by Bo Paul

Created on: April 12, 2008

In the history of rock music one of the strangest journeys in terms of musical direction has been faced by the band Sweet. Originally marketed along the more bubblegum pop lines of the English glam rock movement of the early 1970s, the band's early career was often laced with the struggle between the desires of those guiding their career and what the band wanted to do. What emerged from this is a tale that both reflects the times they were a part of yet seems a reaction to those times.

The early roots of Sweet were in a band called Sweetshop that, like many bands starting out all over the world, played cover versions of various hit songs of the day (in this case the late 1960s). Soon discovered (and after a lineup change brought in guitarist Andy Scott), Sweet got their name shortened and released their first singles. Under the guidance of the songwriting/production team of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, their earliest singles were relatively lightweight bubblegum pop songs such as "Alexander Graham Bell" and "Co-Co" (the latter of which had a distinct steel drum hook) that were created in part to mirror other songs on the radio. By the early 1`970s, the band quickly became part of the then burgeoning glam rock movement wearing makeup, strange costumes, and headdresses. It was at this point that their career took off with hits like "Little Willy," "Blockbuster," and "Teenage Rampage" among others. The songs were simple but a little harder with a slightly overdriven guitar tone and a little more attitude. It appeared Sweet were on their way.

There was only one problem though: Sweet themselves were unhappy with the pop hits they created. Having been allowed to write and play on the B sides of their early singles, the band's own sound was a far cry from the pop they were known for. For example, the American version of the single "Little Willy" is a simple pop rock song with a chorus harmony that could fit well alongside a Partridge Family song (ironically, in the U.S. both were on Bell Records at the time). However, the flip side was the band penned "Man From Mecca," a short sharp shock of early metal delivered with an intensely heavy guitar riff for the time and a more complex sonic arrangement than the A side (remember that singles at the time were released on vinyl records with one song on each side). While this tug of war was common for a lot of bands that were placed within the bubblegum pantheon in the 1960s, it was unusual for a band to actually rise above

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