Sweet's Andy Scott Talks The Classic "Ballroom Blitz"
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lp.constantcontactpages.com/s... Interview Clip #6 Andy Scott Talks "Ballroom Blitz"
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John Beaudin has been in major market radio (Edmonton, Vancouver & Calgary) for 38 years and a music journalist since 1989. He graduated from Broadcasting school as a newsman so he would have the skills to write about the artists that inspired him since he bought his first Elton John album as a teen. In the '80s Beaudin was the host of the syndicated radio show ‚”The Cross Canada Report‚” which had two versions (Rock and A/C). Beaudin was also asked to be a judge at the Juno Awards (Canada's answer to the Grammys) Twice. He has anchored every position in radio including morning and afternoon drive and was a Program and Music Director for The Breeze and California 103 in Calgary. He currently hosts the evening show at Move 103.5 (formerly QM-FM) in Vancouver and on iHeartRadio.
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Great song! Brian calling out their names was my childhood!
Great song by a great band.
I love the song, “ Ballroom Blitz’ from Sweet !! Sweet forever!!🎼🎤🎸🎵🥁
Been loving these interviews with Andy. Someone please make a movie of the Sweet. I think their story would be so great to see on the Big Screen. There's so much more to know about the guys. I guess it's not easy to make a movie when 3 members are no longer with us because then I imagine their families and Estate would have to be involved too so probably wouldn't be that easy to accomplish.
Brian Connolly once admited: `By 1973 the SWEET gigs were getting out of hand. They were getting more ànd more wild,and because Mike Chapman was at the gigs, thàt influenced him. THE BALLROOM BLITZ that was the instigator of the ballroom atmosphere,the kids raving,the screaming and chanting. That àll influenced BALLROOM BLITZ.`
Andy Scott added: `Mike Chapman got this idea for that record when he came to a gig when SWEET were performing at the Grand Hall in Kilmarnock,Scotland,on 27 January 1973,and SWEET were driven offstage by a bottling.` It was (probably) thè watershed moment when SWEET truly saw fan-mania and the downside to it for the first time.Brian Connolly described the day:
`It was good for the group,but also very dangerous. It was a nightmare. There was nowhere we could go without fans ready to pounce on us,or roughs ready to throw something our way. When we got to the Kilmarnock hotel,where we were supposed to stay,it was sò overrun with fans,we went to another hotel and stayed there.
`When we first went on stage the fans threw jewellery,clothes and presents up to us. I`ve never seen anything like it...and we`ve been to quite a few places and had quite a few scrapes,but the gig at Kilmarnock beat the lot. A bunch of boys came in who were obviously looking for trouble. They jeered and laughed in the background and we tried to continue playing without thinking of them--it was very hard. We were driven offstage by a barrage of bottles. Stevie Priest was nearly hit by a bottle,and when mayhem broke out in the audience,we fled. There were a thousand or more fans there,waiting to hear BLOCK BUSTER!, our number one hit single,and the fans never heard it and their money was wasted. It made us all angry that such a small handfull thugs should be able to spoil it for all the rest,but what can you do? `
Turning something negative into something positive... June 1973 SWEET was ready to record what has since become their signature tune. Producer Phil Wainman explains: `The demo for BALLROOM BLITZ,by Mike Chapman,it`s nothing like the final result. I`d written a song with Pip Williams that was rubbish,but the idea was great. When Mike Chapman walked in and played me the BALLROOM BLITZ demo,i thought `Do i use my ideas up on this?....Yeah,i`m gonna have to! Each single hàs got to be better than the last.`
Two days of rehearsel at Hanwell allowed Mick Tucker to fashion a deceptively difficult to play snare drum pattern. Producer Phil Wainman added: `I played the drum shuffle to Mick,sang him the song,and Mick`s face went `Ohhhhh!!` The drums were a steal from Sandy Nelson,who i adore. Then we talked about it being a Sandy Nelson meets The Sweet and Mick understood it straight away.` Mick Tucker explained: ` We always wanted to make a `drum record` and when we were routening the song,it all revolved around my drum pattern,like a Sandy Nelson record.`
Steve Priest confirmed it was producer Phil Wainman`s inspired choice of using a Sandy Nelson-style drum beat which lifted the demo from being a `weak Marc Bolan T-Rex reject`. Laid over the opening drum sequence was Brian`s excited inquiry of each of his band members as their state of readiness...
