Great Rock Albums of 1978: The Sweet- Level Headed

I’ve said this before, The Sweet were one of the great, hidden influences of many metal bands, both for their sound and the make up. They, along with Marc Bolan, personified glam rock back in the seventies and was one of the reasons I included them in the section of “Other Great Metal Influences” on here. For further imput, go back and read that posting.

This brings me to the 1978 album, “Level Headed,” which has been said by many to be the last great album by The Sweet. One of the reasons for this belief is that “Level Headed” contains their last big single, “Love is Like Oxygen.” I remember this being another cool rock song that came blasting through the speaker of that little AM clock radio of mine in the early summer of that year. When I first heard this song however, I thought it was ELO due to the vocals. It was only when the deejay announced it was The Sweet, that I knew different. But that didn’t change my view, it is still a good song. Of course there some other great tracks on this album ranging from the mellow sounding “Dream On” to the more traditional Sweet sounding ditties like “California Nights” and “Silverbird.”

Track Listing: (US version)

1. California Nights

2. Silver Bird

3. Dream On

4. Fountain

5. Love is Like Oxygen

6. Anthem N0 I (Lady of the Lake)

7. Strong Love

8. Letters D’ Amour

9. Anthem No II (Instrumental)

10. Air on “A” Tape Roof

The Sweet

Brian Conolly- lead and backing vocals

Andy Scott- guitar, synthesiser, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Dream On” and “Fountain”

Mick Tucker- drums, percussion, backing vocals

Steve Priest- bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on “California Nights”

US album cover

This would be the last album that would feature The Sweet as a foursome. Brian Conolly later left the band to persue a solo career and some say that this contributed to their decline after this album. I’m not sure about that, but I know this is a good album and is one of the reasons why The Sweet deserve their place in rock history.

Next post: Rainbow- Long Live Rock And Roll

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