Mick Tucker was one of the most identifialble Drummers in the 70s, and Andy Scott was one of the most unique guitariists and Brian Connoly is just brilliant.. One of the best groups of the 70s,
Brian didn't drink at all for at least fifteen years before he died, he gigged right up until he died, always made the fans happy, he loved his life and was a funny sod, trust me I know, I miss him rotten ⭐
That makes me happier to know this because in videos toward the 90s he looked happier and seemed better . I see Mr. Connelly as a fighter, he had a problem, but he had been through a lot and kept pressing on. During an interview, the host kept going on about the problems, and Brian laughed and said, You know there were a lot of good times too and she kind of didn't know what to say to that. I laughed so hard I that was priceless.
The 70's was a dress rehearsal for the 80's explosion. Born in 1961 I have first hand experience of both decades. I'm so glad to have been a Teenager in the 70's and a young Adult in the 80's. Perfect timing for me. There was a certain innocence in the 70's and a realisation in the 80's. A clever person once said that the 80's started in the late 70's. The true innovation started during and after the Punk Explosion. People who were a Teenager or a young Adult in the 60's probably have a different opinion.........
I grew up in the 70s and indeed, they were something. The music from that time is the soundtrack of my youth. I would go back if I could. A much simpler time.
Love glam rock from the 70's, sweet are the best glam group ❤️ You really need to do " love is like oxygen " ( the long version ) is my favourite of theirs ❤️
Great job Harri! Brian Connely had a great voice and was a good front man for the Sweet . people have asked me before if I could sing like anybody who would it be? I always say Brian Connely . I'm 56 and I have gotten my 4 year old grandson into the Sweet. He always ask me when we are in the car to play his favorite song which is Little Willie by the Sweet. He knows quite a few of their songs. Keep up the good work.
Harri, fine reaction as always, singer Brian Connelly was a fellow Glaswegian who succumbed to alcohol addiction and was also a step brother of TAGGART star Mark McManus, Steve Priest was the bass player and character of the band and was mistaken for being gay but that was just an act, also now passed on. Take care kid and cheerio from Glasgow.
Brian being attacked and having his throat kicked in couldn't have helped. I think he was suffering from PTSD, which people didn't really know about at the time, which led to the drinking problem?
The thumping bass, the percussion, all fantastic - but the thing for me with The Sweet is their close harmonies. Very mush the sound of my boyhood and a sound that has never left me.
Blockbuster is one of the most iconic songs of the 70s, indeed many say it was the true start to the decade 71/72 being just more of the 60s. I am duty bound to say as Brian's biographer that : his adoptive parents never told him, it was the social security and tax people who told him . His trust was destroyed he had been lied to every day of his life by everyone for 18 years. He was determined to make it and after 5 years and four flop singles, at the age of 26 he and Sweet finally began a meteoric run of 16 hit single over seven years. Then came his darkest period . He drank very heavily but when he was 2 he also survived meningitis. It was the combination that saw his nervous system slowly melt down yet he continued to play live and occasionally record new songs right up to a couple of weeks before he died aged 51, He was very comfortably off by then with a large house good cars and a new son who himself is a performer and who s name is Brian Connolly jar, Brian's voice aged very fast too primarily because of smoking 30 cigarets per day. His fans are now getting old but they never forgot him or the other members of Sweet. Brian Manly Author The Man Who Sang Blockbuster
Sweet is very interesting as a band. This is one of their poppier songs. And if this was all you knew by Sweet you would assume they were one type of band. But they actually had a much harder edge to a lot of other songs. For example the song action is popish. But they have songs like set me free which sound like early speed metal.
You’ll find The Sweet never took themselves to seriously on any of their Top Of The Pops mimed performances. One or all would stuff about at some stage. You’ll find more great Sweet material on their TH-cam channel.
Pretty cool song, Harri - I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before! I think you were referring to “Ballroom Blitz” being blocked. My favorite is “Love is Like Oxygen”
One of the top groups in the 70's was the Real Thing. The were brothers from Liverpool and their friends. Their biggest hits were You to me are everything and Can't get by without you. Great band, great music.
