Heartbreak Today and Medusa are two of my alltime favourites. And Midnight to daylight is excellent as well. I reckon Hard Times is a cracker too. Just love the meandering melody on that one.
Burning is probably my favourite b-side, although Cover Girl is right in there, as is the post-Brian gem Tall Girls (on their knees). Plus there's lots of the other goodies like Own Up, Take a Look at Yourself and New York Connection. Have you heard the new version of NYC? Its got harmony vox instead of the bare Brian vocals on the original and there's a lot about it that is better than the original, especially the guitars and those excellent harmonies. You'd be surprised how many people are saying how good the current line up is vocally. Pretty much everyone is saying they are the best since the classic lineup. You should go and see them when they tour the UK with Slade. I will be interested to see what sort of reception they get over there and what you think of them.
As far as Brian staying or leaving the band goes, he definitley needed help on the Level Headed tour. And as much as I love CATR, I think it would have been better if that album had not been made. He needed time off to straighten himself out.
He wasn't sacked for his voice problems, he was sacked for his behaviour. That much is evident from a comparison of his That Girl demo with Steve's Stay with Me. They could not have reasonably chosen Steve's version ahead of Brian's except that there were other problems.
Having said that, Brian's version of Play All Night is the worst of the three I think. Even Mick's version puts his in the shade.
Just changing the subject to Queen, I just bought the entire Queen singles collection. I paid $200 Australian or around 140 pounds I think. Have never heard I Go Crazy, A Dozen Red Red Roses for my Darling or A Human Body, so tonight is going to be interesting.
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Posts in chronological order
I'm sorry to say that I don't really have any interest in the current Sweet line up, which, other than Andy, is, to me, not much more than a covers band. It's hard enough watching Queen perform with only two of it's original members, but when you get down to only one, I think that's pushing it a bit.
I hope you enjoy the 'new' Queen tracks you'll be hearing. IGC is a great rocker! :)
I hope you enjoy the 'new' Queen tracks you'll be hearing. IGC is a great rocker! :)
I actually think the current version of Sweet sound more like Sweet than Queen do these days. Andy was the engine of the band.
Even if you only view them as a covers band these days, they are the best version vocally since the classic lineup according to quite a few Sweet stalwarts off the Sweet website.
What makes their current covers album so exciting is that it takes guitar bits and styles from old Sweet classics and incorporates them into the fabric of the covers. Personally I think the album is better than AS Sweet's previous two efforts "A" and "Sweetlife" because it really sounds like Sweet of yesteryear to a very surprising extent. So many reviewers have noticed this and it has got great reviews.
The band is going back into the studio next year to do an original album. I must admit I doubt it will be as good because it will be the songwriting that will suffer if Andy doesn't have his old bandmates with him. But you never know I guess. Check out this clip of Done Me Wrong Alright from 1981. Brian was gone, but the other three still had it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CrXcovoVifk
And you really should listen to the new version of New York Connection. Its a cracker!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CrXcovoVifk
And listen to this one and tell me what song it reminds you of.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K0XWXKwOnc
And this one too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Rx6OhijB8
The reviews are particularly raving about this song. Obviously its up to you what you listen to, but I really think this new album is great fun and really has something nostagically Sweet about it.
Even if you only view them as a covers band these days, they are the best version vocally since the classic lineup according to quite a few Sweet stalwarts off the Sweet website.
What makes their current covers album so exciting is that it takes guitar bits and styles from old Sweet classics and incorporates them into the fabric of the covers. Personally I think the album is better than AS Sweet's previous two efforts "A" and "Sweetlife" because it really sounds like Sweet of yesteryear to a very surprising extent. So many reviewers have noticed this and it has got great reviews.
The band is going back into the studio next year to do an original album. I must admit I doubt it will be as good because it will be the songwriting that will suffer if Andy doesn't have his old bandmates with him. But you never know I guess. Check out this clip of Done Me Wrong Alright from 1981. Brian was gone, but the other three still had it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CrXcovoVifk
And you really should listen to the new version of New York Connection. Its a cracker!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CrXcovoVifk
And listen to this one and tell me what song it reminds you of.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K0XWXKwOnc
And this one too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Rx6OhijB8
The reviews are particularly raving about this song. Obviously its up to you what you listen to, but I really think this new album is great fun and really has something nostagically Sweet about it.
Oh, and I found the long version of I Wanna Be Committed. A friend and fellow Sweet fan put it up just two weeks ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEIc721mLzQ
I'm a bit hopeless with uploads and downloads and stuff, but I can see if he can upload or do whatever is required if you are interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEIc721mLzQ
I'm a bit hopeless with uploads and downloads and stuff, but I can see if he can upload or do whatever is required if you are interested.
I'll have a look at those videos later. I think the Committed one is the one I found just the other day, and I managed to rip the audio from it from YouTube, but a higher quality version would be appreciated. :)
OK, you've convinced me to buy the NYC album - just to see how many 'Sweet' bits I can pick out from it! I think it sounds good in it's own right, and I think I'll enjoy it better not thinking of it as Sweet.
I've also just got Brian's 'Take Away The Music' CD, and I was surprised that it's not as awful as I was expecting, although, even on tracks like Hypnotised, you can hear that his voice wasn't as strong as it was, and that wonderful natural vibrato he once had, evident on tracks like Solid Gold Brass (which, incidentally, I think is one of his best studio performances - that third verse, where he sings "Heart of a woman...", is just superb), seems forced on this post-Sweet material.
That said, I've been looking at old clips on YouTube of Brian in the 90s, struggling to perform live, and even those STILL sound more like Sweet than AS's Sweet ever did to me.
I've also just got Brian's 'Take Away The Music' CD, and I was surprised that it's not as awful as I was expecting, although, even on tracks like Hypnotised, you can hear that his voice wasn't as strong as it was, and that wonderful natural vibrato he once had, evident on tracks like Solid Gold Brass (which, incidentally, I think is one of his best studio performances - that third verse, where he sings "Heart of a woman...", is just superb), seems forced on this post-Sweet material.
That said, I've been looking at old clips on YouTube of Brian in the 90s, struggling to perform live, and even those STILL sound more like Sweet than AS's Sweet ever did to me.
Hi again.
Really pleased to hear that you are going to buy the album. But I'm not surprised you like the sound of it, because that is the general reaction amongst fans. Having said that, there are a few who simply aren't interested, usually still because of the loss of Brian. Fair enough I guess.
And it seems I forgot to put up the latest version of New York Connection. So here it is. (Play it loud!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj18xrr5BAE
See if you can work out which other Sweet b-side the guitar break in the middle of the song includes. You should be able to do it very quickly I think.
