The Sweet - Love is like Oxygen (Ric 4001)

rickboy88 · Post by **rickboy88** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:17 pm

Ha! I was listening to FM radio on the way home from work this evening, and I heard a very 70's sounding song with what I thought was a great bass sound, in fact, must be a Ric!

Thanks to good old youtube (and listening to the lyrics) I found out that it was "Love is Like Oxygen" by The Sweet. They are better known for "Little Willy", "Ballroom Blitz", and also "Fox on the Run", etc.

The bass sound in this video is good, especially after the 2nd half. Now I'm thinking of finding a best of CD or something. He's plucking the bass way up on the neck, but it sounds like he's using a pick at times - maybe not though. Pay closer attention in the 2nd half for the sound.

I did a search and couldn't find a thread like this, so I thought what the heck? Here is the youtube link. Behold, the jetglo 4001 in a very disco setting, the hair, all that 70's stuff...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeQrrYMvsY0

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:16 am

David,
Last weekend I was in my favorite used-CD store, and I found a Best of CD for Sweet that had a picture of them, and the bass player was holding a black 4001. It was a medium blue colored CD and it had all of the hits you mentioned. I almost bought it, but I was really looking for some other stuff...

phlemmy · Post by **phlemmy** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:19 am

Set Me Free is my fave song by them.

iamthebassman · Post by **iamthebassman** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:57 am

I saw Sweet in the late 70s, with Cheap Trick. Great show.

rickboy88 · Post by **rickboy88** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 2:10 pm

Gene, I went on Amazon and pulled the trigger on the "Best of" CD with "Love is..." on it. There are two "Best Of" CD's apparently. Also got another one of their recordings from 1974, and yes, the new McCartney CD as well. They should arrive sometime after July 4th.

wints · Post by **wints** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 6:59 pm

There was an old Youtube posting back sometime with that Ric bass really clanking. It was a live TV show in Germany IIRC...

rick_ovic · Post by **rick_ovic** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 10:48 pm

Spot on, Andy. The track was "The Six Teens":-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwk91j0vGAQ

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 6:58 am

Darren, I think the real clank is on Turn It Down....my ears are still bleeding!

beatlefreak · Post by **beatlefreak** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:46 am

Desolation Boulevard was their best album. It's the one that contained "Ballroom Blitz", "The 6-Teens", "Set Me Free", and "Fox On The Run". I saw them in the late seventies also - They were one rockin' band.

johnallg · Post by **johnallg** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:18 pm

Darren's link is a BG 4001.

rickboy88 · Post by **rickboy88** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:28 pm

Kris, "Desolation Boulevard" is the one I sent for (along with the older greatest hits compilation). I took the liberty of adding Steve Priest to the Wikipedia Rickenbacker bass players ("Ric Players") list with a link to the bio of the band on that site.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:16 pm

Beware of the Best of Sweet CD's. Make sure it is on Capitol Records, there is another one circulating that is another band playing their songs! Heresy! (I have both....unfortunately..)

rickboy88 · Post by **rickboy88** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:47 pm

It is the Capitol CD from 1993. "Set Me Free" is not on this compilation, but it is on "Desolation..." (which is a good thing).
I'm looking forward to hearing the Ric bass sound that I like so well with "better than youtube" sound...

inhuien · Post by **inhuien** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:53 pm

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, a very nice track and what a bass tone, pure ric.

I've half a feeling I may have heard this song before a thought it was 10cc. Is it just me that hears a lill' of 10cc about it I wonder.

jeff_ulmer · Post by **jeff_ulmer** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:45 am

>Desolation Boulevard was their best album. It's the one that contained "Ballroom Blitz", "The 6-Teens", "Set Me Free", and "Fox On The Run".

Actually that is only the US version (Capitol) which is actually a compilation album - Set Me Free, No You Don't, Sweet F.A., Into the Night and AC/DC were originally on Sweet Fanny Adams, and Ballroom Blitz was only a single. The original Desolation Boulevard had Six Teens, Solid Gold Brass and Fox on the Run, but not the version North American audiences would be familiar with.

I've been buying the remasters of their catalog recently and the albums are very different. The production on the European DB is pretty roomy sounding compared to the versions on the US version. It's nice having all the bonus tracks too which inlcude the single mixes and B-sides. I'm still trying to figure out which is the best version of "Level Headed" - I much prefer the original artwork (which was the heads of a tape deck, much like "Off the Record"s stylus) to the band shot seen on most CD versions.