This Promising Rock Band Was DECIMATED After Their SINGER Was ATTACKED By THUGS | Professor of Rock
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- čas přidán 20. 04. 2022
- If there was ever a cautionary tale about a rock group making a deal with the devil to hit the big time, it would be the story of the rise and fall of SWEET. A saga of talent, fame & excess, followed by violence, frustration, alcoholism, disaster, poverty, and death. Along this bumpy journey, there are a lot of GREAT songs that will make you stand up and cheer. I want to warn you….it’s gonna be electric and frantically hectic.. the story of their biggest american hit Ballroom Bltiz from the 70s is .NEXT…on Professor of Rock.
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#70s #Vinyl #Story
Hey music junkies and vinyl junkies Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest 70s songs of all time for the music community and vinyl community with music history video essay's including today's 70s Sweet story of ballroom blitz reaction. If you’ve ever owned records, cassettes and CD’s at different times in you life or still do this is your place Subscribe below right now to be a part of our daily celebration of the rock era with exclusive stories from straight from the artists and click on our patreon link in the description to become an Honorary Producer. Enjoy our in-depth wheel in the sky reaction.
“The Ballroom Blitz” by Sweet….a song one misguided British music critic called “unabashed rubbish” was a massive smash with listeners around the world in ’73, and became an enduring glam rock anthem. Before we get into the creation of the track...let’s go back to ’67, when singer Brian Connolly & drummer Mick Tucker formed a band called SweetShop, with bassist Steve Priest & guitarist Frank Torpey. The lads gigged wherever they could around the London scene in the late 60s, quickly losing Torpey, and replacing him with Mick Stewart.Producer/ songwriters Mike Chapman & Nicky Chinn discovered Sweathshop, and followed the formula that vaulted The Monkees into pop stardom, by turning the band into a fabricated act that lip-synched to songs that were actually performed by studio musicians.
Despite their disdain for being miming puppets, the foursome begrudgingly went along with Chapman & Chinn's plan, until their first 4 singles were dismal flops, and a reinvention was in order. The band changed their name to The Sweet, and convinced their manager that they should be known as a real band- playing their own instruments, and establishing an identity. The classic core lineup of The Sweet was set with: Brian Connelly doing lead vocals Steve Priest on bass Mick Tucker on drums
And…. Andy Scott on lead guitar Scott was the last player to be added to the core unit, after the departure of Mick Stewart.
Prior to joining The Sweet, Scott played with Paul McCartney’s younger brother, Mike in a band named The Scaffold.
Not only was Scott the final piece to the lineup, he is also the last surviving member of The Sweet. All four of the guys had 'day jobs' before they had their breakthrough hit: Connelly was a carpet salesman. Scott worked at a bank. Tucker & Priest were automotive mechanics.
The guys quit their day jobs when the band’s 5th single “Funny Funny” rose to #13 on the UK Singles Chart in ’71: Their next single, the Caribbean flavored “Co-Co” was even bigger- climbing all the way to #2:Then came “Alexander Graham Bell” that went to #33, and another tropical island ditty “Poppa Joe” that reached #11 in the UK- in ’72: The song that broke The Sweet in America was their ninth single- the irresistibly catchy “Little Willy” that was ultimately the group's highest charting single in the U.S at #3:
A year later in the fall of ’73, The Sweet, who by then had shortened their name to just ’Sweet,’ hit pay dirt in the states AGAIN, with their future pop culture classic “The Ballroom Blitz.” - Zábava
Poll: What is your pick for the most compelling album cover of the 70s... One that made you want to listen to the record just from seeing the cover?
ELO's "Out of the Blue"... So futuristic at the time!
The ones I really like were Dark side of the Moon and Born to Run
Just a Game, by Triumph
Rainbow Rising
Machine Head. Deep Purple.
The Sweet is so underrated. They were doing the harmonizing vocal thing before Queen. They could all sing well, and were great musicians. Mick Tucker, phenomenal drummer.
Sweet ,Lawrence
Brian Connoly had one hell of a voice
At the same time as Queen
I still listen to Sweet! Steve Priest, my favorite bassist! BTW Professor 8tracks didn't rewind
They weren't under rated. All their good songs made the charts, and those songs were all over the airwaves, but then you'd go buy the album and alot of the songs weren't nearly as good as the song that got you to buy the album in the first place. That's the thing with them and a lot of bands in the 70's, the albums were never consistently good; there wasn't any follow up, but their good songs, yea, they Were great.
The attack on Brian… or rather the aftermath of the attack, is one of the saddest and most overlooked stories in the history of rock and roll. It just destroyed him, and in the long term it destroyed Sweet. I’ve seen and listened to some interviews with the other members of Sweet talking about how there was a big “before and after” thing, where Brian was concerned. They all basically said that before it happened, Brian was a pretty carefree, happy go-lucky kind of guy who liked to drink, but never let the booze get the better of him until after the assault. According to Steve Priest, Brian was like a completely different person afterward. He almost instantly became paranoid, agoraphobic, and his drinking just started spiraling out of control. By the time of the Level Headed album (1978), he was so messed up that he wasn’t capable of touring, so that’s when they had no choice but to part ways with him. They obviously were never anywhere near as good as a 3-piece. That pretty well ended Sweet, even if they did try to make a go of it for a few more years.
Brian just never did process through what happened. Just tried to drown it out of his mind with booze. It was a long, dark descent and it ultimately led to him dying with a wet brain. Just f’n tragic.
I hope the creeps that beat him got caught.
@@alexcerdan4500 I’m honestly not sure what the outcome of that was, or whether or not Brian’s attackers were ever identified or arrested. I’m not even really sure why he was attacked, other than it started as a car chase. The only witness who was close to Brian was one of Sweet’s roadies, and he’s changed his stories several times, for whatever reasons. No one’s really sure how it started. There were rumors of a jealous husband (or maybe boyfriend), but that’s never been confirmed. They never really found out if the attack was random or personal. The one thing all the witnesses agreed on was that it was extremely vicious and brutal in nature, and the kick to the throat was intentional. There were three attackers, and one of them was heard to say “Yeah, that should do it” right after the throat-kick.
