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Sweet: Live At The Marquee 1986

After the glam, glitz and hitz of their 1970's heyday the 80's began as a lean spell for Sweet. Brian Connolly had departed and by 1984 the band had spluttered to a halt. But the Sweet story was far from over with this new line-up put together by guitarist Andy Scott and drummer Mick Tucker. The pair were joined by one time Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Mario Day, Phil Lanzon on keyboards and Mal McNulty on bass. This heavier version of the Sweet sold out a three night residency at London's legendary Marquee club which shut its doors for good a couple of years later. Restored from the archives by specialist label Angel Air, Live At The Marquee 1986 finds Sweet in hard rocking form.

Paul Mario Day gives an assured vocal performance as they roar through 'Action' and 'Sweet FA'. The extended 'Love Is Like Oxygen' includes the 'Fanfare for the Common Man' interlude with Lanzon's keyboards very much at the forefront. The song remains a highlight of Sweet's live set to this day and must rank as one of Andy Scott's best as a songwriter. 'Set Me Free', 'Ballroom Blitz' and 'Fox On The Run' are pumped up barnstorming versions of their classic anthems.

Having seen the 2013 version of Sweet live in recent months it is pleasing to report they remain in rude health, still led by Andy Scott's fiery guitar riffs and still sending the crowds home happy. Live At The Marquee 1986 is a great reminder of what they were like back in the 80's with this short lived version of the band.

Track List:-
Action
Sweet FA
Love is like oxygen
Restless
No you don't
Guitar segue
Someone else will
Drum solo
Set me free
Ballroom blitz
Fox on the run
Bonus:-
AC DC
Burn on the Flame

Added: August 14th 2013
Reviewer: Dean Pedley
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 5176
Language: english

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Sweet: Live At The Marquee 1986
Posted by Pete Pardo, SoT Staff Writer on 2013-08-14 08:02:18
My Score:

If there was ever a doubt that Sweet could rock, and rock quite hard, then give a listen to this archival recording from 1986 at the famous Marquee. After the band had broken up for a few years, guitarist Andy Scott resurrected the band along with Mick Tucker on drums, original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Mario Day, keyboard player Phil Lanzon (current Uriah Heep), and Slade bassist Mal McNulty for some extensive touring. This rousing set sees this version of Sweet approaching heavy metal at times, with crushing renditions included here of "Sweet FA", "Action", "Set Me Free" (one of the first ever power metal songs?), "Ballroom Blitz", and of course "Fox on the Run". For the proggers, look out for a rousing "Love Is Like Oxygen" complete with Lanzon's killer interpretation of "Fanfare for the Common Man" housed in the middle, showing that Keith Emerson is not the only player who can wow with this piece. Through it all Scott's guitar is crunchy and heavy, adding a metallic hard rock/heavy metal sheen to all these glorious rock/pop/glam classics. Day, who is probably unknown to most (I had no idea Maiden had a previous singer before Paul DiAnno), does a fine job here and it's a shame this gig didn't gain him more notoriety.

Angel Air's reissue of this stellar live album includes 2 bonus tracks, additional live cuts from the gig that include "AC DC" and "Burn on the Flame", both bursting with heavy rock swagger just like their siblings. With a cool booklet jammed with photos and info, this is a well done release from the Angel Air team.



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