Give Us a Wink

Give Us a Wink
Studio album by Sweet
Released	March 1976
Recorded	1976, Musicland Studios, Munich except where indicated
Genre	Hard rock
Length	46:04
Label	RCA, Capitol (US)
Producer	Sweet
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (C+) link
Sweet chronology
Strung Up (1975) Give Us a Wink (1976) Off the Record (1977)
Singles from Give Us a Wink
"Action" Released: July 1975 "The Lies in Your Eyes" Released: January 1976 "4th of July" Released: 1976 (Australia only)

Give Us a Wink is an album released in March 1976 by the British rock band Sweet. It was their first album to be fully written and produced by the band themselves. Consequently it completed the move to the hard rock style that had always been the trademark of the self-penned single B-sides backing the more pop oriented singles written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman ever since their breakthrough in 1971. Give Us a Wink reached #3 in Sweden, #9 in Germany and made it into the Top 20 in Norway, Canada and Australia. In the US it reached #27 but it didn't chart at all on Sweet's home territory, the UK.

Give Us a Wink contains two singles, "Action" and "The Lies in Your Eyes" that were recorded and released prior to the album itself. "Action" reached the Top 10 in 1975 in numerous European countries and Canada but stalled at #15 and the UK and #20 in the US. Though "The Lies in Your Eyes" reached only #35 in the UK, it was very popular in other parts of Europe as well as Australia. A third single, "4th of July" was released in Australia only but failed to chart.

The US version flipped the sides of the LP album and added "Lady Starlight" as 3^rd track on side two, a title from the European version of the 1974 Desolation Boulevard album that wasn't available in the US at the time.

The original LP was released with a die-cut cover that caused the eye to wink as the sleeve was removed and placed back into the cover.

A digitally remastered version was issued on CD in 1999 with two bonus tracks. Another remastered version was reissued on CD in 2005 with three different bonus tracks.

"Action" has been covered by heavy metal bands Raven (on the album Rock Until You Drop), Black 'n Blue (on the album Black 'n Blue) and Def Leppard (as a UK Top 20 single and later on the album Retro Active).

Track listing

All titles are written by Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Andy Scott, Mick Tucker.

Side one

1. "The Lies in Your Eyes" – 3:47 (recorded at AIR Studios, London)
2. "Cockroach" – 3:47
3. "Keep It In" – 5:00
4. "4th of July" – 4:22

Side two

1. "Action" – 3:44 (recorded at Audio International Studios, London)
2. "Yesterdays Rain" – 5:16
3. "White Mice" – 5:00
4. "Healer" – 7:18

Bonus tracks on 1999 reissue

9. "Someone Else Will" - 3:25
10. "Miss Demeanor" - 3:17

Bonus tracks on 2005 reissue

9. "Action" (7" version)
10. "Cockroach" (Munich mix)
11. "4th of July" (Munich mix)

Personnel

Sweet

• Brian Connolly – lead vocals, string machine
• Andy Scott – guitars, vocals, celli, synthesizers, voice bag
• Steve Priest – bass, vocals, celli
• Mick Tucker – percussion, vocals, celli, phased gong

Guest musicians

• Trevor Griffin – piano solo on "Fourth of July"

Production

• Sweet – producers
• Mack – engineer
• Louie Austin – engineer
• Nick Ryan – engineer