Finding legitimate information regarding this incident on the internet has always proven a bit challenging. Brian didn’t like to discuss it in interviews and he didn’t really talk much about it with his bandmates or even his family and close friends. He took the story to the grave with him. Like I mentioned, the roadie is the only one who saw everything, and he can’t seem to come clean with any of it.
Another tragic bit of fallout that occurred in the immediate aftermath of the attack was the fact that they had to cancel what would have been their most important concert ever. I copy and pasted this bit from a 2010 article in The Guardian:
“It also meant cancelling the most important concert of Sweet's career. Pete Townshend had invited them to support the Who at Charlton Athletic's football ground in May 1974, where Scott believes they would have proved to critics and fans alike that they were serious rock contenders, not a superficial glam machine.”
Now, whether or not “superficial glam machine” was the way everyone viewed Sweet in 1974, at the pinnacle of their success and popularity, to me is quite debatable. It wouldn’t be the first time Andy has talked out of his neck… but either way that concert probably would have boosted Sweet to the next level. For all intents and purposes, the attack really was the point of origin for Sweet’s demise.
Well said. God bless you.
😢
I will always love "Love is like Oxygen." I was 15 that year and music was the only thing keeping me grounded. Alcoholic father, ghost of a mother, angry siblings, living out in the country with no idea what the future would or could bring. Drawing my little comic strips for myself, looking over at the woods. I was a sad kid, a 'dime a dozen,' as my father called me. But songs like that just energized me and kept me going. Thank you for the history.
Bless you, every child deserves better.
Mary, I was the same kid in the 90’s. It was Megadeth, Pantera, Slayer, and the like that made me feel real and alive. My asshole father used that same dime a dozen bullshit too, his second favorite was telling me doors were closing and I was gonna end up flipping burgers for a living if I had a bad grade in grammar school. As a personal rule in life, I’d rather die than flip a burger for employment, never have never will.
It's pronounced Kilmarnoook!
Got to love an American pronouncing Scottish town names 😂🤣😂
you're describing my life
Little Willy is my favorite Sweet song
One of my very earliest musical memories was listening to Sweet's "Fox on the Run" on my AM transitor radio. What a fantastic AND very versatile band, playing bubble-gum pop, radio pop, rock, metal, jazz, etc. Sweet should have been much bigger in America.
Given the amount of talent in other countries that never gets a chance in the US, Sweet did all right. 🙂 The four hits that I remember from the AM radio play they got (Little Willy, Ballroom Blitz, Fox on the Run, and Oxygen) were huge and in constant rotation, and I loved the first 3. Forgive me, but I was a kid, and Oxygen was just a bit too weird for me. I needed Queen to expand my mind a bit before I was ready for the weird stuff. Funny I didn't feel that way about Ballroom Blitz...
And yeah! I still can't hear Fox on the Run without remembering my old transistor radio, cranking it full volume and holding it to my ear! Something about that song and the way it sounded over AM, through that cheesy little speaker, knowing the awesome musical power the band put into it - that was such a rush!
I'm 59 years old, and I still recall the precise moment I heard Ballroom Blitz on the radio for the first time. I absolutely loved this band from '73 until '78. My favorite songs? Blockbuster and Action. Lovely memories. Mick Tucker - what a drummer.
I’m just a few years younger but my brother and I were huge fans! We used to dance to their songs and sing! They were a big, wonderful part of my childhood.
Hi Todd, i loved The Sweet in my teen years, went to see them about 12 times in total. Still rocking in my mid 60's! I had a picture of them from Jackie magazine on my bedroom wall. Very happy memories of a fab band. From 1972 onwards we were spoilt for choice with great bands in England. xx
i am 66 and remember seeing brian performing on his own at butlins holiday camp, he was accused of being drunk but he looked like he had a stroke, he had a limp and it wasnt a brilliant performance but respect to him xx
@@audreyharalambos2592 😢
@@LittleCarol We'd get on well ! I also loved T Rex and David Bowie and later on, Queen, ELO, & Wings (of course), but The Sweet were something else xx
Not enough people talk about this band. Thank you for the tribute. They had so many good, catchy tunes.
And several Deep Purple would have been proud of
Sweets last two lp’s without Brian are pretty good also- check ‘em out!!
@@thomasadrian9854 : "Mother Earth", SHOULD'VE been ANOTHER of their Top 40's in 1979.....
I saw them live in a small club in the 80s and they really rocked - not just catchy but loud and heavy !
@@spinynormanbest6410 3 -‘Identity Crisis’ was their last album in ‘81 , but was never released in the states. The title track saves the forgettable album. I listen to it when it comes around in rotation. I even listen to ‘Funny How Sweet Coco Can Be’. I like the teeny bop songs( even though it was just their voices) besides the B- Sides as you know. ‘Waters Edge’ is known as SWEET 6 in the states. I hung with them in the ‘70’s. One of my all time favorite groups! Steve was going to sing on one of my band’s new tunes at the time songs but we broke up.( The BEAST N.J. Born To Metalize and the Power Metal e.p. plus others)
Brian Connonly was a TRUE front man. He had it all. Hair, looks, talent. Mick and Andy had talent. Steve Priest had talent and balls. He showed them in every video. Mick and Andy must have come across as scary as they did not receive much camera time in their videos. One of the greatest bands of the 70;s , an absolute favorite of mine.
Ballroomblitz , I’m from Glasgow and I was ten years old in 1973, and there was an almost electromagnetic pulse in the air about the sweet, I was pre teen, but it totally became all consuming yolk around me ( I wasn’t into bay city rollers and nothing had ,had any impact on my blossoming rock and roll heart, The Sweet changes my world with that song , and all of a sudden life became exciting.
