Sweet Platinum Rare 1 CD Review
Most Glam fans are aware that the legendary Glam band Sweet is still going in some shape, form or fashion. To what extent I can’t really say, I’ve listened to some of the songs, but it’s just not to my liking – I’m a fan of the original members and the sound they created. I can’t say whether Sweet was one of the first Glam bands that I ever heard, but they were certainly up there, and I have a certain sound/memory attached to the band. To this day, I’ll go batshit crazy air drumming as soon as “Ballroom Blitz” comes on, no matter where I’m at or what I’m doing. Can you really call yourself a drummer if you don’t know how to play that beat? It’s one of the greatest licks ever!
Let’s cut the shit, why am I babbling about Sweet?! Well because next month a new release will hit the shelves! And get this it’s from the original era of Sweet, so these newly released recordings feature all four of the original members. Are you fucking kidding me?! SIGN ME UP, TAKE MY MONEY AND LET ME HAVE IT!!!
This new album will be a double disc release entitled “Platinum Rare 1”. The songs on this release are from guitarist Andy Scott’s personal archive and each track was selected by him. I won’t tell a lie, when this one first came in, I was super hesitant due to the age of these tracks. I thought how could this really be good due to the age and lack of technology back in the 70’s. However as soon as I hit the play button and “Ballroom Blitz” kicked off I knew I was in for a treat! And supposedly this double release is filled with outtakes and rough mixes – “Blitz” being one of them. It could be the fanboy in me, but I’m not hearing a rough mix here, I’m hearing more of an energetic take on one of my favorite songs – see the drummer comment from earlier. If you’re as big of a fan as I am, you’ll be salivating right alongside me! The recording quality is outstanding to boot. There’s also a killer outtake version of “Midnight to Daylight” here too that I wouldn’t have thought I’d hear. As a matter of fact, there’s a few tracks from the “Off the Record” album present which is cool. “Windy City” is a short demo that’s noticeably more aggressive than originally. The rough mix of “Lost Angels” is amazing, I’m beside myself with bewilderment. Another highlight and one of my favorites is a rough mix of “Hellraiser” which has always been a favorite. Once again, I can’t tell if this is truly a rough mix, it sounds fresh and it’s a ROCKER! The same can be said of the rough mix of “Teenage Rampage” that’s also added to this compilation. “Blockbuster” also comes off the same way – it’s so good, I can’t even.
There are moments in life where albums are released and you’re like, man this is a real treat. And then there are times like right now -when Sweet releases a double CD of never before heard versions of the songs that you grew up loving. And these aren’t just passerby filler tracks, these are stone cold classics that any legitimate fan of the band will freak the hell out over. I know I’m freaking out and having the time of my life jamming on these tunes. If I had to point out a low point it would be a personal one – a dear friend of mine who’s no longer with us was as big of a Sweet fan as I am. I know this would’ve been a great album to sit down and dissect and talk about all the nuances and the production values and all the geeky stuff that we would do with releases like this. If you’re a fan of Sweet, this is an absolute must have in your collection, I can’t wait till I get the physical release!