Elly Roberts reviews
The Sweet: Glitz, Blitz and Hitz
Distributed by
Sony/BMG
- Cert:
- Cat.no: WNRD 2185
- Running time: 120 minutes
- Year: The '70s
- Pressing: 2005
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Sound: Dolby Stereo
- Languages: English
- Fullscreen: 4:3
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £17.99
- Rating: 10/10
Sweet memories of the band the press loved to hate.
When you put together a Welshman (Andy Scott from Wrexham) a Scotsman (Brian
Connolly) and two Englishmen (Steve Priest and Mick Tucker) you’re bound to
have some fun. And that’s exactly what Sweet were all about.
This excellent start-to-finish TV-style documentary tracks their domination
as Glam Rock giants. As Sweet Shop in 1966, their early chart outings were a
flop, then they shortened it to Sweet in 1968 and things gradually improved.
They were invited to put some vocals to an existing song – Funny Funny –
and (wig wam) bang their first chart success.
When they teamed up with hit-making duo Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn they
were virtually unstoppable as the hits rolled out. Where contemporaries Slade
and T.Rex failed to cross over into the American market, Sweet made it big
time around the globe.
Apart from some great ‘fairground – radio friendly’ catchy pop songs, key to
their success, particularly the States, was their Beach Boys vocal range and
harmonies. Then manager, Phil Wainman adopted the same idea as The Beatles,
believing that they had a game-plan, which in turn, he used with Sweet – to
great effect. Eventually he saw them being a huge stadium act: it came to
an abrupt end – he was dismissed.
Flowing and candid interviews with Chapman, Wainman and Scott reveal the
inter-band goings on: musical conflicts and direction. Stage and lifestyle
antics are recalled with fondness – and a few records are put straight.
In no time Rollers and Mercs, Rolex watches and swimming pools were
commonplace in their daily vocabularies. For a band that were frowned upon
by the serious music press, primarily for their camp dress-code and
lightweight offerings, these boys were a bit of an enigma. Their use of
make up came from dressing room experimentation. The more the press had a
go at them,the more the band overindulged for fun.
Hits were pure pop, but the B-sides, which they wrote, showed another side to
the marketing beast. Eventually,this is the avenue they would pursue, a harder
sounding edge, along with leather gear. Live performances were notoriously
raucous, with some surprising consequences: far removed from their Top Of The
Pops image.
The’ funny funny’ bits are the comical early videos – the one on the beach,
where they mime to Popa Joe (a Caribbean summer song), as they perform
on some British beach with a gale blowing, and Limbo dancers doing their thing
is an all-time classic. During a gig in Santa Monica, Connolly (who was
becoming a liability due to alcohol problems), was taken off stage.
The band played on as a trio. It signalled the beginning of the end for
Connolly, who eventually quit in 1979. Before that Andy Scott received an Ivor
Novello Award for Love Is Like Oxygen and they had global sales of 30
million. Scott continues to tour performing AS Sweet.
Enjoy the ride – they did!
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
