Search - Sweet :: The Best of Sweet

THE EARLIER WORK

Pieter | Johannesburg | 05/26/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Don't get confused by this band's Best Of collections! The other one on the Capitol label is called The Best Of Sweet, while this one on the Paradiso label is called The Best Of THE Sweet. The difference is that this one offers eighteen tracks whilst the Capitol collection has only sixteen tracks. This one concentrates on their earlier hit singles and includes brilliant bubblegum ditties like their first and second hits from 1971, the singalong Funny Funny and the exotic Coco (a tale of a swinging monkey). You will also find the lesser singles Wig Wam Bam, Poppa Joe and Alexander Graham Bell here, together with some of their huge hits from the glam/glitter era like Ballroom Blitz, Blockbuster and Hellraiser. Unfortunately Fox On The Run and Teenage Rampage from this period have been omitted, as has their US top ten hit from around 1977/78, the powerful rock ballad Love Is Like Oxygen. (these omissions can all be found on the Capitol CD). The track sequence on this Paradiso album is not chronological so it starts with the glam hits and then moves backwards toward 1971 and then a little bit forwards again. But if you're just in it for the music, it's a great collection of golden hits, offering The Sweet's Pure Pop and Glam Rock sides at a very reasonable price. If you're into the band's more serious side, get the other collection for later tracks like Oxygen, California Nights and Mother Earth."