I’ve subbed this channel and thank you for your brilliant work professor, when you told that story about your dads shop you playing the Eight track tape, it just shows that you sir are the genuine article as a rock journalist and a custodian of the rich history of all great band your research and presentation was sublime and on point, I’m glad your around fella, guys like yourself tell it as it should be told with genuine passion and authentic information. Thanks man , I vote you to be prime minister and president of Rock and what it truly means.. where’s the voting booths ? …
As a wee bairn myself (born in 1966), I never thought of Sweet and Bay City Rollers as having anything in common. Yeah, Ballroom Blitz changed everything, then for me Fox on the Run changed it again. I always loved rock music, even as a 2 yo boy, but those two songs (plus Hocus Pocus by Focus) absolutely hooked me on the hardest, highest energy rock. (That meant I had to start buying my own records. My parents were into Hendrix, Steppenwolf, James Gang - great music, but it didn't fill me with the frenetic energy the Sweet brought.)
SWEET's iconic Drummer was MICK TUCKER! not 'Mick Taylor', he was the STONES guitarist ...
I know. I was going top of head and messed up. Sometimes that happens. I apologize.
@@ProfessorofRock It’s alright since you are still sublime!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Yeah, and the Micks are both Great Brits. It's an easy mistake to make.
Mick Tucker is one of the most underrated drummers of all time. Some great drummers since go out of their way to give him props. Most people have never heard of him. He was unique and a fantastic drumner!
mick tucker is so under the radar ‘rolling stone’ magazine failed to have him in their top 100 drummers of all time😡criminal
Criminally underrated band. Rest In Peace Brian, Mick, and Steve.
I first heard Ballroom Blitz as a 10 year old in the summer of 1974. I loved the energy of the drums, guitar and vocals.
Sad to hear Andy is the only surviving band member. I fondly recall Little Willie, Fox on the Run and Love is Like Oxygen. Thank you Sweet for for the great music.
So your saying its a crime people don't like sweet as much as you do . Your comment is stupid, people either like a band or they don't. They were a very average glam rock band and sounded like every glam rock band at the time.
@@trtr-bc3zl Another internet dropkick, He's saying ,and is 100% correct, they were criminally underrated, have you even ever heard that term used before ? , stop being a pedantic clown. Sweet sounded like NOTHING else in their time, They had the best harmonies in rock. You obviously weren't there...
@@MickH60 how is he 100 percent correct ? If a band has success and they reach their peak that's it ! It's nothing to do with ratings it's to do with limited appeal. They were very average like most glam rock bands of that time . Shite in my opinion 😴 now mr man you keep your nasty name calling to your tiny little self .for you to Abuse someone on CZcams just because they don't agree with you makes you a sad little person. Don't reply.....
@@toddblanks You got that right! TOTALLY shit!
“Desolation Boulevard” is one of the most underrated rock albums of all time. Sweet should have been one of the biggest bands of the 70’s
I play Desolation Blvd about once a week. Fantastic album. I counted once...way back...and came up with six recorded and popularly known covers of songs from this album.
@@woodrowsmith3400
So many great songs. Every one is a classic.
It was my "rediscovery" of Sweet's music, and connecting with various band members on Facebook ,that got me out of a very dark and scarey mindset after the loss of my Mom to cancer in Oct. of 2011. I will always owe Sweet for that .
I’m sorry for your loss
@@sean5662a❤
To me these guys where just ahead of their time and their recording sound was just so clean crisp and clear, love em to this day!!
I agree!
Definitely way ahead of their time!
Agreed!
Yes, waaay ahead of their time.
Give us a Wink was a Metal Masterpiece.
@Geoff Edmonds So do I . Yes they created what is called Bubblegum Metal. I said on other threads that Motley Crue and Def Leppard owe them acknowledgement. Later a fan informed me that the personnel of Motley Crue said that Sweet was a huge influence on them . Gene Simmons of Kiss said “ You have no Sweet , you have no Kiss .”
The Sweet was Queen before Queen was Queen.
Yep.
Ballroom Blitz reminds me of my dad driving me to hockey practice at 6 AM, four times a week. It seemed like it came on the radio each trip that year. Fond childhood memories! Miss you, dad.
I remember being a teen, mid 70’s and hearing Fox on the Run, wooooooow,! An ultimate song, never forgotten, still get excited listening to it over 45 years later. First heard it on my best friend’s big sisters’s portable record player in a little outback mining town in Australia. Now streaming it on my $20G stereo. Max volume, still as exciting to listen. Always loved The Sweet since. Great to learn about their history. Thanks so much.
It breaks my heart all they went through. They were so talented. May they RIP .... Rock in Peace
So glad you gave Sweet some press! They had 3-4 excellent hard rock albums from 1972-77. They were all fabulous musicians! FYI...their drummer is Mick Tucker, not Taylor. Being a drummer myself, I'd say he's a top 10 drummer of the 70's. Hardly ever gets mentioned by other drummers...what a shame.
I bought Hell Raiser by the Sweet, a brilliant record in 1973 then and now. CZcams, label it as Disco - wrong! It is in the mould of Ballroom Blitz
check out the vid titled the man with the golden arm.
"the professor of rock"
The man with the golden arm.
He was 1 of the best drummers ever
There was nothing like being on the dance floor when this song came on in the 80s. Pure energetic ecstasy.
Steve Priest's falsetto and costumes went way beyond the simple "Glam" designated given. There are many things truly iconic about Ballroom Blitz, but his over-the-top contribution is too perfect for mere words.
Let's be real, every track on Desolation Boulevard(America's version)is just pure "sweetness"! I love this album/8-track. I owned and wore out this tape in 1975.
I had that 8- track!
me too!
There wasn't a bad track on that album!
Wowsers! Me too!
I was digging that album on 8-track in friends of our family's pool room, shooting pool - good times.