Am also pleased to hear you have picked up Brian's album. Here is a rather lovely clip that was put together by one of his female fans a year or so ago. We all loved this one when we first saw it on the Sweet website.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlTRrXoRtM4
Here is the reaction on the Sweet website when the song was first posted.
http://thesweetglamforum.yuku.com/topic/6854/Brian-Connolly-Sunshine-Days?page=1
There is nothing wrong with Brian's voice on that song that I can tell. As I said, he was sacked for other reasons I think. And don't forget the version of Magic Circle that is on your new purchase. It is the smash hit that never was. It was cowritten by Brian and Trevor Griffin (yes the guy who cowrote Oxygen with Andy). Tragically it was never released.
Re Solid Gold Brass, funnily enough I am not a huge fan of that song, but I know most Sweet fans are. The vocals on the UK version of Desolation Boulevard weren't produced to any great extent, and Brian's vocal on that one grates me. Andy has said that the album wasn't properly finished off. It was supposed to give an idea of what the band would sound like live, but I think Mike Chapman botched this production job. Wainman would have put the usual veneer on it and it would have sounded much better I think. The only song Wainman produced that is on the album is The Six Teens and man you can tell!
Doesn't mean the songs on DB weren't great though. The original version of Fox certainly is, and Medusa is absolutely wonderful just the way it is too. But I thought "My Generation" also sucked because of the poor production. Nothing like the excellent job done on that other cover Peppermint Twist off Sweet Fanny Adams.
Re the Brian vocal being critical to the Sweet sound, I think that's very true. But the creativity was very much shared largely between the other three band members from Fox onwards, as Brian did not work or was excluded from the creative process from that point on. But of the other three, the primary creative force in the band in my opinion was definitely Andy. And I think NYC shows Andy's guitar skills and creativity is still intact after all these years of virtually nothing.
The latest lead singer Pete Lincoln definitely is a good singer and his voice suits glam era songs very well I think. The second guitarist and keyboard player is Tony O'Hora, and has a quite a high pitched voice, which fits in nicely between Pete and Andy on the harmonies. He also sings a song on NYC, as does Andy and the drummer Bruce. And all three songs work well with their respective choice of lead singer I think.
Just one point on buying the album. If you are going to the concerts, you will be able to get the band to sign your copy. So you can talk to Andy if you want. Nice to talk to a legend like that. If you do, you can tell him you know Gordo from Tasmania if you like. Andy will almost certainly know who you mean. But he is known to come out with the odd disparaging remark, but whatever he says, I would love to hear it....lol. Tony and Pete might know me as well, but I don't think Broocie will. The last time I spoke to them was only a few months ago in Hobart, Tasmania, which is where I live. They toured here for the first time since 1986. But I also saw them on their two previous visits in 2009 in Melbourne and in 2011 in Perth. Andy actually said to me this year when I saw him that he thought I lived in Perth, where I saw him last year. But I said no, home is definitely Hobart.
I suggest you download the album well before the gig if you decide to go. They will almost certainly play at least a couple of tracks and they will sound so much better if you know the songs already (of course). They played 4 songs at the Perth concert earlier this year. The songs they have played live were New York Groove (the single), Gold on the Ceiling (a cover of the Black Keys Song), All Moving Faster and Join Together (The Who). Hopefully they start playing You Spin Me Round and Sweet Jane too.
Really pleased to hear that you are going to buy the album. But I'm not surprised you like the sound of it, because that is the general reaction amongst fans. Having said that, there are a few who simply aren't interested, usually still because of the loss of Brian. Fair enough I guess.
And it seems I forgot to put up the latest version of New York Connection. So here it is. (Play it loud!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj18xrr5BAE
See if you can work out which other Sweet b-side the guitar break in the middle of the song includes. You should be able to do it very quickly I think.
Am also pleased to hear you have picked up Brian's album. Here is a rather lovely clip that was put together by one of his female fans a year or so ago. We all loved this one when we first saw it on the Sweet website.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlTRrXoRtM4
Here is the reaction on the Sweet website when the song was first posted.
http://thesweetglamforum.yuku.com/topic/6854/Brian-Connolly-Sunshine-Days?page=1
There is nothing wrong with Brian's voice on that song that I can tell. As I said, he was sacked for other reasons I think. And don't forget the version of Magic Circle that is on your new purchase. It is the smash hit that never was. It was cowritten by Brian and Trevor Griffin (yes the guy who cowrote Oxygen with Andy). Tragically it was never released.
Re Solid Gold Brass, funnily enough I am not a huge fan of that song, but I know most Sweet fans are. The vocals on the UK version of Desolation Boulevard weren't produced to any great extent, and Brian's vocal on that one grates me. Andy has said that the album wasn't properly finished off. It was supposed to give an idea of what the band would sound like live, but I think Mike Chapman botched this production job. Wainman would have put the usual veneer on it and it would have sounded much better I think. The only song Wainman produced that is on the album is The Six Teens and man you can tell!
Doesn't mean the songs on DB weren't great though. The original version of Fox certainly is, and Medusa is absolutely wonderful just the way it is too. But I thought "My Generation" also sucked because of the poor production. Nothing like the excellent job done on that other cover Peppermint Twist off Sweet Fanny Adams.
Re the Brian vocal being critical to the Sweet sound, I think that's very true. But the creativity was very much shared largely between the other three band members from Fox onwards, as Brian did not work or was excluded from the creative process from that point on. But of the other three, the primary creative force in the band in my opinion was definitely Andy. And I think NYC shows Andy's guitar skills and creativity is still intact after all these years of virtually nothing.
The latest lead singer Pete Lincoln definitely is a good singer and his voice suits glam era songs very well I think. The second guitarist and keyboard player is Tony O'Hora, and has a quite a high pitched voice, which fits in nicely between Pete and Andy on the harmonies. He also sings a song on NYC, as does Andy and the drummer Bruce. And all three songs work well with their respective choice of lead singer I think.
Just one point on buying the album. If you are going to the concerts, you will be able to get the band to sign your copy. So you can talk to Andy if you want. Nice to talk to a legend like that. If you do, you can tell him you know Gordo from Tasmania if you like. Andy will almost certainly know who you mean. But he is known to come out with the odd disparaging remark, but whatever he says, I would love to hear it....lol. Tony and Pete might know me as well, but I don't think Broocie will. The last time I spoke to them was only a few months ago in Hobart, Tasmania, which is where I live. They toured here for the first time since 1986. But I also saw them on their two previous visits in 2009 in Melbourne and in 2011 in Perth. Andy actually said to me this year when I saw him that he thought I lived in Perth, where I saw him last year. But I said no, home is definitely Hobart.
