Customer Reviews

Main Attraction

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It was 1982 and Suzi Quatro was battling a number of career crises. `Rock Hard', her excellent 1980 return to being the leather clad rock queen, had been a commercial failure. After following long-time producer, Mike Chapman, to the USA with his new record label, she not only lost her long time career manager, Mickie Most, and his label, but saw Chapman's label collapse. Additionally, the complete change of style of the early 1980s music market was also well under way, particularly in her main market of Europe. Judging from `Main Attraction', she was pretty desperate.

This is a schizophrenic work. On the first half, Quatro resorts to an even more countrified stab at the `If You Knew Suzi...' era style, which had delivered her success in the late 70s. The second half, on the other hand, is a synth-heavy, Gary Numan-esque attempt at New Wave. Needless to say it is all a bit of a mess, though there are a few rather good songs. Given that Joan Jett was raking in the cash around the world doing a hard rock Suzi Quatro imitation, it defies logic that Quatro chose to take this muddled route.

She co-wrote nine of the 10 tracks on this outing - five with husband, Len Tuckey and the other four with new producer, Chris Andrews. Unfortunately, the set is mostly pretty lack lustre, with titles such as `Cheap Shot', `She Knows' and `Oh Baby' conveying an idea of what to expect. Having said that, on the synth new wave side, `Transparent' and `Candy Man' are very convincing attempts at that style and fine songs in their own right. On the country side, `Heart of Stone', `Main Attraction' and `Two Miles out of Georgia' are also strong.

Ignoring the fact that she had let Joan Jett run away with her career, the trouble with `Main Attraction' is that, no matter how well Quatro sings the country tracks, it is disappointing to see someone that began clad in leather, screaming out hard rock, warble over twangy guitars. And no matter how good the songs could be, who in this era wanted to hear that person doing a Gary Numan? Add to that the fact that this is just a bizarre collision of two musical styles, and you have an idea of the end product.

Not really what I expected, little too "noise". But OK, might grow in as I keep on playing.