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The Sweet - Love is like Oxygen (Ric 4001)
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:17 pm
by rickboy88
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
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:16 am
by squirebass
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...
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:19 am
by phlemmy
Set Me Free is my fave song by them.
Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:57 am
by iamthebassman
I saw Sweet in the late 70s, with Cheap Trick. Great show.
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 2:10 pm
by rickboy88
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.
Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2007 6:59 pm
by wints
There was an old Youtube posting back sometime with that Ric bass really clanking. It was a live TV show in Germany IIRC...
Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2007 10:48 pm
by rick_ovic
Spot on, Andy. The track was "The Six Teens":-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwk91j0vGAQ
Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 6:58 am
by henry5
Darren, I think the real clank is on Turn It Down....my ears are still bleeding!
Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:46 am
by beatlefreak
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.
Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:18 pm
by johnallg
Darren's link is a BG 4001.
Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:28 pm
by rickboy88
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.
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:16 pm
by atomic_punk
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..)
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:47 pm
by rickboy88
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...
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:53 pm
by inhuien
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.
Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 8:45 am
by jeff_ulmer
>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.