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Sweet (band)

 
Sweet (band)

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Sweet (band)



 
 
Sweet (referred to as The Sweet on albums before 1974 and singles before 1975) were a popular 1970s British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 glam rock
Glam rock

Glam rock , is a sub-genre of rock music that developed in the UK in the post-hippie early 1970s which was "performed by singers and musicians wearing outrageous clothes, makeup, hairstyles, and platform-soled boots." The flamboyant lyrics, costumes, and visual styles of glam performers were a camp , theatrical blend of nostalgia references t...
 band
Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:...
.

t's origins go back to 1965, with UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 soul
Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the African American culture through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, Secularity testifying." The genre occasion...
 band "Wainwright's Gentlemen", which included drummer Mick Tucker and vocalist Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan

Ian Gillan , is an England rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath and sang the role of Jesus Christ in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar....
. The group were limited to small UK clubs playing a mixture of R&B
Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music first created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s....
 and psychedelia. Gillan quit in May 1965 to join Episode Six
Episode Six

Episode Six was a United Kingdom rock and roll group during the mid-sixties. The band wasn't well known but foreshadowed the arrival of Deep Purple in late 1960s....
, and, later, Deep Purple
Deep Purple

Deep Purple are an English Rock music band formed in Hertford, Hertfordshire in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of Heavy metal music and modern hard rock, although some band members have tried not to categorize themselves as any one genre....
.






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Sweet (referred to as The Sweet on albums before 1974 and singles before 1975) were a popular 1970s British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 glam rock
Glam rock

Glam rock , is a sub-genre of rock music that developed in the UK in the post-hippie early 1970s which was "performed by singers and musicians wearing outrageous clothes, makeup, hairstyles, and platform-soled boots." The flamboyant lyrics, costumes, and visual styles of glam performers were a camp , theatrical blend of nostalgia references t...
 band
Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:...
.

History


Origins

Sweet's origins go back to 1965, with UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 soul
Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the African American culture through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, Secularity testifying." The genre occasion...
 band "Wainwright's Gentlemen", which included drummer Mick Tucker and vocalist Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan

Ian Gillan , is an England rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath and sang the role of Jesus Christ in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar....
. The group were limited to small UK clubs playing a mixture of R&B
Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music first created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s....
 and psychedelia. Gillan quit in May 1965 to join Episode Six
Episode Six

Episode Six was a United Kingdom rock and roll group during the mid-sixties. The band wasn't well known but foreshadowed the arrival of Deep Purple in late 1960s....
, and, later, Deep Purple
Deep Purple

Deep Purple are an English Rock music band formed in Hertford, Hertfordshire in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of Heavy metal music and modern hard rock, although some band members have tried not to categorize themselves as any one genre....
. Gillan's eventual replacement was vocalist Brian Connolly
Brian Connolly

Brian Francis Connolly was a Scottish people Rock music singer, best known as the lead singer for the glam rock band , Sweet .Early life...
. Tucker and Connolly remained with Wainwright's Gentlemen until early 1968.

Early years

In January 1968, Brian Connolly and Mick Tucker left Wainwright's Gentlemen to form another band, calling themselves The Sweetshop. They recruited a bass guitarist/lead vocalist
Lead vocalist

The lead vocalist is the member of a Band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. Lead vocalists may also play one or more instruments. They are sometimes referred to as a frontmen , and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the spokespersons in interviews and before the public....
 named Steve Priest from a local band called 'The Army', having previously played with another local band 'The Countdowns'. Frank Torpey, a friend of Tucker's, was recruited to play guitar. It did not take long for Sweetshop to develop a following on the pub circuit, and they were signed to the Fontana
Fontana Records

Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records and Mercury Records....
 record label
Record label

In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of recorded sound and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the Record producer, manufacturing, distribution , marketing and promotion, and enforcement of copyright protec...
. At the time, another UK band released a single under the same name Sweetshop, so the band shortened the name to The Sweet. Their debut single
Single (music)

In the record industry, a single is a song usually used from a current or upcoming album to promote the album. Singles are distributed through a number of ways; originally, they were packaged as "single" records with one or two other songs and sold before the release of the album....
 "Slow Motion" (July 1968) failed to chart
Record chart

Record chart are a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. Sweet was released from the recording contract
Recording contract

A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote....
, and Frank Torpey left. Steve Priest in his autobiography says Gordon Fairminer was approached to play for them when Torpey decided to leave but turned the job down as they were only receiving £15.00 per week at the time.

New line-up and new record deal

In 1969 guitarist Mick Stewart joined, and Sweet signed a new record contract with EMI
EMI

The EMI Group is a United Kingdom music company comprising the major record label EMI Music ? which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in London, England, United Kingdom ? and EMI Music Publishing, based in New York City....
's Parlophone
Parlophone

Parlophone is a record label, founded in Germany in 1896 in music by the Carl Lindstr?m Company. The ? trademark is a German L, for Lindstr?m....
 label. Three more bubblegum pop singles were released, "Lollipop Man" (September 1969), "All You'll Ever Get From Me" (January 1970), and a cover version
Cover version

In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song.In its current use, it can sometimes have a pejorative meaning — implying that the original recording should be regarded as the definitive version, usually in the sense of an "authentic" rendition, and all...
 of Archies
The Archies

The Archies are a fictional garage band founded by Archie Andrews , Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie Comics universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show....
, "Get On The Line" (June, 1970), which all failed to chart. Stewart then quit, and was replaced by ex-Scaffold, Mayfield's Mule, and Elastic Band guitarist Andy Scott.

Out of all the members, Scott had the most professional experience. As a member of the Elastic Band, he had played guitar on two singles for Decca
Decca Records

Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 in music by Edward Lewis . Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
 "Think Of You Baby" and "Do Unto Others". He also appeared on the band's lone album release, Expansions On Life.