Glam Rock, The Sweet where a very underrated band and was never taken seriously, i have seen them live twice and all i can say is i wish i could see them again, but with only one original member being the guitarist Andy Scott that is still with us, Andy is still playing and working but i think he deserves more credit as he is a very good Guitarist, He does work with Suzi Quatro alot and they did a fantastic cover of Neil Youngs Rocking in the free world, now its not often when i think a cover is better than the original but this cover with Suzi & Andy is way better than the original as they really kick ass on it, Check it out well worth a look,,,,
God bless Brian Connolly (the lead singer in the gold with the blonde hair). It's so sad how he ended up. So tragic. He was a really nice guy. He couldn't thank the nurses enough for how they said 'just doing my job' when he was in hospital after multiple heart attacks. If only he kept off the booze and managed his money better, his story would've turned out very differently.
If you noticed, bits of Steve (guitarist who also does the secondary vocals) are being blurred out in this video. As part of his German soldier style costume, he has a swastika on an armband. That was OK at the time but apparently not acceptable these days. Also, I just watched your reaction to Ballroom Blitz. If it was blocked, it's not now!
This song has a helluva groove. Definitely one of their best. Sweet is a band that's largely been forgotten over time, but they had a bunch of hits. Mostly in the UK, but also the US and around the world. A really fun band that I hadn't listened to in a while. Think I'm going to listen to my collection of Sweet songs tonight...
Sweet were pioneers of Glam Rock. "Jean Genie" by Bowie was released in November 1972. "Blockbuster" by Sweet was released in January 1973 "The Muddy Waters-inspired blues riff is markedly similar to that featured on fellow RCA act David Bowie's "The Jean Genie", released shortly before 'Blockbuster' , but all parties maintained this was a coincidence." I love both songs equally
A bit of trivia: Steve Priest (the "We haven't a clue what to do" guy) was actually advised by David Bowie (of all people) that he was over doing it with the fem/glam look. He responded by saying it was basically a necessary image for the band.
So cool Harri to bring this great glam rock to the new generations that had no chance to hear and luck to live at that time. I'm 60, and Sweet were my heroes 😎
The 70s saw music stretched in all sorts of directions as the musical vocabulary was expanded. Progressive Rock, Singer-Songwriters, Soul, Funk, Glam Rock, Punk, New Wave, Disco, Fusion, Jazz, Reggae all flourished to New creative heights and in some cases merged to create new hybrids. I don't think any other decade has been as diverse as the 70s but then again I'm biased as I came of age during it.
They started out as bubblegum, then glam (hence the bass players flamboyance), then hard rock. They've got great songs in all those genres. Extremely prolific band. If you want to try their bubblegum, try Coco or Poppa Joe. Beware though, Poppa Joe will get stuck in your head.
Finding out in adulthood makes it hard to accept, it happened with someone we were close to, and the person developed mental health problems, so I agree with you totally. But Brian really never recovered his voice after the attack when he was kicked in the throat, and he couldn't handle the booze like most people can, and then the band threw him under the bus, much good it did them. For most people Brian and Mick were Sweet ... it was never the same without Brian as the frontman. But he kept working almost until the end, with his new band, and never gave in until the end.
Sheffield. Plenty of great musicians have come out of this city & Sweet were a good solud rock band, not just from the glam rock era. Musicians that really enjoyed playing & were a great musically 😅
Thank you kind Sir, for such a thoughtful and caring reaction. Blockbuster, Ballroom Blitz, Fox on the Run, Wig Wam Bam, Love is Like Oxygen, are all good songs by the Sweet. If you have not discovered these other Glam Rock bands from the same era, try :- Slade. Their songs include: Mama weer all crazee now, Merry Christmas Everybody, Wheels Ain't Coming Down (about a near death experience on a plane) Mud: Their best song is Tiger Feet. Bay City Rollers: Shang-a-lang. I think you will be pleased that you did. Enjoy.
Ballroom Blitz might be the song you're thinking of , an even better song than Blockbuster , also try Fox On The Run . Cheers . Oh yeah , it was Glam Rock - Slade , T-Rex & others . Punk eventually.made it look a bit daft .
Glam Rock period was F U N and with amazing pop tunes, fest for your eyes and ears. Something that you cant say anymore these days....todays music scenery is mind numbingly boring.
I cant really be sure but everything that sweet is singing about sounds as if they were talking about the son of SAM, he was a serial killer that went after girls with long black hair and I don't think they ever caught him. but I know during that time that girls were cutting their hair so that they did not become of of his victims
I don’t exactly know why but I’m totally unfamiliar with this band and this song. With that said, the lead singer’s voice sounds really familiar. If anybody knows if he came from an earlier band, please tell us. Interesting song!
