Sweet - Give Us A Wink (1976)

Whilst best known for their early 1970s output of Glam-tinged bubblegum rock written by songwriting duo Chinn-Chapman, Sweet became increasingly frustrated at their lot as – inspite of the success they were having – were a hard rock band and wanted to distance themselves from the pop conveyor belt. Give Us A Wink represents a major step in their rock-rehab (originally begun on the band’s previous album, Desolation Boulevard) where the band wrote all the tracks and shifted their sound to one of heavy riffs, soaring vocals and guitar solos – sod’s law dictated that this would also be the start of their gradual decline but that’s for discussion elsewhere!

The album kicks off with The lies In Your Eyes – with just a hint of the Who’s Baba O’Reilly – and a solid performance from Brian Connolly on vocals. Then things really pick up with the all-out rock of Cockroach and Keep It In: if you can imagine a blend of early Queen and Slade you’ll get an idea of Sweet’s musical direction here.

There are hit singles here too – Action being a powerful, fast paced rock classic featuring Sweet’s trademark high-pitched harmonies and commercial edge which reached number 15 in the UK charts. However, whereas their early material also contained good hooks, here they also contained frenetic drumming, power riffs and screeching guitar . . . all for the good!

One of the real stand out tracks on Give Us A Wink is Yesterday’s Rain which was begging to be a single – a grinding verse, harmony vocals, catchy chorus and some nice guitar work by Andy Scott.

Certainly for those who are only familiar with the band’s early chart success – CoCo, Wigwam Bam and Blockbuster – you’d be doing the band a disservice, and that of your musical collection, were you not to give this album a listen with an open mind: you won’t be disappointed!

• Brian Connolly – Vocals
• Andy Scott – Guitar
• Steve Priest – Bass
• Mick Tucker – Drums