Lee I have owned this album at least 5 times and is still my favorite album. The first album I ever owned. Great stuff. And yes I wore out at least two copies of it. 😁
Man, being eight years old in the mid-1970s, I heard “Fox On The Run” probably a thousand times on the radio, never knew what they were singing about, but the enthusiasm and the joy were so VIVID, so pleasing.
I remember being at a football match and Blockbuster was playing, near the end the whole crowd was singing, Bastard, Bastard, black Bastard.
At the ref. I still sing it when I hear the song, it fits perfect.
@@hardlines2635 Oh God, you hit on something there. (First off, I hope you not a racist , because my soul is black.)I have done that with so many songs. Silly little things in life we don’t talk about.
@@TheJetfighter666 : not sure if you meant that LITERALLY, sir - I'm also a HUGE 70's soul & funk fan (including the more obscure acts, like Automatic Man - off-topic perhaps but, I actually grew up with Tony MacAlpine, was in elementary school with him for a time.....)
@@ogam5 Micheal Sreave!!
@@TheJetfighter666 : TAKING that E-Train ;)
The whole band came and sat at our table between performing at a nightclub in the 70s .Great guys , down to earth and great music of course.
I was 13 years old in 1978, and "Love is like oxygen" was my introduction to Sweet. The B side of that song was "Cover Girl", which i liked just as much!
Soooo stoked you covered Sweet! "The 6 teens" is one of the best rock songs of the 70's...and they were on par with and possible influencers of Queen in my ol' book!
I will connect the two bands. There is a singer named Joe Retta who was in sweet. He later joined a band named heaven and earth. They released a singer of a Bad Finger song. However Joe is not the singer on this I believe.
Look up Heaven and Earth No matter what cover.
@@phillipmarlowe0525 The version of Sweet you speak of is totally unrelated to this version in the video. Andy Scott's version of The Sweet (which also had Mick Tucker in the band imitially) have been around since 1985. In January 2008, Priest formed his version of the Sweet, but as he wanted to use the same name, it was decided that he could do so only if he stuck to touring within the USA, since Andy's version of the band were already constantly touring the rest of the world.
@@magnu75
It was the Steve Priest version . Granted not the Original or classic line up but still had at least one member from the glory days. Joe Retta and Stuart Smith went on to become Heaven and Earth.
Sweet were seen as Queen rivals by the british music press as all four members sang just like in Queen.
@@giannizhivago3373 It's the other way around. Sweet allready had a sound which queen did some time later.
Great rock band! They deserve to be in rock and roll hall of fame.
Absolutely incredibly sad. Brilliant documentary thank you
I danced to this as a kid at family parties. Blockbuster was my favourite though.
Thanks for posting! Love from the UK. ❤
What blows my mind is that I was ten when “The Ballroom Blitz” hit the airwaves and it still sounds as fresh, amazing and electrifying today as it did then.
Thanks for the in-depth look at a great band and their great music! ❤️
I’m the same age as you and I agree totally with “The Ballroom Blitz” phenomenon…as soon as it starts I’m transported back to those days it’s amazing.
Sweet (with Foghat) was my 1st concert.
Same here dudes.
I knoooo, same age first album. Desolation Blvd.s sound is timeless!
I was twelve the first time I heard "Little Willy" by The Sweet. Damn, I loved that! Two years later was "Ballroom Blitz" and I was a fan.
Glam Rock underpinned my last year at school and my first year at Technical College. TRex and Sweet took the UK by storm in the early 70’s in a way that’s quite difficult to describe today. Just thinking of those days makes me feel privileged and grateful to have experienced it all first hand. Excellent presentation and contact Professor of Rock 👌
I first heard this song when Kroukus put it out. This was in my headbanger days. I later discovered the Sweet version and fell in love with the song all over.
I did live in Switzerland in the seventies, and the sweet where tremendously loved by us teenagers, had a huge fan base in the German speaking young people community. Nice to hear someone reporting on them.
"Love Is Like Oxygen" is one brilliant gift to us all. What a piece it is. Thank you Professor for such an interesting look at Sweet.
First time I heard it, I thought it was that old "Light Bright" commercial, but rocked up a bit... Yep, I'm old!
The best song of the bunch imo. Great tune 👌
Love is Like Oxygen was partly influenced by Supertramp, and sounds like it could be ELO!
@@chrisearl5970 Until this video, I thought it was by ELO.
One hell of a guitar riff...!! Great song! 😊
I discovered Sweet in my early teens in about 1998. It was very "uncool" at the time, but it was when I was going through my 70s phase. I discovered this stunning, beautiful, energetic music. If Brian had avoided that beating, kept on top of his finances, and kept away from the bottle... who knows where they would've ended up. It's such a tragic tale, and I still find myself routing for them.
Thank you sir!! As a GenXer as a kid, I loved new wave, punk, gothic rock, and “alternative” including Thr Smiths and U2, and my all time faves, The Police - the Second British Invasion -it was not until much later as I became much more fascinated by Bowie’s incredible career (and saw him live three times) that I delved into the glam rock movers and shakers.
To this day I adore Slade - who seem to have been ripped off by virtually every rock band that followed with their distorted guitars and razor-sharp hooks and octave splitters on the guitars, then the underrated defining of rock god-dom with T. Rex andp Marc Bolan, his flowy shimmery shirts, gorgeous hair and his beautiful lovely tough and quivering voice, and I love Sweet for creating one of the very best tunes of the 70s with a monster keyboard sound, “Fox on the Run.” As with Bolan’s tragic early death in a car crash, we also lost Brian (Sweet vocalist) *way* too soon. It all hurts still.
I NEVER heard this song until about 1983 or 84.. I went to sleep over at my friend's house and she played it for me. I was blown away!! Have loved it ever since.
When my kids were growing up I'd do the intro to this song to rally them into the car, calling their names and then, "Well let's GOOOOOO!!!" Eventually they asked me what I was doing and I played Ballroom Blitz to show them. They're all adults now. Just last week we were all together and getting ready to hop in the car and I guess I was moving a little slow. I hear my son call out "Well let's GOOOOOO!!!"
