A Sweet review on Zware Metalen, out of the blue? Sure — why not? Without these British glam rockers, who were already climbing the charts fifty years ago, the history of heavier music would have looked quite different. And let’s be honest: a band that played Wacken in 2024 definitely deserves a spot here, right?
This Sweet Fanny Adams Revisited album isn’t new — it’s a reissue of a hard-to-find live recording from 2012. It features ten remastered tracks recorded between 2010 and 2012. The title refers to Sweet Fanny Adams, the band’s 1973 album that marked their big breakthrough.
Let’s rewind a bit for those not too familiar with Sweet. Mentally travel back at least fifty years: imagine outrageous outfits, upbeat yet melodic riffs, lots of vocal harmonies (the higher, the better), a guitarist with long platinum blond hair, simple lyrics and choruses that demanded to be belted out at full volume. Those were the trademarks of Sweet — then still called The Sweet, although I’ll spare you the long list of name variations the band members have used over the decades. The genre was often dubbed “bubblegum rock,” and they weren’t alone in it. Hopefully, you also remember Mud or Suzi Quatro, who – thanks to producer duo Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman – had a similar sound. As a child of that era, I can still picture them in their youthful glory. On the rougher side of the spectrum, you had bands like Slade, T. Rex, the New York Dolls and Kiss…
It led to a string of hits: from softer tunes like Funny Funny and Poppa Joe in their early days, to hard-hitting rock tracks like Blockbuster, Fox On The Run, Action, Wig Wam Bam, Hell Raiser and Ballroom Blitz during their heavier phase, all the way to Love Is Like Oxygen from 1978, when they began to lean more towards synthpop. Not long after that, though, the momentum began to fade and the band eventually fell apart. Spin-offs and reunions followed: too many to list. Only the previously mentioned platinum-blond guitarist, Andy Scott (now 76), is still alive, and he continues to carry the Sweet legacy with pride. For now, at least, as their farewell tour is underway, and the band is gradually re-releasing their classic albums. Their most recent studio album dates from 2024.
That includes this Sweet Fanny Adams Revisited, a live album paying tribute to the 1973 original. Six tracks from that iconic album are performed here. So, no, it’s not a greatest hits compilation. You do get solid versions of Fox On The Run and Ballroom Blitz, but tracks like Action and Blockbuster are missing, for instance. I’m quite familiar with Sweet’s music, but I’d never actually listened to a full live album by them. So naturally, I wondered how the band would hold up live, forty years after the original recordings, and with a different lead vocalist. After all, what defines Sweet’s sound is precisely those vocals and their rich harmonies.
Well, I must say: it holds up surprisingly well. Granted, it’s not an exact replica of what the late Brian Connolly delivered vocally, but the band doesn’t stray far from the original sound either. Virtually everyone in the band takes on vocal duties at some point. The whole thing sounds clean and tight, the production is solid, the instrument mix is spot-on, and both the lead vocals and those all-important high harmonies come through beautifully. There’s a nice balance between a proper rock sound (No You Don’t hits hard) and a more pop-oriented vibe, with even a touch of jazz in the six-and-a-half-minute track Restless. The good old Sweet atmosphere is definitely still there — and rightly so, in my view. And let’s be honest: to play classics like Fox On The Run and Ballroom Blitz with the same energy as if it were the first time?.
A healthy dose of nostalgia never hurt anyone, especially as you get older and this reissue delivers just that. I’d happily collect the entire Sweet discography and review it all, but time is short. Let this album serve as a fine summary of their work.
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