The Sweet were one of the most successful glam rock bands of the seventies, with thirteen Top Twenty hit singles to their name. They later became a major influence on the American hard rock scene of the mid-eighties.
First Published: 13 September 2013
Words: Mark Taylor
The Sweet disbanded in 1981 after singer Brian Connolly left the band for a solo career. Guitarist Andy Scott reformed the band five years later with original drummer Mick Tucker. They were joined on vocals by Iron Maiden’s first-ever singer, Paul Mario Day, along with Phil Lanzon (later of Uriah Heep) and Mal McNulty (more recently seen in Slade).
This live album was recorded at the legendary Marquee Club in London’s Wardour Street over three hot ‘n’ sweaty nights.
The band are on fine form, as is the audience, who can be heard loud and clear. Most of the tracks on this album are self-penned numbers, including many gems from the Sweet Fanny Adams album.
Familiar numbers such as Action and Fox On The Run are real belters, while Love Is Like Oxygen is drawn out into a rocking progathon.
Originally released in a different cover on vinyl many moons ago, this new release has now been bolstered by two extra tracks recorded on the night—the gender-swinging AC/DC and the old B-side favourite Burn On The Flame, available for the first time ever.
A fascinating insight into a forgotten era of the band.
Interview with Andy Scott
MetalTalk’s Mark Taylor recently got on the phone to speak to Sweet’s long-standing guitarist Andy Scott at his studio in Wiltshire.
Hi Andy, you’ve just released Live At The Marquee 1986; what are your memories of those nights?
“Yes, well, we never had played at the Marquee Club, but I used to be a regular at the venue and got to know the people down there like the owner, Jack Barrie. I had played there with my own band, the Elastic Band, and after The Sweet with Paddy Goes To Holyhead. But the offer was there, so I said to Mick Tucker, ‘Come on, this place is moving soon, so we better get a move on.’ Jack got back to me and offered us three nights in midweek, and we sold them all out, which made us enough money to film the shows for a video and to make the live album.”
That footage is great. The singer was Paul Mario Day, who was the original singer in Iron Maiden.
“Yes, he was the original singer in the band. There was Phil Lanzon, who was in a band called Grand Prix at the time, Mal McNulty, who was in a band called Weapon that I was producing at the time. He had a great high-range voice which was like a third above a normal singer, and he could play bass as well, but we got him in for his voice. Then there was Mick Tucker and I. We were hoping that Steve Priest would come back into the band, but he didn’t at the time.”
Did you see many bands at the Marquee as a punter? It was such a great venue.
“Yes, I did. I’d often bump into the guys from Status Quo and various other bands just hanging out. There was a VIP area where you could see the bands through the glass, but I was also producing around the time, and I was always hanging out to see if anyone was worth doing anything with, which is where I got involved with Weapon. I also produced a band called Stinky Pete, who I nicknamed The Jocks. That was a great time around then.”
You recently released the album New York Connection, where you re-recorded old Sweet favourites and mixed them with modern-day pop songs. It worked extremely well. Where did the idea for that come from?
“Well, we wanted to do a studio album, and I was feeling tortured as a writer where it would’ve taken me an age, so we started to fiddle around with a couple of tracks. My son, who is a DJ, started playing around with a loop, and he put in The Who’s Join Together, and it sounded fantastic, so I put the idea to the rest of the band, and then we got cracking on it.
“Then we got asked to appear on a German TV show, and we wanted to play something new, and they said sure, as long as we did some of the hits as well. So we put in Join Together, and they loved it and asked, ‘Where can we buy it?’ and we thought, ‘Well, you can’t!’ So we got on with it, and we did New York Groove with Empire State, and once we got into it, we knew it had to sound like Sweet with all the harmonies, so we started to throw a lot of the old stuff in as well. It’s brilliant.”
You’ve also recently released a brand new live recording of the Sweet… Fanny Adams album. Why was that?
“We had a guy in Germany who said many bands are doing live shows of their classic albums like Lou Reed and Love, which had gone well. We didn’t do the whole album every night because we didn’t want it to be ‘showbiz’, but we did three tours for that. I will let you into a little secret here. We lifted the live album from all three tours, but it shows what a great timer our drummer is.”
The original studio album is rightly regarded as a classic and has become a major influence on the American Hard Rock glam scene, especially Mötley Crüe. When they did Kickstart My Heart, you must have thought, ‘Hang on a minute, I’ve heard that riff before somewhere.’
“Oh! The Hellraiser riff, you mean! When they were touring, I was in Sweden at the time, and the guys in the band Europe called me up and said, ‘You’ve got to come to this gig at the Globe and see how Mötley Crüe start their show.’ They had seen the show the night before in Gothenburg and said to me that I must come along as I would be amazed.
“First, there was this short introduction film followed by the soundtrack of The Stripper music, and then that riff went into Kickstart My Heart, and that was exactly how we used to start our show. I thought, ‘Wow!’ It was mind-blowing.”
Chinn and Chapman wrote some of your biggest-selling songs, including Ballroom Blitz and Blockbuster. I believe one song they offered you first was Dynamite, which was a massive hit for Mud. Did you ever record a version of that song? Is there a version hiding somewhere in the vaults?
