SWEET

In some ways, the Sweet epitomized all the tacky hubris and garish silliness of the early '70s. Fusing bubblegum melodies with crunching, fuzzy guitars, the band looked a heavy metal band, but were as tame as any pop group. It was a dichotomy that served them well, as they racked up a number of hits in both the U.K. and the U.S. Most of those hits were written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, a pair of British songwriters that had a way with silly, simple and catchy hooks. Chinn & Chapman and Sweet were smart enough to latch on to the British glam-rock fad, building a safer, radio-friendly and teen-oriented version of Queen, T. Rex, and Gary Glitter. By the end of the '70s, the group's time at the top of the charts had expired but their hit singles lived on not only as cultural artifacts, but also as the predecessors for the pop/metal of the '80s.

Originally, the Sweet were called the Sweetshop and consisted of Brian Connolly (vocals), Mick Tucker (vocals, drums), Frank Torpey (guitar), and Steve Priest (bass). In 1970, the group truncated their name to Sweet and signed a record contract with Fontana/EMI, releasing four unsuccessful singles. Following the failure of the four singles, Torpey left the group and was replaced by Andy Scott. The new lineup of Sweet signed to RCA Records in 1971, where they were placed under the direction of songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Chinn & Chapman wrote a number of light bubblegum pop songs for the group, the first of which, "Funny Funny" reached number 13 on the U.K. charts. Following "Funny Funny," the duo wrote five more Top 40 hits for the group -- including "Little Willy" and "Wig-Wam Bam" -- which were all lightweight bubblegum numbers loaded with double entendres. During this time, Sweet were writing their own B-sides and album tracks.

All of the group's compositions were harder than Chinn & Chapman's songs, featuring crunching hard rock guitars. Consequently, the duo decided to write tougher songs for the group. "Blockbuster," the first result of Chinn & Chapman's neo-glam rock approach, was the biggest hit Sweet ever had in the U.K., reaching number one on the charts in early 1973 and eventually going platinum. For the next two years, Sweet continued to chart with Chinn & Chapman compositions, including the Top Ten hits "Hell Raiser," "Ballroom Blitz," "Teenage Rampage," and "The Six Teens."

By the summer of 1974, the members of Sweet had grown tired of the control Chinn & Chapman exerted over their career and decided to record without the duo. The resulting album, Sweet Fanny Adams, reached number 27 in the U.K., but it yielded no hits. In the spring of 1975, Sweet had their first self-penned hit with "Fox on the Run," which reached the Top Ten in both the U.K. and the U.S. "Fox on the Run" appeared on the collection Desolation Boulevard; in America, it's release helped "Ballroom Blitz" reach the Top Ten in the summer of 1975. Strung Up, released in the fall of 1975, continued the group's move toward album-oriented rock. For the rest of the decade, the group continued to churn out albums, which were all less successful than their predecessor. Sweet bounced back into the charts in 1978 with "Love Is like Oxygen," but the single proved to be their last gasp -- they never reached the Top Ten again, neither in the U.S. or the U.K.

Connolly left the band after "Love Is like Oxygen" and the group replaced him with keyboardist Gary Moberley. The group carried on for three more years, releasing three more albums that all achieved little success. After several years of little success or attention, Sweet broke up in 1982. In the decade following their breakup, Sweet reunited on various occasions. In 1985, a dance club medley of their hits called "It's the Sweet Mix" became a British Top 50 hit and following the single's success, the group re-formed for a tour that proved to be less anticipated than expected. Later in the decade, Scott toured as part of the group Paddy Goes to Holyhead. In 1989, Scott and Tucker re-formed Sweet to record a live album at London's Marquee Club.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Sweet were the quintessential '70s glam rock band, bringing the androgynous looks and crunchy guitar pop of Queen and T. Rex to the masses. Though never huge in America, Sweet was immensely popular in Britain, and is credited with influencing many '80s pop-metal bands (like Poison) and '90s power pop groups.

The roots of Sweet extend back to 1966, when vocalist Brian Connolly and drummer Thomas Tucker played together in the amateur band Wainwright's Gentlemen. Within a few years, they quit the Gentlemen and formed their own band, Sweetshop, with guitarist Frank Torpey and bassist Steve Priest. By 1970 Sweetshop had shortened its name to Sweet, and Torpey was replaced by Andrew Scott; the quartet signed to RCA Records, which paired them with the songwriting duo of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, known for penning bubblegum pop ditties. Sure enough, the Sweet scored their first hit the following year with Chinn and Chapman's "Funny Funny," quickly followed by "Little Willy," "Poppa Joe," "Wig-Wam Bam" and "Co-Co" -- all sappy pop tunes.

The group demanded harder rock numbers, and Chinn and Chapman responded with 1973's "Blockbuster," which, true to its name, hit No. 1 in the U.K. Their next few singles singles -- "Hell Raiser," "Ballroom Blitz," "The Six Teens" and "Teenage Rampage" -- all reached the U.K. Top 10, with "Ballroom Blitz" becoming a delayed U.S. Top 10 hit in mid-1975.

Determined to take control over their music, Sweet fired Chinn and Chapman in 1974 and began writing their own songs, making their songwriting debut on 1974's Sweet Fanny Adams LP, which debuted in the U.K. Top 30. The harder-rocking follow-up album Desolation Boulevard spawned their biggest self-written hit yet, "Fox on the Run," which reached No. 2 in the U.K. and No. 10 in the U.S. Their subsequent albums were less singles-oriented and more cohesive, and maintained the glam-rock edge that their fluffy early material lacked; as a result, their fan base shifted from fickle young teens to an older, cult audience.

During the late '70s frontman Brian Connolly left the band and was replaced by a keyboardist, Gary Moberley. The revamped group was not as popular as in the past, and finally called it quits in 1982. Throughout the '80s, however, there were assorted Sweet reunions involving various original and new members of the band, the most notable being a 1986 reunion with ex-More vocalist Mario Day fronting the group.

In 1992 there was renewed interest in Sweet when "Ballroom Blitz" appeared on the hit Wayne's World soundtrack and new power pop bands like Material Issue publicly cited Sweet as an influence; unfortunately, frontman Brian Connolly was suffering from a degenerative muscular disorder and his version of Sweet, Brian Connolly's Sweet, only lasted a few years before he was permanently disabled. Connolly finally passed away from liver failure in 1997, but Sweet guitarist Andy Scott continues on with Andy Scott's Sweet, a popular attraction at municipal events and British resorts.

Seth Hindin