SWEET - BLOCKBUSTER! / THE BALLROOM BLITZ

The Sweet, also known simply as Sweet, are a British glam rock band formed in London in 1968. The band's best-known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bassist Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott and drummer Mick Tucker. Sweet achieved chart success in the United Kingdom, United States and other countries, and have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide. The band formed in 1968 under the name The Sweetshop. Their first chart success came with "Funny, Funny" in 1971, following their collaboration with songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman and producer Phil Wainman. During 1971 and 1972, their musical style developed from the bubblegum pop of "Funny, Funny" towards a harder rock sound influenced by groups such as the Who, while retaining prominent high-pitched backing vocals. Sweet had thirteen UK Top 20 singles during the 1970s, ten of which reached the Top 10. "Co-Co" reached number two in 1971, while "Block Buster!" became their first UK number-one single in 1973. Four further singles reached number two: "Hell Raiser" and "The Ballroom Blitz" in 1973, "Teenage Rampage" in 1974 and "Fox on the Run" in 1975. The band also achieved success in the United States with "Little Willy", "The Ballroom Blitz", "Fox on the Run" and "Love Is Like Oxygen". Sweet's last major international success of the 1970s came with "Love Is Like Oxygen" in 1978. Connolly left the group in 1979 to pursue a solo career, while the remaining members continued as a trio until the band disbanded in 1981. From the mid-1980s, Scott, Connolly and Priest were involved with separate versions of Sweet at various times. Connolly died in 1997, Tucker in 2002 and Priest in 2020. Scott continues to perform with his version of the band. The origins of Sweet can be traced to the British soul group Wainwright's Gentlemen. According to Mark Lay's history of the group, it was formed around 1962 under the name Unit 4. Early members included Chris Wright on vocals, Jan Frewer on bass, and Jim Searle and Alfred Fripp on guitars. Phil Kenton joined as drummer when the group changed its name to Wainwright's Gentlemen, following the existence of another group called Unit 4 + 2. Managed by Frewer's father, the group performed in Hayes, Harrow and Wembley and later in London. In 1964, Wainwright's Gentlemen placed fifth in a national beat group competition, whose final was held at the Lyceum Strand on 4 May. Parts of the event were subsequently presented on BBC1 by Alan Freeman. Wright left the group in late 1964 and was replaced by Ian Gillan. Ann Cully also joined as a vocalist, while Mick Tucker replaced Kenton on drums. The group recorded several tracks, including a version of "Ain't That Just Like Me". Gillan left in May 1965 to join Episode Six and subsequently Deep Purple. Cully remained with the group for a period before leaving. Brian Connolly became the group's vocalist in late 1966. Tony Hall joined on saxophone and vocals, while Gordon Fairminer replaced Fripp. Fairminer was later replaced by Frank Torpey, a schoolfriend of Tucker. Torpey remained for several months before Robin Box joined in late 1967. Tucker and Connolly remained with Wainwright's Gentlemen until January 1968, when Tucker left. Roger Hills replaced him. Wainwright's Gentlemen subsequently disbanded, with Hills and Box joining White Plains. In January 1968, Connolly and Tucker formed a new group called The Sweetshop. They recruited bassist and vocalist Steve Priest from the local band The Army and guitarist Frank Torpey. The group made its public debut at the Pavilion in Hemel Hempstead on 9 March 1968. They were managed by Paul Nicholas and came to the attention of producer Phil Wainman, who helped secure a contract with Fontana Records. Shortly before their first single was released, another artist issued a single under the name Sweetshop, so the group shortened its name to The Sweet. Their first single, "Slow Motion", was released in July 1968 and failed to chart. The group subsequently left Fontana, and Torpey departed after a further year. Guitarist Mick Stewart joined in 1969. Sweet signed with EMI's Parlophone label and released three bubblegum pop singles: "Lollipop Man" in 1969, "All You'll Ever Get from Me" in 1970 and a version of the Archies' "Get on the Line" in 1970. None charted. Stewart subsequently left the group. Connolly and Tucker later encountered Wainman, who introduced them to songwriters Chinn and Chapman. Connolly, Priest and Tucker recorded vocals for a demo of "Funny, Funny", with session musicians providing the instrumental backing. The group subsequently auditioned guitarists and selected Andy Scott, who had previously worked with the Elastic Band, the Scaffold and other groups. Scott made his live debut with Sweet on 26 September 1970 at the Windsor Ballroom in Redcar. Sweet combined influences from 1960s