With the new line-up now in place, a management deal was secured with a newly formed, and unknown song writing team, consisting of Nicky Chinn
Nicky Chinn

Nicky Chinn is an English people songwriter and record producer. Together with Mike Chapman he had a long string of hit singles in the United Kingdom in the 1970s, including several chart-topper gramophone record....
 and Mike Chapman
Mike Chapman (record producer)

Mike Chapman is an Australian born record producer and songwriter who was a major force in the United Kingdom pop music music industry in the early 1970s....
. Phil Wainman
Phil Wainman

Phil Wainman is a United Kingdom record producer and songwriter, primarily active in the 1970s. He is noted for his work with Sweet , XTC, Mud , and the Bay City Rollers....
 was the executive producer. This management deal also included a worldwide (except U.S.
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
) record contract with RCA Records
RCA Records

RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1983 and a partner from 1983 to 1986....
.

Sweet initially attempted to combine various musical influences, including 1960s bubblegum pop groups such as The Archies
The Archies

The Archies are a fictional garage band founded by Archie Andrews , Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie Comics universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show....
 and The Monkees
The Monkees

The Monkees were a pop singing quartet assembled in Los Angeles in 1965 in music for the United States television series The Monkees , which aired from 1966 to 1968....
, with more heavy rock-oriented groups such as The Who
The Who

The Who are an England Rock music band formed in 1964. The primary lineup was guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon....
. Sweet adopted the rich vocal harmony style of The Hollies
The Hollies

The Hollies are an England Pop music band from Manchester formed in the early 1960s. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style they became one of the leading British bands of the era, and they enjoyed considerable popularity in many other countries although they did not achieve major US chart success until the early 1970s....
, with distorted guitars and a heavy rhythm section. This fusion of pop and hard rock would remain a central trademark of Sweet's music and prefigured the hair metal of a decade later.

Another influence on Sweet's music was 1960s drummer Sandy Nelson
Sandy Nelson

Sandy Nelson is a drummer.His song "Teen Beat", on Original Sound Records, rose to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1959. Subsequently he signed with the Imperial Records record label, and pounded out two more Top 40 hit record, "Let There Be Drums", which went to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Drums Are My Beat"....
, who partially influenced Mick Tucker's drumming style. In particular, Sweet tracks such as "Ballroom Blitz
Ballroom Blitz

"The Ballroom Blitz" is a song written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman and originally recorded by the glam rock band Sweet . It was released as a single in 1973, where it reached number 1 in Australia and entered at number 2 in the UK singles chart but failed to go to number one....
" and "The Man With The Golden Arm" contain elements of Sandy Nelson's 1961 U.S. Top 10 hit
Hit record

A Hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a Single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay , Nightclub, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings....
, "Let There Be Drums".

First album appearance

Sweet's first album appearance was on a Music For Pleasure release, but The Sweet had one side only, The Pipkins
The Pipkins

The Pipkins were a short-lived novelty duet best known for their hit song "Gimme Dat Ding " , which reached No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart in 1970....
 (after whose sole hit, "Gimme Dat Ding
Gimme Dat Ding

Gimme Dat Ding is a split album by Sweet and The Pipkins , released on EMI's budget record label, MFP in 1970. It is also the Gimme Dat Ding ....
", the LP was titled) had the other. The LP features the A-side
A-side and B-side

A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which single s were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or flipside, is a secondary song that ofte...
 and B-sides
A-side and B-side

A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which single s were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or flipside, is a secondary song that ofte...
 of the three commercially unsuccessful Parlophone singles before Sweet finally found success with "Funny Funny", which was the band's first single release for RCA. Despite the album cover shot of The Sweet featuring Andy Scott, he was not actually a band member until "Funny Funny" and does not feature on any of these recordings
Sound recording and reproduction

Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical or mechanics inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects....
. The band's guitarist then was Mick Stewart and wrote two of the featured B-sides on this compilation. The official release date was December, 1970.

In January 1971, Sweet made their UK television debut on a pop show called Lift Off, performing "Funny Funny".

International success

In March 1971, "Funny Funny" became their first international hit, climbing to the Top 20 on many of the world's charts. Although the next single, "All You'll Ever Get From Me" (May 1971) failed to chart, "Co-Co" (June 1971) became a hit (UK #2). But the following single, "Alexander Graham Bell" (October, 1971) was only a minor hit (UK #33).

Sweet's first official full-size LP album
Album

An album or record album is a collection of related Sound recording and reproduction or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites....
 entitled Funny How Sweet Coco Can Be was released towards the end of 1971, and failed to chart. An oddly endearing collection of Chinn/Chapman novelty tunes (including "Chop Chop" and "TomTom Turnaround") and ill-fitting pop covers (such as the Lovin' Spoonful's "Daydream
Daydream (song)

"Daydream" or "Day Dream In Blue" is a song originally recorded in 1968 by the Belgium band Wallace Collection . It was composed by band members Sylvain Vanholme and Raymond Vincent, with David MacKay who also produced the single....
" and The Supremes
The Supremes

The Supremes, an American girl group, were one of the signature acts on Motown Records during the 1960s. Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, Michigan in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop music, soul music, Broadway theatre show tunes, psychedelic soul and disco....
' "Reflections"), the album on reflection stands fairly well now for devoted Sweet fans, but on release was not a serious contender on the charts, although RCA did press 10,000 copies. As the LP faded into obscurity, Sweet found themselves being labelled by music critics as nothing more than a Top 40 singles band. Furthermore, Chinn and Chapman hindered the band's chance for respectability by bringing in session musician
Session musician

Session musicians are instrumental performers or vocalists who are available for hire for live performances or recording sessions, as opposed to musicians who are either permanent members of a musical ensemble or who have acquired fame in their own right as bandleaders....
s, a la The Monkees, to play on the records
Gramophone record

A gramophone record is an analog signal sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove usually starting near the periphery and ending near the centre of the disc....
, even though the members of Sweet were competent musically.

