SWEET — Sweet Fanny Adams (review)

Album · 1974 · Hard Rock

4/5 · 2010-05-22
AtomicCrimsonRush

The Sweet’s “Sweet Fanny Adams” was the first heavy album from the band with some absolute killer tracks that were as heavy as it got in 1974 at the time. The image was glam but The Sweet were not short on aggression and very infectious riffing.

The band were at their best on ‘SFA” and the album begins with the raucous guitar blitz of ‘Set Me Free’ with the most outrageous lyrics; “gagged ball and chain, feel just the same, making your mark, don’t leave me here in the dark, set me free, call me a saint that’s what I aint, Inside my head, maybe I feel better dead, Set me free!” The riffs are fantastic and there are many time changes. The lengthy instrumental passage features psychedelic phased lead guitar from Scott and Priest’s bassline is well executed. The drums are frenetic from Tucker who bashes the living suitcase out of them. But it is Connolly’s rasping metal vocals that sell the song and take it to that extra level of intensity.

This finishes and there is no gap before the guitar riff crunches in and the echo swells of shimmering keyboards merge in to introduce the melodic ‘Heartbreak Today’. The track has infectious choral harmonies on the chorus and a very cool outro with bass and guitar dominating.

‘No You Don't’ is another heavy track with echo vocals and tight arrangement on guitars. The lyrics are aggressively sung; “no you don’t have to treat me like a fool, no you don’t have to act so bloody cool, no you don’t have to make up all the rules, no you don’t...” The acoustic break features an estranged falsetto keyboard sound that adds to the bizarre atmosphere of the track.

‘Rebel Rouser’ starts with Tucker bashing those skins and then Scott brings the killer riff that drives the track. The lyrics are again more aggressive than previous Sweet songs; “Inside out gonna burn tonight cos the heat is on and the time is right...” Priest is heard on this with his trademark echo vocals (that will become part of The Sweet sound on all their singles such as ‘Fox on the Run’, ‘Stairway to the Stars’ and ‘Ballroom Blitz’); “Wanna rocker and a roller in a outer space” It was always tongue in cheek nonsense but so refreshing when everyone was singing “breaking up is hard to do “ and other such fluff in the 70s. This has a nice refrain with cool guitar break and time change. A classic track for the band.

‘Peppermint Twist’ is a great cover version of Joey Dee and Henry Glover’s 60s classic. The Sweet add loud guitars and rasping shouting vocals to bring it to a new audience. Like most of the early hits, this reeked of bubblegum pop but it was still fun to sing in its day, though definitely dated by today’s standards.

‘Sweet F.A.’ is a terrific song with lengthy instrumental sections and many time changes. It clocks in at 6:14, which is way over the usual 3-4 minute time of most Sweet songs. I rate this track highly due to the musicianship which is excellent. Scott on guitar is incredible and very creative. The verses are once again a lot more aggressive than bubblegum tripe of their early years; “Well its Friday night and I need a fight, if she don’t spread I’m gonna bust her head, you’re just my size but if you’re so wise, see the chick in black, maybe she’ll come back”. The ending of this song is awesome with innovative guitar licks and effects and it ends with a huge explosion. One of the best Sweet tracks.

‘Restless’ is more a filler than a great track though it has some nice moments. It grew on me over the years as I used to crank this up in the 70s, and I always liked the feel of this with whispered vocals echoed by strong harmonies.

‘Into The Night’ is another filler but the guitars keep it interesting and the instrumental break which features gong effects and bells and a monster voice saying something weird is compelling. It was a strange track but still shows the creative side of the band at their most experimental.

‘A.C.D.C.’ is a bad way to end this excellent album with shouting vocals and bad structure, but it has some merits as being one of a kind with gender bending lyrics about a bisexual. The silly stop start sections with long pauses I could do without and the lead break is terrible. I never cared too much for this track but it’s easy to skip so no harm done.

Overall I believe this is one of The Sweet’s best albums, certainly a breakthrough when you consider what they were doing before this on the bubblegum teeny bopper circuit. This album marked a departure in that fluff and showcased the raw vibrant energy the band exuded; their heavier side was irresistible. It has some of the definitive early metal influenced tracks such as ‘Sweet FA’ and ‘Set Me Free’ which has been covered by many metal bands including Krokus, among others. I recommend this album if you want to discover the greatness of The Sweet. Interestingly this entire album was featured on one of the many “The Sweet’s Greatest Hits” compilations.