Sweet

Sweet was one of the major acts of the British glam rock movement of the 1970s. This 92-minute "soft documentary" gives good insight into the band and the period: from its beginnings as a song-fed bubblegum group through to its days as a freestanding pop act with a rocky edge. Not intended to be an exhaustive analysis, Glitz, Blitz & Hitz is more like a string of music videos tied together by interview segments with guitarist Andy Scott, producer/manager Phil Wainman, and songwriter Nicky Chinn (one half of the famed Chinn/Chapman songwriting/production team). The interviews combine to form an entertaining narrative, going beneath the surface enough to give the viewer a good sense of the four personalities who made up Sweet and what went into its rise to (and fall from) stardom. But it's the videos -- very much pre-MTV -- that win the day. Mostly dubbed, live-performance footage (although there's one endearingly guileless clip featuring the band in full glam regalia playing on a rather windy beach), it's a true window to the past. And all the big hits are here, including "Wig Wam Bam," "Blockbuster," "Ballroom Blitz," and "Fox on the Run." Glitz, Blitz & Hitz harks back to a time and place when rock & roll was fuelled by fun. It's also a fitting reminder that Sweet was a darn good pop band and important in its own way. ~ Adrian Zupp, All Music Guide