The Sweet May 15, 2010

In some ways, The Sweet epitomized all the tacky hubris and garish silliness of the early '70s. Fusing bubblegum melodies with crunching, fuzzy guitars, they looked a heavy metal band but were as tame as any pop group. It was a dichotomy that served them well as they racked up a number of hits in both the U.K. and the U.S. But by the end of the '70s disco was king, and the band’s audience had moved on. But their hit singles lived on not only as cultural artifacts, but also as the predecessors for the pop-metal of the '80s.

"Funny Funny" became their first success, climbing to the Top 20 on many of the world's charts. More hits followed including "Hell Raiser," “Little Willy,” “Blockbuster” (#1 in the UK) and “Love Is Like Oxygen.”

But it was the release of Desolation Boulevard in the spring of ’75 that gave the band its biggest success, both here and abroad. The album featured “Fox On The Run,” a Top 10 entry, and the band’s signature anthem, “Ballroom Blitz,” a little ditty covered and sampled by many a band- including The Beastie Boys and Tia Carrere’s famous version for the Wayne's World movie.

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