Sweet Fanny Adams [Remastered] - Sweet (The) > Reviews > Sweet and powerful

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	Good hard rocking album that showed a new side of the band
Disadvantages:	None

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This album from 1974 was Sweet's first major shot at being taken more seriously as a credible rock band instead of mere bubblegum puppets. Mostly self-penned, it didn't quite convert disbelieving music critics, but fellow musicians - notably Pete Townshend - began to see beyond the image and respect their abilities.
In retrospect it still stands up as a very good album. Most of the tracks have the hallmarks that made their singles so good, with hooky choruses, gutsy driving power ("No You Don't" is as fierce as anything the Stones were doing at around that time), and dynamic guitar work from Andy Scott that showed he was the equal of any of his contemporaries. The production is great as well - listen to the phasing on the opener "Set Me Free", and the thump of Mick Tucker's drums on "Restless". The adventurous "Sweet FA" is around 6 minutes long, but full enough of good ideas not to stray into self-indulgence, "Rebel Rouser" would have made a cracker of a single, and a cover version of Joey Dee & the Starliters' "Peppermint Twist" is evidence that they weren't taking themselves too seriously all the time. Finally, the inclusion of "Burn On The Flame" as a bonus track, not on the original release, makes you wonder why they buried it on a B-side the first time round; a long-time stage favourite, it remains one of the best things they ever recorded.