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All'inizio dei seventies l'Inghilterra era ormai stracolma di band hard rock, rock blues, psichedeliche, prog e jazz-rock, che riuscirono ad ottenere successi internazionali. Successivamente nacque il movimento selvaggio e oltraggioso del glam, ovvero un periodo musicale caratterizzato da gruppi bravi e molto originali. I nomi piu' celebri sono Marc Bolan dei T.Rex, gli Sweet e gli Slade. Anche in America si fece avanti una promettente schiera di complessi interessanti, tra i quali spiccano i New York Dools di Johnny Thunders. Questi complessi, durante i concerti, si vestivano in modo stravagante ed provocatorio, con i classici zatteroni, le acconciature originali, gli abiti coloratissimi ecc...
Lo stile musicale era piuttosto duro, con forti influenze hard rock, ma allo stesso tempo melodico e coinvolgente. Per esempio i T. Rex avevano un sound che spaziava da pezzi allegri ("Hot Love"), a energici ("Children Of The Revolution") a sfumature blues ("Get It On", "Telegram Sam" e "Jeepster"). Gli Slade suonavano in modo più orecchiabile ma allo stesso tempo selvaggio, come lo dimostrano i brani "Cum On Feel The Noize", "Coz I Love You", "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" e "My Oh My".
Invece gli Sweet, qualitivamente superiori agli Slade e alla pari con i T. Rex, proponevano uno stile originale ed inconfondibile. Essi erano formati da Brain Connolly alla voce, Steve Priest al basso, Andrew Scott alla chitarra e Michael Tucker alla batteria, uno dei drummer piu' bravi del glam inglese. Sin dagli esordi riuscirono ad ottenere molto successo ed interesse da parte di critica e pubblico, che in quel periodo era abituato a sentire Deep Purple, Zeppelin & Co.
I loro primi album contenevano hits come "Little Willy", "Wig Wam Bam", "Blockbuster" e "Teenage Rampage", che divennero dei veri cavalli di battaglia nei live. Dopo il grandioso e seminale "Desolation Boulevard", contenente "Fox On The Run", "Ballroom Blitz", "Set Me Free" e "Solid Gold Brass", gli Sweet registrarono "Give Us A Wink".
Era il 1976, il glam era "quasi agli sgoccioli" e molti gruppi si sciolsero, come avvenne l'anno successivo per i T. Rex, ma Brian Connolly e soci continuarono per la loro strada. Il disco presenta nove canzoni molto famose come "Action", "4th Of July" ed altre. Il sound è ancora più duro e pesante di "Desolation..", grazie ai riff veloci e alla voce aggressiva di Brian, che in questo album conferma le sue ottime doti vocali.
Il lavoro viene aperto dalla sensazionale "The Lies In Your Eyes", ovvero una sorta di "Fox On The Run" in versione più dura, che già ci fa capire lo stile che ci proporrà la band. Davvero un'inizio a tutta potenza con un brano eccezionale! La seconda track è "Cockroach" dove la band esprime tutta la rabbia e la grinta che sin dall'inizio viene mostrata con la scoppiettante batteria. Il riff che supporta la fantastica voce di Brian è molto duro e grezzo, arrivando cosi' ai confini dell'hard rock dei Led Zeppelin e dei Deep Purple. Insieme a "She Gimme Lovin'" è la track piu' pesante della band.
"4th Of July" è un brano hard rock bello e ben suonato, dotato di un riff efficace, di un'ottima performance di Connolly e di un sensazionale refrain caratterizzato dalle perfette e classiche voci in falsetto. Nel resto della canzone trovano il giusto risalto anche le tastiere che supportano gli assoli veloci di Scott. "Action", uno dei brani più celebri del quartetto come lo dimostrano le varie cover di gruppi come i Def Leppard e i Raven. La voce di Connolly e' energica e squillante, il refrain è molto orecchiabile ma allo stesso tempo potente e veloce. Ottimo anche il lavoro di Scott che si supera negli assoli e nelle parti ritmiche, come anche Priest e Tucker. L'ultima track del disco è "Lady Starlight", un'altro grande hit degli Sweet che con la sua magia e pura bellezza chiude in maniera magistrale e sorprendente "Give Us A Wink".
Questo lavoro, insieme a "Desolation Boulevard" è un must per tutti gli amanti delle sonorità glam. Gli Sweet continuarono a suonare fino agli inizi degli eighties, registrando il buono "Off The Record", "Level Headed", "Cut Above The Rest", il pop-rock "Waters Edge" e l'ultimo "Identify Crisis". Negli ultimi anni purtroppo sono venuti a mancare Brian Connolly e Michael Tucker, il primo stroncato da un'infarto e l'altro dalla leucemia. Andy Scott è l'unico del gruppo che mantiene in alto il nome del quartetto, continuando a fare concerti e tour con la sua Andy Scott's Sweet. Il glam rock fu molto importante, se non fondamentale per l'hair metal, influenzando band come Motley Crue, Ratt, Poison, Nitro, Cinderella e molti altri. Per me la trilogia del glam che rimarrà immutata nel tempo sarà "Give Us A Wink" (o "Desolation Boulevard") degli Sweet, "Electric Warrior" dei T. Rex e "Sladest" degli Slade.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Action (03:44)
So you think you'll take another piece of me
To satisfy your intellectual needs
Do you want action?
Gonna bring you down 'cos you've been pushing me
You've got to recognise my superiority
Liar Liar Liar Liar
You know you believed it
Higher Higher Higher Higher
'Cos I'm the main man
And thats why everybody wants a piece of the action
Everybody needs a main attraction
I've got what everybody needs
Satisfaction guaranteed
Everybody wants a piece of the action
Oh I was suicidal 'cos you was my idol
Baby baby baby bring it to your knees
Well there was a time I would've walked the line
But you bled me dry with your insatiable greed
Liar Liar Liar Liar
You know you believed it
Higher Higher Higher Higher
'Cos I'm the main man
And thats why everybody wants a piece of the action
Everybody needs a main attraction
I've got what everybody needs
Satisfaction guaranteed
Everybody wants a piece of the action
Do you want do you want action?