pop and bubblegum groups such as the Monkees and the Archies with the harder rock styles of groups such as the Who. Their sound also incorporated vocal harmonies influenced by the Hollies, distorted guitars and a prominent rhythm section. The combination of pop-oriented songwriting and hard rock instrumentation became characteristic of the group's music. Sweet's first album appearance was on the budget compilation "Gimme Dat Ding", released in December 1970 by Music for Pleasure. Sweet occupied one side of the record, while the Pipkins occupied the other. Sweet's contribution consisted of the A- and B-sides of their three Parlophone singles. Scott appeared on the album cover despite not having played on the recordings. Sweet made their UK television debut in December 1970 on the programme Lift Off, performing "Funny, Funny". They subsequently entered into a management agreement with Chinn and Chapman, while Wainman resumed his association with the group as executive producer. The agreement included a worldwide record contract with RCA Records, excluding North America, where Bell Records distributed their releases until late 1973 and Capitol Records subsequently handled distribution. RCA released "Funny, Funny" in March 1971. The song became an international hit and reached the Top 20 in several countries. EMI reissued "All You'll Ever Get from Me" in May 1971, but it again failed to chart. "Co-Co", released in June 1971, reached number two in the UK, while "Alexander Graham Bell", released in October, reached number 33. Session musicians continued to provide much of the instrumental backing on these recordings. Sweet's first full-length album, "Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be", was released in November 1971. It combined recent singles with new Chinn and Chapman compositions, including "Chop Chop" and "Tom Tom Turnaround", and cover versions including "Daydream" by the Lovin' Spoonful and "Reflections" by the Supremes. The album was produced by Wainman and recorded at Nova Studios in London. It did not achieve a high chart position. "Poppa Joe", released in February 1972, reached number one in Sweden and Finland and number 11 in the UK. "Little Willy" and "Wig-Wam Bam", released later that year, both reached number four in the UK. "Little Willy" reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 following its 1973 reissue. "Wig-Wam Bam" retained elements of the group's earlier pop style but featured a harder rock sound and was the first Chinn-Chapman single on which members of Sweet played the instruments. "Block Buster!" was released in January 1973 and became Sweet's first UK number-one single, remaining at the top of the chart for five weeks. "Hell Raiser", released in May, reached number two in the UK. Bell Records released the album "The Sweet" in the United States in July 1973. Sweet promoted their singles through appearances on British and European television programmes including Top of the Pops and Supersonic. The group also adopted the visual style associated with glam rock, including elaborate costumes and make-up. During a performance of "Block Buster!" on the Christmas edition of Top of the Pops, Priest wore a German military-style uniform, a moustache and a swastika armband, which resulted in complaints. Sweet's growing success was accompanied by tensions with Chinn and Chapman over the group's musical direction and public image. The band members increasingly sought to emphasise their own hard rock compositions, which often appeared as B-sides, while their commercially successful A-sides were generally written by Chinn and Chapman. Their live sets increasingly featured B-sides, album tracks and rock and roll medleys. A 1973 performance at the Palace Theatre and Grand Hall in Kilmarnock ended prematurely when objects were thrown at the stage. Accounts attributed the incident to different factors, including the group's appearance and the audience's familiarity with their concert repertoire. The incident was subsequently associated with the song "The Ballroom Blitz", released in September 1973. By the end of 1973, the group's name was generally shortened from The Sweet to Sweet, a change reflected on releases from 1974 onwards. During 1973 and early 1974, Sweet became increasingly dissatisfied with their relationship with Chinn and Chapman. The group rejected "Dyna-mite", which was subsequently recorded by Mud and reached number four in the UK. Sweet and Wainman recorded the album "Sweet Fanny Adams", released in April 1974. It contained several compositions written by the band, including "Sweet F.A." and "Set Me Free", and represented a harder rock sound than their earlier recordings. The album also continued the use of high-pitched backing vocal harmonies. During the recording sessions, Connolly was injured in a fight on Staines High Street, suffering damage to his throat that affected his singing. Priest and Scott provided lead vocals on