Phil Wainman added: `Everybody was in there. Even Mickie Most dropped by to give the track his two thumbs up. They all climbed on it.Everyone had an idea. Actually,Mike Chapman didn`t have a clue what was going on. He just sat back and watched me do it.`
More than a few have pointed to the song`s similarities to the introduction of Bobby Comstock`s minor US hit `Let`s Stomp` from 1963.
The magic actually took considerable sweat and some tears,however. In a BBC Radio interview Nicky Chinn later said: `It was a hard record to make;it was a 17-hour lead vocal. You see,Mike Chapman had hugely demanding standards, `When it came to the subtleties of some of those vocals,Brian was really out of his depth;Brian didn`t quite understand how to do those kind of vocals.`
Andy confirmed: `Mike Chapman became more and more picky what he wanted from Brian. And Mike became very,vèry specific.
Brian was put through the mill.` Mike Chapman confirms: ` Brian was pretty much close to tears by the time the right vocal came from him. There were the tracks where we`d record,where i would go out,stand behind Brian,crank my voice up in his headphones,so that we actually sang the lead vocals together.` Andy observed: `Mike Chapman had a real knack of getting performance out of people,whether you liked sometimes the abrasive attitude or whatever was necessary at that time. If the results are right,you have to say, `Well fine!`.
Andy did manage to keep it `real`saying,`the little picking notes at the end of BALLROOM BLITZ were a nod to Jeff Beck. The guitar solos that i was to provide,on SWEET`s singles,i tried to get those little notes that were not just standard. I used to sit down and think about what i was going to play...`
Decades later Nicky Chinn said his favourite song from the glam era is BALLROOM BLITZ-- `It was SWEET at their very best;they made other great records but everything about SWEET came to fruition on BALLROOM BLITZ. It captured the atmosphere of what was happening at the time.`
On 11 and 12 June 1973 THE BALLROOM BLITZ was recorded at Audio International Studios and a timeless rock classic was born.
( Hats off to Mick Duthie)
💕 ANDY 💕🎸
Best intro ever!
Thanks for another great interview with Andy Scott. I have Sweet's "Live at the Rainbow 1973" CD. On the inner sleeve, Steve Priest had mentioned something to the effect of the critics being "ready to have a go with us." Hearing from Andy that Sweet was "the band that some of the journalists loved to hate" further affirmed this challenge they dealt with. Nevertheless, regardless of what critics said, "Ballroom Blitz" was not only successful, it has definitely stood the test of time.
Love the way how Andy is talking about the songs allthought I know the stories well.
A very enjoyable story behind the song; I've been a fan of it for years!
Sweet is Sick!..Ballroom Blitz is amazing,.my favorite track tho is without a doubt ‘Set Me Free.’☠️X
Fantastic
That is the 45 I took to record day in elementary school. Always a class favorite too.
The very best unadulterated rubbish ever!!!! You rock!!!! 🤘🎸❤️🎶🤘😘
When I we Where Teenagers. Wed Go out on Saturday and Go Record Hunting at the Record Shops. Then wed Go to Craigs Coney Island. It was a Typical Arcade. They Had a Jutebox with New Records in it. SWEET Ball Room Blitz? We read about then in Creem! We Paid our .25 cents and off it Went. We Played it About 15 Times while we played Pool and Ate Hotdogs and Nachos. The Rest of the Kids Loved It!!! They Played it over and over too! Then we had to find the LP!! Finial got Desolation Angels later Give Us a Wink!!!. We Go to the Record Store where the Had Kick Ass Systems and have then Krank up Action!! Then Where the Days. Thanks Andy for the Memories
My favorite song from the sweet. I just love Mick Tucker's Shuffle it is so iconic I guess you could say. As a drummer I have loved learning this song
Has to be said, Steve priest was the worlds first rapper on this song
"And she thinks she's the passionate one" .... That sample is used in the Beasty Boys song Hey Ladies
His lilting foppish tone was so risky at that time but it made the song. It’s my favorite part.
