Sweet - Desolation Boulevard

excellent glam rock from the mid 70's

You know, hearing this Sweet album, I wonder if maybe Van Halen, Queen and Twisted Sister were influenced by this band in any way. You'll see what I mean.

First of all, there's two classics on Desolation Boulevard, and one of them is my favorite thing Sweet ever did. "Ballroom Blitz" is the big hit that occasionally still receives radio play to this very day, and the song I absolutely LOVE is "Fox on the Run". Man, everything from the verse melody, to the crashing guitar chords, to the chorus. What a song!

It turns out these guys are pretty good songwriters too. "The Six Teens" is fantastic. Love those vocals. "No You Don't" is the ultimate example of pure glam-rock brilliance. "A.C.D.C" is AWESOME! No, it's not related to the rock band in any way- this is a very good catchy pop song. I truly believe Twisted Sister was listening to this song in particular VERY closely.

"I Wanna Be Committed" has a wonderful verse melody and VERY catchy chorus. "Sweet F.A" has a heavy metal-like guitar riff, and call me crazy, but the chorus sounds like Queen's "Sweet Lady". I don't know which song came out first.

Now here's the funny thing- everyone says Eddie Van Halen was such a revolutionary guitarist with a radically new sound and style. Well then, how come the very end of "Sweet F.A" has some guitar playing that sounds EXACTLY like Van Halen? This song did come out before 1978, right?

"Set Me Free" and "Into the Night" are just really good catchy rock songs. I can't say anything more about them, because, well, I just can't! They are the kind of songs you will learn to appreciate the more you hear them, and may even come around to think they are the best songs on the album. "Solid Gold Brass" is almost like a stomping blues rocker, and the vocals really make the song a standout from the rest of the album.

Overall, yes, you need to own Desolation Boulevard. November 6, 2008

Almost a 'Best Of' album in itself

My first exposure to this gem was in the back seat of my parents' 1973 Mazda RX-2 over its Clarion 8-track system, roaming the avenues of the South Bay, and it hit me as approachable, but TOUGH. To the kid I was the band looked like guys I wouldn't want to meet in an alley in broad daylight. Who knows, maybe the group shot was right in the middle of their Chapman/ Chinn issues.

1. Ballroom Blitz: from the 'Q & A' intro right away you know this isn't a karaoke band, they're interactive, and each member has just an important role as the rest. Wouldn't be surprised if they played the songs through live. This one feels a bit "Long Distance Information get me Memphis Tennessee" crossed with "the Time Warp". Covered by somewhere between umpteen and a zillion bands

2. The Six-teens: Epic. Majestic opening with stacked guitar harmonies. Feels heavily Bowie-fied. Lyrics state "Where were you in '68?" but the subject was more like something from the 50s. I'd like to see one of the new so-called bands do this straight up

3. No You Don't: I would never have figured this one for a C&C, I pegged it as one of their self-written ones. Very Who-ish in structure. Great lyrics. Just a great loud song. Pat Benetar could have launched her whole career from this one had she never belted out "Heartbreaker"

4. AC/DC: As a kid I couldn't figure out the concept. Good boogie with a few hooks. Listening now the pauses are a tad cumbersome. Great slide guitar break, right up Jimmy Page's alley ( I wondered if he slipped in a side gig here and there from the Mighty Zep)

5. I Want To Be Commited: Earlier someone mentioned the Ramones similarities on the album cover, appearance wise. It just dawned on me how coincidental it is that the Ramones also came out with their song " I Want to Be SEDATED" around the same time as this. Drum riff sounds a little "Billion Dollar Baby"-ish, I do hear a slight Bowie thing going on. Sounds like proto-industrial overall, excepting the C&C sillyness in the middle section. Love the "Roundabout" na-na-na-nas

6. Sweet F.A. : I spent the rest of my childhood and most of adolescence trying to figure out what the "FA" was for. Crushing F# gallop throughout. 'Maiden and Megadeth got their sound right here! One of the few songs over 6:00 that I listen all the way through. Nobody I like has covered this one yet to my knowledge

7. Fox On The Run: Closer to "Little Willy" than any of the Side 1 stuff here. This one is like the art student watching the master paint and then whipping out his own masterpiece on the first try. This one I DID peg as a C&C

8. Set Me Free: Man! In your face, chugging power riff. Speed metal 6 or 7 years before the fact. I remember catching a segment on the late KNAC with guest DJ Tommy Victor of Prong. This is one of the songs thast set him off. It's good that great minds think alike

9. Into The Night. I'm liking the fact that the drums start of almost all the songs. Good riff, this one could be straight from the KISS catalog with its verses. Very cool, lofty back stretch of the bridge

10. Solid Gold Brass: Bluesy, raunchy, Joan Jett-ish intro that shifts into more Bowie swagger, then clutches into a cool jazzy break. Nowhere for any of the musicians to get bored on this one.

HTH October 4, 2007

A timeless classic

This album is excellent from beginning to end.I'm not someone who is stuck in the seventies with my music. Even though I'm in my early forties now I like new music and listen to everything from alternative to rap, but still like hard rock and this album definitely rocks! August 3, 2007

.... THIS IS ROCK!

This album will shred up your speakers. Like, it FOOOOKIN RAWKS! Sweet is one of those glam acts of the seventies that sort of drifted away over time, producing a large amount of hits in the seventies, and are only really known these days for a small few. Two of which appear on this album BALLROOM BLITZ and FOX ON THE RUN. If you know those two songs you probably have some idea whats up. Yes, they are a little bit flamboyant at times, but this stuff is crazzzzy, tear it up type stuff, when in the right mood (like-partying loudddd) I can jam this album over and over.
Sadly, the band never really matched the style they went with on this album (which is why I would definately recommend this one over a greatest hits of any sort) .... if the only Sweet song you are familiar with is 1978's Love is Like Oxygen (which is sort of catchy in it's own right, but) you've got the wrong impression. In 1974, this bubblegum group decided to blow up its candy pop fan base and absolutely kick some ace. I totally dig the seventies acid metal feel that is exuberated on this disc in songs like INTO THE NIGHT, I WANNA BE COMMITED and SET ME FREE... but every song here is a lost gem...16's, SOLID GOLD BRASS,NO YOU DONT etc.. so much better than any glam stuff ever produced (ever hear Geordie, the band that Brian Johnsomn was in before he joined ACDC? no, no, no,no).... Sweet... Desolation Boulevard... Go... buy... ROCK... tell 'em Wally Gator sent ya. April 16, 2007

If only all CD's could be this good!

Well, old-shoolers...we made it this far and this album is still relevent!
Notice all those 5 star reviews? It's because this CD truly deserves it.
This album had great production to begin with and the new copy I bought sounds GREAT. This is hard rock,guitar-driven,with full bass and excellent drumming. The Queen sounding vocal tracks are cool. When I first heard this, it was played between Deep Purple's Machinehead and Zep's Physical Graffiti at a mid-70's party,and the action never slowed down. "A.C.D.C"...what a frickin' riot of a song! Set Me Free,Into The Night,Solid Gold Brass,No You Don't...all of them a rock and roll treat.Buy this,crank it up,and play air-guitar along with it. Way cool,junior!
(oh,yeah...Amazon is giving this to you,at this price) April 2, 2007

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