DESOLATION BOULEVARD

Sweet: Andy Scott (vocals, guitars, synthesizer); Steve Priest (vocals, bass); Mick Tucker (vocals, drums, timpani, tubular bells, gong); Brian Connolly (vocals). Producers: Phil Wainman, Mike Chapman, Sweet, Nicky Chinn. Recorded at Audio International Studios, London, except "Fox On The Run" recorded at Kingsway Studio, London. Personnel: Andy Scott (vocals, guitar, synthesizer); Steve Priest (vocals, harmonica, bass guitar); Mick Tucker (vocals, drums, timpani, tubular bells, bells, gong); Brian Connolly (vocals). Recording information: Audio International Studios, London, England; Kingsway Studio, London, England. Arranger: Sweet. Sweet originally began as a pre-packaged pop outfit for the producers/songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. By combining the crunch of hard rock with the hooks of bubblegum pop, the pair provided Sweet with its first handful of mindlessly effective hits in the early glam soaked '70s, notably "Little Willy," "Blockbuster," "Wig Wam Bam," and "Ball Room Blitz." Underneath this teen-pop glitz however, a real rock and roll band was smoldering. Determined to make its own statement and get out from under the Chinn-Chapman control center, the band took a leap of faith and cut DESOLATION BOULEVARD completely on its own. What is surprising is not so much the band's desire for independence but that Sweet succeeded on all fronts with this release. Keeping the power hooks intact, the band displays its own knack for songwriting. DESOLATION BOULEVARD contains the band's biggest single, "Fox on the Run," a telling rocker featuring the band's multi-octave vocals. The other highlight on the album is the softer "The 6-Teens," which harkens back to the band's pop formula with considerably more texture than the their earlier hits.