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Sweet - Cut Above the Rest (1979) [2010, Cherry Red, GLAM CD 105]

Posted By: v3122
Sweet - Cut Above the Rest (1979) [2010, Cherry Red, GLAM CD 105]

Sweet - Cut Above the Rest (1979) [2010, Cherry Red, GLAM CD 105]
Rock | EAC Rip | Flac (Image) + Cue + Log | MP3 CBR 320Kbps | 12 Tracks
Scans Included | Cherry Red Records | GLAM CD 105 | ~396 + 161 Mb | HF + FS + SM

After recording Level Headed, an album that mostly forsaked their hard rock leanings for pure pop, longtime lead vocalist Brian Connolly left Sweet for good. The rest of the group decided to press on as a trio, combining their pop/rock sound with a variety of other musical styles in a bid to gain a more progressive image. The result was Cut Above the Rest, a bizarre combination of the hard-rocking pop that dominated classic Sweet singles with progressive flights of fancy in a 10cc/Electric Light Orchestra vein, plus a dash of lounge lizard-ish soft rock balladry thrown in to cover all the pop/rock bases. There's no way an album that tries do so many things at once could succeed at all of them, but Cut Above the Rest is a surprisingly listenable affair. When the elements jell, the songs are positively addictive: "Play All Night" is a blistering rocker that contrasts glam rock guitar riffs with candy-coated vocal harmonies worthy of Queen, and "Mother Earth" is an odd but fascinating hybrid of pop hooks and prog instrumental virtuosity that sounds like Electric Light Orchestra collaborating with Manfred Mann's Earth Band. "Eye Games" is another successful experiment, a purely acoustic tune with perceptive and witty lyrics about the dating rituals that take place in nightclubs. On the downside, Cut Above the Rest is weighed down by an unfortunate penchant for melodramatic balladry: the attractive harmonies that light up "Big Apple Waltz" are undone by its sappy romance lyrics, and "Hold Me" is histrionic to the point of being unintentionally funny. Despite these lapses, Cut Above the Rest is a distinctive and memorable outing whose experimental edge and strong craftsmanship make it stand out amongst Sweet's late-'70s output. It is too erratic for the casual listener, but hardcore Sweet fanatics will find plenty enjoy on this album.

~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide
Sweet - Cut Above the Rest (1979) [2010, Cherry Red, GLAM CD 105]

Sweet Biography:

Formed: 1968, London, England
Disbanded: 1982
Genres: Rock
Representative Albums: "Sweet 16: It's…It's…Sweet's Hits", "Complete A & B Sides: Hit Singles", "Action: The Sweet Anthology"
Representative Songs: "Ballroom Blitz", "Fox on the Run", "Blockbuster"

In some ways, the Sweet epitomized all the tacky hubris and garish silliness of the early '70s. Fusing bubblegum melodies with crunching, fuzzy guitars, the band looked a heavy metal band, but were as tame as any pop group. It was a dichotomy that served them well, as they racked up a number of hits in both the U.K. and the U.S. Most of those hits were written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, a pair of British songwriters that had a way with silly, simple, and catchy hooks. Chinn/Chapman and Sweet were smart enough to latch on to the British glam rock fad, building a safer, radio-friendly and teen-oriented version of Queen, T. Rex, and Gary Glitter. By the end of the '70s, the group's time at the top of the charts had expired but their hit singles lived on not only as cultural artifacts, but also as the predecessors for the pop-metal of the '80s.

Originally, the Sweet were called the Sweetshop and consisted of Brian Connolly (vocals), Mick Tucker (vocals, drums), Frank Torpey (guitar), and Steve Priest (bass). In 1970, the group truncated their name to Sweet and signed a record contract with Fontana/EMI, releasing four unsuccessful singles. Following the failure of the four singles, Torpey left the group and was replaced by Andy Scott. The new lineup of Sweet signed to RCA Records in 1971, where they were placed under the direction of songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Chinn and Chapman wrote a number of light bubblegum pop songs for the group, the first of which, "Funny Funny," reached number 13 on the U.K. charts. Following "Funny Funny," the duo wrote five more Top 40 hits for the group – including "Little Willy" and "Wig-Wam Bam" – which were all lightweight bubblegum numbers loaded with double entendres. During this time, Sweet were writing their own B-sides and album tracks. All of the group's compositions were harder than Chinn and Chapman's songs, featuring crunching hard rock guitars. Consequently, the duo decided to write tougher songs for the group. "Blockbuster," the first result of Chinn and Chapman's neo-glam rock approach, was the biggest hit Sweet ever had in the U.K., reaching number one on the charts in early 1973 and eventually going platinum. For the next two years, Sweet continued to chart with Chinn and Chapman compositions, including the Top Ten hits "Hell Raiser," "Ballroom Blitz," "Teenage Rampage," and "The Six Teens."