several tracks, while Connolly received medical treatment and completed his contributions to the album. The band publicly attributed subsequent cancelled performances to a throat infection. "Sweet Fanny Adams" did not contain any of the group's previously released singles. A version of "Peppermint Twist" backed with "Rebel Rouser" was released in Japan, New Zealand and Australia and reached number one in Australia. "Sweet Fanny Adams" became Sweet's only non-compilation album to reach the UK Albums Chart Top 40. Sweet were invited by Pete Townshend to support the Who at their concert at Charlton Athletic's Valley stadium in June 1974, but Connolly's throat injury prevented the group from appearing. Sweet's third album, "Desolation Boulevard", was released later in 1974. It was produced by Mike Chapman and recorded over a short period. The album included "The Six Teens", which reached the UK Top 10, and "Turn It Down", which reached number 41 in the UK and number two in Denmark. "Turn It Down" received limited airplay from some British radio stations because of its lyrics. Sweet resumed live performances after Connolly's recovery. The US edition of "Desolation Boulevard" differed from the British version and included songs from "Sweet Fanny Adams", as well as "The Ballroom Blitz" and "Fox on the Run". The latter two songs both reached number five in the United States. In 1975, Sweet recorded a new version of "Fox on the Run". Released in March, it was the band's first single to be written and produced by the group itself. It became their highest-selling single, reaching number one in Australia, Germany, Denmark and South Africa and number two in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands. It reached number three in Austria and Switzerland, number two in Canada and number five in the United States. The song marked the end of Sweet's formal working relationship with Chinn and Chapman. Sweet followed "Fox on the Run" with "Action", released in July 1975, which reached number 15 in the UK. The band subsequently recorded the album "Give Us a Wink" at Musicland Studios in Munich with engineer Reinhold Mack. The album was completed in 1975 but its release was postponed until 1976. In November 1975, RCA released the double album "Strung Up" in Europe. One disc consisted of a live recording made in London in December 1973, while the other compiled previously released singles and included the previously unreleased Chinn and Chapman composition "I Wanna Be Committed". Scott also released his first solo single, "Lady Starlight", backed with "Where D'Ya Go", with Tucker playing drums on both tracks. "The Lies in Your Eyes" was released in January 1976 and reached the Top 10 in several European countries and Australia, while reaching number 35 in the UK. "Give Us a Wink", Sweet's first album written and produced entirely by the group, was released in March 1976. The album was accompanied by a change in the group's visual presentation, with the members increasingly appearing in jeans and leather clothing rather than the costumes associated with glam rock. Sweet undertook a major tour of the United States in 1976. During a performance at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on 24 March, the group performed "All Right Now" with Ritchie Blackmore as a tribute to Free guitarist Paul Kossoff, who had died shortly before the scheduled tour. The US tour was affected by low attendance at several venues, and some dates were cancelled. The band subsequently toured Scandinavia, Germany and Japan. Sweet recorded material for their next album between October 1976 and January 1977. "Lost Angels", released as an advance single, charted in Germany, Austria and Sweden. The album "Off the Record" was released in April 1977. Its single "Fever of Love" had a more pop-oriented sound than much of the group's earlier hard rock material and reached number 10 in South Africa. Sweet did not perform live during 1977 and cancelled a planned US tour with Aerosmith. In 1977, Sweet left RCA and signed with Polydor. Capitol Records continued to distribute their releases in the United States, Canada and Japan. The first Polydor album, "Level Headed", was released in January 1978. It combined rock and classical elements and included the single "Love Is Like Oxygen". Much of the album was recorded during 1977 at Château d'Hérouville near Paris following a writing session at Clearwell Castle in England. The album adopted a more melodic pop-oriented sound and included orchestral arrangements. "Lettres D'Amour" featured Connolly in a duet with Stevie Lange. Sweet toured Europe and Scandinavia with additional musicians, including keyboardist Gary Moberley and guitarist Nico Ramsden. They also performed at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on 24 February 1978. "Love Is Like Oxygen" became their final UK, US and German Top 10 hit. "California Nights", released in May, featured Priest on lead