I actually looked them up after I commented and I think you’re right. I was familiar with some of their songs. I just never knew who I was listening to 😂
fancied the hell out of him R.I.P Brian thank you for the memories :(
Mick Tucker was one of the most identifialble Drummers in the 70s, and Andy Scott was one of the most unique guitariists and Brian Connoly is just brilliant.. One of the best groups of the 70s,
sweet always took you by surprise, all were capable of being lead singer
Sweet~~ Neat ~~Superb ~~ Brian ,Steve , Andy & Mick just fab !!! ⚡️🕺🕺🕺🕺⚡️💚
Brian didn't drink at all for at least fifteen years before he died, he gigged right up until he died, always made the fans happy, he loved his life and was a funny sod, trust me I know, I miss him rotten ⭐
That makes me happier to know this because in videos toward the 90s he looked happier and seemed better . I see Mr. Connelly as a fighter, he had a problem, but he had been through a lot and kept pressing on. During an interview, the host kept going on about the problems, and Brian laughed and said, You know there were a lot of good times too and she kind of didn't know what to say to that. I laughed so hard I that was priceless.
1970s best time to be a teenager and Glamrock the greatest music
wasnt it just, fantastic
They were the toughest band throughout the 70's. Don't let the look fool you 🇬🇧
Sweet was one great live bands great music
The 1970s was the most innovative time in music
Love it
The 70's was a dress rehearsal for the 80's explosion.
Born in 1961 I have first hand experience of both decades.
I'm so glad to have been a Teenager in the 70's and a young Adult in the 80's.
Perfect timing for me.
There was a certain innocence in the 70's and a realisation in the 80's.
A clever person once said that the 80's started in the late 70's.
The true innovation started during and after the Punk Explosion.
People who were a Teenager or a young Adult in the 60's probably have a different opinion.........
I grew up in the 70s and indeed, they were something. The music from that time is the soundtrack of my youth. I would go back if I could. A much simpler time.
The time machine project is almost completed 🙈
Sign me up!
Same for me. Growing up in the 70's beats any other era.
Steve Priest (RIP) was the king of Glam for me. Loved Sweet
The 'B sides' of their singles were rockin'.
Love glam rock from the 70's, sweet are the best glam group ❤️ You really need to do " love is like oxygen " ( the long version ) is my favourite of theirs ❤️
Ballroom Blitz and Teenage Rampage are a couple of others, (not mentioned), you might think about reacting to. You won't be disappointed.
Great job Harri! Brian Connely had a great voice and was a good front man for the Sweet . people have asked me before if I could sing like anybody who would it be? I always say Brian Connely . I'm 56 and I have gotten my 4 year old grandson into the Sweet. He always ask me when we are in the car to play his favorite song which is Little Willie by the Sweet. He knows quite a few of their songs. Keep up the good work.
Harri, fine reaction as always, singer Brian Connelly was a fellow Glaswegian who succumbed to alcohol addiction and was also a step brother of TAGGART star Mark McManus, Steve Priest was the bass player and character of the band and was mistaken for being gay but that was just an act, also now passed on. Take care kid and cheerio from Glasgow.
Brian being attacked and having his throat kicked in couldn't have helped. I think he was suffering from PTSD, which people didn't really know about at the time, which led to the drinking problem?
The thumping bass, the percussion, all fantastic - but the thing for me with The Sweet is their close harmonies. Very mush the sound of my boyhood and a sound that has never left me.
I love this band !
Blockbuster is one of the most iconic songs of the 70s, indeed many say it was the true start to the decade 71/72 being just more of the 60s. I am duty bound to say as Brian's biographer that : his adoptive parents never told him, it was the social security and tax people who told him . His trust was destroyed he had been lied to every day of his life by everyone for 18 years. He was determined to make it and after 5 years and four flop singles, at the age of 26 he and Sweet finally began a meteoric run of 16 hit single over seven years. Then came his darkest period . He drank very heavily but when he was 2 he also survived meningitis. It was the combination that saw his nervous system slowly melt down yet he continued to play live and occasionally record new songs right up to a couple of weeks before he died aged 51, He was very comfortably off by then with a large house good cars and a new son who himself is a performer and who s name is Brian Connolly jar, Brian's voice aged very fast too primarily because of smoking 30 cigarets per day. His fans are now getting old but they never forgot him or the other members of Sweet. Brian Manly Author The Man Who Sang Blockbuster
Yes, Brian was a very cool Rock Star.