I can still remember in 1973, turning 9 years old, hearing Ballroom Blitz on the radio. Had several singles with them throughout the 70s.
Oh - Andy mentions Golden Earring!!! :) Now I'm proud to be Dutch!
Great Band 🎶🥰
3:02 - I love the NME's review - "Two words - unadulterated rubbish" - Of course the record was NOT unadulterated rubbish, it was one of the funniest, most frenetic records I've ever heard and I love it to this day. I don't have a copy, but let's check I-tunes.
Mike Chapman said that Ballroom Blitz was the best song that he wrote 😃 Tiger Feet is his second favourite
I did not know he wrote Tiger Feet, I loved that song at the time.
I’m pretty sure Ballroom Blitz was their second single in Australia, after Fox On The Run. That’s when I discovered Sweet as a young teen. Great band.
No, as I can recall Ballroom Blitz was a couple of years before Fox on the Run.
Which I seem to remember was out around 74 or 75.
Blitz 1973. Fox 1975 Mick.
Their was plenty of singles released in australia before those 2 songs. If your talking about number 1 singles in oz the order is ballroom blitz, peppermint twist, then fox on the run.
Thanks for the information on the song.
Andy 🥰
Us chelsea fans bck in the day had fans end called the shed....a fan mob in our northstand...we took this song for our chant...
AND THE MAN AT THE BACK....
SAID EVERYONE ATTACK...
AND IT TURNED INTO A NORTHSTAND BLITZ....
THEN HAVOC WOULD OCCUR
“Ballroom Blitz” was the second coming of Sweet in North America in 1975. “Little Willy” was the first in ‘73. It’s interesting that in Europe, songs like “Funny Funny” and “Co-Co” were among many huge hits starting in 1971.
I have never hear anybody but Mick get that drum part right. There are loads of drum tutors on youtube and i listen and then - nope, that doesn't swing like Mick Tucker did it
When I was a teenager in the 70's and playing in bands, any drummer HAD to be able to play at least the intro to "Ballroom Blitz" to be considered worthy of consideration.
I like the B-Sides and the album tracks of Sweet. But many of them were never performed live. I heard Ballroom Blitz the first time in 1975, when I bought the album "Strung up".
1st! Great stories!
glam anthem the initial drum and guitar riff.were similar.to a song from years before called lets stomp by bobby compstock mike chapman deffo heard that
Would love to hear the 'Deep Purple' version of Blitz!
The song would be named Ballroom Deep.
@@pjackson8027 .....or `Smoke on the Ballroom`..... : )
If you want to listen to where The Sweet ripped the idea for Blitz from check out Let’s Stomp - Bobby Comstock
woow zeppelin did it all the time dude
Is that James Young ca. 1977????
I’m sure Noddy Holder would be happy to talk with you
Was the venue Andy speaks of in Scotland?
See above.
"The Ballroom Blitz" went straight to number 2 and stayed there for 3 weeks and not 6 weeks.
Chart run (9 weeks / 22.09.1973 - 17.11.1973)
Should've been no 1 for ever!!
THE BALLROOM BLITZ went straight to number 1 ! Sorry, you have to mention that in GB it "only" get to No.2...here in Germany it was their 6th number ONE hit !!!
Are you ready Steve?
Okay Venus.
I thought 'Ballroom Blitz' was by Cheap Trick when I first heard it. Chinn/Chapman songs are very hooky & catchy.
Cheap Trick had just one good song.
Rock music critics.. are the used car salesman of Journalism.
Lester bangs..lol.. didn't he pass away from NyQuil and baby laxative
Rock music critics are as useless as teats on a bowling ball.