Suzi Quatro

[Pet Sounds]

The 48 crash come like a lightning flash!
Suzi was the first woman I'd ever seen wielding a bass. That P-Bass looked as big as she was. I bought her first album when it came out in I think 1973 and really liked it. I liked her second album a bit less, and then I was appalled by her Happy Days appearances and Stumblin' In.

 

[Michedelic]

Even though it was more of a Detroit/regional hit, this track ends up on many 60’s garage rock compilations, and has been covered a bit by later garage punk outfits, a lovely ode to teenage alcoholic nihilism…

 

[wagdog]

When the Pleasure Seekers realized their music and act weren’t keeping up with the times they morphed into Cradle, a hard rock/psychedelic band. As much as I enjoy their music, Suzi was not a fan and the band was a short lived incarnation producing only one album. At this point the sisters went their separate ways and Suzi launched her amazingly long lived solo career. Regardless of how you feel about her music or bass playing she has a firm position in the pantheon of rock.

 

[Drredplate]

I think she was a great performer and in addition to bass she was an excellent percussionist
(I fancied her like crazy as a kid!)

 

[bigswifty1]

That was Carol Kaye that gave Gene the bass lesson

Yeah I've seen that video too. Gene has had more than one bass lesson it seems. Who knew

 

[Michedelic]

Fanny was one of the first all female rock groups to achieve critical and commercial success, which included a couple Billboard top 40 singles.
The band was started by June and Jean Millington (sisters, guitar and bass) They were quite good. Had the pleasure seeing them live a few time in the early 70's at Bill Grahams Filmore.

Suzi was definitely more popular across the pond than she was in the States - she had some success with her Leather Tuscadero character on Happy Days but this made some US rock fans discount her somewhat - totally unfair as she's awesome no matter what. As were Fanny! I think it was David Bowie who publicly stated it was a shame Fanny weren't more famous (and yes, UK readers, I am 100% sure they knew what that meant in English English when they chose the name).

About 20 years ago I played in a band with Jean Millington's husband, a fantastic drummer and arranger named Leo Adamian. You could literally tell what the song was just by hearing the drums, he played so musically! I got to know Jean a little and worked with her son and daughter (father was Earl Slick) at a local food co-op. It was funny, when they talked about "John" and "David" from their childhood it was Lennon and Bowie, and they had the pictures to prove it!

Suzi Quatro/Leather Tuscadero rocks!

Actually, until Fanny toured the UK they had no idea, just like most other Americans have no idea. Members have mentioned this in interviews and memoirs.

As a female bandleader fronting three guys in biker leather, Suzi Quatro was certainly a breath of fresh ai.

I bought her first two LPs. The Chinn/Chapman songs may have been UK hits but they were pretty silly, like “Can the Can” and “48 Crash”. Fun to listen to but lightweight, like the other glam bands of that era that Chinn/Chapman took to the top of the UK charts. None of those bands were particularly succesful on this side of the pond.

There was an in-depth Fanny documentary a few years back, I saw it last year on PBS…