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Steve Priest Found Dead

MrHodgeheg123

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Steve Priest: Founder member, Bass guitarist and backing/lead singer of the 70's Glam Rock band "The Sweet" found dead aged 72.
The Sweet were my favourite band as a 12 year old with mainstream hits like Blockbuster, Ballroom Blitz, Teenage Rampage and the likes.
Many know them as a Glam/Bubblegum act which is how they made their name and fortune but they influenced many future acts including U2, Guns n Rose's and Def Lepard with their lesser known sounds and are recognised as early hard rock and thrash metal pioneers. Some of their B sides and album tracks were awesome with Turn it Down, AC DC, Solid Gold Brass to name but a few.
The four members were all top draw musicians. Lead singer Brian Connolly's voice was sublime and one of the best frontman ever. Andy Scott lead and Priest Bass guitar were superb and Mick Tucker has to be the most underrated drummers of all time (listen to Man With The Golden Arm off the album Desolation Boulevard).
All could sing and their harmonies imo have never been matched.
Why they've never been entered into The Hall Of Fame is beyond me.
Only one of the original band members survive (Scott) who still performs but its tragic they started to go their separate ways on the mid 70's and the world didn't see their full potential to become monsters of rock.
 
Yes certain ones of us recall their catchy rhythmic tunes of the 70s as all time masterpieces. This guy actually scared me as a youngster, i thought he was a woman!

Poppa joe, teenage rampage, blockbuster, wig wam bam... Bloody hell proper music and style.... Rip and thanks for my memories.
 
Yes certain ones of us recall their catchy rhythmic tunes of the 70s as all time masterpieces. This guy actually scared me as a youngster, i thought he was a woman!

Poppa joe, teenage rampage, blockbuster, wig wam bam... Bloody hell proper music and style.... Rip and thanks for my memories.
Aye, my sister had a poster of Steve Priest on her wall. Very androgynous look. Ballroom Blitz was my favourite tune of theirs and my all time Fave band, The Damned, often covered that at their early gigs.
A mate of mine used to be the entertainment manager at Cardiff Uni and booked a re-formed Sweet for a gig once during the freshers week in the early 90s. I went, and they were great, but blimey, Brian Connoly seriously had the shakes as I remember him bending down to pick his pint up by the monitor and he'd spilt half of it by the time he took a swig. I think they all had booze or drug issues at some point which probably caught up with them.
 
Yes certain ones of us recall their catchy rhythmic tunes of the 70s as all time masterpieces. This guy actually scared me as a youngster, i thought he was a woman!

Poppa joe, teenage rampage, blockbuster, wig wam bam... Bloody hell proper music and style.... Rip and thanks for my memories.
You didn't wander much round Blackpool when you were little then?
 
Aye, my sister had a poster of Steve Priest on her wall. Very androgynous look. Ballroom Blitz was my favourite tune of theirs and my all time Fave band, The Damned, often covered that at their early gigs.
A mate of mine used to be the entertainment manager at Cardiff Uni and booked a re-formed Sweet for a gig once during the freshers week in the early 90s. I went, and they were great, but blimey, Brian Connoly seriously had the shakes as I remember him bending down to pick his pint up by the monitor and he'd spilt half of it by the time he took a swig. I think they all had booze or drug issues at some point which probably caught up with them.
The decline of Connolly both physically and from a vocal point of view was awful.
Drink and smoking took over which seemed to increase after he was attacked and got a boot to his throat that damaged his vocal chords. After that, the range he had was never quite the same.
I'm straight but he was one seriously good looking bloke but his lifestyle took a terrible toll and his physical decline awful to see.
 
The decline of Connolly both physically and from a vocal point of view was awful.
Drink and smoking took over which seemed to increase after he was attacked and got a boot to his throat that damaged his vocal chords. After that, the range he had was never quite the same.
I'm straight but he was one seriously good looking bloke but his lifestyle took a terrible toll and his physical decline awful to see.
I only learnt yesterday that Conolly grew up thinking until he was 18 that his foster family was his real family and that his fostered 'brother' was actually Mark McManus, the Taggart actor, and, remarkably, he looks just like him!
 
Steve Priest: Founder member, Bass guitarist and backing/lead singer of the 70's Glam Rock band "The Sweet" found dead aged 72.
The Sweet were my favourite band as a 12 year old with mainstream hits like Blockbuster, Ballroom Blitz, Teenage Rampage and the likes.
Many know them as a Glam/Bubblegum act which is how they made their name and fortune but they influenced many future acts including U2, Guns n Rose's and Def Lepard with their lesser known sounds and are recognised as early hard rock and thrash metal pioneers. Some of their B sides and album tracks were awesome with Turn it Down, AC DC, Solid Gold Brass to name but a few.
The four members were all top draw musicians. Lead singer Brian Connolly's voice was sublime and one of the best frontman ever. Andy Scott lead and Priest Bass guitar were superb and Mick Tucker has to be the most underrated drummers of all time (listen to Man With The Golden Arm off the album Desolation Boulevard).
All could sing and their harmonies imo have never been matched.
Why they've never been entered into The Hall Of Fame is beyond me.
Only one of the original band members survive (Scott) who still performs but its tragic they started to go their separate ways on the mid 70's and the world didn't see their full potential to become monsters of rock.