🤩 I LOVE THIS Comment!!
Great stuff!
That’s good parenting right there dad. Thank you for keeping the music alive.
Are their names Andy, Steve, Mick? - That is classic! Wish I had thought of that!
Love it Dad!
Sweet. One of the true glam rock bands that had so much real talent. Desolation was indeed one of my first album purchases. I have memories of my lawn cutting business as I was a teen screaming lyrics to Sweet as no one could hear me over the riding mower. As an aging man in my 50's, I struggled to get any of my bands to cover Ballroom. And absolute favorite of mine. As like the record companies, most of my bandmates never "got it." I still have yet to play it live! But I never stop trying!
Well .... the meat sack may be aging but sounds to me like your soul is forever young 👍🏻
many blessings 💓
They also had some heavy metal songs too
I could never get any of the bands I've been in to cover Ballroom Blitz either, and I've never understood it - it's such a 'jumpy about' high energy fun track!
Underrated, yes, but actually forgotten. When I got back into Sweet as an adult, I had many, "Oh, yeah...they did this...", moments. No band has such a log string of forgotten, awesome songs. My friend recruited me into a band on a temporary basis, and I'm proud to say that we did Ballroom Blitz.
It's sad all the bad things that happened to these guys - they had talent. They were showmen in every sense of the word. Had Connoly not been kicked in the throat, those guys would've taken off when The Who brought them along, there is no doubt in my mind that would've been the case.
Once again @Professor of Rock - thank you for the trip down memory lane. I enjoyed this one, immensely..
My favorites from Sweet are "Fountain" "Fox On The Run" "Love Is Like Oxygen" "Little Willy" "Action" and so many more. They've always been one of my favorite bands.
I love Fox on the Run
@@mistiroberts1576 : NO song LIKE it, before OR since - and one I do LOVE singing; FILLS the freaking SKIES.....
They did fox on the run????
@@pika23 yep
@@pika23 Yes, it's one of their best known songs. A top 5 hit during the summer and fall of 1975.
Casey Kasem told the story of the beating when "Love is Like Oxygen" was on the charts. I did not know at the time it was Sweet's last hit and alcohol was slowly killing Connally. Very sad story. I do think Ballroom Blitz qualifies as proto-punk. High-speed, raucous, and dangerous! I always get a kick out of it.
Ballroom Blitz doesn't get its due. It was exactly the type of infectious attack that the Ramones were aiming for when they started out.They were also into the Bay City Rollers! In trying to match these bands' pop-rock hooks with their limited skills came Blitzkrieg Bop and Beat on the Brat.
In fact, I still think Action could have been written by Dee Dee Ramone, it sounds so Ramone-ish to me. Come to think of it, I wish Sweet had the brilliance to cover the Ramones early on. It would be interesting to see what their musicianship and production chops could have brought to a song or two. And Lord knows the Ramones needed the money and exposure.
Punk history would be very different without the Ramones and the Ramones would be different without Sweet.
@@carlodave9 Absolutely the Ramones! The funny thing about glam, like Sweet, is you can hear and see its influence in sheeny synth pop bands! Ultravox and Duran Duran are two of my faves from that genere!
@@carlodave9 The Sweet continued to record and perform after Brian was out of the band. They recorded 3 albums as a 3 piece, then Steve Priest decided to leave and moved to America. Andy Scott continued working together in outher potential band projects (that can be heard on various Sweet titled CDs released of their 'Wilderness Years'). They then decided to put together a new version of the band, but after a short while Mick had to leave and passed away shortly after. They are still going, even though there has been many lineup changes and only have Andy left from the familiar lineup. I was actually writing akk of this because on their last studio album (If you don't count one they did since called Isolation Boulevard, a rerecording of hits). New York Connection, they do covers of songs by other artists, including the aforementioned Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones. Here's a live video:- czcams.com/video/jv-HNZo1uKQ/video.html&ab_channel=LadySElisabeth
I would say Everybody Wants a Piece of the Action is even more proto punk. In fact if you didn't know the Sweet, and said it was an early Punk band , it would pass muster.
@@magnu75 As far as I know, Andy's Sweet had a big euro hit a couple of years ago with a song called 'Defender' which is actually very good .
When you mentioned the giant stereo lighting up and the little needle going ‘woowoowoo’ that seriously brought me back. I love the personal connections you share to the music.
I remember drinking with Brian in a pub years ago, whenever he had a beer he would have a half pint in a pint glass due to his hand shaking so much but, despite his health he always said he wouldn't change anything for the world.
Fox on the Run was my favorite song at the skating rink. 🥴 I’m loving the behind the scenes stories about the bands from back in the day.
Skating Rink Classic for sure. They should release a compilation covering that!
Such a great song!
Mine too!! Still checking in with that song regularly but not the skating.....so many great memories!
Ballroom Blitz is simply one of those energetic, infectious, feel good songs that just grabs you from the first listen.
Even though it wasn't part of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, it sure sounds like it should be.
I've always thought the same thing! Wow very cool!
I remember a couple of instances in which it was used when total pandemonium broke out in some movie...wish I could recall the titles.
It’s so infernally catchy and energetic! The right kind of song for an upbeat and sociable gal like me!
I haven’t seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show since around 1978. I thought the exact same thing. The dining scene I believe. 😂
Checkout songs like "" Yesterday's Rain"" It's not wrong for loving me"" Sweet FA"& Action"" are just some greats they hugely influenced Queen
Heartbreaking story!!! I was about 10 or 11 when I first heard ballroom blitz, and my whole body felt like it was going to explode with joy 🤩
So many great songs by this band. God bless them for their music that will live forever.
This was a great tribute to the band, Professor! Love it. Thanks for doing it.
One of the most underestimated bands of all time fantastic musicians, vocalists, great harmonies kickin' songs and showmanship t'boot, ICONIC!
