Suzi Quatro - Aggro-Phobia album download

By 1976's `Aggro-Phobia', Suzi Quatro's fourth LP, it was clear that each album would represent an evolution and have its own unique style. Far from the funk of `Your Mamma Won't Like Me', `Aggro-Phobia' was a return to more conventional rock, though with an infusion of country that would become full-blown on her next effort, 1978's `If You Knew Suzi'. A strong release, to a lesser extent it shares something in common with her second album, `Quatro', in that it has too many covers of `standards'. But it has a number of excellent high points and it is rocky and interesting enough.Manager, Mickie Most, produced nine of the ten tracks, having taken it off usual producer, Mike Chapman because he didn't like the direction he and Quatro were heading in. And at times, his approach provides an oddly muffled result with strangely dated and bizarre keyboard sounds.Of the four covers, the opening interpretation of Elvis's `Heartbreak Hotel', is by far the best. Slowed down to a synthesizer-heavy dirge, it is an excellent rendition and a great opener. The others, however, are even more boring than the choices on `Quatro'. A lovely, faithful version of Cockney Rebel's `Make Me Smile' must have seemed peculiar at the time, given it had only just been a major hit for its composer the year before.The only track by Mike Chapman (her usual producer) and Nicky Chinn, who composed all of Quatro's hit singles, is the gutsy hit, `Tear Me Apart'. So yet again, the highlights are those written by Quatro and her guitarist husband. `Half As Much As Me' is a bitchy rhythmic rocker and one of the best rock songs she has ever written. The boisterous `What's It Like to Be Loved' (produced by Mike Chapman) is almost as good. `Don't Break My Heart' is a deceptively simple country tinged ballad, while `Close the Door' and `American Lady' are middle of the road tunes that are nicely elevated by both the eccentric synth-heavy production arrangements and Quatro's under-rated vocals.The excellent 2012 Cherry Red re-issue delivers `Aggro-Phobia' to CD for the first time as a stand-alone album. It is an excellent, full-bodied remaster that removes some of Most's production muffle.It also contains an incredible eight bonus tracks, five of which were from the original Mike Chapman-produced sessions of the album, before Mickie Most apparently decided to abolish them and take over himself. Additionally, five of these eight have never appeared on CD before.From this, you can imagine the rather excellent album that might have been if Chapman and Quatro were able to continue on their way (1. Close Enough to Rock and Roll, 2. I'll Grow On You, 3. Tear Me Apart alt version, 4. Don't Break My Heart, 5. What's It Like To Be Loved, 6. Half As Much As Me, 7. Heartbreak Hotel, 8. Close The Door, 9. American lady, 10. Cream Dream - from the same sessions, but included in the 'If You Knew Suzi' remaster).