Sweet

[drakula63]

As a youngster in the early 1970s, I was aware of The Sweet (or just 'Sweet') but there was nothing in their music or image that appealed to me. Years and years later, and inspired somewhat by the enthusiasm for them from two or three friends, I find myself re-appraising them and finding much to enjoy. They were labelled 'Glam Rock' - which undoubtedly they were - but this seems to have been a bit of a compromise in order to get the big hit singles, based upon the evidence of songs such as Hell Raiser, Turn It Down, No You Don't, Sweet F.A. and Burning. I'd say that they were far more of a 'metal' band and certainly their influence on bands such as Kiss, Motley Crue and Def Leppard can't be denied.

Speaking of influences, I can't help thinking that at least one or two members of the band must have bought Jet and Tony's version of The Man With the Golden Arm, as it otherwise seems an odd choice.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysCA0cRXFLo



I've also felt for a long time that, although they didn't write it, The Shadows must have based their arrangement of Love Deluxe on 'Love is Like Oxygen', which had been a huge hit at the start of 1978.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXJ4TZSXtzc


(Even the promo video looks similar!)

[drakula63]

I KNEW IT!!!!

21m 20s...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zXqNHr8vaA&t=512s

[Uncle Fiesta]

Yes, I remember really liking Love Is Like Oxygen when it came out ... then discovering it was by Sweet! "WHAT?! I like something by Sweet? What's wrong with me!?"

I've never heard any resemblance between that and Love Deluxe though. Somebody will need to explain why they think that.

[drakula63]

Maybe it's just me, but there seem to be similarities between LILO AND LDL. I played the video to a friend of mine (a huge Sweet fan) and he seemed to agree. Hard to put it into words.

[cockroach]

They were a good band- talented musicians and singers...and they were commercial too!

In the same vein, and from the same era, I always enjoyed Slade too! Not everyone's taste, I know, but they could play, sing and write too..!

[drakula63]

They were a good band- talented musicians and singers...and they were commercial too!

In the same vein, and from the same era, I always enjoyed Slade too! Not everyone's taste, I know, but they could play, sing and write too..!

Yeah. Got a Slade compilation CD. They were another band that was far more talented than their image would suggest. 'How Does it Feel?' is an amazing song.

[Iain Purdon]

Going off the point a bit - Sweet's Blockbuster and David Bowie's Jean Genie use the same riff. If you played the records back to back you'd be hard put to it to hear the join. The tunes are different, of course, but there is much similarity otherwise.

[cockroach]

Going off the point a bit - Sweet's Blockbuster and David Bowie's Jean Genie use the same riff. If you played the records back to back you'd be hard put to it to hear the join. The tunes are different, of course, but there is much similarity otherwise.

That was a well used riff based on '60's UK blues based bands' versions of what they thought was the riff used on some old r'n'b/blues records by Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley (I'm a Man, Mannish Boy etc) Bowie played that stuff in his early bands..the guys in Sweet probably did too...

[drakula63]

Not sure of the year (2000s I would guess), but nice to see Andy Scott with what certainly looks like a Hank-style Strat. Ever noticed how many guitarists use red and white Strats? I wonder if it's just coincidental...?

[cockroach]

Not sure of the year (2000s I would guess), but nice to see Andy Scott with what certainly looks like a Hank-style Strat. Ever noticed how many guitarists use red and white Strats? I wonder if it's just coincidental...?

Possibly, if they are of a 'certain age' group and/or not American- although such a lot of players have used the red Strats over the years..

I've seen photos and live clips of all sorts of people using the 34346 colour scheme...including Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend (who smashed it as usual!) and many others..even the late Ike Turner used one and gave the vibrato a good workout..

First ever player to have a Fiesta Red one (when it was a custom Fender colour in about 1956) was a black American r'n'b singer/guitarist called Pee Wee Crayton.