Download Ballroom Blitz Ringtone

The hyper rockers in the band Sweet define what it was to be young and glam in fabulous, 1970's Britain. Putting on Sweet's greatest hits disc is like opening up a time capsule full of feather boas and size 12, sparkly platforms. Some schooling for the young ?uns out there: This isn't American glam hair metal. Sweet took their cues straight form androgynous trend-setters like David Bowie and Iggy Pop. The look was meant to antagonize the conservative morals of the British middle class, and plenty of young kids also took the opportunity to experiment with different aspects of their sexuality while they were at it. The truly surprising thing is, despite some dubious fashion choices, the band's killer singles like "Ballroom Blitz" or "Little Willy" keep Sweet in rock rotation today. Sweet never made the mistake of taking themselves too seriously, and you can often detect a sly wink behind all of the eye makeup. The band actually formed in the middle of England's 1960's soul music scene, when eager English teens were playing their own version of American soul and R&B classics. Drummer Mick Tucker hooked up with vocalist Brian Connolly and bassist/ lead vocalist Steve Priest , then went on to form a combo named The Sweetshop. The band struggled, releasing novelty pop singles that received little critical notice or radio airplay. After several lineup changes, including the addition of manic ex-Elastic Band guitarist Andy Scott, the band inked a contract with RCA Records. Andy's big-riff guitar style was a perfect match for Mick Tuckers gigantic drum attack, and Sweet finally released their debut LP, Funny How Sweet Coco Can Be. Sweet had not yet hit on their trademark glam style, and the album is more of a psychedelic 60's pop novelty. Finally, in 1974, Sweet made the transition from pop to glam rock and released their classic stardust manifesto Desolation Boulevard, which included "The Six Teens", "Fox On the Run" and a heavy cover version of The Who's "My Generation."

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