“At the time, we wanted another Blockbuster or Hellraiser-type of song, so they offered us Dynamite, but for some reason, it just didn’t feel right. It felt like a step backwards. So they came back with Teenage Rampage, which was more like it. They were at one of our gigs at the Rainbow and heard the kids going, ‘We want Sweet… We want Sweet’, so we added that to it and gave it a more manly feel. We never did record a version of Dynamite, no.”
There’s a fantastic clip I often watch on YouTube of The Sweet doing a live version of The Six Teens. Do you remember from what show that was recorded?
“Yes, that was absolutely live… I think it was Geordie Scene up in Newcastle, but I’m not sure.”
You’re touring again later this year with Slade, but once again you’re not doing London?
“Oh no, I’m a bit miffed about that; I’m not sure why that is. On previous tours, we have done the Palladium and the Fairfield Halls, but it gets to me. We may get with Slade or do something on our own and hopefully play somewhere like the Shepherd’s Bush Empire.”
Def Leppard had a big hit with a version of Action. Are there any other cover versions of Sweet songs you like?
“Yes, I do like the Leppard version very much. That was quite startling and rewarding. I interviewed Joe Elliott once about ten years ago on my radio show, and he was more than gushing, which I really liked. One that does spring to mind is Biff Byford’s Saxon’s version of Set Me Free.”
You played at the Sweden Rock Festival this year. How was that?
“Yes, we have played there a few times, but this year the promoter asked us to play on the opening night, Wednesday, and I wasn’t too sure about it. But he assured me that if he could put the right band on, it would give him the right audience, and even though Kiss were playing on the Friday, we still pulled about 10,000 people to the show… It was fantastic.”
Steve Priest has got his version of The Sweet in the States. How is your relationship with him these days?
“I don’t think there is much anymore, is there? I just don’t know why. If I could understand why he came out of the woodwork to do that, then I would probably have a different head on here, but I don’t. A few things he said do not sit well with me.”
What are the legalities? Can you tour the USA yourself?
“Well, I have trademarks and all kinds of stuff in Europe. It’s something that I would’ve done with him if he had come back into the band, but I don’t think there was ever any intention from him to get back in the band when I was reforming it in the 80s. So why come out of the woodwork now when you’re 61 years old in 2008/09 and think that the world will just open up and say, ‘My God, Steve Priest is back’? You know, that ship has sailed. It’s not easy out there. I mean, I’ve been touring—first with Mick, and now on my own—since ’91 for like 28 years, and that counts for something.”
Sadly, we have lost Brian Connolly and Mick Tucker. When you have a quiet moment to yourself, are there any memories of them that put a smile on your face?
“Always. They were the two chick magnets. There’s a lot of things I could tell you about them, but I won’t! Brian used to have us in hysterics half the time. I think he is a great loss. I think he lost it a little bit as the band musically progressed. It was our manager who pointed out that he wasn’t on our level anymore. He was much better when the pop singles were being bandied around, like songs such as Blockbuster. He wanted to carry on doing what he had always done, like shaking hands with the girls down the front. We wanted him to muscle up a little, like a Roger Daltrey kind of thing.”
What has been the proudest moment for you in the history of The Sweet?
“When I was nominated for an Ivor Novello award for Love Is Like Oxygen. When I listen to it on the radio, though, I do think it could’ve been done a little bit better on the mix.”
You’ve been playing Rock Against Cancer, a charity festival. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
“Johnny, a mate of mine, works for Paul McCartney. He is his sound engineer on stage. We couldn’t believe it, but we both got diagnosed with prostate cancer in the same year, and we thought, ‘Blimey, this is it.’ We had been talking to the landlord of this field for two years before, saying he should have this festival.
“So from the original idea, once we got the health and safety etc. sorted, and through Johnny’s connections, we got Brian May with Kerry Ellis, Mike and the Mechanics, SAS Band with Tom Robinson and Midge Ure and Madeline Bell, and it was really good. So for this year, we thought we better top it, so we got Roger Taylor, Kiki Dee, Dr. Feelgood, 10cc, Georgie Fame, and Roger Taylor brought along Jeff Beck—all in this tiny field in Wiltshire behind a pub!”
Will this be a yearly event now?
“Yes, it will be. Thankfully, both Johnny and I have both been given the all-clear. For the first year, the money raised was given to places like where we had been treated. But this year, we gave half of it to the Teenage Cancer Trust and the other half to the place where we got treated in Bristol.”
What advice can you give to anyone who may find themselves in a similar situation?
“Well, for me, if you have any kind of feeling that something isn’t quite right, then go straight away and do something about it. It doesn’t take long to get a quick PSA test. Because it’s kind of slow, a yearly check is good to do.”
You have sold millions and travelled the world over. Who is the most famous person in the world you have met?
“Depends on how you look at it. When I was in The Elastic Band, we supported Jimi Hendrix up in a northern club. I think we went down better than him because I don’t think the audience knew what to make of him at the time.
“I’ve shared tables with Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. In the Drake Hotel in New York, once, my manager was good friends with Tony Bennett. One day I was walking out, and my manager said, ‘Oi Andy, come here.’ So I popped my head around the corner, and Tony Bennett said, ‘Hi,’ and this other voice in the corner said, ‘So what you having? A Scotch?’ I looked over, and it was Frank Sinatra.”