I suggest you download the album well before the gig if you decide to go. They will almost certainly play at least a couple of tracks and they will sound so much better if you know the songs already (of course). They played 4 songs at the Perth concert earlier this year. The songs they have played live were New York Groove (the single), Gold on the Ceiling (a cover of the Black Keys Song), All Moving Faster and Join Together (The Who). Hopefully they start playing You Spin Me Round and Sweet Jane too.
Oh, that guitar break in NYC was really bugging me! I kept following it through in my head, and it was leading me to "Alright now, baby it's-a alright now", which, of course, is very similar in melody to:
"Rock and roll
You're rock 'n' roll queen
Don't you know what I mean
Oh, you know
You're a rock 'n' roll queen
A young man's dream"
Hah! ;)
Magic Circle is a great track, and would have made a great Sweet single.
Do you know what year that Sunshine Days demo was from? It sounds quite early to me, and certainly not post-Sweet, but I could be wrong.
I disagree about the production of Desolation Boulevard. It did have issues of inconsistency, and, granted, some tracks sounded much better than others. Medusa always sounded 'weak', as did Breakdown, and MWTGG, compared to 6Teens and Turn It Down, for example, but the remasters corrected that to a large extent. Medusa now sounds much better, and the whole album has a much bigger and fuller sound now - easily on a par with SFA, if not better. It certainly sounded better than 'Wink', which we have discussed before as being 'muddy'. By the way, for my iPod playlist, I did a little bit of 'remastering' myself - see what you think of the sound of Yesterday's Rain, attached here.
--
"Rock and roll
You're rock 'n' roll queen
Don't you know what I mean
Oh, you know
You're a rock 'n' roll queen
A young man's dream"
Hah! ;)
Magic Circle is a great track, and would have made a great Sweet single.
Do you know what year that Sunshine Days demo was from? It sounds quite early to me, and certainly not post-Sweet, but I could be wrong.
I disagree about the production of Desolation Boulevard. It did have issues of inconsistency, and, granted, some tracks sounded much better than others. Medusa always sounded 'weak', as did Breakdown, and MWTGG, compared to 6Teens and Turn It Down, for example, but the remasters corrected that to a large extent. Medusa now sounds much better, and the whole album has a much bigger and fuller sound now - easily on a par with SFA, if not better. It certainly sounded better than 'Wink', which we have discussed before as being 'muddy'. By the way, for my iPod playlist, I did a little bit of 'remastering' myself - see what you think of the sound of Yesterday's Rain, attached here.
--
Just seen your edited post - lol! So, you're Gordo, are you? I did wonder. ;)
I wasn't planning on going to any of the gigs - I don't get to go to many these days, due to family and other commitments. I've booked to see Rush in May 2013, and am already starting to make plans for that!
I wasn't planning on going to any of the gigs - I don't get to go to many these days, due to family and other commitments. I've booked to see Rush in May 2013, and am already starting to make plans for that!
Hi again
Thanks for that link to Yesterday's Rain. Man you did do a good job on that. What did you do to clean it up like that? Gotta say it makes me wonder why they couldn't do that on the remaster from around six or seven years ago.
And regarding your spot the song "task", I actually find its quite hard to place songs like that, so well done for getting it. but Alright Now sounds like Rock N Roll Disgrace? I usually don't get it when people say stuff like that. Although, to be honest, I'm really glad I don't.
Re the Sunshine Days demo, we were speculating precisely about when those songs were made on that thread I posted a link to above. The songwriting might have occurred as early as the Level Headed tour. What we hear might then be just a copy of what was done on tour.
However, apparently Brian and Mick Angus went into the studio in 1982 to do some recording of album tracks, so it could be a demo from that period too. I don't know how badly Brian's voice had deteriorated by this time, but Hypnotised is from 1982, so maybe his singing was still OK. Not sure!
As for Desolation Boulevard, well everyone gets to choose what they like and don't like. Interestingly I put up a thread on the UK version of Desolation Boulevard on The Sweet Forum, and as you would expect everyone's view was different. Although the prevailing opinion, but definitely not the uniform opinion, does seem to be that DB has too much filler and is a bit underproduced. As I said, I myself find it a very uneven album, but with some tremendous highs. Check out the discussion we had on this link >
http://thesweetglamforum.yuku.com/topic/6709/Desolation-Blvd-British-version--Classic-Sweet-Album----Unde
Having said that, don't let that make you enjoy the album any less. :-) I have resisted all opinions by many Sweet fans that say Level Headed is a bad album...lol.
Re Strung Up, I have sent a private message on the Sweet Forum to the guy who put up that Done Me Wrong Alright version to see if he can send a better quality version of the album for you. Still waiting at this point, although he in the lives in Western Australia, so it would not even be 7 o'clock in the evening at this point over there, so maybe he hasn't even looked at it yet. I'll let you know what the outcome is.
Thanks for that link to Yesterday's Rain. Man you did do a good job on that. What did you do to clean it up like that? Gotta say it makes me wonder why they couldn't do that on the remaster from around six or seven years ago.
And regarding your spot the song "task", I actually find its quite hard to place songs like that, so well done for getting it. but Alright Now sounds like Rock N Roll Disgrace? I usually don't get it when people say stuff like that. Although, to be honest, I'm really glad I don't.
Re the Sunshine Days demo, we were speculating precisely about when those songs were made on that thread I posted a link to above. The songwriting might have occurred as early as the Level Headed tour. What we hear might then be just a copy of what was done on tour.
However, apparently Brian and Mick Angus went into the studio in 1982 to do some recording of album tracks, so it could be a demo from that period too. I don't know how badly Brian's voice had deteriorated by this time, but Hypnotised is from 1982, so maybe his singing was still OK. Not sure!
As for Desolation Boulevard, well everyone gets to choose what they like and don't like. Interestingly I put up a thread on the UK version of Desolation Boulevard on The Sweet Forum, and as you would expect everyone's view was different. Although the prevailing opinion, but definitely not the uniform opinion, does seem to be that DB has too much filler and is a bit underproduced. As I said, I myself find it a very uneven album, but with some tremendous highs. Check out the discussion we had on this link >
http://thesweetglamforum.yuku.com/topic/6709/Desolation-Blvd-British-version--Classic-Sweet-Album----Unde
Having said that, don't let that make you enjoy the album any less. :-) I have resisted all opinions by many Sweet fans that say Level Headed is a bad album...lol.
