The Sweet (Bubblegum Pop)
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Anachronique: The Sweet (Bubblegum Pop)
For this anachronistic article, I wanted to take us right back into drive-in culture, the culture of the passing romances of a post-sixties generation looking for its identity. I wanted to shed light on that early-’70s bohemia, too rarely discussed for my taste.
This anachronistic article is, once again, an opportunity to honor a Bubblegum / Power Pop band. Little of the French press discusses this genre, superior as it is, and I cannot find even the beginning of an explanation. Generally speaking, run to anyone who defends the genre; they can only be good people.
The Sweet was an English band formed in 1968, one of the very first to give so much importance to grand romance in pop music. Admittedly, bluesmen were already expressing this tendency, and Soul was not lacking in it. Yet sixties pop was not really characterized by this urge. The Sweet, forerunners of Power Pop, then imported this trait into a style of music that had until then refused it.
The Sweet, with an androgynous look that would inspire both the Glam Rock and Hard Rock scenes, also imported sexual complexity into a genre that had until then been a well-oiled seduction machine. And yet, and this is one of the Sweet’s main strengths, the band never fell into over-representation. This group was always about having fun, without becoming aware of its influence. It thus avoids all the pitfalls of Dad Rock music, which overdoes it again and again, to the point of nausea. In itself, the Sweet always stayed on the Glam Rock side of the force, without falling into the Hard / Dad Rock of Kiss, of those crooks Led Zeppelin & co. The Sweet’s music expresses the sincerity of Power Pop while adding the Glam power of the time.
The Sweet is a true forerunner of Power Pop. Its first record, Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be, came out in 1971 on RCA Records. It remains the best of all. From the very first track, “Co-Co“, the Sweet immediately set themselves apart from the pretentious Dad Rock scene. Goodbye Cooper & co, the Sweet are not a show-off act, and the comic side of this intro shows it right away.
One of the album’s first highlights comes with the cover of “Daydream“. John Sebastian can be proud of it. But the Sweet’s first hit comes with “Funny Funny“. Unquestionably one of the best songs of the early ’70s, this track is one of the eternal absolutes that have entered the collective unconscious. This track also helped create modern Bubblegum Pop. If this song is not yet familiar to you, try listening to it and then try not to hum it the next time you hear the word “funny”. And then “Tom Tom Turnaround” carries on the genius hovering over the album. Here you understand one of the Sweet’s great tricks. The band launches into a chorus many times before doing the same a key higher. The Sweet repeat the trick at will, on this track and many others. It is a clear success every time. Next comes “Jeanie“, more generic at first sight, in reality at the crossroads between Country and Pop. The Sweet move closer to the sound of the British Invasion. It is as effective as ever.The first bonus track of the 2005 RCA / Sony BMG Music Entertainment reissue (check out that combo) is “You’re Not Wrong For Loving Me“. We move even further away from Bubblegum Pop to find ourselves on Beatles turf. The Sweet surely have nothing to be ashamed of in the result. “Alexander Graham Bell“, a tribute track, is another hidden hit on this record. Full-on Glam Rock with P.F. airs, the Sweet open the way to new horizons. But the combo that follows is so irresistible that it tends to eclipse it. “Poppa Joe” quickly became one of the most recognized tracks in the Sweet’s entire discography, and rightly so. And what to say about “Little Willy” except that, along with “Funny Funny“, it may well be one of the Sweet’s two best songs.
In the end, the Sweet are one of those bands that greatly influenced the history of music. One can always speculate that other artists would have filled the gap had they not existed, but one thing is certain: today we owe the Power Pop scene to great bands like the Sweet. Too little known, this band deserves in my view all the recognition it is owed. Its vinyls sell for unbeatable prices; it would be a shame not to take advantage.
(the Sweet were always a very colorful band.
This video leaves no doubt about that)
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Original version (French)
The Sweet était un groupe anglais formé en 1968, un des tout premiers à donner tant d’importance à la grande romance dans la musique pop. Certes, les bluesman exprimaient déjà cette tendance, et la Soul n’était pas en manque. Pourtant, la pop sixties n’étaient pas véritablement caractérisée par cette envie. Les Sweet, précurseur de la Power Pop, vont alors importer cette caractéristique à un style de musique qui s’y refusait jusqu’alors.
Les Sweet, avec un look androgyne qui inspirera aussi bien la scène Glam Rock que celle Hard Rock, ont également importé la complexité sexuelle dans un genre qui était jusqu’alors une machine à séduction bien huilée. Pourtant, et c’est là une des principales forces des Sweet, le groupe n’est jamais tombé dans la sur-représentation. Cette formation a toujours été question d’amusement, sans qu’elle prenne conscience de son influence. On évite ainsi tous les écueils liés à la musique Dad Rock qui en fait des caisses et des caisses, jusqu’au vomissement. En soi, les Sweet sont toujours restés du côté Glam Rock de la force, sans tomber dans le Hard / Dad Rock des Kiss, de ces escrocs de Led Zeppelin & co. La musique des Sweet exprime la sincérité de la Power Pop tout en y ajoutant la puissance Glam de l’époque.
Au final, les Sweet font partie de ces groupes à avoir grandement influencé l’histoire de la musique. On peut toujours spéculer sur l’idée que d’autres artistes auraient comblé la place si ceux-là n’avaient pas existé, mais une chose est sure, nous sommes aujourd’hui redevable de la scène Power Pop à des grandes formations comme les Sweet. Trop peu connu, ce groupe mérite à mon sens toute la reconnaissance qu’on lui doit. Ses vinyles se bradent à des prix défiants toute concurrence, il serait dommage de ne pas en profiter.
Cette vidéo ne laisse aucun doute la dessus)
Sweet – Little Willy (1971)
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