I think they were highly rated as a band in their time, I have a collection series called History of Pop and they were featured in that. They just were not able to keep churning out the hits, was it injury, not able to refashion themselves when punk came along, or was it something else?
@@tommyrotton9468 TBH they didn't have the talent to create their own music.
@@FrozenHero2010 I don't know if that is true, but even orchestras don't create their own music so calling them talentless is a bit of sour grapes there maaate
@@FrozenHero2010I always thought the same. If only they had written their own stuff they would have been up there with Slade, T Rex, Roxy Music, etc. I’ll always remember Blockbuster because of the ending, when I was a kid at Youth Club, everyone would sing, Bastxxxd Bastxxxd Black Bastxxxd, it fit perfect, good old days.
@@FrozenHero2010 Wrong, the B sides of their singles rocked a lot harder than most of their A sides.
Their "Love Is Like Oxygen" has an iconic riff, and is my favorite from them!
Absolutely great song. Actually better than Ballroom Blitz.
Ballroom Blitz is a classic 13 year old girls pajama parties.
Totally agree!
Love it! Epic song one of the greatest soft rock hits in history
Such a great song!
@@ProfessorofRock The full song is a must listen, because most radio stations cut down “Oxygen” to fit the norm, and eliminated the mid-song instrumental which is one of my all time favorites!
So many great songs! Sweet's songs are so varied, it's hard to believe they all came from one band.
"Set Me Free", "Fox on the Run", and "Cockroach" were, to me, the precursor to most early metal. In '75 and '76 they were one of the heaviest bands ever!!!
Mick Tucker was without a doubt the most underrated drummer the UK ever produced, listen to " The Man with the golden arm ". Taken too soon and sadly missed by many.
Yep,up there with the best of them,what a sound he had👍
Well said. Mick Tucker and Steve Priest together produced a solid rhythm section.
Man With The Golden Arm blew me away -please give it a listen,all you SWEET EES -you will be glad you did!!
I do wonder how much the vicious assault on Brian contributed to his battles with the demon drink. For a singer to lose vocal range would be like a painter losing their hands. It is so sad the way his life came to its inevitable end. He deserved better. As for the song Ballroom Blitz - it is a true classic - and I loved Tia's cover of it in Wayne's World.
Tia??? LMAO ughhh
@@freetob1 she introduced it to a new generation....gotta give credit to Wayne's World for that🤷♀️
@@LauraBeeDannon In the 80's the band Krokus covered it and sounded great! The drummer of Krokus was my art teachers son.
I believe the assault was the beginning of the end for Brian. I also believe it was a targeted attack, to put him out of action, by stamping on his throat.
Tia sounded like a dadgum chipmunk 🐿️.
It was such a great band. I feel so sorry that only one member of Sweet still alive. Time is flying and all those memories of music when we were young gradually disappear into eternity.
I had totally forgotten about them until about 5 years ago when Steve Priests version of Sweet played in Deadwood, SD and I had to go online to remember what songs they were known for so when I got there I knew every song they played. They were awesome. Unfortunately Steve was already in poor health and had to play the whole show seated but the band was incredible. Really sad that most have passed on. But the music lives forever.
I played hard rock/ heavy metal professionally for about 20 years and always felt Ballroom Blitz was key to bridging glam rock and punk which culminated into metal.
Yeah, they were almost unique in the level musicianship they brought to glam.
Punk maybe, but Sabbath had like 5 albums out by the time Ballroom Blitz was released. Metal came from Sabbath. Maybe you're thinking of Motley Crue and Poison but that 80s glam garbage was never metal.
@@rodakjones7574 Evolution. Study the geneaology of rock with its multitude, not singular influences shaping the different genres.
I actually first heard "Ballroom Blitz" when Krokus did a heavy metal version in the mid-'80s, which led me to discover Sweet, just a fantastic glam band...
I'd forgotten it existed, but if memory serves the first version of "Ballroom Blitz" I heard was Krokus's cover of it.
@@DinsdalePiranha67 same here! I still prefer the Krokus cover
Same here. Their version is very good.
Krokus...heavy metal? lol More like a hard rock version. Krokus idolized the ACDC sound after starting out as a prog rock band. And when I say ACDC, I am referring to the band not the song.
The Damned also done a mad version too.
Where's the LIKE 100 TIMES BUTTON?! Love this so much. So terribly sad about Brian, but the music and performances of SWEET are indeed completely electrifying! 👍👍 (yeah I already commented months ago, back for another complete play-through of this excellent summary!)
The hard rock band, "Krokus" did an incredible job with "Ballroom Blitz" as well and deserves a listen.
I’m surprised he didn’t mention it.
the Damned did a good version of ballroom blitz too
I've been a huge 'Sweet' fan since I first heard 'Ballroom Blitz' on the radio in 1974, when I was 13 years old. While I love the song 'Ballroom Blitz', my favorite song by Sweet is 'Fox On The Run'.
That’s my favorite too. And the first single actually written by the band.
The synthesizer wind up at the beginning
Same for me. Heard it on the radio as an 11 year old in ‘77. Felt like “what is this?” Been a fan ever since. Recently turned my 16 yr old guitar playing son on to Sweet. His response? “ what is this?”
For ‘Foxsake’ is a classic moment in pop music…
1973 christmas eve at the rainbow was grand!!
What a talented Band Sweet was. Lots of tragic details though. So many great songs, and some real rockers too. Harmonies were so cool. It’s no wonder why Def Leppard were such fans of theirs. Mick Tucker was an AMAZING drummer.
Great story here. I didn’t realise how good they were for many years. These songs came out when I was a teenager later on, I went to work with many record companies in Hollywood. Tragic ending. Rock n Roll🎶🎶🎶
You said it best. A song that brings out the electricity in a human being. It's a perfectly recorded song. I never get tired of it! Brian was such a wonderful vocalist.
