Suzi Quatro. A lot of girls tried to be Suzi - but there is only ONE Suzi.
Suzi Quatro – In Concert At The Fabulous Forum, L.A. -1975 – Past Daily Backstage Pass
Suzi Quatro – In Concert at The Fabulous Forum – June 17, 1975 – a JEMS master –
Diving into some 70s Glam with the inimitable Suzi Quatro this weekend. Live at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood and recorded on June 17, 1975.
Suzi Quatro had achieved mania in England and Europe in the early 70’s. The product of the brilliant songwriting/production team of Chinn and Chapman (the team who gave the world the early Sweet, Gary Glitter, Hot Chocolate and Bay City Rollers and tons of others) and the guidance of the legendary Mickie Most. However, the U.S. was elusive. Could have been her label (Bell Records, who had enough to deal with, having David Cassidy on the label) or maybe the overt sexiness of a leather-clad bass player, with songs like “Your Mama Won’t Life Me” and “Can The Can” running headlong into the record stores and on the magazine covers of America riled up the mainstream. Who knows? It did make a huge impression on young women who were looking for a little more as rock musicians than being either Joni Mitchell or Janis Joplin wannabes. If memory serves, when Suzi Quatro hit the record stores, the flood of all-female bands started to gather steam; The Runaways were one of the breakthrough bands around this time, fronted by Cherie Curie and Joan Jett as well as Girlschool and Suzi also made a huge impression on a young Chrissie Hynde. But this was a movement that took some time to get rolling. Suzi was the first though – and she will forever be known to a lot of people as Leather Tuscadero in a recurring role in the TV sitcom Happy Days.
This concert was part of a 1975 tour promoting her latest single “Your Mama Won’t Like Me” which was a moderate hit in the UK but didn’t chart at all in the U.S. – she opened for Alice Cooper.
In case you missed her the first time around, or just saw her documentary Suzi Q and want to hear more – go no further, at least for now. Crank it up and have a listen.