However, Sweet had 3 talented singers that covered the high and low ranges.
Sweet is very interesting as a band. This is one of their poppier songs. And if this was all you knew by Sweet you would assume they were one type of band. But they actually had a much harder edge to a lot of other songs. For example the song action is popish. But they have songs like set me free which sound like early speed metal.
And "No You Don't".
I saw The Sweet live a couple of times, (yes I'm an old git!) and what a show they put on!
That's Steve Priest on bass. He was one of the best. ✌❤
THE SWEET "LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN" (ORIGINAL LONG VERSION A MUST)
I love their look! Their songs get me pumped
You’ll find The Sweet never took themselves to seriously on any of their Top Of The Pops mimed performances. One or all would stuff about at some stage. You’ll find more great Sweet material on their TH-cam channel.
Pretty cool song, Harri - I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before! I think you were referring to “Ballroom Blitz” being blocked. My favorite is “Love is Like Oxygen”
One of the top groups in the 70's was the Real Thing. The were brothers from Liverpool and their friends. Their biggest hits were You to me are everything and Can't get by without you. Great band, great music.
Sweet - Love is Like Oxygen (Long Version).
Glam Rock, The Sweet where a very underrated band and was never taken seriously, i have seen them live twice and all i can say is i wish i could see them again, but with only one original member being the guitarist Andy Scott that is still with us, Andy is still playing and working but i think he deserves more credit as he is a very good Guitarist, He does work with Suzi Quatro alot and they did a fantastic cover of Neil Youngs Rocking in the free world, now its not often when i think a cover is better than the original but this cover with Suzi & Andy is way better than the original as they really kick ass on it, Check it out well worth a look,,,,
This is great Harri Just what I needed after the long day. What a good way to end the ride ( The song not the back story )
Best years of my life
Love when you mention personal history. It's another layer of the listening experience. 🤘✌🖖
This is called glam-rock
God bless Brian Connolly (the lead singer in the gold with the blonde hair). It's so sad how he ended up. So tragic. He was a really nice guy. He couldn't thank the nurses enough for how they said 'just doing my job' when he was in hospital after multiple heart attacks. If only he kept off the booze and managed his money better, his story would've turned out very differently.
Sweet4Evr 🌟🌟🌟🌟
If you noticed, bits of Steve (guitarist who also does the secondary vocals) are being blurred out in this video. As part of his German soldier style costume, he has a swastika on an armband. That was OK at the time but apparently not acceptable these days.
Also, I just watched your reaction to Ballroom Blitz. If it was blocked, it's not now!
This song has a helluva groove. Definitely one of their best. Sweet is a band that's largely been forgotten over time, but they had a bunch of hits. Mostly in the UK, but also the US and around the world. A really fun band that I hadn't listened to in a while. Think I'm going to listen to my collection of Sweet songs tonight...
I still listen to Desolation Boulevard regularly...
Love your open minded attitude towards music!
More Sweet please ⭐
Sweet were pioneers of Glam Rock.
"Jean Genie" by Bowie was released in November 1972.
"Blockbuster" by Sweet was released in January 1973
"The Muddy Waters-inspired blues riff is markedly similar to that featured on fellow RCA act David Bowie's "The Jean Genie", released shortly before 'Blockbuster' , but all parties maintained this was a coincidence."
I love both songs equally
A bit of trivia: Steve Priest (the "We haven't a clue what to do" guy) was actually advised by David Bowie (of all people) that he was over doing it with the fem/glam look. He responded by saying it was basically a necessary image for the band.
So cool Harri to bring this great glam rock to the new generations that had no chance to hear and luck to live at that time. I'm 60, and Sweet were my heroes 😎
Brian Connelly, the singer, was also a great mate of Keith Moon... so of course he had a drink problem!!
I wonder if Moon had some problems too
@@HarriBestReactions I believe he may have had one or two!!! In-between driving cars into swimming pools etc.
Rob Goodwin
It's drinking problem in English.
When the world didn't itself seriously imo great times
Unfortunately only Andy Scott (Lead Guitar) left now!
Great reaction! For me the best music was in the 70's, especially glam rock. You might also like Teenage Rampage and Fox on the Run. #hog
70's all the way
The 70s saw music stretched in all sorts of directions as the musical vocabulary was expanded. Progressive Rock, Singer-Songwriters, Soul, Funk, Glam Rock, Punk, New Wave, Disco, Fusion, Jazz, Reggae all flourished to New creative heights and in some cases merged to create new hybrids. I don't think any other decade has been as diverse as the 70s but then again I'm biased as I came of age during it.
