, it was her comeback album, and her first since 1990's Oh Suzi Q.. Produced by Sweet guitarist Andy Scott and Steve Grant with input from Quatro's classic era producer Mike Chapman, this release features backing vocals by Shirlie Roden, ex-husband Len Tuckey on guitar, and includes her daughter, Laura Quatro, duetting with her on the download-only single "I'll Walk Through the Fire With You".

<i>In the Spotlight</i> 2011 studio album by Suzi Quatro

In the Spotlight is the fifteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter and bass guitar player Suzi Quatro.

<i>Your Mamma Wont Like Me</i> 1975 studio album by Suzi Quatro

Your Mamma Won't Like Me is the third studio album by Suzi Quatro. Released in May 1975 by record label Rak in most countries, in the US the album was released through Arista Records, the label that had recently succeeded Bell Records which distributed Quatro's first two previous releases in that country. The LP marked a change in the hard rock sound from the singer's previous albums Suzi Quatro and Quatro, instead displaying a more funk-oriented rock sound.

<i>Aggro-Phobia</i> 1977 studio album by Suzi Quatro

Aggro-Phobia is the fourth studio album by Suzi Quatro, recorded in the Autumn of 1976. It is the only one of her albums to be co-produced by Mickie Most.

<i>Rock Hard</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Suzi Quatro

Rock Hard is the seventh studio album by American rock musician Suzi Quatro, released in October 1980 by Dreamland Records, her first and only release by the label. It was recorded over a period of one month in 1980, at United Western Studios, in Hollywood. It features three prolific guest backing vocalists, including Paul Delph, Michael Des Barres, and Andrea Robinson. It is notably her last album to chart anywhere for twenty-six years, until she released Back to the Drive, in 2006. The album featured the songs "Rock Hard", "Glad All Over", and "Lipstick" which were all released as singles. The aforementioned title track was a commercial success, peaking at number 9 in Australia, but only peaked at number 68 in the UK, while "Lipstick" was only a moderate success peaking at number 46 in Australia, and at number 51 in US. "Glad All Over", a cover version of a song originally by the Dave Clark Five, unlike the other singles was the only one to chart in Belgium, peaking at number 25.

<i>Main Attraction</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Suzi Quatro

Main Attraction is the eighth studio album by American rock musician Suzi Quatro, released in November 1982, her first and only release by Polydor Records. The album was recorded over a period of four months at The Studio Toppersfield, in Essex, England with the sessions starting in late 1981, and ending in early 1982. The album is notably Quatro's only studio album not to contain any cover versions of songs by other artists, and she had a hand in composing each track, with the exception of the sixth track "Two Miles Out of Georgia", which was solely written by Chris Andrews. The album was her last recording of original material for four years, until she released Annie Get Your Gun – 1986 London Cast, and it was her last studio album of the 1980s and her last studio album for eight years, until she released Oh, Suzi Q., in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonight I Could Fall in Love</span> 1985 single by Suzi Quatro

"Tonight I Could Fall in Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Suzi Quatro, released by RAK Records as a non-album single in 1985. The song was written by Richard Gower and produced by Mickie Most. The song reached number 140 in the UK Singles Chart.

<i>What Goes Around – Greatest & Latest</i> 1995 studio album by Suzi Quatro

What Goes Around – Greatest & Latest is the eleventh studio album by rock singer-songwriter and bassist Suzi Quatro, released in 1995 by CMC International Records. It features re-recordings of her original recordings, spanning from the 1970s and features four new tracks, one a cover version of Bruce Springsteen's song "Born to Run".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If You Can't Give Me Love</span> 1978 single by Suzi Quatro

"If You Can't Give Me Love" is a 1978 song written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, performed by Suzi Quatro from her album If You Knew Suzi.... It became an international hit in the spring of the year, reaching number four in the United Kingdom and number five in Germany. It also reached the Top 10 in Australia.

References

  1. Auslander, Philip (28 January 2004). "I Wanna Be Your Man: Suzi Quatro's musical androgyny". Popular Music. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. 23 (1): 1–16. doi:10.1017/S0261143004000030. S2CID   191508078. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  2. "BBC Queens of British Pop, Suzi Quatro – David Jensen film clip 2009". www.bbc.co.uk. London, UK: BBC. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  3. Hendriks, Phil; Tim Smith (February 2011). Rock Hard (CD booklet). Suzi Quatro. London, United Kingdom: 7T's Records. GLAM CD 126.
  4. 1 2 Guarisco, Donald A. "Suzi...And Other Four Letter Words – Suzi Quatro : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic . Ann Arbor, US. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  5. 1 2 Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (29 November – 12 December 1979): 31.
  6. 1 2 3 "norwegiancharts.com – Suzi Quatro – Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words". norwegiancharts.com. Dietikon, Switzerland: Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Unterberger, Richie. "Suzi Quatro – Awards". AllMusic . Ann Arbor, US. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 243. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  9. Guarisco, Donald A. "Suzi...And Other Four Letter Words – Suzi Quatro: Awards: AllMusic". www.allmusic.com. Ann Arbor, USA: Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 "SUZI QUATRO / Artist / Official Charts". officialcharts.com. London, United Kingdom: The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "norwegiancharts.com – Suzi Quatro – She's In Love With You". norwegiancharts.com. Dietikon, Switzerland: Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  12. "norwegiancharts.com – Suzi Quatro – Mama's Boy". norwegiancharts.com. Dietikon, Switzerland: Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 September 2012.