vocals and reached number 23 in Germany. Sweet toured the United States extensively in 1978, supporting artists including Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Foghat and Alice Cooper. Connolly's health and alcohol use increasingly affected his participation in the group. During a concert in Birmingham, Alabama, on 3 May 1978, Connolly's performance ended prematurely and the remaining members completed the set. He subsequently continued to have difficulties performing with the group. Sweet began work on their next album, "Cut Above the Rest", in late 1978. Several tracks featured Connolly on vocals, with Tucker assisting with his vocal performances. Connolly left the group on 2 November 1978. His departure was formally announced by manager David Walker on 23 February 1979, with Connolly stating that he intended to pursue a solo career, including work in country rock. Sweet continued as a trio, with Priest, Scott and Tucker sharing lead vocal duties. "Call Me" was the trio's first single. Gary Moberley continued to perform with the group as a keyboardist, while guitarist Ray McRiner joined the touring line-up in 1979. Sweet toured with Journey and Cheap Trick in the United States. "Cut Above the Rest" was released in April 1979. McRiner contributed to the subsequent album "Waters Edge", released in August 1980 and recorded in Canada. In the United States, it was issued as "Sweet VI". It included the singles "Sixties Man" and "Give the Lady Some Respect". Tucker's wife, Pauline, died in December 1979, after which Sweet ceased live performances for most of 1980. Sweet recorded "Identity Crisis" in London during 1980 and 1981. The album was released only in West Germany and Mexico. The group undertook a short UK tour and performed its final concert at Glasgow University on 20 March 1981. Priest subsequently returned to the United States, where he had been living since 1979. Polydor released "Identity Crisis" in October 1982, by which time Sweet had already disbanded. From the mid-1980s, several musicians associated with Sweet formed separate versions of the band. In 1985, Scott and Tucker formed a version of Sweet featuring vocalist Paul Mario Day, keyboardist Phil Lanzon and bassist Mal McNulty. The group performed at the Marquee Club in London in February 1986 and subsequently toured Australia and New Zealand. Day left in 1988, after which McNulty took over lead vocals and Jeff Brown joined on bass. Lanzon subsequently left, and several musicians filled the keyboard position before Steve Mann joined in 1989. Tucker left the group after a performance in Lochau, Austria, on 5 May 1991. He was later diagnosed with leukaemia. Several drummers temporarily performed with the group before Bodo Schopf joined. The group recorded the album "A" during this period. Schopf subsequently left, and Bruce Bisland returned as drummer. Following Tucker's departure, Scott initially used the name Andy Scott's Sweet, later reverting to the name Sweet after Tucker's death in 2002. McNulty left the group in 1994. Several musicians subsequently occupied the positions of vocalist, bassist and keyboardist, including Chad Brown, Jeff Brown, Steve Grant, Gary Moberley and Ian Gibbons. "Glitz Blitz and Hitz", an album consisting of new recordings of Sweet songs, was released during this period. In 1998, Jeff Brown assumed lead vocals and bass duties after Chad Brown left. Tony O'Hora replaced Brown as lead vocalist in 2003. Further changes followed during the mid-2000s, with several musicians serving as vocalists, keyboardists and bassists. Peter Lincoln became the permanent lead vocalist in July 2006, joining Scott, Bisland and Grant. Scott produced Suzi Quatro's album "Back to the Drive", released in February 2006. Sweet's album "Sweetlife" was released in the United States in March 2006. In 2007, Sweet toured Germany, Belgium, Austria and Italy and performed in Brazil for the first time. Further European and UK tours followed in 2008. In 2010, Scott was temporarily absent from several performances while receiving treatment for prostate cancer, after which he resumed touring. Sweet toured Australia in 2011 and performed with the Doobie Brothers. Tony O'Hora returned to the group later that year as keyboardist following Grant's departure. In March 2012, Sweet released "New York Connection", an album consisting primarily of cover versions and a reworked version of the 1972 B-side "New York Connection". The album included "Join Together" and versions of songs by the Beatles, Ramones and other artists incorporating references to Sweet's earlier recordings. Paul Manzi joined Sweet for their 2014 Australian tour as a replacement for O'Hora, performing guitar, keyboards and lead vocals. O'Hora subsequently returned to the group. Manzi also temporarily replaced Lincoln during some 2015 performances. Sweet continued touring Europe, including performances in Germany. In 2017, Scott performed with Suzi Quatro and Don Powell in the group QSP before Sweet resumed extensive European touring. O'Hora and Lincoln subsequently left Sweet. Manzi returned as permanent lead vocalist in May 2019. Lee Small joined as bassist and backing vocalist in October 2019, while Tom Cory joined on keyboards and guitar. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the band recorded "Isolation Boulevard", an album of new recordings of earlier Sweet songs. A single, "Changes", featuring Scott on lead vocals, was released in June 2023. Adam Booth, Scott's guitar technician since 1998, subsequently took over as drummer following Bisland's retirement. Randall Waller temporarily replaced Scott for Australian performances in November 2024, while Jim Kirkpatrick performed in his place for several UK shows in December. Brian Connolly formed a separate version of Sweet in 1984 without the other original members. Known as Brian Connolly's Sweet and later as New Sweet, the group toured the United Kingdom and Europe, with particular activity in West Germany. Connolly continued performing with the group until shortly before his death. Connolly and Frank Torpey recorded the song "Sharontina" in 1987 as an informal studio project. It was subsequently released in 1998 on Torpey's album "Sweeter". Connolly's version of Sweet toured Australia in 1990, although several performances were affected by his health. He continued performing on the European oldies circuit during the early 1990s. Disputes concerning the use of the Sweet name led Connolly and Scott to use different names for their respective groups. Connolly's group subsequently used the name Brian Connolly's Sweet, while Scott's group was known as Andy Scott's Sweet. Connolly released the album "Let's Go" in 1995. His final concert took place at the Bristol Hippodrome on 5 December 1996. Connolly died on 9 February 1997 at the age of 51. His death was attributed to liver failure and repeated heart attacks, following a history of alcohol abuse. Steve Priest formed another version of Sweet in Los Angeles in 2008. The group included guitarist Stuart Smith, drummer Richie Onori, keyboardist Stevie Stewart and vocalist Joe Retta. The band began touring in June 2008 and subsequently performed at festivals and venues in the United States and Canada. Steve Priest's Sweet recorded a version of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride", released on the tribute album "Abbey Road" in 2009. The group also released the live album "Live in America", recorded at the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in California in August 2008. In 2010, the group released a hard rock version of the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There". The band planned European performances in 2011, but the dates were cancelled. It subsequently toured South America with Journey. Stuart Smith left the group in 2012 and was replaced by Ricky Z for live performances. Further personnel changes occurred during the following years, including the replacement of Retta by Paul Zablidowski in 2017. Priest died on 4 June 2020. There were also attempts to reunite members of Sweet's original line-up. In 1985, Priest declined an invitation to join Scott and Tucker for an Australian tour. In 1988, Chinn contacted Connolly, Priest, Scott and Tucker about a recording project in Los Angeles. The musicians recorded new versions of "Action" and "The Ballroom Blitz", but the project was not developed into a full reunion. In 1990, the four members were reunited in connection with the music documentary "Sweet's Ballroom Blitz", which featured television performances from the 1970s and contemporary interviews. The programme included discussion of a possible reunion, but no full reunion subsequently took place. Tucker died on 14 February 2002 at the age of 54 from leukaemia. Priest died on 4 June 2020. Following Priest's death, Scott became the sole surviving member of Sweet's classic line-up. In 2009, Shout! Factory released the two-disc compilation "Action: The Sweet Anthology", covering the band's career. In 2012, Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses cited Sweet as one of his favourite bands from his youth. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sweet Studio albums Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be (1971) Sweet Fanny Adams (1974) Desolation Boulevard (1974) Strung Up (1975) Give Us a Wink (1976) Off the Record (1977) Level Headed (1978) Cut Above the Rest (1979) Waters Edge (1980, titled Sweet VI with a different cover in the US) Identity Crisis (1982) A (1992, by Andy Scott's Sweet) The Answer (1995, by Andy Scott's Sweet) Dangerous Game (1997, by Andy Scott's Sweet) Sweetlife (2002, by Andy Scott's Sweet) New York Connection (2012, by Andy Scott's Sweet) Isolation Boulevard (2020, by Andy Scott's Sweet) Full Circle (2024, by Andy Scott's Sweet) Read more on Last.fm. 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