Desolation Boulevard

Though Sweet enjoyed a momentary popularity in the mid 70s, they never quite got the recognition they deserved. The band was overshadowed by other glam rockers, and viewed as somewhat of a novelty band in the vein of The Archies. Just when they got their big break opening for The Who (Pete Townshend was a very public admirer), lead singer Bryan Connolly was punched in throat, forcing them to back out. Addicted to drugs and alcohol, Connolly left the band in 1979, and Sweet's popularity tapered off until their breakup in 1982. To this day, they are only moderately well known in the UK, and virtually unheard of in the U.S., despite such hits as "Ballroom Blitz" and "Fox On The Run."

Stylistically, Desolation Boulevard marks a turning point for Sweet, as they moved away from bubblegum pop and into the realm of hard rock. The band began to distance them-selves from song writing duo Mark Chapman and Nikki Chinn, and handled more of the composition on their own. Though the more authentic European pressing of Desolation Boulevard contained more songs written by the band, the U.S. version had a counterintuitively superior track listing, with a harder edge, and less radio pandering.

The music on Desolation Boulevard is best described as a mixture of The Who, Queen, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple (Ian Gillan was in fact an original member of Sweet). Certain songs take on a progressive flair, whereas others recall the bands bubblegum pop sound. Sweet are arguably not the most original band, often wearing their influences on their sleeves. The harmonies in "Fox On The Run" are pulled straight out of the Queen songbook, the end solo on "Solid Gold Brass" is a direct rip off of "Heartbreaker". But ultimately, everything is combined in a tasteful manner, with each song a unique, melodic, and memorable statement. Combine that with excellent musicianship and top-notch production, and you have a truly 5 star album.

Sweet Fanny Adams

Although they were often dismissed as a fluffy singles group in their day, Sweet crafted a handful of strong albums in the mid-'70s that sported some surprisingly muscular hard rock. A fine example of this trend is Sweet Fanny Adams. Although this album got little exposure in America on its own, over half of this album's contents ended up on the American edition of Desolation Boulevard. Sweet Fanny Adams' tone is set with the opening track, "Set Me Free," a fiery rocker that blends ultrahigh vocal harmonies to a furious succession of guitar riffs that jack the song up a level of speed metal frenzy. Other hard-rocking highlights include "No You Don't," a Queen-styled putdown of an unkind lover that was later covered by Pat Benatar, and "Into the Night," a complex track that pits mid-tempo verse against lightning-fast choruses over a surprisingly funky drumbeat that was later sampled by the Beastie Boys. However, the album's heavy metal masterpiece is the title track, a seedy portrait of juvenile delinquency whose brutal lyrics anticipate the grim imagery of punk rock. The song's vivid lyrics are effectively brought to life by a blinding succession of speed metal guitar riffs that are fleshed out by the kind of spacy synthesizer work that later graced "Fox on the Run." The remainder of the album doesn't always jell (there is a cover of "Peppermint Twist" that doesn't really fit in with the rest of the hard rock tunes), but Sweet Fanny Adams remains a solid release full of tight performances and scorching riffs. Anyone with an interest in Sweet beyond the hit singles should check this album out.