Oh man The Sweet is one of my favorite bands - totally overlooked and forgotten, but a GREAT band!!!
Glad you profiled them!
I was a kid when Sweet was big. My family was stationed in Germany in the early 70s. We went to a festival one weekend and Sweet was playing. I was amazed by their sound, and have been a fan every since
...and 50 years to the day after the release of Blockbuster, (6th january 2023) the new single, "Don't Bring Me Water" is already shooting up the charts !!!
Yeah yeah yeah! The man in the back said everyone attack, and it turned into a barroom blitz!! LOVE IT!!
I knew these guys personally. I was still at school but was in rock bands from the age of 10. They became good mates & spent many a crazy weekend at after gig parties with these guys & they were all great chaps. Sadly had to witness brians slow & painful downhill slide. Miss them very much. ♥️
@coot I just hope that the cowardly thugs who kicked Brian are rotting in hell.
one more thingi luv about’the sweet’is they were down to earth easygoing and accessible to the fans and the press👌🏼they are and were good sorts☝🏻
When I was in my 20s we used to rehearse in a rehearsal studio called Ram Studios in Hayes, Middlesex. Brian would sometimes be just hanging out there for no apparent reason. By this time his mind was gone. I tried to talk to him but he really didn't know what was going on. It broke my heart to see a guy go from this good looking and very funny man to an incoherent mess. I'm in my 60s now and I still think of those guys. ✌❤
@@coot1925 yes it’s a sad story alright🥲i guess not everybody make’s it i suppose😩ī been listening to the ‘level headed tour rehearsal’s’ a lot cause i love the sound they generate it sounds fantastic but brians voice changed dramatically really raspy and can’t hit any high notes you can hear his frustration that he’s knows his days were numbered as a quality vocalists✊🏻obviously when that tour finished he just drank himself stupid to ease the pain of not doing what he loved 🥰another rock tragedy unfortunately😵💫rock on bro🤘🏻
Good memories to have. Good stories.
"There only a few songs which bring about that kind of electricity in a human being!" Well put.
I had Fox on the Run on 45 when I was a kid. Didn't discover Ballroom Blitz until college. A friend had one those 80's classic "component tower stack" stereos with 4 foot speakers and cranked the volume all the way. Needless to say, I was blown away. Ballroom Blitz by Sweet is still one of my very favorite songs decades later!!!
That's so sad about mick. Somewhere in this existence these low life's will have a experiences that will pay them back in kind. It make people love mick even more, his star is still up there shining down with love. 😍☀️💕
Thank you for doing Sweet. Very underrated band. The talent of each member was tremendous. And the vocal harmonies of all four was wonderful and mostly unmatched in rock. I bought Desolation Blvd the day it came out and was hooked. Mick was a superb drummer and vocalist, as well as showman. And most people familiar with Little Willy and Ballroom Blitz do not realize how heavy most Sweet songs were. Sweet FA, Action, and others. I think my favorite English bands from that time frame were/are Sweet and UFO. Another underrated band.
I was 7 years old when I heard "Ballroom Blitz" for the first time coming through the single speaker of my crappy little Philco clock/radio, the clock was analog and it had a large round tuning dial on the front and when the radio was turned on a faint orange light would glow from the front just underneath the tuning dial, the radio had about a 6-foot long cord that plugged into a wall outlet for power, most songs sounded like trash through the single speaker and it wasn't until I heard "Ballroom Blitz" blaring through my older sister's Quadrophonic Stereo system that I was able to fully appreciate the talent and musicianship of Sweet.
So glad you covered Sweet. I know Ballroom Blitz, Love is like Oxygen and others , but never even knew who sang them.
The Sweet were massive. Block Buster, Fox on the Run, Little Willy Jesus these guys were huge. I will never hear a word against them.
Their songs "" Sweet FA " Turn it down"" Action"" the lies in your eyes "" The juicer"" Yesterday's Rain"" are just some of so many great jams
Set Me Free, Sweet FA,Hellraiser
Horrible misogynistic lyrics though. "If she don't spread I'm gonna bust her head" -- 'Sweet FA. .But then again, if you enjoy the Bible then you'd be no stranger to misogyny, it's probably why you mentioned that song first.
Are you ready Steve? Andy? Mick? Well alright fellas!
Memories? Ballroom Blitz was an absolute must for 13 year olds pajama parties, 44 years ago.
I love that!
BB was so ahead of its time. I was just a little girl of about 8, but already a music fiend. And i remember sitting mesmerized thinking “what IS this”. And it was all over I’m 50 sumpin now, and u better believe it’s on my playlist. Timeless
Solid Gold Bras and Yesterdays Rain are killer tracks as well!!!🎸🎸🎸🎸
"Action" and "Wig Wam Bam" are still absolute joys to listen to. I'm 29, and my dad played a 'greatest hits' CD that he'd bought for about 5 bucks, when I was about 8 years old. I enjoyed all of the stuff on that album.
Wig warm bam my favourite
You'd probably enjoy the entire "Give Us A Wink" album then. It's their hard rock album, and it really rocks hard from beginning to end. It's the album that "Action" came from, and every song is done in that hard and fast and catchy style.
What happened to Brian Connolly was so sad.
It basically killed his confidence and voice exacerbating his alcoholism and robbing the world of a first-class rock band from being as big as they deserved to be.
True that. I was a bit surprised when they couldn't carry on without him. Every member of that band was a high quality singer. There must have been other weirdnesses going on that crippled their ability to take hold to the extent their talent deserved.
I think he had serious PTSD from that attack. That must’ve been terrifying! Brian Connolly was no slouch. He had been in the navy but there was no defending himself against such an attack. I wonder why the creeps that did this were never arrested and penalized.
@@carlodave9 Steve and Mick formed the band with Brian. He wasn’t just the voice or the singer, he was their friend. They were watching their friend spiral out of control. Must’ve been horrible.