By the summer of 1974, the members of Sweet had grown tired of the control Chinn and Chapman exerted over their career and decided to record without the duo. The resulting album, Sweet Fanny Adams, reached number 27 in the U.K., but it yielded no hits. In the spring of 1975, Sweet had their first self-penned hit with "Fox on the Run," which reached the Top Ten in both the U.K. and the U.S. "Fox on the Run" appeared on the collection Desolation Boulevard; in America, it's release helped "Ballroom Blitz" reach the Top Ten in the summer of 1975. Strung Up, released in the fall of 1975, continued the group's move toward album-oriented rock. For the rest of the decade, the group continued to churn out albums, which were all less successful than their predecessor. Sweet bounced back into the charts in 1978 with "Love Is Like Oxygen," but the single proved to be their last gasp; they never reached the Top Ten again, neither in the U.S. or the U.K.

Connolly left the band after "Love Is Like Oxygen" and the group replaced him with keyboardist Gary Moberley. The group carried on for three more years, releasing three more albums that all achieved little success. After several years of little success or attention, Sweet broke up in 1982. In the decade following their breakup, Sweet reunited on various occasions. In 1985, a dance club medley of their hits called "It's the Sweet Mix" became a British Top 50 hit and, following the single's success, the group re-formed for a tour that proved to be less anticipated than expected. Later in the decade, Scott toured as part of the group Paddy Goes to Holyhead. In 1989, Scott and Tucker re-formed Sweet to record a live album at London's Marquee Club.

~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Sweet - Cut Above the Rest (1979):

Sweet - Cut Above the Rest (1979) [2010, Cherry Red, GLAM CD 105]

Tracklist:

01. Call Me
02. Play All Night
03. Big Apple Waltz
04. Dorian Gray
05. Discophony (Dis-Kof-O-Ne)
06. Eye Games
07. Mother Earth
08. Hold Me
09. Stay With Me
10. Call Me (7" Version)
11. Why Don't You
12. Mother Earth (7" Version)

Personnel:

Steve Priest - Vocal, Bass Guitar
Andy Scott - Vocal, Guitars and Synthesizers
Mick Tucker - Vocal, Drums and percussions

Exact Audio Copy V0.99 prebeta 5 from 4. May 2009

Отчёт EAC об извлечении, выполненном 10. июня 2010, 14:15

The Sweet / Cut Above The Rest ( GLAM CD 105 )

Дисковод: HL-DT-STDVDRAM GSA-T20N Adapter: 1 ID: 0

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Использование точного потока : Да
Отключение кэша аудио : Да
Использование указателей C2 : Нет

Коррекция смещения при чтении : 667
Способность читать области Lead-in и Lead-out : Нет
Заполнение пропущенных сэмплов тишиной : Да
Удаление блоков с тишиной в начале и конце : Нет
При вычислениях CRC использовались нулевые сэмплы : Да
Интерфейс : Встроенный Win32-интерфейс для Win NT/2000

Выходной формат : Пользовательский кодировщик
Выбранный битрейт : 768 kBit/s
Качество : Высокий
Добавление ID3-тэга : Нет
Утилита сжатия : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Дополнительные параметры : -8 -V %s


TOC извлечённого CD

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Характеристики диапазона извлечения и сообщения об ошибках

Выбранный диапазон

Имя файла D:\uTorrent.compl\The Sweet - 'Cut Above The Rest' 1979, 'Identity Crisis' 1982 ( The 7T's Edition 2010 )\'Cut Above The Rest' ( GLAM CD 105 )\The Sweet - Cut Above The Rest ( GLAM CD 105 ).wav

Пиковый уровень 97.7 %
Качество диапазона 100.0 %
CRC теста 2334B80D
CRC копии 2334B80D
Копирование… OK

Ошибок не произошло


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AUDIOCHECKER v2.0 beta (build 457) - by Dester - opdester@freemail.hu
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-=== DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE! ===-

Path: …\'Cut Above The Rest' ( GLAM CD 105 )

01 -=- The Sweet - Cut Above The Rest ( GLAM CD 105 ).flac -=- CDDA (100%)

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Sweet - Cut Above the Rest (1979) [2010, Cherry Red, GLAM CD 105]


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