First is "Ballroom Blitz". A classic rock radio staple, it is likely the band's most known song. I guess that years of constant radio play has worn down the appeal of this song for me, but I have never really understood why it gets so much airplay. Not a terrible song, but fairly basic in terms of structure lyrical content. Next up is "The Six Teens". A great song about adolescent love, the song has numerous elements that define the band's sound. Bright lead guitar, trading vocals between members, and some great backing vocals are characteristics that set Sweet apart from other 1970s rock bands. A great track, one of my favorites recorded by the band.
The album continues with "No You Don't". Pretty heavy for the early 1970s, the influence on hair/glam metal that the band has had can clearly be heard in this track. Thunderous drumming is accompanied by a driving riff and anthemic backing vocals shouting the title of the track. A Who-like acoustic breakdown rounds out the track, building tension until the song kicks back in with the chorus yet again. "AC DC" is a pretty famous track by the band. About a woman that is cheating with another woman, the lyrical content can certainly be seen as edgy for the time. Musically, the song is a fairly basic blues-based rocker. Very sparse, but very catchy and pissed off, a fun addition to the album.
"I Wanna Be Committed" is a strange song as the title would suggest. The lyrics concern the fragile psyche of someone cracking up, accompanied by machine-gun drumming and effect-covered backing vocals. Various other strange sound effects come into the song near the end, making the song even weirder. Not a favorite of mine, but an interesting sonic experiment. The influence of the band on KISS' Ace Frehley can be heard in this track very clearly. Frehely would go on to cover "Fox on the Run" on his 2009 album "Anomaly". "Sweet F.A." is a galloping heavy metal adventure. After a chugging instrumental introduction, lead vocalist Brian Connolly final comes in. You can clearly hear the influence of Connolly vocally speaking. Bands such as Motley Crue and Quiet Riot clearly got a lot from the band and Connolly, lyrically and musically speaking. The song is very epic, with a synthesizer solo, guitar solos, pounding drums, and near-constant heavy riffage. Easily one of the heaviest songs out in 1974, the band's influence on modern metal is downplayed in my opinion.
Moving on, the band unleashes "Fox on the Run". A huge success for the band, I absolutely adore the track. A classic 1970s rock song, it combines glam with metal in a great synthesis. One would think the synthesizers cheapen the song, but I actually love the synth-lines that are played in the chorus. Bassist Steve Priest provides some great backing vocals as well, fleshing out the very full sounding song. The best song on the album, and much better than Ballroom Blitz in my humble opinion. "Set Me Free" is an insanely heavy song, some would say the blueprint for thrash metal. The main riff smashes through the song like a freight train, very powerful. Drummer Mick Tucker is a very underrated drummer in my opinion, and delivers some fantastic stick-pounding on this track. A great track from the band, and very influential on the development of rock music.
"Into the Night" is another very heavy song. The verses are very raw and punchy, but the chorus is fairly slickly-produced and poppy. Sweet could certainly make pop music when they wanted, and often their songs would switch from heavy rock to a pop chorus in an instant. Great playing from all members of the band, I especially like the progressive rock elements of the song. A fantastic song, and a very ambitious track in terms of musicality. The album closes with "Solid Gold Brass". A blues-tinged number, it is the most contemporary track by the band. I like the swagger and attitude of the song, but I have never been a huge fan of the band attempting more blues-influenced tracks. A decent song, but very stylistically different from the rest of the album.
"Desolation Boulevard" is a great album. The U.S. version combines tracks from multiple Sweet albums, and is a compilation of sorts. Therefore, I believe the U.S. version is actually better, despite being butchered. In any case, a great album, and an essential listen for anyone with even a passing interest in 70s hard rock.
Rating-9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment