Track Listing

1. Set Me Free
2. Heartbreak Today
3. No You Don�t
4. Rebel Rouser
5. Peppermint Twist
6. Sweet F.A.
7. Restless
8. In To The Night
9. AC-DC
10. Blockbuster (Bonus Track)
11. Need A Lot Of Lovin� (Bonus Track)
12. Hell Raiser (Bonus Track)
13. Burning (Bonus Track)
14. The Ballroom Blitz (Bonus Track)
15. Rock �n� Roll Disgrace (Bonus Track)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27812 in Music
• Released on: 2005-01-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Customer Reviews

Masterpiece Sweet
"Sweet Fanny Adams" is a stadium rock album of monster proportions. Except on its release in 1974, the teenyboppers found it too loud and heavy metal and the serious rock fans still considered Sweet nothing more than a 3rd rate pop band. "SFA" limped into the British album charts for 2 weeks peaking at no.27......

However, time has been kind to Sweet. Both "Sweet Fanny Adams" and the follow-up album "Desolation Boulevard" have been hugely influential on scores of succesful rock bands since - Def Leppard being an obvious example. Sweet's pop grounding coupled fantastic harmonies and powerful riffs show through no better than on this album.

Produced by long-time associate Phil Wainman, "SFA" runs the whole spread of rock's emotions. The opener "Set Me Free" is a rapid-fire rocker that shows off Sweet's vocal strength to its limit. "Heartbreak Today" keeps up the pace with some stunning Andy Scott multi-tracked harmony guitar work.

"No You Don't" one the album's only two Chinn-Chapman songs (the other is "AC/DC") propels the band into progressive rock with synthesisers and cellos (!) coming to the fore, topped off with an emotive Steve Priest vocal. "Rebel Rouser" is a power-chord driven pop-rocker, probably the closest the album has to a huge hit single.

"Sweet FA" is six minutes worth of the most intensive and fluid riffing ever put to tape. Scott's guitar work just goes wild on this track. Brian Connolly puts in a commanding vocal and again their vocal harmonies are absolutely spot-on. "Restless" is fairly laid back although the pounding drums of Mick Tucker carry the song along well. And "Into The Night" is another power-chord fest featuring double-tracked Andy Scott vocals.

Only a cover of Joey Dee's "Peppermint Twist" lets the album down, and is probably a nod to record company's wishes for a watered-down pop 45, but the band played this on stage at the time and sound as though they're having a riot recording it.

On listening to this album and feeling the power and intensity of the performances, you're left wondering WHY Sweet didn't go on to become huge?? Pete Townshend was so impressed with their live show he offered them second-on-the-bill behind The Who at Charlton in 1974, except Brian Connolly was badly injured in a street fight and Sweet were unable to play. Also in 1974, a band with a similar style to Sweet's came along - broke all the rules that Sweet were capable of breaking and went on to become the biggest British band seen since The Beatles. They were called Queen.

But rock music in the mid-70s didn't come much better than this. Don't miss it this time round either.....

Fabulously remastered Glam Rock original.
For those kids of ten like me who bought the massive selling Blockbuster/Hellraiser/Ballroom Blitz singles of 1973, a real revelation came when flipping these singles over to discover magnificently played hard-rock gems like Need A Lot Of Lovin' and Burning. This album is an extension of that ethic (with a couple of brief diversions into bubblegum). `Set Me Free' and `Sweet F.A.' are both magnificent productions which showcase the chops this band had from the outset. The sound (remastered by guitarist Andy Scott) is magnificent. The peerless drumming of the sadly missed Mick Tucker is worth investigating by anyone who thinks that Bonham/Paice/Moon were the last word. As well as the album you get the classic three singles, and their B-Sides including the flip of Blockbuster (Need A Lot Of Lovin') in its correct version at last. This is a bargain ! When you've picked this one up, get Desolation Boulevard (with even more singles and B-Sides) and Give Us A Wink . This band will maybe always be left out of the rock pantheon but those in the know know better don't we? The Darkness ? Don't make me laugh !

Sweet's hard centre!
As any Sweet fan will tell you there was always more to Sweet than the "poppy" singles that crashed into the UK top 10 in those halcyon days when a number 1 meant sales of 250,000 rather than the quantity required these days. The ORIGINAL version of the LP contained not one of those singles, a bold move which semi worked in that Sweet used the success of the singles to expose their harder side on LP. Of the 9 tracks 8 are self-penned group originals, Peppermint Twist being a cover of an early 60s US hit. This reissue, containing the added 6 tracks, 3 classic singles plus the respective B sides, is a must-buy for any Sweet fan or anyone looking to explore their less poppy side.