The Best of Sweet [Capitol 1993]

• Artist: Sweet
• Rating:
• Release Date: March 01, 1993
• Total Time: 60:31
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

Recollections of Britain's arch-glam gods generally inspire two theories of their producers, Mike Chapman and his partner, Nicky Chinn. Either they knew just what they were doing and calculated accordingly, or blindly hit pay dirt, following toothless early singles like "Funny Funny" (none of which grace this disc). By this reckoning, Sweet was a '70s-era pinup band or a closeted hard rock quartet who only got their due after breaking the Chapman/Chinn combination. Actually, the truth lies in between; once the producers realized that fans wanted a tougher sound, they only needed the right song to burst the floodgates open, and stardom would beckon. That song turned out to be "Little Willy," which drew inspiration from late vocalist Brian Connolly's never-ending nightclubbing and sparked a remarkable run of 14 hit singles, including 11 that topped the British charts. Most of them are here, including "Wig Wam Bam," "Blockbuster," and the oft-covered "Ballroom Blitz," which provided a vivid, legitimate soundtrack to listeners' daily dreams and frustrations. The middle period following Chapman and Chinn's 1975 departure is well-represented by "The Lies in Your Eyes," the classic backhanded groupie putdown "Fox on the Run," "The 6-Teens," and the oft-covered "Action," a Top 20 U.S. hit in 1976. By then, the group's meld of high harmonies to a bullish, if somewhat slick, hard rock attack was well-established, extending Sweet's reach beyond their die-hard British turf. The group's last real Top Ten hit, 1978's "Love Is Like Oxygen," showed them toning down the decibels for lusher, more pop-oriented territory, as did "Mother Earth," an acoustic-based winner from Cut Above the Rest, the underrated 1979 album recorded following Connolly's departure for an unsuccessful solo career. The story essentially ended afterward, though the group kept recording into the '80s, while the '90s saw Connolly and Scott lead dueling versions of the band, with themselves being the only original member. This compilation does manage the tricky task of balancing hits and lesser-known songs, so it's a decent affair, but newcomers might still want to seek out Desolation Boulevard (1975) and Give Us a Wink, which remain the group's heaviest albums. ~ Ralph Heibutzki, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Little Willy	Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman	Sweet	(3:13)
Wig-Wam Bam	Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman	Sweet	(3:00)
Blockbuster	Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman	Sweet	(3:11)
Ballroom Blitz	Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman	Sweet	(4:01)
Teenage Rampage	Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman	Sweet	(3:33)
The Six Teens	Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman	Sweet	(4:01)
Fox on the Run	Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Mick Tucker, Andrew Scott	Sweet	(3:23)
Action	Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Andy Scott, Mick Tucker	Sweet	(3:17)
The Lies in Your Eyes	Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Andy Scott, Mick Tucker	Sweet	(3:45)
Lost Angels	Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Andy Scott, Mick Tucker	Sweet	(4:02)
Fever of Love	Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Andy Scott, Mick Tucker	Sweet	(4:00)
Stairway to the Stars	Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Andy Scott, Mick Tucker	Sweet	(3:02)
Love Is Like Oxygen	Griffin, Andy Scott	Sweet	(3:44)
California Nights	Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Andy Scott, Mick Tucker	Sweet	(3:42)
Mother Earth	Steve Priest, Andy Scott	Sweet	(6:29)
Sixties Man	Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Andy Scott, Mick Tucker	Sweet	(4:08)

Credits

Sweet (Main Performer), Brian Connolly (Vocals), Ron Furmanek (Producer), Steve Priest (Bass), Kevin Reeves (Digital Remastering), Andy Scott (Guitar), Steve Kolanjian (Producer), Mick Tucker (Drums), Wayne Watkins (Project Director), Tommy Steele (Art Direction), Norman Moore (Design), Mark Dix (Project Coordinator), Vicki Arkoff (Liner Notes), Dick Barnatt (Photography)