The relationship between Sweet and Chinn / Chapman was becoming increasingly tense. One major reason was that Sweet were not happy with the 'bubblegum' image that was being cast on them. At the band's insistence and as a conscious contrast, their B-sides got heavier with each release; for example, "Done Me Wrong All Right", the self-penned B-side of "Co-Co" amazed some listeners who had hated the pop sound but loved their rock style and realised there was more to the band than they had thought. This dichotomy of bubblegum A-sides and heavy rock B-sides only served to confuse their teenage fan following. Indeed, The Sweet's live performances consisted of B-sides, album tracks and various medleys of rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 classics; rarely were the singles played live.

In February 1972, "Poppa Joe" was released and stopped at the gates of the United Kingdom Top 10, at number 11. The next two singles of the year, "Little Willy" and "Wig-Wam Bam" both peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being printed in Music Week magazine , ChartsPlus , and published online on various sites ....
, and "Little Willy" reached #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
 after a re-issue in 1973, becoming the group's biggest American hit. Although "Wig-Wam Bam" remained largely true to the style of Sweet's previous recordings, the vocals and guitars had a harder, more rock-oriented sound - largely because it was the first Sweet single on which the real members of Sweet played. It was in many ways, a transition single, paving the way for the change of musical emphasis that came in January 1973 with "Block Buster!
Block Buster!

"Block Buster!" is a popular song by Sweet . Written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman , and produced by Phil Wainman, "Block Buster!" was the band's sole UK #1 hit....
" (an imperative to "Block Buster", later falsely often contracted to "Blockbuster", alluding with wailing siren sounds to Blockbuster bomb
Blockbuster bomb

Blockbuster or cookie was the name given to several of the largest conventional bombs used in World War II by the Royal Air Force . The term Blockbuster was originally a name coined by the press and referred to a bomb which had enough explosive power to destroy an entire city block....
s of World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
), Sweet's first chart-topping single, which quickly reached #1 on the UK chart. "Hell Raiser" was released in May and reached position #2, the success of which was repeated by the subsequent singles, "The Ballroom Blitz" (September, 1973) and "Teenage Rampage" (January, 1974).

As the group's popularity grew, Sweet put in a heavy schedule of UK and European TV promotional appearances, including numerous Top Of The Pops
Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a long-running United Kingdom UK Singles Chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006....
 and Supersonic slots. Sweet soon picked up a large teenage audience. In one performance of "Block Buster!" on Top of the Pops, Priest aroused complaints after he appeared wearing a Nazi uniform and displaying a swastika armband. The band also capitalised on the glam rock explosion, rivaling Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter

Paul Francis Gadd is an England glam rock singer and songwriter, better known by his stage name Gary Glitter.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s....
, T. Rex, Queen
Queen (band)

Queen were an England rock music band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Meddows-Taylor, with bassist John Deacon completing the lineup the following year....
, Wizzard
Wizzard

Wizzard were a Birmingham-based musical ensemble formed by Roy Wood, former member of The Move and co-founder of Electric Light Orchestra. The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits states, "Wizzard was Roy Wood just as much as Wings were Paul McCartney."...
, and Slade
Slade

Slade are an England glam rock band. Slade were one of the most recognizable acts of the glam rock movement and were, at their peak, the most commercially popular band in the UK....
 for outrageous stage clothing.

Forming a new image

By 1974, Sweet had grown tired of the artistic control Chinn and Chapman exerted over their career, hence the group and Phil Wainman
Phil Wainman

Phil Wainman is a United Kingdom record producer and songwriter, primarily active in the 1970s. He is noted for his work with Sweet , XTC, Mud , and the Bay City Rollers....
 decided to record without the duo. The resulting album, Sweet Fanny Adams
Sweet Fanny Adams (album)

Sweet Fanny Adams is the first of two 1974 albums by Sweet ....
, was their first Top 40 entry in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart

The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus....
. Sweet's technical proficiency was demonstrated for the first time on self-penned hard rock tracks such as "Sweet FA" and "Set Me Free". Sweet also dropped their glam rock image in favour of a more conventional hard rock
Hard rock

Hard rock is a sub-genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock and psychedelic rock and is considerably harder than conventional rock music....
 appearance. In response to UK music critics
Music journalism

Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'....
, Sweet concentrated on proving their musical talents with self-written tracks.

The Sweet Fanny Adams album (first for the band as Sweet) also featured compressed high-pitched backing vocal
Backing vocalist

A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. In some cases, a backing singer may sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry....
 harmonies, which was a trend that continued on all of Sweet's albums. Sweet, with contemporary UK bands T Rex
T.Rex (band)

'T.Rex' were an English rock music band fronted by guitarist, singer and songwriter Marc Bolan. Formed as 'Tyrannosaurus Rex' in 1960s London, the folk rock group's debut album My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair......
 and Queen
Queen (band)

Queen were an England rock music band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Meddows-Taylor, with bassist John Deacon completing the lineup the following year....
, were recognised as some of the main exponents of high-pitched harmonies during the 1970s. During sessions for the album Brian Connolly was injured in a fight in Staines High Street. His throat was badly injured and his ability to sing severely limited. Priest and Scott filled in on lead vocals on some tracks ("Into The Night" and "Restless") and Connolly under treatment from a Harley Street specialist managed to complete the album. The band did not publicise the incident and told the press that subsequent cancelled shows were due to Connolly having a throat infection.

Desolation Boulevard

In early 1974 Sweet had received public praise from The Who
The Who

The Who are an England Rock music band formed in 1964. The primary lineup was guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon....
's guitarist, Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend

Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend , is an English rock and roll guitarist, singer, songwriter, composer, and writer, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for The Who, as well as for his own solo career....
. Sweet had also frequently cited The Who as being one of their main influences and played a medley of their tracks in their live set for many years. At Townshend's invitation, Sweet were invited to support The Who, who were playing at Charlton Athletic's football ground, The Valley
The Valley (stadium)

The Valley is a 27,111-capacity sports stadium in Charlton, London, England. Its primary use throughout its history has been hosting the home matches for Charlton Athletic F.C., although it did briefly host London's main rugby league team, Harlequins Rugby League, for two different periods....
 in June 1974. Connolly's badly bruised throat kept them from fulfilling the role. Some critics maintain that Connolly's voice never really recovered after this incident, and he was unable to sing with the strength and purity he had on their album and single releases.