Probably because they were always perceived - as you say - a "Bubblegum" band.

Good Bassist RIP.
 
Aye, my sister had a poster of Steve Priest on her wall. Very androgynous look. Ballroom Blitz was my favourite tune of theirs and my all time Fave band, The Damned, often covered that at their early gigs.
A mate of mine used to be the entertainment manager at Cardiff Uni and booked a re-formed Sweet for a gig once during the freshers week in the early 90s. I went, and they were great, but blimey, Brian Connoly seriously had the shakes as I remember him bending down to pick his pint up by the monitor and he'd spilt half of it by the time he took a swig. I think they all had booze or drug issues at some point which probably caught up with them.
Ballroom Blitz was my favourite too. As regards The Damned, it was a B side to one of their early singles, possibly 'New Rose'. They also did a stonking cover of The Beatles' 'Help', I'm pretty sure that was a B side as well.
 
Ballroom Blitz was my favourite too. As regards The Damned, it was a B side to one of their early singles, possibly 'New Rose'. They also did a stonking cover of The Beatles' 'Help', I'm pretty sure that was a B side as well.
Yes it was Janie. One of my fave Damned covers was The Stones' 'Citadel' which appeared on their Friday 13th EP.
Whenever they covered Ballroom Blitz they actually sang 'Great Big Tits'. They never really grew up, the Damned !!
 
I actually disliked the Sweet in 1972, i thought they were a bit of a girls band at the time and none of the lads at school would dare say they liked them in case they were accused of being a ( insert derogatory word ), however as time went on i came to really like them. RIP Steve
 
I was also a massive sweet fan as a youngster , Still am I suppose as I have "Sweets Biggest Hits" on my iphone. ( Like Cooper says above though, I probably wasn't too keen to admit at the time). Teenage Rampage is possibly my favourite Track but also loved, Fox On the Run, Jeanie (B side of Poppa Joe), Co Co, Little Willy, Hellraiser, Ballroom Blitz, Blockbuster, Wig Wam Bam. etc, They were just Brilliant. I do believe now, that they receive far more credit than they did at the time. But like many bands of the 70's, drugs took their toll and The Sweet simply faded away.
 
Steve Priest: Founder member, Bass guitarist and backing/lead singer of the 70's Glam Rock band "The Sweet" found dead aged 72.
The Sweet were my favourite band as a 12 year old with mainstream hits like Blockbuster, Ballroom Blitz, Teenage Rampage and the likes.
Many know them as a Glam/Bubblegum act which is how they made their name and fortune but they influenced many future acts including U2, Guns n Rose's and Def Lepard with their lesser known sounds and are recognised as early hard rock and thrash metal pioneers. Some of their B sides and album tracks were awesome with Turn it Down, AC DC, Solid Gold Brass to name but a few.
The four members were all top draw musicians. Lead singer Brian Connolly's voice was sublime and one of the best frontman ever. Andy Scott lead and Priest Bass guitar were superb and Mick Tucker has to be the most underrated drummers of all time (listen to Man With The Golden Arm off the album Desolation Boulevard).
All could sing and their harmonies imo have never been matched.
Why they've never been entered into The Hall Of Fame is beyond me.
Only one of the original band members survive (Scott) who still performs but its tragic they started to go their separate ways on the mid 70's and the world didn't see their full potential to become monsters of rock.


Brilliant description there sir. I never understood why their non " pop" stuff went under the radar because much of it was class..... RIP.
 
Ballroom Blitz was my favourite too. As regards The Damned, it was a B side to one of their early singles, possibly 'New Rose'. They also did a stonking cover of The Beatles' 'Help', I'm pretty sure that was a B side as well.
They also did a fantastic cover of "My Generation " by The Who.
Also massive influence on "Queen". High praise indeed.
 
First of all I would like to say RIP Steve Priest, part of my teenage years that was took for granted.
Only last week I was looking into the people that had an influance on me music wise growing up,and were they were now.
I bought Give us a Wink when it came out, still got it, says it all, very underated band is an understatement
 
First of all I would like to say RIP Steve Priest, part of my teenage years that was took for granted.
Only last week I was looking into the people that had an influance on me music wise growing up,and were they were now.
I bought Give us a Wink when it came out, still got it, says it all, very underated band is an understatement

Top album with Yesterdays Rain my favourite track.
Favourite Sweet track they ever did? Probably a toss up between Turn It Down and Set Me Free but so many to choose from and I'm prone to changing my mind with this group.
 
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