Review by Rob Broom for MPM
Back in the 1970’s, Sweet – alongside bands such as Slade, Mud and T. Rex – were constantly on the ‘Top Of The Pops’ weekly TV show in the UK. At the time, the Sweets almost androgynous image was textbook ‘glam’ rock and they backed it up with simple catchy tunes.
Whilst initially these hit singles were very pop oriented, as the band aged so their music progressed, becoming more powerful and layered, particularly if you dived into the album tracks.
After splitting up, guitarist Andy Scott and drummer Mick Tucker got the band back together and by 1986 – when ‘Live At The Marquee’ was recorded – had a very impressive lineup with Mal McNulty on bass, Phil Lanzon on keyboards and Paul Mario Day on lead vocals.
Proceedings commence with a thunderous ‘Action’ and immediately it’s obvious this lineup of Sweet are heavier than their predecessors, yet (as the whole album displays) can still capture the excitement and energy that those classic songs generated.
A galloping ‘Sweet F.A.’ follows (from the album Sweet Fanny Adam’s) and we should take a moment to acknowledge Paul Mario Days vocal performance. Paul was in an early pre recording deal line up of Iron Maiden, but really made his mark with More, another excellent band from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal period. There is plenty of power in his vocals and those trade mark high octave harmonies from the whole band really set the tone for what a class act Sweet are. Andy Scott delivers some great riffs and soloing across the entire album and this combined with the vocals seem give a harder edge and urgency to the sound.
With barely a pause the band open up a pulsating ‘Love Is Like Oxygen’. A terrific song with more great vocals, the middle section is dominated by what I would imagine in the live arena would have been a flamboyant display from keyboard maestro Phil Lanzon as we get a hefty excerpt of Emersons Lake and Palmers ‘Fanfare For The The Common Man’. Anyone who has seen Phil with Uriah Heep will know full well he is quite the showman who always looks like he is enjoying himself and his contribution across this album gives an extra depth to the songs.
Next up is ‘Restless’ a boogie style romp that goes straight into the rocking vocal dramatics of ‘No You Don’t’, both tracks are also from the ‘Sweet Fanny Adam’s’ album.
After that we have ‘Guitar Segue’ which is an opportunity for Andy Scott to show off his guitar playing skills before the band kick back in and give us the lesser known and riff filled ‘Someone Else Will’. This song has an addictive chorus line and some killer guitar soloing.
It being the 1980’s, the next cut is the ‘Drum Solo’, but thankfully Mick Taylor keeps it short, powerful and sweet!
There’s a near frantic and breathtaking ‘Set Me Free’ with the whole band letting rip before we get to the final two tracks from the original release.
These are ‘Ballroom Blitz’ and ‘Fox On The Run’, two of Sweets most well known songs and biggest hits. Of these, ‘Fox’ is a titanic foot stomping opus that’s almost worth the price of the CD on its own. Paul Mario Day stamps his vocal personality onto both songs and the band close out with a brief reprise of ‘Love Is Like Oxygen’.
This CD also comes with two bonus tracks ‘AC/DC’ and ‘Burn On The Flame’. Arguably these would have been better served by putting them into the correct place in the set list as they are overshadowed by the closing ‘Fox On The Run’. However, while ‘AC/DC’ might be showing its age somewhat with regard to the lyrics, ‘Burn On The Flame’ is an excellent addition.
Paul Mario Day passed away in 2025 and this recording is very much a worthy testament to his vocal abilities from that time. The whole of ‘Live At The Marquee’ is a real pleasure to listen to.
In conclusion, if you thought that the Sweet were some teenage pop glam band from the 1970s this CD will put you straight. It’s a terrific addition to any rock fans music collection and so go buy it now.
MORE INFO:
www.thesweet.com