Everybody wants. Everybody needs.
Everybody wants. Everybody needs.
Everybody wants a piece of the action
Everybody needs a main attraction
I've got what everybody needs
Satisfaction guaranteed
Everybody wants a piece of the action
04 Healer (07:18)
Healer
Connolly/Priest/Scott/Tucker
I met the healer in the twilight of my life
He was the purity in my madness side
He take me far beyond the sunshine and the snow
My faithing hymn made nights a charismatic glow
Cure me, cure me, cure me
Cure me, cure me
Cure me, cure me, cure me
Cure me, cure me
He leads me through the twisted chasms of my mind
He saved me from the fated final sacrifice
He spoke to me with the palm of his hand
I hear you calling
I hear you calling
I hear you calling
I hear you calling
Deliver me, deliver me, deliver me, deliver me
Deliver me, deliver me
I am the healer in the twilight of your life
I am the purity in your madness side
Cure me, cure me, cure me, cure me, cure me
Cure me, cure me, cure me, cure me, cure me
I speak to you with the palm of my hand
I am the healer
I am the healer
I am the healer
I am the healer
Deliver me, deliver me, deliver me, deliver me
Deliver me, deliver me
Healer, healer
Healer, healer
05 The Lies in Your Eyes (03:47)
Ain't nobody gonna take my place
Whips and chains don't leave no trace
Solid gold brass got a plastic face.
Ah...
You break me up ev'ry time you try
To cool me off with a wink in your eye
And I don't eat from a pie in the sky - no more!
I can see.
You ain't foolin' me.
I ain't blind.
The lies in your eyes don't disguise.
The tears that you cry.
I'm not blind.
The lies in your eyes don't disguise.
The lies in your eyes don't disguise.
But the lies in your eyes....
You gotta big fat mouth, watch what you say
'Cause sooner (Sooner!)
you're gonna pay.
Gone tomorrow, here today.
There ain't nobody gonna take my place
Sticks and stones don't leave no trace
And I don't nead your second face.
I can see.
You ain't foolin' me.
I ain't`blind
The lies in your eyes don't disguise.
The tears that you cry.
I'm not blind.
The lies in your eyes don't disguise.
The lies in your eyes don't disguise.
But the lies in your eyes....
I can see...
I can see... (lies in your eyes)
I can see... (lies in your eyes)
I can see... (lies in your eyes)
Eyes...
Eyes...
Don't you know I can see.
You ain't foolin' me.
I ain't blind.
Coz the lies in your eyes don't disguise.
The tears that you cry.
I'm not blind.
The lies in your eyes don't disguise.
The lies in your eyes don't disguise.
But the lies in your eyes....
06 Cockroach (03:47)
Connolly/Priest/Scott/Tucker
You crawled into my bed
Like a cockroach
The things you said
Made me lose my head
Like a waterfall
You've got a mouth
Like a DC ten
But I love you
You've got me in your arms
And your special charms
My yah ah yah
You got my head in circles
Uh, loved ya
But I don't want nobody but you
You fucking laugh at my inolations
You made a fuss 'bout my eating purse
By my mothers's side
You feel away like a sherman tank
But I love you
You're gonna take me there
I don't really care
My yah ah yah
You got my head in circles
Uh, loved ya
I don't want nobody but you
Turn you on to me to bring your Mama
The way she freaks gives me the creeps
She's a mainline ma'am
You've got to know
what you're doin' to your Daddy
'Cos I love you
You've got me in your arms
Ooh your precious charms
Ah yah ah yah
You got my head in circles
Uh, loved ya
I don't want nobody but you
07 Lady Starlight (03:10)
Scott
Looking for starlight
The lady made it allright
She was the lady
And I knew right from the start
Sweet lady starlight
Come on and make it tonight
You turn it on so easy
And the lady is my lady starlight
Sing the song should be sung
And love can be the voice
The tears in my eyes
I'm crying tears of joy
When you say I'm your boy
Looking for starlight
The lady made it allright
She was the lady
And I knew right from the start
Sweet lady starlight
Come on and make it tonight
You turn it on so easy
And the lady is my lady starlight
Time slips right on away
But why should I care
What people say
I will watch over lady starlight
Looking for starlight
Dance she dances a valley
And Rudi is the king
I laugh when she's happy
The power's in my hands
And I must be a man
Looking for starlight
The lady made it allright
She was the lady
And I knew right from the start
Sweet lady starlight
Come on and make it tonight
You turn it on so easy
And the lady is my lady starlight
Looking for starlight
09 4th of July (04:22)
Connolly/Priest/Scott/Tucker
The fool got up and hit my face
I couldn't make it to the door
I took a sip and drained the tap
And life became a thing to stab
Aha
I couldn't understand it
My days were in a daze
Is it bloody Sunday
I'd better save my prayers
Oh yeah, oh yeah
And when the stars came down
I was higher than the 4th of July
Whizzing right across the sky
High, high, higher
Believe the lies I told myself
I wasn't into something I own
No way
I held my breath I count to ten
So turn around round round
And do it again
I couldn't understand it
My life was all a blaze
Is it bloody Sunday
My days were in a daze
When the stars came down
I was higher than the 4th of July
Whizzing right across the sky
High, high, higher
And when the stars fell down
You know I' m gonna burn up the town
It's the 4th of July
And I was getting so high
When the stars came down
I was higher than the 4th of July
Whizzing right across the sky
High, high, higher
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