Great band & great comments ❤👍👏
The best decade in music. Glam rock was awesome.
They started out as bubblegum, then glam (hence the bass players flamboyance), then hard rock. They've got great songs in all those genres. Extremely prolific band. If you want to try their bubblegum, try Coco or Poppa Joe. Beware though, Poppa Joe will get stuck in your head.
You need to cover Action by Sweet.💯
Sweet was one of my gateway bands into metal. You gotta check out 'Sweet F.A.'!
Finding out in adulthood makes it hard to accept, it happened with someone we were close to, and the person developed mental health problems, so I agree with you totally. But Brian really never recovered his voice after the attack when he was kicked in the throat, and he couldn't handle the booze like most people can, and then the band threw him under the bus, much good it did them. For most people Brian and Mick were Sweet ... it was never the same without Brian as the frontman. But he kept working almost until the end, with his new band, and never gave in until the end.
When I was 18 my family told me I wasn't adopted. I never recovered either.
😂🤣😂
This was the first record I ever bought, I was 8 years old. The intro to Blockbuster is very similar to JeanJeanie by David Bowie.
Sheffield. Plenty of great musicians have come out of this city & Sweet were a good solud rock band, not just from the glam rock era. Musicians that really enjoyed playing & were a great musically 😅
Thanks...thanks...greetings Eve
No song epitomised Glam Rock more than this one.
Thank you kind Sir, for such a thoughtful and caring reaction. Blockbuster, Ballroom Blitz, Fox on the Run, Wig Wam Bam, Love is Like Oxygen, are all good songs by the Sweet. If you have not discovered these other Glam Rock bands from the same era, try :-
Slade. Their songs include: Mama weer all crazee now, Merry Christmas Everybody, Wheels Ain't Coming Down (about a near death experience on a plane)
Mud: Their best song is Tiger Feet.
Bay City Rollers: Shang-a-lang.
I think you will be pleased that you did. Enjoy.
Love this song also my favourite version of this song is by the Macc Lads but it’s called Fat Bastard
Must look that up being from Macc, No sheep till Buxton lol
@@yvetteadshead4212 try the live at Leeds version it brilliant
Love everything by The Sweet. Think they were inspired by the David Bowie hit "Jean Genie".
It seems to me that parts of this song were used to create the song "Doctorin The Tardis" by the Timelords (1988) also called the K.L.F
This song was released about the same time as David Bowies "The Jean Genie" song which both had the same bluesy bass riff.
Both on the same label, neither in the end cared as both sold a ton of records.
There never be another 🎉Brian Connolly. Cause the srar is put back in the sky. 😊
Ballroom Blitz might be the song you're thinking of , an even better song than Blockbuster , also try Fox On The Run . Cheers . Oh yeah , it was Glam Rock - Slade , T-Rex & others . Punk eventually.made it look a bit daft .
It is..thanx
Harri, you should react to Little Willy by The Sweet. There is a live version from Top of the pops 1972
David Bowie told Steve Priest, the bassist, he ought to tone down the make up. :P He was one of a kind.
Glam rock = fun
Flip over some of sweets hit singles and you find some very driving rock tracks. For all that glam makeup they were ‘real’ musicians. 😄👍
Glam Rock period was F U N and with amazing pop tunes, fest for your eyes and ears. Something that you cant say anymore these days....todays music scenery is mind numbingly boring.
This is from 1973, I was 11 years old.
I cant really be sure but everything that sweet is singing about sounds as if they were talking about the son of SAM, he was a serial killer that went after girls with long black hair and I don't think they ever caught him. but I know during that time that girls were cutting their hair so that they did not become of of his victims
I don’t exactly know why but I’m totally unfamiliar with this band and this song. With that said, the lead singer’s voice sounds really familiar. If anybody knows if he came from an earlier band, please tell us. Interesting song!
Maybe it was this band and you didn't know it? Surely you've heard Ballroom Blitz somewhere before!
I actually looked them up after I commented and I think you’re right. I was familiar with some of their songs. I just never knew who I was listening to 😂
Junior high school dances…sigh*
React to "Love is Like Oxygen" (long version) - th-cam.com/video/CmKXzCLZ6Eo/w-d-xo.html Brian Connolly's (RIP) voice....Otherworldly.
however this i think is mimed, which they hated doing