At base level, 'Can The Can' is exactly the same fun but meaningless bubblegum pop that writers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman churned out for The Sweet in their pre-glam days; 'Wig Wam Bam', 'Little Willie', 'Poppa Joe' and 'Can The Can' - they could have been quads separated at birth. 'Can The Can' is brought up to date (1973 date that is) with a contemporary and in your face burump a rump drumbeat, but what really gives this legs beyond its era is the ferocious vocal from Quatro herself. Such is her.....enthusiasm..... she could have sacked the band en-masse and carried the song all on her own. And though her Detroit squawk means it's hard to make out what she's on about, it matters not a jot because by god she sounds like she means it and her high octane scream of 'SCRATCH OUT HER EYES!!!!' sears like a blowtorch in the face. In an alternate universe where rock isn't dominated by blokes she'd be fronting AC/DC, though Quatro herself reined it in from here and would never sound as quite wild as this again.
Exciting then, but just like whenever Dick Dastardly breaks off from leading the Wacky Races pack to paint a fake tunnel detour on the face of a wall, 'Can The Can' lets itself down when it tries to be a bit too clever and become something other than a dumb ass rocker; about two thirds in, the song winds itself down before climbing back to a peak in what's meant to be a tension building bolero. Instead of the desired slowburn, all it achieves is to lay bare the innards of the track to show there isn't really much there beyond Quatro's sound and fury. It gets interesting again the moment she starts back up her caterwauling, but too late - by then the damage has been done and 'Can The Can' limps to a sheepish close instead of defiantly waving its fist in your face. Shame.
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