1974: THE SWEET - A Day With the GLAM ROCKERS | Scene | Classic BBC Music | BBC Archive
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Published 2023-04-11
Scene spends a day with Mick Tucker, Brian Connolly, Steve Priest and Andy Scott, better known as glam rock band The Sweet. The day begins with a trip to BBC Television Centre to record a performance of their hit single Block Buster!, with all the wardrobe, makeup and rehearsal that entails.
The band have become famous - and in some quarters, infamous - for their outrageous stage clothes, but they have also sold over 14 million records, and have a burgeoning fan club. What does it take to have a lasting career as a rock band? Is the music business really that glamorous? Why have they come in for such a hard time from the music press?
Sarah Ward narrates.
This clip is from Scene: All That Glitters. Originally broadcast 28 February, 1974.
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All Comments (21)
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So underrated!! They influenced many bands . Sweet and Slade should be recognized at the rock hall fame ! Such a joke that they are not part of it yet !
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The 80's hair metal bands owe a great deal to Sweet.
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November 1973 Glasgow, my first ever concert and it was Sweet. 50 years ago ! Where has the time gone, jeez.
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The 70s.....what a time to be alive.
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Ball room blitz is a phenomenal record.
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They evolved brilliantly from pop tunes to pretty heavy rock...the girls loved them and the boys wanted to be them...underrated musicians...top band
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The sweet are a group you’d either love or hate?? Is she joking? I never knew anyone you hated the sweet . Absolutely brilliant
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The 70's was the best decade for music imo. Loved The Sweet. Still play their stuff to this day.
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Most people only remember sweet for their bubblegum records, blockbuster, ballroom blitz etc, but they were actually a phenomenal heavy rock band whose musicianship and Brian's vocal range could rival and British rock band from that era. Chinn and Chapman wrote their chart hits until fox on the run but their b sides were mostly album tracks written by the band. A lot of bands since took inspiration from sweet and the fact that teenagers today are listening to them 50 years after their only number one is testament to their brilliance. I would guess that anyone watching this is already well aware of their legacy but if not I would urge you to have a listen to their albums.
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One of the best albums ever made in rock history is Sweet Fanny Adams. They went from the pop sweet image to the hard rock and showed they could write their own stuff independent of Chinn and Chapman. I can never get tired of that album. Sad to think that Brian’s life turned out the way it did.
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Tucker was a tremendous drummer
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It's nice to see them in their heyday and to hear their thoughts about their success after years of obscurity.
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I found this by accident, and oh what a trip down memory lane! I loved the Sweet and it broke my heart when Brian passed. That was horrific. So sad, but lovely to see them again in their prime!
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Steve Priest, an utter oddity on ToTPs in the 1970s to a schoolkid like me! In the above video he's dressed like a comic Hitler, and I remember this appearance! He used to 'camp it up' for the cameras. A great performer. Rest in peace.
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It was a great time to be young, I would go back in a heartbeat.
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Brian Connolly was a very underrated singer, but they were all excellent musicians who clearly worked hard to achieve their success.
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🥰😍🤩😘 Sweet. No one could ever replace Brian.
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I was a teen in the 80s but LOVE this band and what a cute video of them in their youth
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Fantastic legendary group with songs that stood the test of time 👏
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I was at that show at The Rainbow, fifty years ago this coming Christmas, my second Sweet concert of 1973.
