Customer Reviews

Level Headed

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Including bonus tracks, this version of LEVEL HEADED not only features the full-length version of "Love Is Like Oxygen", but the single version of it as well as "California Nights". Capitol dropped this title more than 5 years ago, only available as a cassette. This CD shows a more Alan Parsons-type approach, and the CD is mastered perfectly.

After countless hits,metal glam classics and rebel raisin'rock, this group of rousers suddenly grew-up and retreated to the hills to record this classic. An album made by mature musicians who were just to good to put out another 1,4,5 boogie album. This has an adventurous feel to it like a classic Queen album. Some moments do sound like Queen in the complex harmonies. And the softer songs have a grand orchestral sound that is big not boring.And we have our heavy guitar themes but the glossy production makes everything sugary sweet. I'm reviewing this again after all these years because we the fans were unfair when this came-out the first time. "Love Is Like Oxygen" did go on to be a big hit. This is a deep album and deserves reflection and multiple spins...5 stars because this is a class A record from a band that just became a class act at that time...

This is a great album by the Sweet with some really good songs...it's got a couple of duds like Lady Of The Lake. This effort is one of their mellowest albums...but songs like the massive Love Is Like Oxygen make it worth picking up.

I have the Lemon Records version and it is not remastered at all in fact the CD's output is very very low and it's hard to tell if they used master tapes for this release...they are notorious for vinyl transfers and this is probably the case for this reissue...still the quality is very listenable if you turn up the stereo a lot just not what you'd expect from a 2008 remaster. The other thing is I wish it came with the US cover art which I prefer.

This is their last album with singer Brian Connolly and it contains the hit-single "Love is like oxygen". A very versatile record. First you get 70ies hard rock, then funk and then renaissance music with a lot of harpsichord ! However, this strange blend of genres really works and the entire album sounds good ("warm") as a whole. To me it's their second best after "Give us a wink", which is Sweet's absolute hard rock album (with "Fox on the run", "Action","Sweet FA", "The Healer",...). Sweet always managed to find original harmonies and style combinations, and "Level Headed" is their last masterpiece.

For the second time in their already stellar career, Sweet wanted to make a break with their past. The first time, they wanted to break the leash of their teen-pop controllers Chinn and Chapman, and the band did just that with the massive success of "Desolation Boulevard." Three albums later, Sweet decided they wanted something else...musical respect. To a certain extent, "Level Headed" delivered on those efforts.

The change is obvious with the opening softness of "California Nights." It chimes with acoustic guitars and harmonies straight out of Poco. "Dream On" is a ballad, saturated with strings. Harpsicords cascade through "Lady Of The Lake." The closing instrumental, "Air On A Tape Loop" sounds like something off an Alan Parsons Project CD. The harmonies throughout are highly reminiscent of Queen. The overall feel of "Level Headed" is relaxed and effortless, proving that Sweet obviously had more chops than "Ballroom Blitz" might have led one to believe.

Problem is, their urge to create "serious music" completely robbed Sweet of their edge. If you're looking for a piece of the "Action" here, you'll be completely confounded. Also, despite the obvious desire to come off as progressive, Sweet just ain't Yes. All of this can be forgiven by the high point of "Level Headed," Sweet's final American hit, "Love Is Like Oxygen." Balancing perfectly between its instrumental workout and ham-hook chorus, it was a deserved worldwide smash. Sadly, it was also Brain Connely's last hurrah with the band, and future albums suffered from his loss (the sole good song from "Sweet VI," "Sixties Man," can be found on the Capitol Records best of collection). Having the full length "Love Is Like Oxygen" alone makes this album worth owning, but otherwise, it's for diehard Sweet lovers only.