A second album was released during 1974 called Desolation Boulevard
Desolation Boulevard

Desolation Boulevard, released in 1974, is the second album by Sweet that year. It contains one of the band's best known songs, "Fox on the Run "....
. One of the tracks off this album was a cover of The Who's "My Generation
My Generation

My Generation is the debut album by the England Rock music band The Who, released in the UK in December 1965. It was released in the US in April 1966 as The Who Sings My Generation with a different cover and a slightly different track listing....
" (not on the U.S. version of the album). This album, produced by Mike Chapman in place of the now-departed Phil Wainman, was recorded in a mere six days and featured a rawer "live" sound.

The first single from the LP, the heavy-melodic "The Six Teens" (July, 1974) was a Top 10 hit in the UK, Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 and the Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
. However, the subsequent single release, "Turn It Down" (November, 1974) reached only #41 on the UK chart. "Turn It Down" received minimal airplay on UK radio
Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals, by modulation of electromagnetic radiation with frequency below those of visible light.Electromagnetic radiation radio propagation by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space....
 and was banned by some radio station
Radio station

This article is about radio broadcasting, for other uses see Radio .Radio broadcasting is an audio broadcasting service, traditionally broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device....
s because of certain lyric
Lyric

Lyric may refer to:* Lyric poetry is a form of poetry that expresses a subjective, personal point of view* Lyric, from the Greek language, a song sung with a lyre...
al content - "God-awful sound" and "For God's sakes, turn it down" - which were deemed "unsuitable for family listening."

The Sweet Singles Album and Strung Up

In 1975, RCA released a compilation album
Compilation album

A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, source or subject matter....
 entitled The Sweet Singles Album
The Sweet Singles Album

The Sweet Singles Album is a 1975 compilation album by Sweet released on RCA Records for Australia and New Zealand only....
 (Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 only). This LP featured singles recordings, including the hits "The Ballroom Blitz", "Teenage Rampage", "Block Buster" and "Hell Raiser". The album coincided with their Australian and New Zealand tour and was a big seller. A double album
Double album

A double album is an sound album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold . A double album is typically, though not always, released because the recording is longer than the capacity of the medium....
, Strung Up
Strung Up

Strung Up is a 1975 double album by Sweet released by RCA Records in 1975. The first disc contains live recordings of a concert at the Rainbow , London on the 12 December 1973, while the second is a blend of recent singles and newly recorded studio material....
 was released in November (except USA), which contained one (and first for the band) live disc, recorded in the UK in December 1973, the other disc being a compilation of previously released A and B side singles (plus a new song by Chinn and Chapman - "I Wanna Be Committed"). Also at the end of the year Andy Scott released his first solo single titled "Lady Starlight". This was accompanied by a solo video clip of Scott playing the song (A subsequent alternative version was later added to the Japanese and U.S. versions of the 1976 Give Us A Wink
Give Us a Wink

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....
 album, and to the Andy Scott 30 Years CD with an alternate version. This song also appeared on the Desolation Boulevard album, but with a softer remix
Remix

A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. A remixer uses Audio mixing to compose an alternate master recording of a song, adding or subtracting elements, or simply changing the equalization, dynamics, Pitch , tempo, playing time, or almost any other aspect of th...
).

Writing and producing their own material

In 1975, Sweet went back into the studio
Recording studio

A recording studio is a facility for Sound recording and reproduction. Ideally, the space is specially designed by an acoustics to achieve the desired acoustic properties ....
 to re-arrange and record a more pop-oriented version of the track "Fox on the Run
Fox on the Run (song)

"Fox on the Run" is a popular hard rock song by the United Kingdom hard rock band Sweet recorded for the first time in 1974. In 1975 it was also their 14th single and managed to reach number 2 on the British single list, 5 in the USA, 1 in Australia, 1 in Germany, 2 in the Netherlands and 2 in Norway....
," which originally appeared on the 1974 Desolation Boulevard
Desolation Boulevard

Desolation Boulevard, released in 1974, is the second album by Sweet that year. It contains one of the band's best known songs, "Fox on the Run "....
 LP. Sweet's first self-written and produced single, "Fox on the Run" (March, 1975), was released worldwide and instantly became their biggest selling hit, reaching number one in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 and Australia, number two in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and number five in the U.S. (1976 release). The following single issue, "Action" (July, 1975), peaked at UK #15. (Since 1975, all subsequent RCA and Polydor single releases were now referred to as simply Sweet).

Now confident in their own songwriting and production abilities, Sweet spent the latter half of 1975 in Musicland Studios in Munich
Munich

Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Munich is located on the River Isar north of the Northern Limestone Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg....
, Germany, where they recorded the Give Us a Wink
Give Us a Wink

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....
 album with German sound engineer Reinhold Mack
Reinhold Mack

Reinhold Mack is a German record producer and sound engineer, mostly known for his collaborations with rock bands Queen and Electric Light Orchestra....
, who later recorded with Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra

Electric Light Orchestra, commonly abbreviated ELO, were a symphonic rock group from Birmingham, England, who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001....
 and co-produced Queen
Queen (band)

Queen were an England rock music band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Meddows-Taylor, with bassist John Deacon completing the lineup the following year....
.

Decline in popularity

January 1976 saw the release of "The Lies In Your Eyes". This single was not very successful around the world, except parts of Europe and Australia. As a result of its lack of success, Australia was the only country to get the follow up single "4th Of July". Give Us A Wink!, Sweet's first fully produced and written LP was released in March 1976.