@@mimilini1
It was the 70's. Just about everyone got a good hiding now and then !
It was considered "Normal"
I'm 5'2" (Born in 61), you should try being a short arse in the 70's
@@0utcastAussie I was born in 66. I’ve got three older brothers. An attack such as that can cause PTSD as well as TBI. That’s the fact, Jack.
I recall popping in the cassette for Wayne’s World 2 and just being blown away by that cover. It wasn’t until a few years later I realized it was a cover. It definitely left a lasting impact on me and turned me into a Sweet enthusiast.
When I was like 9 years old, "little willie" came on the radio, and they kept playing it like every half hour. I was Beatles fan, and that song spoke to me. Pure pop gold. They went on to get heavier in sound, but I loved the sound of that song, and the singer Brian, his voice
I didn't know anything about the band then but just really liked that song. I distinctly remember waiting for it to come on, and cranking it up and singing and playing along on my air guitar 🎸.
We were on a family vacation in Poland in the early 70's. We were in the seaside town of Gdynia and I remember hearing Little Willy playing over the PA system. I might've been 6 at the time. The song struck me and became permanently stuck in my head. Played it for my kids and my grandkids and it had the same effect on them. I went on to love Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blue Oyster Cult and Jeff Beck, etc. We all loved Sweet from the first time we heard it and all still do!!!
The Sweet shoulda been HUGE. Check out the live acoustic set from '74 for proof of just how talented this band was.
They actually were huge - during the seventies, no party without a couple of Sweet or Slade songs, you HAD to play them or there was no party. Well, maybe not in the US, if that's what you mean.
I'm glad they quit doing bubblegum rock. Desolation Blvd. was a monster of an album. US release of course.
@@lta6494 As a teenager in the 70's i was blessed to pick this band as my first and favorite. It had all the ingredients that nourished me musically . Early heavy metal sound punk rock attitude, Great singing flamboyant drumming and so on. Great respect to Andy Scott still playing in his 70's.
They were huge
They WERE huge, in the 70s you heard them everywhere in the UK at least they were massive 😎💕🖖
It's funny 6 years ago I couldn't find much on Sweet on CZcams but their old songs. I wanted to learn so much about the band and Brian Connolly, but at that time I felt like I was the only one searching for the band Sweet on YT, and now I see it everywhere with so much more information and extra footage, songs and music reactions. It's about time they are getting noticed in this time and generation.
I bought Ballroom Blitz with my paper money in a record shop in Dundee, Scotland. I was in to the Sweets earlier stuff too but this reaĺly hit the spot.
The McManus family who adopted Brian had a son Mark McManus who stared as Taggart, a dour cop in a long running cop show of the same name.
Ballroom Blitz was everywhere in '73 and while trendy at the time, has aged remarkably well. Connolly was a truly unique and theatrical vocalist who heralded the early days of glam rock. While he led a life of extremes, it's quite sad how things ended up for him.
Truly is. So sad...
He died tragically in his 50s…such a young age. Andy Scott is the only surviving original member.
Only heard Sweet on a car radio when a mate who had tickets asked if I wanted to see them in concert. Sooo lucky I went. Fantastic live band.
I loved Hell Raiser. Came out around 73/74 I think. I still remember the great Alan Freeman opening his show in the afternoon with this song. Electrifying!
I loved then in 1973 & still do. Ballroom Blitz is one of the best rock n roll songs ever!
I grew up with their music and they have always been one of my favorite bands.Very sad how their career took such a tragic nosedive. Ballroom Blitz definitely has it's place in both memories and appreciation of the powerful energy. Love Is Like Oxygen is another one. But it's difficult to to say which song is the biggest favorite since they had several SWEET songs that are still just as enjoyable today as back when. Thanks for this wonderful segment once again Mr. Professor!!🎵
Nailed it with Sweet! Now for some other "overlooked" talent from that era, "Ian Hunter", "Be Bop Deluxe", and "Its a Beautiful Day"
In the uk be bop had 3 silver selling albums so done quite well ,Ian Hunter with mott the hoople were big from 1972 till they split in 74 .
Mott The Hoople were CRIMINALLY overlooked in the states. They were so good it wasn't even believable.✌️
Someone must have mentioned this before, but the drummers name wasn’t Taylor, but Tucker. Michael Thomas Tucker, but he used the shortened Mick Tucker. My first listening to the Sweet was as a kid in ‘72 when my father gave me «Papa Joe» as a present. I think he liked it, but were too embarrassed to admit it to my mother, so he bought it for me instead (he did the same with «Pop corn» Hot Butter). I liked it, but I really loved the things that came later like «Blockbuster» and «Ballroom blitz». My two chinn/chapman favourites are «Teenage Rampage» and «Hell Raiser», but I loved the selfwritten B-sides as much. «Man from Mecca» and «Spotlight» being two of my favourites. But to me the four R&R albums «Sweet Fanny Adams», Desolation Bouleward», «Give us a wink» and «Off the record» are what the Sweet is all about. I will strongly recommend anyone who’s only familiar with the chinn/chapman singles to buy them and listen to them. Those albums were where Sweet really came out as the great songwriters and musicians that they were.
Sweet was one of the greatest bands in the 70s! You failed to mention Blockbuster, a huge hit for them. I oso bought their singles Teenage rampage & Hellraiser!
I was listening to Sweet last night. I freaking love them when I was younger. I was telling my nephew's that I actually had them on 8-track. They laughed and said "what is an 8-track?" I'm getting old...lol🤣
I can still remember what I was wearing,where I was,the girl I danced with and the weather outside.all because of the vibration and energy of this amazing song...i still play it even today.just iconic!
Sweet was one of my favourite bands when I was young! They were a big part of my tween and teen years! I don't think there was a song of theirs that I didn't like! Even today! Like you, Professor, I'm a music junkie! One of my greatest moments was when Def Leppard, another favourite band of mine, did a tribute album of covers that included Sweet songs! It was amazing!!!