To be honest, the remastered job on this CD failed to impress me. Nevertheless, I still rate this CD with 5 stars because it's simply outstanding, full of emotion and musical maturity. Released in 1978, Level Headed is definitively one of Sweet's best, yet most intriguing productions. The Sweet had just established itself as one of the hardest rocking bands during the 1974-1977 rock vintage period. Not necessarily winning over their always overtly harsh "critics", but Brian Connolly (v), Mick Tucker (d), Steve Priest (b) and Andy Scott (g) had finally demonstrated their enormous musical talents. The band peaked during this period and their influence on `80s rock metal bands is simply undeniable. For starters, Motley Crue copied every riff, antics, mayhem from The Mighty Sweet, always falling way short in their attempt. Always imitated but never equaled. No teeny bop #1 hits were necessary anymore, as The Sweet was a band on a mission, a mission to do and say whatever they wanted. They were totally outrageous and out of control. And then came "Level Headed", an album displaying their softer side. This album is night and day compared to their recent musical past, but still delivered some of the bands richest repertoire. Sadly, this is the last album to feature Brian Connolly on vocals, and well... The Sweet was regretfully never the same. The import CD version is much better than this, it sounds great and it also has two superb extra songs: "Show Me the Way" (a rocking continuation of their excellent "Laura Lee" ballad from their prior release, and "Cover Girl".

The Sweet is one the greatest and most influential bands of the '70s, yet one of the most underrated. This album is a must for any serious music lover.

Moving well into their 30's in age the Sweet takes a turn to the adult-oriented rock genre. Having been known either for being Mike Chapman/Nicky Chinn's band, or hard rockers writing occasionally killer songs, Sweet turns the volume down to a low scream for "Level Headed" in 1978. Unbeknownst to fans this was to be Brian Connolly's swan song as the rest of the band was about to give the alcoholic singer the boot in a most uncool, devious manner. The album really shines as Steve Priest and Andy Scott step up and deliver a collection of fine songs, all four members giving superb performances. "California Nights" sets the mood by the band doing their best Eagles/Fleetwood Mac impersonation, but "Silverbird" is pure Sweet with killer rythm by Priest and Tucker. "Fountain" surprises by showing range in the band's songwriting talents. "Love is Like Oxygen" we all know it, it's so good...nuff said. Side two offers up a string ensemble for a song from out of nowhere "Anthem No. 1" sung beautifully by Brian. "Strong Love" is a mid-tempo rocker that fit nicely in the pocket with a killer groove. The album ends on the strange "Air on 'A' Tape Loop", but somehow seems like the perfect end for the band. "Level Headed" is what's known as progressing as a band, and many times spells death. The Sweet were lucky in this regard, the audience accepted them in their new format, and the band didn't need to retrace their steps....for another two albums. Level Headed could be perceived as a high water mark for the band critically as well as commercially. To others, its just limp rock and roll. I think it stands on its on merits.

This is a well-crafted album. It captures the transformation of the band from the glam-rock of their beginnings to the harder and leaner music that they put out afterward. This is evident especially in the track 'Air On "A" Tape Loop'; you have to remind yourself that this was a song from 1978. The cover is different than the U.S. released version. That version has a closeup of what looks at first glance like a city or structure from an alien world perhaps. But when you opened the foldout center of the album, you saw a picture of a floating electric guitar with a cassette tape player in the place of the string pickups. Very original artwork. The picture of the band that is on the cover of this version of the album was located on the album sleeve if I recall correctly. It has nothing to do with the quality of the recording, but it is interesting just the same.