During 1976, Sweet attempted to gain popularity in America by promoting new material from their Give Us A Wink album, with a heavy schedule of more than fifty concert dates. During an appearance at Santa Monica Civic Center on 24 March, Sweet played "All Right Now
All Right Now

"All Right Now" is a rock music single by the England band Free . The song, released in the summer of 1970, hit #1 on the UK rock music charts, #2 on the UK singles chart, and #4 on the U.S....
" with Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore

| Name= Ritchie Blackmore| Img = Ritchie Blackmore signing.jpg| Img_capt = Ritchie Blackmore, right, giving autographs...
 as a tribute to mark the death of Free
Free (band)

Free were an England rock band, formed in London in 1968 and best known for their popular song "All Right Now".Lead singer Paul Rodgers went on to become lead singer of the rock band Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums....
 guitarist Paul Kossoff
Paul Kossoff

Paul Francis Kossoff was a rock music guitarist best known as a member of the band Free ....
. The second single from the LP, The Lies In Your Eyes went into the Top 10 in Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia, but only reached #35 on the UK charts.

Between October 1976 and January 1977, Sweet wrote and recorded new material at Kingsway Recorders and Audio International London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 studios for their next album. The first single from the yet to be released album was "Lost Angels". This single was only a hit in Germany. In April 1977, Off The Record
Off the Record

"Off the record" is a term related to journalism sourcing, see Journalism sourcing#Using confidential information.Off the record may also refer to:...
 was released, which was Sweet's final RCA album release. The next single from the album, "Fever of Love", represented the band heading in a somewhat more Europop hard rock direction. On this album, Sweet again worked with Give Us A Wink engineer Louis Austin, who would later engineer Def Leppard
Def Leppard

Def Leppard are an England Rock music band from Sheffield, who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Largely on the strength of their albums Pyromania and Hysteria , Def Leppard became one of the List of best-selling music artists rock bands throughout the 1980s, selling over 65 million albums worldw...
's On Through The Night
On through the Night

On Through the Night is the debut album by United Kingdom Heavy metal music band Def Leppard, released in 1980. It features rerecorded versions of "Rocks Off" and "Overture", tracks from the band's original independently released EP, The Def Leppard E.P....
 1980 debut album.

The 1976 and 1977 years featured Sweet as a more album-oriented, glam metal
Glam metal

Glam metal is a term used to describe the visual style of certain heavy metal music bands that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States....
 act. Albums such as Give Us a Wink! and Off the Record were undoubtedly Sweet's heaviest studio albums. Indeed, U.S. Top 20 chart entry "Action" was the group's hardest rocking hit single. "Stairway To The Stars" was Sweet's final single release for RCA.

Split from RCA and a change in style

Sweet split from RCA in late 1977. The first album for new label Polydor, Level Headed, found Sweet experimenting by combining rock and classical sounds "a-la clavesin", an approach similar to UK band ELO
Electric Light Orchestra

Electric Light Orchestra, commonly abbreviated ELO, were a symphonic rock group from Birmingham, England, who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001....
 - indeed "Love Is Like Oxygen" is often wrongly mistaken for ELO. Largely recorded at Château d'Hérouville
Château d'Hérouville

The Ch?teau d'H?rouville is a French ch?teau of the eighteenth century located at H?rouville, in the Oise River valley near Paris. The castle was built in 1740 by Gaudot, an architect of the school of Rome....
 near Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, the resulting Level Headed album represented a new musical direction with its Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock music band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal music bands....
 influenced rock style, interspersed with ballads accompanied by a 30-piece orchestra. The ballad, "Lettres D'Amour", featured a duet between Brian and emerging singer Stevie Lange. Whilst the band had seen Andy Scott and Steve Priest occasionally sing lead on an album track, this album tellingly saw Brian relegated to singing lead on only half the tracks. With the addition of session and touring musicians keyboardist Gary Moberley and guitarist Nico Ramsden, Sweet undertook a short European and Scandinavian tour followed by single British concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon on 24 February 1978. However, "Love Is Like Oxygen" (January 1978) was their last UK, U.S. and German Top 10 hit. Scott was also nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for co-composing "Love Is Like Oxygen". One more single from the album, "California Nights" (May, 1978) which saw Steve Priest feature as the lead vocalist only peaked at #23 on the German charts.

Departure of Brian Connolly

Between March and May 1978 Sweet extensively toured the USA. On this occasion, however, they had been reduced in status to a support act for Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. The tour included a calamitous gig in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in the United States state of Alabama and is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama. It also includes part of Shelby County, Alabama....
, in which Brian Connolly's incoherent performance and collapse on stage in the presence of visiting Capitol Records executives saw his future in the group uncertain at best. The band regrouped in England before resuming the US tour in late May supporting Seger and other acts, including Foghat and Alice Cooper, until they returned to the UK in early July 1978. The band began work on their next album in mid-August with writing sessions at Clearwell Castle. Unfortunately, Brian's erratic behavior and alcoholism was steadily becoming a greater issue. The band left Clearwell in late September with some promising material.

In late October 1978, Sweet arrived at The Town House studio, Shepherds Bush, London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, to write and record new material for their next album. A number of tracks featuring Brian on vocals were recorded but were deemed unsatisfactory and an ouster occurred. Connolly's vocals were erased from the recorded material for the ensuing album Cut Above The Rest
Cut Above the Rest

Cut Above the Rest is an album by Sweet , released via Polydor Records in October 1979. It was the first album release by Sweet following the departure of their original lead vocalist Brian Connolly....
. Two album tracks titled "That Girl" and "Stay With Me" featuring Connolly on lead vocals remain from the late 1978 Cut Above The Rest recording sessions.

