SWEET — Blockbuster! (review)

SWEET — Blockbuster! album cover Single · 1973 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Certif1ed
The first and only number one for The Sweet was surrounded by controversy, both within and outside of the band;

During preparations for releasing the single, a pounding, stomping rockin' number, much harder than their previous successful single, "Wig Wam Bam" - which in itself was much harder rockin than anything they'd done before - they suddenly discovered that David Bowie was about to release a song called Jean Jeanie which, to the band's horror, featured the same riff, taken from the Yardbirds' adaptation of the Bo Diddley classic "I'm A Man".

To everyone's amazement, the single beat Bowie to the top - Sweet finally getting their reward for being kept off the top slot themselves by Middle of the Road's "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep", for crying out loud.

To this day there are constant comparisons between the two - but it seems to be a genuine accident.

All of which is completely avoiding reviewing the song, which must have been reviewed thousands of times - it's a Classic, capital C, up with Ballroom Blitz, Action, Hellraiser and all those other fantastic Sweet songs which have been labelled Glam Rock because that was the scene The Sweet grew out of - indeed, there was a friendly rivalry between them and fellow Glam rockers Queen, right down to the pantomime delivery.

From the get-go, those sirens grip your attention - and maybe the backing beat does sound a little time-worn and faded - but there's nothing faded about the chugging riff and Connolley's power surge overload vocals - you can practically see the twirling mirror balls and coloured lights when you close your eyes - but it's quite clear that behind the family-friendly pantomime exterior, there's something altogether darker and more sinister lurking underneath - and it's mainly in the restraining you can hear in Connolley's voice and the backing guitars, like Dobermann Pinschers playing at being Labradors.

Flip the single, and here's the first of many commonalities you'll find with the NWoBHM.

"Need A Lot Of Lovin'" powers in stridently, unleashing a lot of the restrained power of the A side, with strong hints of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Hendrix and Queen mixed up in a kind of bittersweet confection.

Most savoury - and great to bang your head to, even if it's not the greatest song ever. Plenty of mindless widdle in the guitar solo, but a few surprises too.

Block Buster (two words - it's about a guy called Buster who breaks out of prison) is a hard rock classic in glittery costumes from 1973, one of the greatest years in Rock - and if you're a metal fan, you should not just hear this, but know it.
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