Buttmunker

I guess there are two types of people in this world - one type who like the "bubblegum" sound of Sweet prior to 1975; the other type who like the "glam" sound of Sweet from 1975 and beyond (Desolation Boulevard era).

I really think they had a good thing going with hits like Little Willy and wig wam AM masterpieces like Funny Funny, Wig Wam Bam, and Poppa Joe, and I wish/wonder what the group would have churned out if they had stayed in that same vein of music.

Instead, they veered away from that great bubblegum-sound and got into "glam," but, to me, it sounded horrible. Too artsy, maybe. Songs like Ballroom Blitz, Action, Hellraiser, and Blockbuster are sooo melodramatic in the vocal-style...I just can't get into it.

And forget about Love Is Like Oxygen, their last Top 10 hit...I don't know what category that falls into. The suck, maybe.

Anyway, if you like Sweet at all, do you like their early stuff, their later stuff, both, or neither?

covenant

I like the Krokus cover better than the original.

B5Erik

Sweet = Kick Ass Hard Rock

...on some of their albums, anyway, like the British version of Desolation Boulevard, Sweet Fanny Adams, Give Us A Wink, and Off the Record. On those albums they just kill!

To me those are just Hard Rock albums with a great pop sensibility - and when they turned it to overdrive, they really became a powerhouse!

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After Off the Record, though, they really went downhill. They still had good moments, but not like those four albums.

B5Erik

The Lies in Your Eyes
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Cockroach
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Windy City
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johnbook

Same here, big Krokus fan..

B5Erik

As much as I love Sweet, I've got to say that Krokus just NAILED that song, and blew away the original version.

I've never heard anyone cover "Sweet F.A," though, and I doubt anyone would blow Sweet away when it comes to that song...

atlantamoi

Oh dear God. Krokus? I love "Fox On The Run".

JAA

I would consider myself a Krokus fan, but better than the original Sweet version? No freakin' way!

To answer the original question, I like Sweet in all their forms. They were nothing if not diverse. Because while they certainly were a glam-pop band, they could also rock their ass off. Any doubters should pull out a copy of there most popular album Desolation Boulevard and listen to Set Me Free.

kakihara1

I think The Damned did the best job covering Ballroom Blitz and yes I like it better than the original. I like Sweet, but they never come up on my list of favorite bands.

benedict

Times must be hard! I just read that a version of the band led by Steve Priest had a mini-tour during June/July. The band included former guitar prodigy Stuart Smith.

I remember seeing a story - quite possibly apocryphal - suggesting that the remaining members of Sweet were looking at Ronnie Dio as a replacement vocalist when Connolly left in the late 70s. But RJD joined Black Sabbath instead

mickey65

Actually, "Love is like Oxygen" is the ONLY song I like by Sweet. I think it's a pretty good song - JMO.

Buttmunker

Speaking of cover versions of Sweet music, Coverville had a cool segment about them: http://www.coverville.com/archives/2...ville_486.html

It's because of Coverville that I get to discover songs by groups that didn't make the Top 40 back in their day. For Sweet, this includes Funny Funny and Wig Wam Bam, which I had never heard before, but love now.

Tarantino

Where's the option for 'Who the fuck is Sweet?'

= J

Buttmunker

Well, in regards to the thread about "songs you want people to hear before they die," or something like that, everyone should hear Little Willy by Sweet because it is the "perfect song."

Once you hear "Little Willy," you can never go back to saying who the fuck is Sweet. Even if that was their only song, it could never be ignored once you hear it.

Hokeyboy

KROKUS?!!?! Honestly, people...

"Fox On The Run" was a heavy staple during my early 45 rpm days... along with, uh, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing", "Emotion", and "Long Tall Glasses".

GuessWho

I think Def Leppard nailed "Action"
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...and does a really good job with "Hellraiser" (with additional vocals by The Darkness' Justin Hawkins)
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B5Erik

Yeah, KROKUS - Honestly.

Here, compare the two...

Sweet....................................................VS......................................... ..............Krokus
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Sweet's version is a little too lightweight for the song, and it has this stuttering quality to the verses that I'm not real fond of. Krokus gave the song the edge that it needs to be a really killer track.

Having said that, as I noted on my posts before, Sweet was a really good band and they put out a handful of great albums.

Gerry P.

Sweet > Krokus

atlantamoi

I feel like I was just raped. That Krokus cover version is infinitely inferior to the original.

tommyp007

I really just know the cover in Wayne's World

rw2516

Love Fox on The Run and Love is Like Oxygen
Little Willey is OK
Barroom Blitz makes me want to shove ice picks in my ears

B5Erik

To me (and a lot of other people) the Krokus version of Ballroom Blitz is the equivalent of Van Halen's cover of You Really Got Me - they both gave the songs a kick in the ass and upped the energy level over the originals.

The Sweet version is lightweight and more than a bit goofy in spots. The Krokus version isn't.

I remember the first time I heard Sweet's version of Ballroom Blitz, and I was really disappointed - I had heard the Krokus version first, and the Sweet version just doesn't have the impact that Krokus' version does.

Just my opinion, but I've heard and read a lot of similar comments over the last 24 years....

Leather Face

I am a huge fan of The Sweet and Krokus but the Krokus version is better?
You guys are killing me!
I grew up when Sweet were huge here and they were just a good old fashioned hard rock act.Call them glam but they were no different than most bands at that time.Desolation Bouilivard is in my top 70's rock albums of alltime and really needs to be heard to be appreciated.
Next thing is I'll here Joan Jet's version was better!

AC/DC
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atlantamoi

I'm sure hearing an original after hearing a cover can have a huge influence on which one a person likes better. I heard the Sweet version on the radio all the time when it was a hit. Add that to my obvious (from other threads ) dislike for the kind of music Krokus burps out and there is really no comparison.

As for Van Halen, I love their debut album, but in no way does their remake top the Kinks. Not even close.

Buttmunker

I'm surprised people are using the Krokus version of Ballroom Blitz as their example to counter the original...after doing a search, it seems Ballroom Blitz is the most covered Sweet song, being covered by an act that could never be scorned or ridiculed - The Misfits. I haven't heard their version, but since nobody has cited it as the "definitive" version, I suppose it is inferior to even Krokus?