On February 23, 1979, Brian Connolly's departure from Sweet was announced. Publicly, Connolly was said to be pursuing a solo career with an interest in recording country rock. Privately, Brian was suffering from the effects of heavy alcohol
Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
 drinking which had compromised his professional ability. Although all the Sweet members lived the extreme rock lifestyle during the 70s - with alcohol, drugs, and women, among other things - the others were not as severely affected as Connolly. Andy Scott told Mojo magazine in 2008: "I think we'd known there was a problem [with Brian] as far back as the first U.S. tour in 1975. We'd say: 'Let's try having a non-drinking day', but it was hard." After Connolly's departure, Sweet continued with Scott and Priest now both handling lead vocals(Scott says that Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio

Ronnie James Dio , is an American heavy metal music vocalist and singer-songwriter who has performed with Elf , Rainbow , Black Sabbath, and his own band Dio....
, who'd just departed from Rainbow
Rainbow (band)

Rainbow were a hard rock and Heavy metal music band formed by former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in 1975 in music. In addition to Blackmore, the band originally consisted of former Elf members; lead singer Ronnie James Dio , keyboardist Mickey Lee Soule, bassist Craig Gruber, and drummer Gary Driscoll....
, was approached in January 1979 to join as the group's new singer. But Priest disputes this. At any rate, Dio ended up joining Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath are an English Rock music band. Formed in Birmingham in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward , the band has since experienced multiple lineup changes, with a total of twenty-two former members....
 shortly thereafter). Keyboard
Electronic keyboard

An electronic keyboard or digital keyboard is a type of keyboard instrument. Its sound is generated or amplified by one or more electronic devices....
 player Gary Moberley continued to augment the group on stage and on record and guitarist Ray McRiner also joined their touring lineup in 1979 as well as contributing songs to their next album, Waters Edge, which was released in Europe under that title and as Sweet VI in the U.S. One more studio album, Identity Crisis
Identity Crisis (Sweet album)

Identity Crisis is a 1982 in music album by Sweet ....
 was recorded in 1980-81 and Sweet performed their last live show at Glasgow
Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and List of largest United Kingdom settlements by population in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's Scottish Lowlands....
 University on March 20th, 1981. They disbanded in 1982 while Identity Crisis was only released in Germany that same year.

Connolly's solo career
After leaving Sweet in 1979, Connolly issued two solo singles for Polydor in Germany, and "Take Away The Music" and "Don't You Know A Lady" were both minor hits there in 1980. Connolly's other single was titled "Hypnotised" (written by Joe Lynn Turner
Joe Lynn Turner

Joe Lynn Turner , born Joseph Linquito August 2, 1951 in Hackensack, New Jersey, is a melodic hard rock singer best known for his work with Rainbow , Yngwie Malmsteen and his brief stint in Deep Purple....
), released in 1982 on the Carrere label in the UK and RCA in Germany. Connolly toured in the early 1980s as Connolly Encore or the Brian Connolly Band, before taking the name Brian Connolly's Sweet (or New Sweet, at it was briefly known) in 1984.

Scott's solo career
Scott released his second solo single "Gotta See Jane" in 1983 under the name "Ladders". It was a cover of the R. Dean Taylor Motown hit and was produced by himself and Louis Austin who had worked with Sweet as their engineer on past ventures. The B side "Krugerrands" was subsequently released as the follow up single (as Andy Scott this time) but like its predecessor failed to chart, except in South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
 where it was a top 10 hit. In 1984, Scott released two more solo singles, "Let Her Dance" and "Invisible". His only real solo musical achievement was "Lady Starlight" in 1974. The Album "30 Years" was released in 1993 (Repertoire Records) which was a compilation of all his solo projects, including demos - this has proven to be quite collectable.

Re-formation

In 1985, Scott and Tucker re-formed Sweet with new players Paul Mario Day (the original singer for Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music band from Leyton, East London, England, formed in 1975. The band is led by founder, bassist and songwriter Steve Harris ....
), keyboardist Phil Lanzon (now with Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)

Uriah Heep are an English people rock music band, formed in December 1969 when record producer Gerry Bron invited keyboardist Ken Hensley to join Spice , a band signed to his own Bronze Records label....
), and bass player Malcolm McNulty (who is now lead singer for fellow glam rockers Slade
Slade

Slade are an England glam rock band. Slade were one of the most recognizable acts of the glam rock movement and were, at their peak, the most commercially popular band in the UK....
). Priest was asked to join Tucker and Scott for a 1986 Australian tour, but he declined. Singer Day ended up marrying the band's Australian tour guide and relocating down under. He continued with Sweet for a bit, commuting back & forth to Europe for the group's tours until this proved to be too cumbersome. He departed in late 1988. As McNulty moved into the front man spot, Jeff Brown came in to take over bass early in 1989. Lanzon too went back and forth between Sweet and Uriah Heep during 1986-1988 before Heep's schedule grew too busy. Ian Gibbons (who had played with The Kinks
The Kinks

The Kinks are an England rock music group formed in 1963, and categorised in the US as a British Invasion band. The Kinks have been cited as one of the most important and influential rock bands of all time....
 and The Records
The Records

The Records were an England power pop band in the late 1970s. By fans of the genre, they are considered one of the most seminal British power pop acts of all time....
) and then Malcolm Pearson both filled in for Lanzon until Steve Mann (from McAuley Schenker Group
McAuley Schenker Group

McAuley-Schenker Group was a musical band featuring core members Robin McAuley and Michael Schenker , a successor to Schenker's earlier Michael Schenker Group....
) arrived in December 1989 for a five and a half year term.

In 1991, Tucker departed due to ill health, leaving Scott as the only "classic era" member. Two drummers, Andy Holger & Bobby Andersen, stood in for Tucker. German Bodo Schopf then took over the drum throne until 1993 when Bruce Bisland came to stay. After Tucker's departure, Scott changed the band's name to 'Andy Scott's Sweet' (after Brian Connolly's death in 1997 the name reverted to Sweet once again).

Mal McNulty departed in 1994, though he would return briefly that year to fill-in for Jeff Brown on bass (as he would again in 1995 as lead singer for a few dates while Rocky Newton subbed on bass). Sweet's former keyboard men Moberley and Gibbons also did fill-in jaunts with the group that year, as did Chris Goulstone. Chad Brown (no relation to Jeff) was the new front man.

