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Elly Roberts reviews
Sony/BMG
- Released: January 2005
- Rating: 8/10
- Cat.no.: 82876668172
Fairground favourites and Glam-Rock giants get a new lease of life.
There couldnt be a better group to take you back to the halcyon days ofGlam-Rock than Sweet. The bubblegum band made several early efforts whichflopped. It was writers-producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman aka Chinnichapwho turned their fortunes around in 1971.
Order of the day for the quartet was a great cut and blow dry, lurex flaresand platform soles. In the UK the band were never taken seriously – an imageproblem didnt help matters. Just about everywhere else they became big stars – including America.
Gooey anthemic pop songs (dont ask me why I liked them) were slated by theBritish music press. Behind the limp Top Of The Pops appearances,things werevery different. Mecca Ballroom circuit banned them. Belgian police arrestedthem for involving “Overtly obscene sexual stage performance”, only serving toenhance their growing live reputation.
Now you can get a piece of the Action from their prolific seven year charttenure, lasting a total 159 weeks. In that time they amassed 16 top 50 hits,with only one topper Blockbuster in January 73 and five number 2s.It includes pure pop to heavy metal (which often cropped up on B-sides),three chord wonders and intricate arrangements like Love Is Like Oxygen(a world-wide hit) and Little Willy.
Unlike their Glam contemporaries, like Slade and T.Rex, they crossed the pondwith great effect,supporting Kiss, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper and Rainbow between 75 and 80. US hits included Ballroom Blitz (which popped upin Waynes World flick) and Oxygen, peaking at number 2.
Sweet charted in the UK in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s selling 30 million records.
Singer Brian Connolly died in 1997: drummer Mick Tucker died in 2002.
Guitarist Andy Scott, a native of my hometown Wrexham, still tours with thename,and new band mates Jeff Brown (bass), Bruce Bisland (drums) and SteveGrant (keys and guitar).
DVDfever Dom adds: “I saw Sweet perform at a Xmas do in 1995,fronted by Brian Connolly. It was obvious he wasn’t a well man then. As he gavehis all, I once caught his eye and I could see in an instant that for his owngood he clearly shouldn’t have been there as I saw the pained expression inhis face.
On a more upbeat note, whenever I hear an ambulance racing down the main roadwith its siren blaring, I can’t help but play the start of ‘Blockbuster’ inmy head…”
The full list of tracks included are as follows (track 18-20 are raretracks taken from B-sides):
1. Blockbuster
2. Hell Raiser
3. The Ballroom Blitz
4. Teenage Rampage
5. Co-Co
6. The Six Teens
7. Love Is Like Oxygen
8. Papa Joe
9. Funny Funny
10. Turn It Down11. Alexander Graham Bell
12. The Lies In Your Eyes
13. Action
14. Sweet & Foxy 98 Dance Mix
15. Little Willy
16. Wig Wam Bam
17. Fox On The Run
18. Restless
19. Set Me Free
20. Burn On The Flame
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.