The Sweet

Have you heard of a song called "Ballroom Blitz"? There is no need to answer because, of course you have. What about the hit from the trailers for the film Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2 titled "Fox on the Run"? You probably have heard that song a billion times while thinking of the adorable Baby Groot. Well, this is about the band that came up with these tunes– the Sweet (also known as Sweet), a band whose songs influenced so many famous bands and artists that it would take forever to name them all. From the legendary KISS to the World's Most Notorious Rock Band, Mötley Crüe, The Sweet's influence can be heard in so much popular music that the fact that not many people know their name anymore is just sad.

Let's begin with naming the members of the band. Brian Connolly, lead vocalist with one of the most amazing singing voices you could ever hear, was truly an icon who was lost too soon. Then there's Andy Scott, the incredibly talented guitarist who rocked audiences with his amazing licks and riffs. There's the wacky but lovable bassist, Steve Priest, whose musicianship as well as entertaining eye gestures, costumes and occasional vocals made audiences keep on loving him. Want proof of his entertaining antics? Watch the video at the top, he's the one that looks awfully feminine. And finally, the amazing and unfortunately now-deceased Mick Tucker. His drumming for the band was incredible and he, as Steve Priest once said about him, "really felt what he was playing." This band was a rock group with four incredible members who made some of the best songs ever.

While the band may have started out with bubblegum pop, they really showed true glam rock style in the 70's that influenced the hair metal era of the 1980's. Songs like "Action" (my personal favorite), "Teenage Rampage" and "Sweet F.A." are a few great examples of that. "Action" was even covered by famous hair metal band Def Leppard in the early 90's. Even Axl Rose of hair metal band Guns n' Roses told Jimmy Kimmel on his show that Sweet is one of his biggest influences.

However, they also had other songs that showed they could rock many different styles of music. For instance, their song "California Nights" (A Steve Priest lead vocal song) is softer than most of the other music they made. Also, their song "Funk It Up (David's Song)" was a lot more funk based, which is obvious from the title. Their last big hit was "Love Is Like Oxygen" which, while glam rock influenced, was also a bit softer– kind of like a ballad.

While the original band obviously won't be reuniting due to the deaths of two members, The Sweet still goes on strong with two separate versions of the band; Andy Scott's Sweet, which tours Europe (and Australia at times), and Steve Priest's Sweet which tours the US and Canada. Brian Connolly also had his own version but that was cut short when he passed away. However his son, also named Brian Connolly, wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and auditioned for the X Factor. I don't believe he made it through but the fact that he tried is still a wonderful tribute to his deceased father.

Overall, I absolutely love this band and the rockin' music that they made. I hope that reading this will influence you to pick up a Sweet album or check out their music on Spotify or iTunes, or maybe even go to a show of one of the versions that still plays. You can watch a ton of their music videos on YouTube and watch the band and their excellence. I believe that this is an amazing band that deserves a lot more recognition (I'm looking at you, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). Thank you and remember, Sweet is a sweet band that I hope you'll come to know and love.