When it came to titan teen anthems of the seventies and the brusque attitude of their proto-punkish guitars, Sweet were nearly unrivaled. Their music hails from the bubblegum end of the glam rock spectrum, blazing the trails for the first wave of British punk. If there are any artists reminiscent of the Sweet, you might immediately set your sights on Slade, Quatro, or Mud (like Sweet, all involved with the Chinn/Chapman pop factory.) Of course, there are hundreds upon thousands of sticky sweet confections, riding on the Sweet's decals (i.e. Hector, Iron Virgin, Blackfoot Sue.) The backbone of Junkshop Glam owes every hushed blockbuster to Sweet's presence on the pop charts. Aside from Priest/Scott's crisp guitar ripples and Mick Tucker's triumphant battering on the drums, front man Brian Connolly was easily the spokesman for every decadent smash felt by record buyers. Sure, Steve Priest definitely uprooted Robert Plant on popular tracks, such as 'Blockbuster' or 'California Nights,' but it was Connolly's years with the Sweet that chomped through teenybopper subconscious. When Brian's substance abuse worsened, eventually forcing him to leave the band, they could only dream of making a dent in the Top Forty. In 1981, Brian was hospitalized for severe bloating and he nursed multiple heart attacks--most likely tied to his alcohol habits and his diuretic abuse. As his health spindled down into deeper, darker, predicaments, Connolly still sustained a solo-career, in the midst of his failing condition and marital problems (a bitter divorce from first wife, Marilyn, was finalized in 1986.) Although none of his solo singles charted, he managed to secure a slot as a supporting act with Pat Benatar in 1983. Unfortunately, Brian's work would suffer the ultimate compromise as he began to wither away physically. His chronic alcoholism began to lacerate his muscles and snap his vocal cords, despite recent Sweet reunions.
Brian Francis Connolly chose the way to rock 'n roll, but he was truly a lost angel. On February 9, 1997, Connolly's life was trampled under complications due to renal/liver failure and ceaseless heart attacks. During the last sixteen years on his life, Connolly's presence no longer embossed the pop craters, but the legend of his years with the Sweet kept him afloat for a constantly expanding fanbase (casual and die-hard alike.) The emotional tirade, emanating from his yelp and his ability to catapult flashy leotards to the limelight made him a liable precursor to Freddie Mercury. In 2009, 'The Man Who Sang Blockbuster' was published, and detailed Connolly's trials and triumphs, from his audacious heydays to his untimely fate. Currently, it is the only biography on Connolly, and although it has been out of print for a few years, it is an essential component of any Sweet fan's documentation of the group.
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