Customer Reviews

A's B's & Rarities

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once upon a time, singles were released with B sides that were not simply tracks from the album the single was taken from. `A's, B's & Rarities' is more than a greatest hits or a best of compilation. It brings together these B sides and then throws in a few unreleased tracks, or rarities, for good measure. Thus, for Suzi Quatro fans, it is far more interesting than any of the multitude of compilations that have poured out since her hit-making career effectively ended after a decade in 1982.

`A's, B's & Rareties' is part of a series that catalogues recordings on EMI's RAK Records label, owned by Quatro's Manager, Mickie Most in the 70s and early 80s.

Before she was a star, Quatro released her first single in 1972, `Rolling Stone', a fine song that appears here with two songs from an early EP - `Brain Confusion' and `Ain't Got No Home' - all produced by Mickie Most. Then the first seven hit singles, which accompanied her first three albums, appear here with their B sides. They are certainly interesting - if, of a time. But there are two essential inclusions. `I Wanna Be Free', a truly beautiful song that ranks with `Cat Size' (off the `Quatro' album) as one of her finest vocal performances, is the cool cruisy, hippy flipside of `Too Big'. And in the rock department, there is the acidic `Little Bitch Blue', B side of '48 Crash'. These two tracks alone make purchase of this disc worth it.

After the singles, there is an alternate, bluesier version of `Tear Me Apart' from the original Mike Chapman-produced version of the 1976 album, `Aggro-Phobia'. It never saw the light of day because Mickie Most didn't like the direction, so took over and started again. From the same abandoned recordings, there is a Chapman-penned rarity called `Kids of Tragedy', which is fine, but somewhat cheesy. Finally, 'Angel Flight', the ten minute prog rock opus, complete with orchestration, that was apparently culled from the original sessions of 1974's `Quatro' - though to hear it, you would never make the association.

Missing are other fine B-sides from many other singles that flesh out the rest of her RAK recording career - most notably, the hard rock flipside of `If You Can't Give Me Love' - `Cream Dream'. Also, the slow version of `The Wild One' - B side to the single in Australia - and missing from all available CD pressings of `Quatro', is yet to see the light of day on CD. One can only hope that means there is a Volume 2 on its way at some point!

The alternate version of Tear me apart, plus you get Aint got no home and many other never released gems and some classic hits. DEfinitely a great buy for a novice or big Suzi fan.