I'm not sure I would consider 1978's "Level Headed" their best album, but this is The Sweet album I spent much of my high school years listening to - I can remember having this set recorded on a little Philips tape recorder and even listening to it as I made a pathetic attempt to run cross country. Listening to this kind of mindless pop-rock was way more fun than focusing on running ... Self-produced, this was the album where Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Andy Scott, and Mick Tucker finally stepped away from the shadows of long-time producers/writers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. It had only taken them three albums to get there and one of the funny things about the collection was that even though the band had finally figured out how to use the creative independence they'd long sought, musically the first five songs (side one), didn't sound all that different from the material Chinn-Chapman had been feeding them over the years. Exemplified by material like 'Silverbird', 'California Nights' and the classic 'Love I s Like Oxygen'' this was first-rate pop-rock with a highly commercial sheen - exactly the product Chinn-Chapman had built their reputations and Sweet's earlier successes on. Side two was a different story. Here the quartet seemingly let lose with everything they'd want to experiment with over the years, including English folk-rock ('Anthem No. 1 (Lady of the Lake)'), funk ('Strong Love'), pseudo-classical moves ('Anthem No. 1 (Lady of the Lake)'), and even a touch of Pink Floyd-ish experimentation (the synthesizer propelled 'Air On 'A' Tape Loop').

- Ever wondered what Zeppelin would have sounded like had the decided to record a truly commercial song ? Well. 'California Nights' might be a pretty good approximation. Sweet seldom managed to get the balance between rock and pop so right. Fantastic song and you can only wonder why it wasn't a massive American hit. Here's a YouTube clip of the band doing the song: [...] rating: **** stars
- 'Silverbird' dropped the wannabe a metal band moves in favor of a straight ahead slice of radio-ready pop-rock. Connolly seldom sounded as good and Scott turned in a wonderfully concise guitar solo. Another one that would have sounded wonderful on late-1970s op-40 radio. rating: **** stars
- A big, sappy, heavily orchestrated ballad, 'Dream On' was the kind of song adolescent girls swooned over. Yeah, it was very pretty and very sappy, but if you weren't a 14 year old girl, this one had about as much appeal as a call from the I.R.S. Simply not my cup of tea though lots of folks will disagree. rating: ** stars
- 'I remember the first time I heard 'Fountain' I wondered if it was a Badfinger song - it had the same second generation Beatles-wannabe feel and sound that band routinely popped out. This one had a tasty chorus, some nice harmony vocals, excellent Steve Priest bass, and harpsichord (I'm a sucker for harpsichord). A touch artier than some of the other tracks, but still one of the album highlights. rating: **** stars
- Ah, one of their classic songs and the one casual fans are most likely to be familiar with ... 'Love Is Like Oxygen' has always struck me as sounding like a cross between ELO and Queen. Yeah, its pop-progressive with a sense of fun and without the pretense that wrecks so much of the genre. The edited single version is what most folks have heard, but the extended seven minute album cut is pretty nifty with lots of Scott's chiming guitar. For anyone interested, YouTube has a nice television performance of the song at: [...] rating: **** stars
- A pretty harpsichord tinged folk-rock influenced ballad, 'Anthem No. 1 (Lady of the Lake)' sounded like it might have drawn a bit of inspiration from the likes of Fairport Convention. In fact it wouldn't have been a major stretch to picture Sandy Denny taking a stab at this one. I'm usually not a big fan of heavy orchestration, but on this one the results were stunning, serving as a perfect backdrop for Connolly's voice and Scott's chiming lead guitar. rating: *** stars
- Kicked along by a punchy horn arrangement (courtesy of Ronnie Asprey and Richard Harvey), and Priest's pounding bass line, 'Strong Love' found the band taking a credible stab at being funky ... I'm not sure how, or why, but it was actually kind of entertaining. Who would have ever thought of Sweet doing a song like this ... rating: *** stars
- Typically the combination of an English band singing a song with a French title spells aural disaster and while it wasn't horrible, 'Lettres D'amour' didn't do all that much for me. I guess you couldn't blame for the French influence since they'd spent a month recording parts of the album in a French chateau. Connolly actually sounded pretty good duet with Stevie Langham and the song certainly had a pretty melody. rating: ** stars
- A brief orchestrated instrumental segment, 'Anthem No. 2' was pretty, but just a throwaway effort that sounded like a continuation of the earlier 'Anthem No. 1 (Lady of the Lake)'. rating: ** stars
- I'm not sure why folks refer to it as an instrumental since 'Air On 'A' Tape Loop' clearly had lyrics. The song was clearly one of their most experimental numbers with Priest's galloping bass, Tucker's tribal drumming, and Scott's slide guitar and synthesizers giving the track a Pink Floyd-ish-meets Krautorck vibe. Perhaps because it was so different from their patented sound, this one's always been a personnel favorite. rating: **** stars