Re Strung Up, I have sent a private message on the Sweet Forum to the guy who put up that Done Me Wrong Alright version to see if he can send a better quality version of the album for you. Still waiting at this point, although he in the lives in Western Australia, so it would not even be 7 o'clock in the evening at this point over there, so maybe he hasn't even looked at it yet. I'll let you know what the outcome is.
Thanks for your comments re Yesterday's Rain. I don't know if you've visited the Fan Mixes section on here, but I've done quite a few remixes of Queen songs, and I'm a bit of an amateur sound geek, so I do like making things sound as best as I can make them sound. For YR, I used Sony Soundforge to beef up the EQ, then switched to Adobe Audition to cleanup the hiss and crackle. I've done Action as well, which I've also attached below, although, I couldn't do anything about the audible tape damage in the first few second of where the band come in after the intro. The single mix is 'cleaner', but the drum sound is different, so they don't match for an overwrite. Same on the previous remaster too. This has got another little tweak in it you might like, though. :)
I've been reading the DB thread you pointed to - much as I am tempted to, I'm resisting joining the forum to comment, as I spend far too much time on the damned things anyway, so another one wouldn't be good for my sanity!
Re the comments about My Generation, my thinking behind this is that Sweet were due to perform with The Who, but Brian's throat injury after the nightclub attack prevented this. MG, therefore, was not included as a 'filler', in that they were short of material, but as a 'nod' to The Who, who Andy Scott was quite upset about not being able to perform with.
As for MWTGA, I'm guessing this was part of the live show before it was recorded, and they decided to lay it down in the studio, much as Queen did with Brian's Brighton Rock solo.
As far as 'fillers' go, I think Breakdown and the original Fox were certainly the weakest tracks on the album - but my memory doesn't quite stretch back that far - had we heard the 'new' Fox On The Run before the original? I seem to recall that we had, although I could be mistaken, which would certain have made the original FOTR sound inferior.
In my opinion, although SFA was the better album, it also had it's share of fillers. Peppermint Twist was a Joey Dee and the Starliters cover from the early 60s, and Restless and Into The Night weren't exactly classics.
The best, most 'complete' album has to be 'Wink', but that too suffered from a poor production. Most of the songs on it are strong, though, White Mice being the possible weakest link.
Thanks for trying to get 'Committed', so to speak! I do wonder why they've used an edited version on everything else, and why they even bothered to edit it!
--
I've been reading the DB thread you pointed to - much as I am tempted to, I'm resisting joining the forum to comment, as I spend far too much time on the damned things anyway, so another one wouldn't be good for my sanity!
Re the comments about My Generation, my thinking behind this is that Sweet were due to perform with The Who, but Brian's throat injury after the nightclub attack prevented this. MG, therefore, was not included as a 'filler', in that they were short of material, but as a 'nod' to The Who, who Andy Scott was quite upset about not being able to perform with.
As for MWTGA, I'm guessing this was part of the live show before it was recorded, and they decided to lay it down in the studio, much as Queen did with Brian's Brighton Rock solo.
As far as 'fillers' go, I think Breakdown and the original Fox were certainly the weakest tracks on the album - but my memory doesn't quite stretch back that far - had we heard the 'new' Fox On The Run before the original? I seem to recall that we had, although I could be mistaken, which would certain have made the original FOTR sound inferior.
In my opinion, although SFA was the better album, it also had it's share of fillers. Peppermint Twist was a Joey Dee and the Starliters cover from the early 60s, and Restless and Into The Night weren't exactly classics.
The best, most 'complete' album has to be 'Wink', but that too suffered from a poor production. Most of the songs on it are strong, though, White Mice being the possible weakest link.
Thanks for trying to get 'Committed', so to speak! I do wonder why they've used an edited version on everything else, and why they even bothered to edit it!
--
Hi again Lord Fickle
I love the quality of that Action sound. It sounds much better than the remaster I've got I think. But I'm not sure of exactly where you did your "extra touches" to it as I can't hear any edits to the song. Your technical description of how you did the editing went way over my head, although I reckon it would be a lot of fun doing that sort of thing.
I also went and had a listen to a couple of your "Fickle Mixes" on the Fans Remixes page. I listened to Death on Two Legs and Fat Bottom Girls. It was pretty clear where you had made some edits (high pitched harmonies out of DOTL and the rebalanced mix on FBG to bring out the excellent guitar sound that was going on. The introductory vocals in Fat Bottom Girls were also pretty awesome too (love the echo).
So having been able to find your changes on those Queen songs, I'm a bit surprised that I haven't been able to pick any similar changes to Action (apart from the fact that it sounds so much clearer of course).
Now changing the subject to the possibility of you joining The Sweet Forum, I do understand your concern about joining another of these talkfests. They are a bit addictive and they do steal time. On the other hand, they are fun and people get to share their love for something that has influenced out lives, as you know. The Sweet forum is actually a fairly low traffic forum, but if you go hunting for good threads like the ones I put on here, you could spend an awful lot of time there, especially in the first instance. Anyway, do as you think best of course.
You make an interesting point about why My Generation was included on DB. As I understand it, the Charlton gig certainly happened in 1974, just can't recollect if it was closer to Sweet Fanny Adams or Desolation Boulevard. I know Brian's vocal was still impaired from the bashing during the recording of SFA and Steve had to take the lead vox on some tracks.
MWTGA was definitely part of the live show before it was recorded. That much is evident from the Rainbow gig, which happened in 1973, even though it wasn't released until Strung Up came out in 1975.
Re your weakest songs on the album, I definitely agree about Breakdown. However I think the original version of FOTR is a gem. A diamond in the rough, so to speak. Apparently a record executive told them to go rerecord it and release it as a single in 1975 while Chinn and Chapman were away in America. So the upshot is that both Fox and Lady Starlight were tracks from DB that got subsequent makeovers.
In relation to your opinion of the fillers on SFA, I think Peppermint Twist is played incredibly well. It went to number one in Australia when a record exec was looking for a single off the album after Sweet had got big with Ballroom Blitz. In hindsight it was a stroke of genius.
Restless is my least favourite track on the album too, although I don't mind Into the Night at all. Check out this excellent version that Andy used to invite certain people to his 60th birthday celebration.
Just on this issue of fillers and classics, I can't believe how often I find that one person hates the songs another person loves. On here for instance, I mentioned that I thought Mother Love was an absolute classic. Apparently that is not always the view. And I saw people saying the best tracks on Miracle were Breathru and Was It All Worth It, two songs which I'm not that crazy about at all. So taste is very individual, even among people that like the same bands....lol.
Having said that, the most popular album among Sweet fans on The Forum is definitely Give Us A Wink, although Sweet Fanny Adams seems to be the one that gets most of the kudos. As I said earlier, I love Cut Above The Rest. For me its the perfect mix of pop, rock and even a bit of prog. Having said that I love all the albums from SFA up to CATR.