In 1996 Mann left and Gibbons came back for a short time before Steve Grant (ex-The Animals
The Animals

The Animals were an England music group of the 1960s known in the United States as part of the British Invasion. Known for their gritty, bluesy sound and deep-voiced frontman Eric Burdon, as exemplified by their signature songs "The House of the Rising Sun" and "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", the band balanced tough, rock music-edged pop mu...
) became the permanent keyboardist. When Chad Brown quit in 1998, Jeff Brown assumed the lead vocals as well as his bass duties and the band was once again a quartet. After this, the band was stable again for the next five years.

The mid 2000s would bring further shake-ups and rotations. Tony O'Hora replaced Jeff Brown as lead vocalist as Jeff left to join BC Sweet (the remnants of Brian Connolly's lineup, now going on as a tribute band) along with keyboardist Gary Moberley. Ian Gibbons came back for a third stint as fill-in keyboardist in June 2005 for a gig in the Farao Islands. But then O'Hora decided to split in late 2005. Singers Mark Thompson Smith (in November 2005) and Tony Mills (early 2006) came and went. Grant even jumped from keyboards to lead vocals, and even bass as needed, on dates when the group had no singer (Phil Lanzon, then Steve Mann, temporarily returned on keys when Grant was temp front man). Jo Burt(ex-Black Sabbath) was temporary bass player in October/November 2005.

The group finally landed a new permanent front man when Peter Lincoln (ex-Sailor) arrived in July 2006. The Sweet line-up now consisted of Andy Scott, Bruce Bisland, Steve Grant, and Peter Lincoln.

Despite serious health problems, Connolly toured the UK and European circuit on a regular basis during the 1980s and 1990s, backed by his 'New Sweet' and 'Brian Connolly's Sweet' backing bands, playing a mixture of Sweet hits and cover versions.

Reunions and the deaths of Brian Connolly and Mick Tucker


In 1988, Connolly, Scott, Priest, and Tucker along with their original hit song-writer and producer Mike Chapman briefly reformed to record music for the first time in nine years. Some reworked studio versions of "Action", and "The Ballroom Blitz", were recorded in Los Angeles. However, Connolly's vocals were deemed unsatisfactory by the three other group members, hence the reunion was brief.

In 1990, all four members were again re-united for the promotion of a video music documentary, titled Sweet's Ballroom Blitz. This UK release, which contained UK television performances from the 1970s, including current-day interviews, was released at Tower Records, London.

Brian Francis [McManus] Connolly died from liver failure and repeated heart attacks, attributed to his chronic alcoholism, on 9 February 1997, aged 51, having been content in his final years to appear in retrospective documentaries demonstrating the damage he had inflicted upon himself. He was cremated after a ceremony at Most Holy Name Roman Catholic Church at Old Mill Lane, Denham, Buckinghamshire and his ashes were scattered over the water by his adult daughters Nicola and Michelle. He also left an ex-wife, Marilyn, and a two-year-old son called Brian Junior (BJ) by his girlfriend Jean.

Michael Thomas (Mick) Tucker died 14 February 2002 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire from leukemia, aged 54; his funeral took place 25 February 2002. He is buried in an un-named grave in Chorleywood House cemetery. It is marked by a sleeping angel. A wooden bench with a brass plaque funded by fans as a dedication to Mick is also positioned in the grave's vicinity.[2] He left behind a widow, Jan, and a daughter Ayston from his first marriage to Pauline (†1979). According to Steve Priest: "He was the most underrated drummer that ever came out of England. He was the powerhouse of the band. He was technically marvellous. His timing was impeccable, but he had a lot of soul as well and he really felt what he was playing".

At least one of Sweet's two remaining members is still active in the music industry. Andy Scott currently continues to tour as Sweet. He produced a new Suzi Quatro album, Back To The Drive, released in February 2006. March 2006 saw the U.S. release of a new Sweet album, Sweetlife (from 2002).[3] [4] In October 2006, Scott staged a performance to help save his hometown football team, which was experiencing serious financial difficulty.[5]

Sweet today


From 26 April to 13 May 2007 Sweet played in Germany, Belgium, Austria and Italy and on this tour played songs from Sweet Fanny Adams, including some of their other hits.

On 24 and 25 May 2007 Sweet played in Porto Alegre and Curitiba, Brazil, the first and only South American shows of the band. The tour was called "Sweet Fanny Adams Tour".

The band toured again in March 2008 under the obvious banner - "Sweet Fanny Adams Revisited Tour".

In May and June 2008, Sweet were part of the "Glitz Blitz & 70s Hitz" tour of the UK alongside The Rubettes
The Rubettes

The Rubettes were an England pop music musical band of the 1970s assembled in 1973 by the songwriter team of Wayne Bickerton, the then head of A&R at Polydor Records, and his co-songwriter, Tony Waddington, after their doo-wop and 1950s United states pop-influenced songs had been rejected by a number of existing acts....
 and Showaddywaddy
Showaddywaddy

Showaddywaddy are a 1970s popular music musical ensemble from Leicester, England. They specialised in revivals of hit single songs from the 1950s, and dressed as Teddy Boy ....
.

In January 2008, Steve Priest assembled his own version of Sweet in the U.S. Their summer tour kicked off at the Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood on 12 June 2008.