The album was tapped for a series of three singles in the States:

- 1978's 'Air on 'A' Tape Loop' b/w 'Air on 'A' Tape Loop' (Capitol catalog number SPRO 8770 12" single
- 1978's 'Love Is Like Oxygen' b/w 'Cover Girl' (Capitol catalog number P-4549)
- 1978's California Nights' b/w 'Show Me the Way' (Capitol catalog number P-4610)

Unfortunately the album also spelled the end of Sweet's classic line-up with Connolly announcing he was quitting (the commonly understood story is that the rest of the band fired him for his acute alcoholism).

"Level Headed" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) California Nights Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
2.) Silverbird Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
3.) Dream On Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
4.) Fountain Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
5.) Love Is Like Oxygen Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -

(side 2)
1.) Anthem No. 1 (Lady of the Lake Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
2.) Strong Love Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
3.) Lettres D'amour Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
4.) Anthem No. 2 (instrumenal Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
5.) Air On 'A' Tape Loop Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -

Once again, Capitol decided to use different cover art for the album's American release. Why they selected to use a shoddy looking Terry Pastor air brush painting of tape heads is a mystery to me. The original UK cover wasn't any great shakes, but was still better than the US version. On the other hand, the revised US track listing made more sense than the UK version.

"Level Headed" UK track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Dream On Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
2.) Love Is Like Oxygen Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
3.) California Nights Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
4.) Strong Love Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
5.) Fountain Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -

(side 2)
1.) Anthem No. 1 (Lady of the Lake Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
2.) Strong Love Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
3.) Lettres D'amour Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
4.) Anthem No. 2 Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -
5.) Air On 'A' Tape Loop Brian Connolly - Steve Priest - Mick Tucker - Andy Scott) -

More Queen than Zep for Brian Connolly's swansong, certainly. Still, while not a master class in hard rock like Give Us a Wink, Off the Record, or even Sweet FA, it was never intended to be. Instead the band made a conscious effort to write deeper material, and though the rather labored Lady of the Lake set them up for all sorts of Spinal Tap jokes about being more sophisticated ("Putting it on a farm!"), the proof of their overall success is in the rest of the pudding: check out gems like the funk workout Strong Love, the harpsichord-driven rocker Fountain, the Baroque pop of Lettres d'Amour, and of course the brilliant full-length Love Is Like Oxygen -- not to mention the respectably Floydian instrumental that closes the record, Air on a Tape Loop. Sweet would continue in this new direction with the competent Cut Above the Rest, but by then singer Brian Connolly (RIP) was out of the band and their classic era, inaugurated in 1972 with the debut album (aka Hershey Bar), was over.

I prefer the Repertoire CD version of Level Headed, which ups the album's low hard-rock quotient by tacking on the single edits of Oxygen and California Nights as well as the crunching B-sides Show Me the Way (an Off the Record outtake) and Cover Girl, the latter sounding like Status Quo jamming on 8 Days a Week! I also prefer the US LP sequence from 1977, which reshuffled the original UK playing order to give things more of a punch:

SIDE I: California Nights/Silverbird/Dream On /Fountain/Love Is Like Oxygen (long version)
SIDE II: Anthem #1 (Lady of the Lake)/Strong Love/Letters d'Amour/Anth. #2/Air on a Tape Loop

Capitol changed the artwork for America as well, putting the band photo inside the gatefold and the Terry Pastor tape-head illustration on the cover and inner sleeve (with the lyrics). The first Repertoire CD reissue recreated the import LP package, which flipped inside and outside, though the latest version's artwork imitates the American LP. The original US CD and some other imports (I believe) use the American LP art but don't feature the bonus tracks, so either Repertoire version is still the best for music.