On that last matter, I will keep trying to get "Committed" for you. I reckon Wayne might be able to do something, but we'll see I guess. The other thing I could do is ask a friend of mine's son what he can do, as he works at the local Harvey Norman (computer) store.
I love the quality of that Action sound. It sounds much better than the remaster I've got I think. But I'm not sure of exactly where you did your "extra touches" to it as I can't hear any edits to the song. Your technical description of how you did the editing went way over my head, although I reckon it would be a lot of fun doing that sort of thing.
I also went and had a listen to a couple of your "Fickle Mixes" on the Fans Remixes page. I listened to Death on Two Legs and Fat Bottom Girls. It was pretty clear where you had made some edits (high pitched harmonies out of DOTL and the rebalanced mix on FBG to bring out the excellent guitar sound that was going on. The introductory vocals in Fat Bottom Girls were also pretty awesome too (love the echo).
So having been able to find your changes on those Queen songs, I'm a bit surprised that I haven't been able to pick any similar changes to Action (apart from the fact that it sounds so much clearer of course).
Now changing the subject to the possibility of you joining The Sweet Forum, I do understand your concern about joining another of these talkfests. They are a bit addictive and they do steal time. On the other hand, they are fun and people get to share their love for something that has influenced out lives, as you know. The Sweet forum is actually a fairly low traffic forum, but if you go hunting for good threads like the ones I put on here, you could spend an awful lot of time there, especially in the first instance. Anyway, do as you think best of course.
You make an interesting point about why My Generation was included on DB. As I understand it, the Charlton gig certainly happened in 1974, just can't recollect if it was closer to Sweet Fanny Adams or Desolation Boulevard. I know Brian's vocal was still impaired from the bashing during the recording of SFA and Steve had to take the lead vox on some tracks.
MWTGA was definitely part of the live show before it was recorded. That much is evident from the Rainbow gig, which happened in 1973, even though it wasn't released until Strung Up came out in 1975.
Re your weakest songs on the album, I definitely agree about Breakdown. However I think the original version of FOTR is a gem. A diamond in the rough, so to speak. Apparently a record executive told them to go rerecord it and release it as a single in 1975 while Chinn and Chapman were away in America. So the upshot is that both Fox and Lady Starlight were tracks from DB that got subsequent makeovers.
In relation to your opinion of the fillers on SFA, I think Peppermint Twist is played incredibly well. It went to number one in Australia when a record exec was looking for a single off the album after Sweet had got big with Ballroom Blitz. In hindsight it was a stroke of genius.
Restless is my least favourite track on the album too, although I don't mind Into the Night at all. Check out this excellent version that Andy used to invite certain people to his 60th birthday celebration.
Just on this issue of fillers and classics, I can't believe how often I find that one person hates the songs another person loves. On here for instance, I mentioned that I thought Mother Love was an absolute classic. Apparently that is not always the view. And I saw people saying the best tracks on Miracle were Breathru and Was It All Worth It, two songs which I'm not that crazy about at all. So taste is very individual, even among people that like the same bands....lol.
Having said that, the most popular album among Sweet fans on The Forum is definitely Give Us A Wink, although Sweet Fanny Adams seems to be the one that gets most of the kudos. As I said earlier, I love Cut Above The Rest. For me its the perfect mix of pop, rock and even a bit of prog. Having said that I love all the albums from SFA up to CATR.
On that last matter, I will keep trying to get "Committed" for you. I reckon Wayne might be able to do something, but we'll see I guess. The other thing I could do is ask a friend of mine's son what he can do, as he works at the local Harvey Norman (computer) store.
Thanks, again, for your comments on Action, and on my other mixes. The 'tweaks' in Action are quite subliminal - I just did it as a bit of fun for myself, but right where Brian sings "Action!", just before the cash register sound in the middle, there's a bit of an echo added, which you might hear better on headphones, and the actual cash register now sweeps from one speaker to the other. Nothing radical. :)
Talking of Action, I've now got the Live For Today CD, and there's a 'bare bones' version of Action on there, without all the overdubs, so I've managed to make my own version of the Strung Up ending, by editing that ending onto the 'Wink' version. Tragic, perhaps, but little things please little minds... lol! ;)
Re My Generation, is there any certainty over when it was actually recorded? Could it have been as early as the SFA sessions, prior to Brian's attack? They may well have thought that one cover version on SFA was enough, so saved it for later. The coincidence with the Who gig is quite relevant, in my opinion, though, of course, I have no evidence to back the theory up.
Talking of the others having to take lead vocals on some of the tracks on SFA, I wonder how different those would have sounded with Brian on vocals? In my opinion, although both Steve and Andy are strong singers, they weren't LEAD singers, and I think the album would have been so much more complete and consistent, had Brian been able to sing on all of the tracks. It's a shame that, even on the live shows, I think Steve still performed the vocal to Restless - it would have been interesting to hear Brian's take on it, despite his worsening live vocals.
I certainly agree with what you say about people liking different songs, and thank goodness we're not all the same, or the world would be a boring place! Personally, I have mixed feelings about Mother Love. Whilst it is a very well crafted song, I find it quite painful to listen to, and I don't play it very often. You can just imagine the mental and physical pain Freddie must have been in when he sung it, possibly knowing it would be his last recording, and the fact that Brian has to finish the song, makes it even more poignant and heartbreaking.
I may join the Sweet forum - I'll have a lurk first to see what's going on. The danger with joining an established board, when there is little 'new' to discuss, is that everyone has talked about everything before, so it would be difficult not to be repeating what others have already said many times before. I know there are still versions of Sweet knocking about, but, good as NYC is, it could be any covers band to me, although, it was fun trying to spot the Sweet bits in it.
Talking of Action, I've now got the Live For Today CD, and there's a 'bare bones' version of Action on there, without all the overdubs, so I've managed to make my own version of the Strung Up ending, by editing that ending onto the 'Wink' version. Tragic, perhaps, but little things please little minds... lol! ;)
Re My Generation, is there any certainty over when it was actually recorded? Could it have been as early as the SFA sessions, prior to Brian's attack? They may well have thought that one cover version on SFA was enough, so saved it for later. The coincidence with the Who gig is quite relevant, in my opinion, though, of course, I have no evidence to back the theory up.
Talking of the others having to take lead vocals on some of the tracks on SFA, I wonder how different those would have sounded with Brian on vocals? In my opinion, although both Steve and Andy are strong singers, they weren't LEAD singers, and I think the album would have been so much more complete and consistent, had Brian been able to sing on all of the tracks. It's a shame that, even on the live shows, I think Steve still performed the vocal to Restless - it would have been interesting to hear Brian's take on it, despite his worsening live vocals.
