Sweet - Hard Centres: The Rock Years [1987] **Definitive Classic Rock**

1 Set Me Free 3.59
2 Sweet F.A 6.14
3 Restless 4.29
4 Yesterday's Rain 5.19
5 White Mice 4.59
6 Cockroach 4.52
7 Keep It In 5.01
8 Live For Today 3.26
9 Windy City 7.31
10 Midnight To Daylight 3.33
This collection focuses on just three albums of the original Brian Connolly fronted line-up. From 1974’s “Sweet Fanny Adams” come thunderous opener “Set Me Free“, the excellent “Sweet F.A.” itself which displays some of their more ambitious trappings and demands to be played loud and often, along with “Restless” a song that could have been a sure-fire smash hit single if released as one. “Desolation Boulevard” (in its UK configuration anyway) is then side-stepped completely as “Give Us A Wink” from 1976 provides the next four cuts. “Yesterday’s Rain” is a superb song with some great risqué lyrics and offers clear evidence to why Sweet challenge Slade as Glam’s heavy rock greats. “White Mice” is somewhat raw but still heavy and dominated by guitars whilst “Cockroach” occupies Zeppelin territory. And if one similar to isn’t enough here, “Keep It In” sees Sweet doing a song with distinct similarities to Queen possibily due to the albums production being handled by Reinhold Mack.
The final three pieces all come from their final RCA album, 1977’s “Off The Record”. “Live For Today” is a close relative to "Give Us A Wink's" big single success “Action”, a song that itself would have fitted the remit for this collection but is admirably overlooked on this occasion. “Windy City” is a monster in its own right too with a huge, dirty guitar riff whilst “Midnight To Daylight” provides a classy melodic heavy rocker to end a showcase of three albums that perhaps deserve more attention than the one that seemingly gets it all.
Subtitled “The Rock Years” this album clearly sets out to prove what a fine rock band Sweet were, even past their commercial peak, and the mission is certainly accomplished.