Band member timelines

Sweetshop
(1967–1969)
  • Brian Connolly - lead vocals
  • Frank Torpey - guitar
  • Steve Priest - vocals, bass
  • Mick Tucker - drums, percussion, backing vocals
Sweet
(1969–1970)
  • Brian Connolly - lead vocals
  • Mick Stewart - guitar
  • Steve Priest - vocals, bass
  • Mick Tucker - drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Sweet
    (1970–1977)
  • Brian Connolly - lead vocals, guitar, synthesizers
  • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers, cello
  • Steve Priest - vocals, bass, harmonica
  • Mick Tucker - drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Sweet
    (1977-1979)
  • Brian Connolly - lead vocals, guitar, synthesizers
  • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers, cello
  • Steve Priest - vocals, bass, harmonica
  • Mick Tucker - drums, percussion, backing vocals


  • Guest musicians:

    • Nico Ramsden - guitar (live performances)
    • Gary Moberley - keyboards, synthesizers (live performances)
    Sweet
    (1979)
  • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers, cello
  • Steve Priest - vocals, bass, harmonica
  • Mick Tucker - drums, percussion, backing vocals


  • Guest musicians:

    • Ray McRiner - guitar (live performances)
    • Gary Moberley - keyboards, synthesizers (live performances)
    Sweet
    (1980-1982)
  • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers, cello
  • Steve Priest - vocals, bass, harmonica
  • Mick Tucker - drums, percussion, backing vocals


  • Guest musician:

    • Gary Moberley - keyboards, synthesizers (live performances)
    Sweet
    (1982–1985)
    Band split
    Sweet
    (1985–1988)
    • Paul Mario Day - lead vocals
    • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers
    • Mal McNulty - vocals, bass
    • Mick Tucker - drums, percussion, backing vocals
    • Phil Lanzon - keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals
    Sweet
    (1989–1991)
  • Mal McNulty - lead vocals
  • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers
  • Jeff Brown - vocals, bass
  • Mick Tucker - drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Steve Mann - keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals
  • Andy Scott's Sweet
    (1991-1994)
  • Mal McNulty - lead vocals
  • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers
  • Jeff Brown - vocals, bass
  • Steve Mann - keyboards, synthesizers, guitar, backing vocals
  • Bodo Schopf - drums, percussion
  • Andy Scott's Sweet
    (1994-1996)
  • Chad Brown - lead vocals
  • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers
  • Jeff Brown - vocals, bass
  • Steve Mann - keyboards, synthesizers, guitar, backing vocals
  • Bruce Bisland - drums, percussion
  • Andy Scott's Sweet
    (1996)
  • Chad Brown - lead vocals
  • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers
  • Jeff Brown - vocals, bass
  • Ian Gibbons - keyboards, synthesizers, guitar, backing vocals
  • Bruce Bisland - drums, percussion
  • Sweet
    (1996-2003)
  • Jeff Brown - lead vocals, bass
  • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers
  • Steve Grant - keyboards, synthesizers, guitar, backing vocals
  • Bruce Bisland - drums, percussion
  • Sweet
    (2003-2005)
  • Tony Ohora - lead vocals, bass
  • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers
  • Steve Grant - keyboards, synthesizers, guitar, backing vocals
  • Bruce Bisland - drums, percussion
  • Sweet
    (2006 - present)
  • Peter Lincoln - lead vocals, bass
  • Andy Scott - vocals, guitar, synthesizers
  • Steve Grant - keyboards, synthesizers, guitar, backing vocals
  • Bruce Bisland - drums, percussion


  • Steve Priest's Sweet
    Steve Priest's Sweet
    (2008–present)
    • Joe Retta - Lead vocals
    • Steve Priest - bass, vocals
    • Stuart Smith - lead guitar, vocals
    • Stevie Stewart - keyboards, vocals
    • Richie Onori - drums


    New Sweet/Brian Connolly's Sweet
    New Sweet
    (1984)
    • Brian Connolly - lead vocals
    • Brian Rawson - guitar
    • Geoff Roots - bass
    • Phil Ridden - drums, percussion
    New Sweet
    (1984-1985)
  • Brian Connolly - lead vocals
  • Steve Turner - guitar
  • Gary Farmer - bass
  • Phil Ridden - drums, percussion
  • New Sweet
    (1987)
  • Brian Connolly - lead vocals
  • Neale Haywood - guitar
  • Steve Berry - bass
  • Martin - drums
  • Brian Connolly's Sweet
    (1987-1992)
  • Brian Connolly - lead vocals
  • Steve Turner - guitar
  • Michael Williams - guitar
  • Gary Farmer - bass
  • Dave Farmer - drums, percussion
  • Brian Connolly's Sweet
    (1992-1994)
  • Brian Connolly - lead vocals
  • Mel Johnson - guitar
  • Bjorn Hurrel - bass
  • Phil Ridden - drums, percussion
  • Steve Mulvey - keyboards
  • Brian Connolly's Sweet
    (1994-1995)
  • Brian Connolly - lead vocals
  • Glenn Williams - guitar
  • Martin Cook - bass
  • Drew Murphy - drums, percussion
  • Steve Mulvey - keyboards
  • Brian Connolly's Sweet
    (1995-1997)
  • Brian Connolly - lead vocals
  • Glenn Williams - guitar
  • Dave Glover - bass
  • Jeff King - drums, percussion
  • Steve Mulvey - keyboards


  • Discography


    Studio albums

    • Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be
      Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be

      Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be was Sweet 's first official album, released in 1971 on RCA Records in the United Kingdom. The same year it was released in West Germany under the title Funny Funny, How Sweet Co-Co Can Be with a different album cover and an extra song....
       (1971)
    • Sweet Fanny Adams
      Sweet Fanny Adams (album)

      Sweet Fanny Adams is the first of two 1974 albums by Sweet ....
       (1974)
    • Desolation Boulevard
      Desolation Boulevard

      Desolation Boulevard, released in 1974, is the second album by Sweet that year. It contains one of the band's best known songs, "Fox on the Run "....
       (1974)
    • Give Us a Wink
      Give Us a Wink

      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....
       (1976)
    • Off the Record
      Off the Record (Sweet album)

      Off The Record is a 1977 album by Sweet .Original album track listing released on RCA Records:-# "Fever Of Love"# "Lost Angels"# "Midnight To Daylight"...
       (1977)
    • Level Headed (1978)
    • Cut Above The Rest
      Cut Above the Rest

      Cut Above the Rest is an album by Sweet , released via Polydor Records in October 1979. It was the first album release by Sweet following the departure of their original lead vocalist Brian Connolly....
       (1979)
    • Waters Edge (1980)
    • Identity Crisis
      Identity Crisis (Sweet album)

      Identity Crisis is a 1982 in music album by Sweet ....
       (1982)


    External links