I certainly agree with what you say about people liking different songs, and thank goodness we're not all the same, or the world would be a boring place! Personally, I have mixed feelings about Mother Love. Whilst it is a very well crafted song, I find it quite painful to listen to, and I don't play it very often. You can just imagine the mental and physical pain Freddie must have been in when he sung it, possibly knowing it would be his last recording, and the fact that Brian has to finish the song, makes it even more poignant and heartbreaking.
I may join the Sweet forum - I'll have a lurk first to see what's going on. The danger with joining an established board, when there is little 'new' to discuss, is that everyone has talked about everything before, so it would be difficult not to be repeating what others have already said many times before. I know there are still versions of Sweet knocking about, but, good as NYC is, it could be any covers band to me, although, it was fun trying to spot the Sweet bits in it.
Hi Lord Fickle
Good to see you have joined The Sweet discussion :-). Sweet have probably maintained a much higher control over their product in the years since the classic lineup, presumably to maximise the revenue they receive from it.
They even recently sued a seller who was selling bogus product in one of the central European countries and lost. So I'm not sure what they are going to make of your recent request. Although I would think that they will sensibly distinguish between someone with a love of the band and someone who is doing it for a profit making motive. Anyway, I will leave it to those who are better informed to answer your question at this point.
I like the way you have been able to create your own Strung Up version of Action. Very clever! And certainly not tragic. Can I hear it please? As I will be interested to hear how close you were able to get to the original with your editing techniques.
Thanks also for explaining your subtle changes on your pre-existing version of Action. Earphones certainly do create a different experience. A more complete one I guess. Switching cash registers sounds pretty cool! Actually one song that I found that I particular liked under the headphones is Alpha Beta Gamma Delta. Magic stuff! Some of Mick's drumming is simply hypnotic with the headphones on.
Re the recording of My Generation, I am pretty sure I've read recently that DB was recorded in just one week, which might back up the opinion by some including myself that the album was a bit underproduced. Although apparently Sweet were required to record in very short timeframes in the early days, so I guess you could argue that this wasn't necessarily the critical issue.
Re your point about if Brian had sung on all the Sweet tracks on Sweet Fanny Adams, I can see a case for it and a case against it. Brian was definitely the best singer in the band. So having him sing all songs makes sense.
Alternatively, variety on singers in an album is definitely something I like. Freddie was obviously easily the best singer in Queen, but should he have sung I'm in Love with My Car. What about '39? So I think variety is nice to a certain extent as well.
The other thing is certain voices are better in certain ranges. For instance, could Brian have done a better job with No You Don't than Steve? Personally I really doubt it. Apparently they even had to speed up Steve's vocal to get him up there. Brian would simply have had no hope I think.
Having said that, I'm not thrilled with Steve's version of Restless. His voice sounds sharp in that one I think. So maybe Brian would have brought the his usual finish to it and transformed the song. Pity they haven't released a demo where he had a go (if it exists). Similarly Into the night would have been interesting. Although I love this "older version" that Andy did for people invited to his 60th birthday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Dg9Wrtqvc
Different singers definitely seems to have been something they experimented with. I mean, for example, there is a version of Rebel Rouser that Steve exists. Its not bad either. Not as good as Brian's though of course. And in later years, they deliberately shared the vocal duties to help Brian out.
To Queen and your comments on Mother Love, and I very much understand your feelings about this song. It IS extremely hard to listen to. And when the song gets put on fast rewind at the end, it freaks me right out as Freddie is returned to babyhood, and presumably the womb beyond that.
But passion is a very important ingredient in music. And the way Freddie helps us connect with our own grief for him, and maybe also others we've lost, is incredible I think. That's supposed to be therapeutic ya know. He did it similarly for those with a broken heart in Save Me, for the joy of life in Don't Stop Me Now and the feelings of being in love in "You Take My Breath Away". So I guess we should not expect it to be anything different when he is communicating to us about his pain and the process of dying. I think its that sort of thing that truly made Freddie and Queen great.
I think we also get a lot of his angst on the fear of dying on Innuendo, including songs like The Show Must Go On, These Are The Days Of Our Lives and of course the song Innuendo itself. And I think much of what gives this album its power, is the way the events that surround that album come out in the music.
Back to Sweet, and it sounds like you've received your copy of NYC. I can understand your continuing disappointment about the vocals because of the loss of Brian, but for me and many others, there is still something very "Sweet" about this recording. And a lot of that is to do with Andy's guitar work. And its not just on the cameos of Sweet songs. I think that Andy has shown once again what an incredible guitarist he is on this album.
Personally I don't think even a very good Sweet cover band can do that. And I have heard a few very good ones. The harmonies are still very Sweetish I think, because it is Andy who is still putting his falsetto sound at the top of the vocal stack and because he is still running the show.
Check out this summary of the reviews of NYC off The Sweet Forum:
goldengreats wrote:
I guess this has settled more or less as the NYC thread. Sorry if it's off topic.
Don't know if all of these reviews have been up on the forum, but here goes ...
“When was the last time you could say that you really had fun with a covers album? "New York Groove" , the Russ Ballard song that of course was made famous by KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, is given a rousing rendition here (look out as well for Alicia Keys' "Streets of New York" wrapped in the middle), and The Who's "Join Together" is quite rocking and loads of fun. "Because The Night", a killer song written by BruceSpringsteen but originally given to Patty Smith, is another highlight, and features a great lead vocal from O'Hora plus plenty of energy from the band. A real surprise is a near heavy metal take on the Dead or Alive '80s new wave/pop/disco hit "You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record)" , easily one of the most successful covers here. Scott takes over the lead vocal slot on The Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane", and again, the band take this classic New York rock song into heavy territory. ”
Pete Pardo - Sea Of Tranquility
“It’s a pure treat to hear singer Pete Lincoln take on Russ Ballard’s “New York Groove”, Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round” and The Black Keys’ song “Gold on the Ceiling”. The band sounds so tight and together throughout the entire album and the backing vocals are amazing on tracks like “On Broadway” and “Join Together”. The sound quality of the album is clean and crisp and was produced by original band member and guitarist Andy Scott. For me hearing The Sweet rock the hell out of The Ramones hit “Blitzkrieg Bop” makes me remember the energy this band has always had. And then to hear them perform The Velvet Underground’s tune “Sweet Jane” simply blew me away. They take an already amazing track and tweak it just enough to make it sound like their own while maintaining the strong essence that made the original such a hit. Those who are new to the band will thoroughly enjoy hearing some classic tracks and hit songs performed by masters of music”
John - Muisc Frenzy
“The first reaction to New York Connection, as with similar albums, is, not another covers album. Nevertheless, this one's pretty good. Andy Scott notes of New York Connection: 'It's all meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek. The whole point of doing something like this was to enjoy it." For Sweet fans, they will find this album quite enjoyable as well. 4.0/5.0”
Craig Hartranft - Danger Dog
Good to see you have joined The Sweet discussion :-). Sweet have probably maintained a much higher control over their product in the years since the classic lineup, presumably to maximise the revenue they receive from it.
