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SWEET
Full Circle
Metalville Records

The origins of THE SWEET (or SWEET depending on whom you ask) began in 1968, with the band originally called SWEETSHOP. They were early purveyors in what was then called Glam Rock, which also had bands like T-REX, SLADE, DAVID BOWIE, and nothing to do with the 80's musical abortion of guys dressed like drag queens making horrible music. They had the amazing ability to go from bubblegum pop songs like "Little Willy", "Funny Funny" or even one of their biggest hits, "The Ballroom Blitz", to heavy tracks like "Sweet F.A.", "Burning" or "Cockroach". I was and still am a HUGE fan of their unbelievable vocal harmonies (something they shared with Freddie Mercury & QUEEN). Through nine classic albums (I myself only have 8, the missing one being their last official SWEET album, Identity Crisis, released in 1982, when they became a 3-piece after lead vocalist Brian Connolly had left back in 1979).

Which brings us to the next saga. After they split, almost everyone had their own version of THE SWEET (sadly) touring. That included Brian Connolly's SWEET, Steve Priest's SWEET, and Andy Scott's SWEET. If you want to try and follow THAT story, with all the comings & goings of all the different members, pour yourself a stiff drink and a comfortable chair. You're going to be there awhile. The short version: Brian Connolly (vocals) died on the 9th of February, 1997. Mick Tucker (drums) played briefly with Scott's SWEET and passed away on the 14th of February, 2002. Steve Priest (bass) died on the 4th of June, 2020. And for some odd reason, Priest's version has not only decided to crank back up playing gigs, but just released some new music, to keep the legacy alive they claim. Yeah, but if you have ZERO OG members in YOUR band, and there is still a band with ONE OG member still alive, then HOW exactly are you keeping the "legacy" alive when you have no claim to it other than you played with a member who is now deceased? If you were, say MOLLY HATCHET, and are still touring even though there are NO living members left, I suppose that's one thing. It's just a convoluted mess IMO. The ticket buying public will ultimately have the last say methinks, as to who should and should not be.

Which finally brings us to the review portion of our programme. How will lone OG member Andy Scott (guitar) and his merry band of minstrels keep HIS legacy going? The title to this new opus is Full Circle, as somehow the new band has come full circle to recreate the old band perhaps? Err, not exactly to these ears. But people do still flock to see QUEEN with someone trying to replace the legend Freddie Mercury who is irreplaceable to these ears, so what the hell do I know?

The lineup in Andy's SWEET is: Paul Manzi, vocals. Lee Small, bass. Adam Booth, drums. Tom Cory, guitars and keys. And of course Andy Scott on guitars. All members sans Adam are listed as vocals, lending to the fact that one of THE SWEET's calling cards were the dynamic harmony vocals amongst the Hard Rock. "Circus" starts off the festivities up tempo, and there are those harmony vocals on the chorus. Paul has a good voice, sounding like a plethora of Euro rock vocalists on the scene. And for someone who worshipped Brian's voice, it doesn't really sound anything like old SWEET. But the chance of finding another Tim 'Ripper' Owens (JUDAS PRIEST) or Arnel Pineda (JOURNEY) to lead your band like the OG member never existed is like looking for that 4-leaf clover on a hill in Ireland. Next cut, "Don't Bring Me Water" is fairly pedestrian.

And before I go any further, I'd like to point out that thanks to my VERY cool boss Larry Petro, I get to pick and choose who and what I review. The reason I point this out is I get to do that so I don't end up reviewing something that I'm going to hate, which does nothing for the band in question or me for that matter. While I don't "fanboy" out, I think I can be more impartial to a band I have a long history with.

Which brings us back to song #3, "Burning Like A Falling Star". Well played, the production is outstanding (as is the whole album). But to me, this sounds like almost every band on the Frontiers Record label out of Italy. They love to put superstars from different melodic rock bands together to see what fruits the tree will produce. As you would expect, it's hit and miss depending on your musical taste. And that's kind of where I'm at with Full Circle. While it has everything the modern rock fan would want, for someone who worshipped the platform boots of THE original SWEET, quite possibly I am way off base expecting something that cannot be. I don't expect that. However I do expect it to at least remotely sound like the SWEET of yore. And that just doesn't really happen. Slow, melodic, semi-ballads. Again, well played, sounds fantastic. The only cut that really got me excited was "Destination Hannover", an uptempo track which has that multi-layered harmony vocals THE SWEET were/are famous for. Then right back to the mid-tempo melodic rock sameness of "Rising Up".

11 tracks, 42 minutes. As the lyrics to album closer and namesake, Full Circle say, "days of future passed" (which is also a MOODY BLUES album from 1967), sometimes you can go Full Circle with brilliant results. And sometimes it's a futile effort to rekindle something that can never be again. So I say to you, don't take my word on it. Seek out Full Circle yourself and see which way on the street it makes you travel. I believe SWEET are deserving of that much at least.

I don't know as of now whether or not there is or will be Vinyl for this.

2.5 Out Of 5.0 Skulls ☠️☠️