Sunday 6 January 2013

When two become one

 Chinn + Chapman = Chinnichap

40 years ago, in January 1973, The Sweet had their one and only # 1 single with Block Buster! (Their screamer, not mine). In the charts at the same time, and on the same record label - RCA, was David Bowie's Jean Genie: which had an identical guitar riff.

'It's actually an old blues riff' Andy Scott, Sweet's guitarist, told me many years later when I interviewed him for the paper. 'Mike Chapman, our producer, used to come and see us live and at that time we would play I'm A Man  by The Yardbirds and segue into FBI by The Shadows. Mike went away and (with Nicky Chinn, above right) wrote Block Buster! and the two songs became one.'


7 comments:

  1. It yet on RCA I remember these pointless facts 40 years on :-)

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  2. Great memories. The Sweet were on a roll at that time. I think it's also well worth checking out their 'heavy rock' phase of a couple of years later.

    Furtheron: Nothing wrong with 'pointless' facts.

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  3. I was four in 1973. I have no memories of the 3 day week, Sunderland winning the cup, the OPEC crisis or the cod war (was that 73?). However, I do remember my elder brother playing this damn thing to death. There are few pieces of music so Proustian as that siren/guitar intro.

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  4. I was at infants school at the time - and we'd pull up our snorkel parka hoods and sing - 'you better beware, you better take care' as way of spooking the girls in the playgound.

    This chap may well have played a part in the song story too

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  5. I was at Junior School, and was entranced by a set of black-haired, blue-eyed twin boys who dominated our class. One loved Slade, the other The Sweet. I'm still in touch with the one who loved The Sweet. The Slade one is a bit of a miserable old git now.

    I think there's something scientific in that.

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  6. Thank you everyone. Mondo knows that I once met Brian Connolly: it's a HORA. But true. I think you'll find it on one of his blogs somewhere.

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  7. I was a member of a drama club at the time and when a change of costume or scenery was required, I, along with 3 mates, were called upon to fill-in by performing our specialty act, which was to mime to a Sweet hit in the full get-up - tonight Matthew, I'm going to be Steve Priest. I have the photographic evidence & it ain't pretty.

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