They even recently sued a seller who was selling bogus product in one of the central European countries and lost. So I'm not sure what they are going to make of your recent request. Although I would think that they will sensibly distinguish between someone with a love of the band and someone who is doing it for a profit making motive. Anyway, I will leave it to those who are better informed to answer your question at this point.
I like the way you have been able to create your own Strung Up version of Action. Very clever! And certainly not tragic. Can I hear it please? As I will be interested to hear how close you were able to get to the original with your editing techniques.
Thanks also for explaining your subtle changes on your pre-existing version of Action. Earphones certainly do create a different experience. A more complete one I guess. Switching cash registers sounds pretty cool! Actually one song that I found that I particular liked under the headphones is Alpha Beta Gamma Delta. Magic stuff! Some of Mick's drumming is simply hypnotic with the headphones on.
Re the recording of My Generation, I am pretty sure I've read recently that DB was recorded in just one week, which might back up the opinion by some including myself that the album was a bit underproduced. Although apparently Sweet were required to record in very short timeframes in the early days, so I guess you could argue that this wasn't necessarily the critical issue.
Re your point about if Brian had sung on all the Sweet tracks on Sweet Fanny Adams, I can see a case for it and a case against it. Brian was definitely the best singer in the band. So having him sing all songs makes sense.
Alternatively, variety on singers in an album is definitely something I like. Freddie was obviously easily the best singer in Queen, but should he have sung I'm in Love with My Car. What about '39? So I think variety is nice to a certain extent as well.
The other thing is certain voices are better in certain ranges. For instance, could Brian have done a better job with No You Don't than Steve? Personally I really doubt it. Apparently they even had to speed up Steve's vocal to get him up there. Brian would simply have had no hope I think.
Having said that, I'm not thrilled with Steve's version of Restless. His voice sounds sharp in that one I think. So maybe Brian would have brought the his usual finish to it and transformed the song. Pity they haven't released a demo where he had a go (if it exists). Similarly Into the night would have been interesting. Although I love this "older version" that Andy did for people invited to his 60th birthday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Dg9Wrtqvc
Different singers definitely seems to have been something they experimented with. I mean, for example, there is a version of Rebel Rouser that Steve exists. Its not bad either. Not as good as Brian's though of course. And in later years, they deliberately shared the vocal duties to help Brian out.
To Queen and your comments on Mother Love, and I very much understand your feelings about this song. It IS extremely hard to listen to. And when the song gets put on fast rewind at the end, it freaks me right out as Freddie is returned to babyhood, and presumably the womb beyond that.
But passion is a very important ingredient in music. And the way Freddie helps us connect with our own grief for him, and maybe also others we've lost, is incredible I think. That's supposed to be therapeutic ya know. He did it similarly for those with a broken heart in Save Me, for the joy of life in Don't Stop Me Now and the feelings of being in love in "You Take My Breath Away". So I guess we should not expect it to be anything different when he is communicating to us about his pain and the process of dying. I think its that sort of thing that truly made Freddie and Queen great.
I think we also get a lot of his angst on the fear of dying on Innuendo, including songs like The Show Must Go On, These Are The Days Of Our Lives and of course the song Innuendo itself. And I think much of what gives this album its power, is the way the events that surround that album come out in the music.
Back to Sweet, and it sounds like you've received your copy of NYC. I can understand your continuing disappointment about the vocals because of the loss of Brian, but for me and many others, there is still something very "Sweet" about this recording. And a lot of that is to do with Andy's guitar work. And its not just on the cameos of Sweet songs. I think that Andy has shown once again what an incredible guitarist he is on this album.
Personally I don't think even a very good Sweet cover band can do that. And I have heard a few very good ones. The harmonies are still very Sweetish I think, because it is Andy who is still putting his falsetto sound at the top of the vocal stack and because he is still running the show.
Check out this summary of the reviews of NYC off The Sweet Forum:
goldengreats wrote:
I guess this has settled more or less as the NYC thread. Sorry if it's off topic.
Don't know if all of these reviews have been up on the forum, but here goes ...
“When was the last time you could say that you really had fun with a covers album? "New York Groove" , the Russ Ballard song that of course was made famous by KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, is given a rousing rendition here (look out as well for Alicia Keys' "Streets of New York" wrapped in the middle), and The Who's "Join Together" is quite rocking and loads of fun. "Because The Night", a killer song written by BruceSpringsteen but originally given to Patty Smith, is another highlight, and features a great lead vocal from O'Hora plus plenty of energy from the band. A real surprise is a near heavy metal take on the Dead or Alive '80s new wave/pop/disco hit "You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record)" , easily one of the most successful covers here. Scott takes over the lead vocal slot on The Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane", and again, the band take this classic New York rock song into heavy territory. ”
Pete Pardo - Sea Of Tranquility
“It’s a pure treat to hear singer Pete Lincoln take on Russ Ballard’s “New York Groove”, Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round” and The Black Keys’ song “Gold on the Ceiling”. The band sounds so tight and together throughout the entire album and the backing vocals are amazing on tracks like “On Broadway” and “Join Together”. The sound quality of the album is clean and crisp and was produced by original band member and guitarist Andy Scott. For me hearing The Sweet rock the hell out of The Ramones hit “Blitzkrieg Bop” makes me remember the energy this band has always had. And then to hear them perform The Velvet Underground’s tune “Sweet Jane” simply blew me away. They take an already amazing track and tweak it just enough to make it sound like their own while maintaining the strong essence that made the original such a hit. Those who are new to the band will thoroughly enjoy hearing some classic tracks and hit songs performed by masters of music”
John - Muisc Frenzy
“The first reaction to New York Connection, as with similar albums, is, not another covers album. Nevertheless, this one's pretty good. Andy Scott notes of New York Connection: 'It's all meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek. The whole point of doing something like this was to enjoy it." For Sweet fans, they will find this album quite enjoyable as well. 4.0/5.0”
Craig Hartranft - Danger Dog
Reviews of NYC continued:
“Believe me, you’ll be mesmerized, by the sensational and celebratory blanket of Rock sound that Sweet covered New York Groove with! Do yourself a Rockin’ Sweet favor right now and click that arrow on the audio bar below… crank it up high, then let the good time vibes swirl within your Rock ‘N Roll soul! I let them swirl through mine. Excuse me… I have to go dancing in the street now.”
