Introducing The Sweet
Are you ready Steve? Uh-huh
Andy? Yeah
Mick? Okay
Alright fellas, let's go!
Now for the final and funnest member of the Sweet, bassist/vocalist Steve Priest.
Priest joined the band, formed by Brian Connolly and Mick Tucker. Original guitarist Frank Torpey was also on board. Priest originally had a home made bass guitar cause he couldn’t afford to buy one.
After getting through the bubblegum early Chinny Chap songs, Glam came along. The Sweet and Priest were in their element dressing quite effeminately, despite being all hetero. Priest often wore dresses and plastered on the makeup. As a very quiet guy in real life he covered up his shyness by being outrageous
So much so
Priest recalled talking to
David Bowie backstage on
Top of the Pops: “I was plastering this make-up on, and Bowie's going: 'Oh no, no, no. You've got to be subtle.'
Bowie just didn't get it. It isn't supposed to be subtle. I'm supposed to look like an old tart."
Blockbuster was their only number UK #1, but it was there for 5 weeks. They did have 13 weeks at #2 with five separate hits, one of which will not make my list of 31. Anyway, during one of the Blockbuster appearances on the top of the pops TV, a decision was made to
dress Priest up in a nazi uniform complete with fake Hitler moustache
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yloz9d_c...p00QCLcBGAs/s1600/steve+priest+uncensored.JPG
Some controversy arose after the band's performance of the hit song "
Block Buster!" on the BBC's
Top of the Pops on 25 December 1973, for which Priest wore a
swastika arm band. He appeared in German military uniform on the 1973 Christmas edition of the show. The song was named after the Allied
blockbuster bomb. In 2010 Priest said: "It's amazing how everyone still talks about the Nazi uniform... Good old BBC wardrobe department. People always want to know if I was serious. I mean, a gay Hitler. Hello?!"
Priest, apart from the flamboyant costumes was a key vocalist during most of their hits. Not the lead, which was clearly Brian, but the chip ins during or near the chorus were a massive distinction to other artists and used to great effect
On
Fox on the Run
“Foxy on the run”
Hell Raiser
“And that's neat and she took me completely “
Blockbuster
“We just haven't got a clue what to do”
Teenage Rampage
“Imagine the sensation
Of teenage occupation”
And
“Imagine the formation
Of teenage legislation”
The Six Teens
“Julie and Johnnie, now you've made it”
And
“Suzie and Davey, you can make it”
Ballroom Blitz, a much bigger vocal
“Oh, I see a man in the back as a matter of fact
His eyes was as red as the sun
And the girl in the corner that no one ignores
'Cause she thinks she's the passionate one”
And
“And the man in the back is ready to crack
As he raises his hands to the sky
And the girl in the corner is everyone's mourner
She could kill you with a wink of her eye”
Loads more I will highlight as we go on. Once Connolly’s throat injury occurred in 1974, Andy Scott and Priest had to take on some vocals to complete tracks or just sing outright on. Once Connollys voice was shot after the alcoholism and chain smoking took its toll, after the violent attack,
Priest was singing lead, including lead on the follow up to Love is Like Oxygen, California Nights. With Connolly gone, Priest was shoved out front and his voice simply wasnt up to lead. A few of those tracks will appear here as they are still good songs, but a better vocalist would have done more with them.
With a new American wife, his second, Priest based himself in the US leading to his departure from the band. His wife was a senior record executive allowing Priest to retreat to a private life raising his daughters. Keeping creativity alive with a few projects during this time, including
his autobiography “Are you Ready Steve?” And a CD of poems called “Priests precious Poems”
In 2008 he got the itch to tour and formed Steve Priests Sweet. Agreement was made with Scott that Andy Scotts Sweet would tour UK and Europe, Priests would tour North America. Asia and Australia was an issue however, not helped by Priest volunteering to tour there once Andy Scotts Sweet pulled out.
Priest was unaware Scott had been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and the surviving members already frosty relationship took a turn for the worst. Scott survived, but they never met up again. Priest had his health decline and died in June2020 at the age of 72 due to a heart issue.
. After the news I went back and started playing some of the material I hadn't heard in a number of years. Good stuff. Brings back lots of memories.
) in the 70's and early 80s. I feel they have been criminally under-rated as far as Canadian bands go. From a time when guitars were the featured instruments. I suspect some of you have not even heard of them, but most will know a few of these at least. This will be a lot of fun (for me, anyway).