Stone - Metal Odyssey
“New York Connection” is a very tasteful rockin’ album from start to finish. You will get to know some significant songs of the past if you are a younger listener or you will remember some good oldies if you’re an older fan of rock music generally. Sweet are giving some excellent performances on the album and their covers have something of their own touch. Moreover, the production is great and crunchy and was done by Andy Scott. If you miss the good old rockin’ days… then do not miss this album… let’s hope the guys will also release a new studio album (with new material) soon… till then, enjoy “New York Connection”.
thanos - Grande Rock
“From the moment this CD kicks off, it rocks mega hard and doesn’t let up until the CD ends. The music is loud and sums up a great 40 minutes you will experience with this album. Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars”
Mike Gencarelli - Media Mikes
“Sweet answers the question once and for all: What would happen if some combined the glam of T. Rex, the metal of Slade and the modernity of Jay Z? What’s that? You said you never asked that particular question?”
Nick DeRiso - Something Else
“It’s great to have new material from Andy & Sweet, even if it is cover versions, but there’s no denying they are all expertly performed and recorded, and there is some great production and creative touches in combining some of these seemingly disparate tunes together to create an almost mashed up track, and a very enjoyable creative whole. Opening with New York Groove – following the original Russ Ballard arrangement rather than Ace Frehley’s more famous (to me, at least!) cover – it’s clear Andy and the band (Pete Lincoln on bass & vocals, Bruce Bisland on drums and newly reinstated keyboardist Tony O’Hora) have a few tricks up their sleeves and have successfully given the song “the Sweet treatment”. Especially effective are Tony O’Hora’s backing vocals, and the segue into a segment of Jay Z & Alicia Keys’ Empire State Of Mind, again sung by O’Hora, in the choruses works sensationally.”
The Rock Pit
“The Sweet are back in Perth for the second time in just under a year, and this time they have new album “New York Connection” under their arm and ready to share. The Sweet are out there delivering feisty and vital rock n’ roll to the world – and thank goodness for that! Scott assaults his guitar like a man half his age, boasting such a distinctive tone, and in his own words “As long as I have breath in my body I promise you I will not stop this” – long may he rock!”
Shane Pinnegar
And check out this version of Teenage Rampage they did, as I really think it shows that this band does a rare job with Sweet material.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly_tX5bj9rM&feature=player_embedded
I don't think either BC Sweet or any Sweet cover band could do that.
Again, I'm very pleased you have decided to join The Sweet Forum. And don't be worried about rediscussing things on there though. The attitude to it is quite positive and you definitely won't be shot for it. And people who have followed Sweet as long as you have bring their own significant perspective. I know I myself only joined in 2009, and I think I brought a new perspective on their which the regular people on there very much appreciated. I also bought evidence about Sweet's chart action in Australia, which people thought was interesting.
One thing you have brought home to me is the continuing shortfall that exists in relation to a proper version of Strung Up. So maybe you should bring up the issue on a thread. I would certainly haves some comments to add. Its up to you of course Simon....lol.
“Believe me, you’ll be mesmerized, by the sensational and celebratory blanket of Rock sound that Sweet covered New York Groove with! Do yourself a Rockin’ Sweet favor right now and click that arrow on the audio bar below… crank it up high, then let the good time vibes swirl within your Rock ‘N Roll soul! I let them swirl through mine. Excuse me… I have to go dancing in the street now.”
Stone - Metal Odyssey
“New York Connection” is a very tasteful rockin’ album from start to finish. You will get to know some significant songs of the past if you are a younger listener or you will remember some good oldies if you’re an older fan of rock music generally. Sweet are giving some excellent performances on the album and their covers have something of their own touch. Moreover, the production is great and crunchy and was done by Andy Scott. If you miss the good old rockin’ days… then do not miss this album… let’s hope the guys will also release a new studio album (with new material) soon… till then, enjoy “New York Connection”.
thanos - Grande Rock
“From the moment this CD kicks off, it rocks mega hard and doesn’t let up until the CD ends. The music is loud and sums up a great 40 minutes you will experience with this album. Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars”
Mike Gencarelli - Media Mikes
“Sweet answers the question once and for all: What would happen if some combined the glam of T. Rex, the metal of Slade and the modernity of Jay Z? What’s that? You said you never asked that particular question?”
Nick DeRiso - Something Else
“It’s great to have new material from Andy & Sweet, even if it is cover versions, but there’s no denying they are all expertly performed and recorded, and there is some great production and creative touches in combining some of these seemingly disparate tunes together to create an almost mashed up track, and a very enjoyable creative whole. Opening with New York Groove – following the original Russ Ballard arrangement rather than Ace Frehley’s more famous (to me, at least!) cover – it’s clear Andy and the band (Pete Lincoln on bass & vocals, Bruce Bisland on drums and newly reinstated keyboardist Tony O’Hora) have a few tricks up their sleeves and have successfully given the song “the Sweet treatment”. Especially effective are Tony O’Hora’s backing vocals, and the segue into a segment of Jay Z & Alicia Keys’ Empire State Of Mind, again sung by O’Hora, in the choruses works sensationally.”
The Rock Pit
“The Sweet are back in Perth for the second time in just under a year, and this time they have new album “New York Connection” under their arm and ready to share. The Sweet are out there delivering feisty and vital rock n’ roll to the world – and thank goodness for that! Scott assaults his guitar like a man half his age, boasting such a distinctive tone, and in his own words “As long as I have breath in my body I promise you I will not stop this” – long may he rock!”
Shane Pinnegar
And check out this version of Teenage Rampage they did, as I really think it shows that this band does a rare job with Sweet material.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly_tX5bj9rM&feature=player_embedded
I don't think either BC Sweet or any Sweet cover band could do that.
Again, I'm very pleased you have decided to join The Sweet Forum. And don't be worried about rediscussing things on there though. The attitude to it is quite positive and you definitely won't be shot for it. And people who have followed Sweet as long as you have bring their own significant perspective. I know I myself only joined in 2009, and I think I brought a new perspective on their which the regular people on there very much appreciated. I also bought evidence about Sweet's chart action in Australia, which people thought was interesting.
One thing you have brought home to me is the continuing shortfall that exists in relation to a proper version of Strung Up. So maybe you should bring up the issue on a thread. I would certainly haves some comments to add. Its up to you of course Simon....lol.