Sweet Fanny Adams (album)

Sweet Fanny Adams is the second studio album by English glam rock band Sweet, released on 26 April 1974 through RCA Records.^[1][2][3][4]

Sweet Fanny Adams
Studio album by The Sweet
Released	26 April 1974[1][2][3][4]
Recorded	1972 (track 14 & 16) 19 June 1973 (track 18) January 1974
Studio	Audio International Studios, London;[5] Advision Studios, London[5]
Genre	Hard rock[6][7] glam rock[6] bubblegum pop[6] heavy metal[7]
Length	39:37 (original) 46:14 (1997 reissue) 53:48 (1999 reissue) 75:16 (2005 reissue)
Label	RCA Capitol (US)
Producer	Phil Wainman
The Sweet chronology
The Sweet (1973) Sweet Fanny Adams (1974) Desolation Boulevard (1974)
Singles from Sweet Fanny Adams
"Peppermint Twist" Released: 15 March 1974 (AU only)[8]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]

Like the previous album, Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be, it was only released in the UK, but five of its songs appeared on the US version of Desolation Boulevard released in May 1975. It's not available on streaming services in most regions.

The album title is English (originally Royal Navy) slang originating from the murder of eight-year-old Fanny Adams in 1867 and means "nothing at all" as well as a similar euphemism "F.A." = "fuck all".

Sweet Fanny Adams reached No. 27 on the UK Albums Chart in the year of its release by RCA Records in 1974 and No. 2 in the albums chart of West Germany.

Composition

A turning point for the band, it features more of a hard rock sound, than the bubblegum of their previous works. "Rebel Rouser" and "Peppermint Twist" are exceptions to this.^[9] The album has elements of psychedelia, while "Set Me Free" is a speed metal song, and "Sweet F.A." has lyrics that foreshadow punk rock.^[7]

Sweet Fanny Adams features compressed high-pitched backing vocal harmonies, a trend that continued on all of Sweet's albums.

Legacy

The late 1980s Indiana-based glam metal band Sweet F.A., which released a pair of major-label albums in 1989 and 1991, named themselves after the Sweet song. English rock group Love and Rockets titled their 1996 album Sweet F.A..

"AC-DC" was covered by American rock band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in 2006 on their 11th album Sinner as "A.C.D.C.",^[10] Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil also covered the song on his third solo album Tattoos & Tequila as "AC/DC".^[11][12]

Track listing

Notes taken from the original album booklet.^[5]

All tracks are written by Sweet, except where noted.

Side 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Set Me Free"	Andy Scott	3:57
2.	"Heartbreak Today"		5:02
3.	"No You Don't"	Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn	4:35
4.	"Rebel Rouser"		3:25
5.	"Peppermint Twist"	Joey Dee, Henry Glover	3:29

Side 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Sweet F.A."		6:15
7.	"Restless"		4:29
8.	"In to the Night"	Scott	4:35
9.	"AC-DC"	Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman	3:29
Total length:			39:37

Bonus tracks on 1997 reissue

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"The Ballroom Blitz"	Chapman, Chinn	4:03
11.	"Teenage Rampage"	Chapman, Chinn	3:34
Total length:			46:14

Bonus tracks on 1999 reissue

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Burn on the Flame"	3:37
13.	"Own Up, Take a Look at Yourself"	3:57
Total length:		53:48

Bonus tracks on 2005 reissue

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"Block Buster!"	Chapman, Chinn	3:12
15.	"Need a Lot of Lovin'"		3:00
16.	"Hell Raiser"	Chapman, Chinn	3:26
17.	"Burning"		4:04
18.	"The Ballroom Blitz"	Chapman, Chinn	3:56
19.	"Rock 'n' Roll Disgrace"		3:50
Total length:			75:16

Personnel

Notes taken from the original album booklet.^[5]

Sweet

• Brian Connolly – lead vocals (except as noted), handclaps^, tambourine^
• Steve Priest – lead vocals (tracks 3, 7), bass guitar and 6-string bass^
• Mick Tucker – vocals, timpani^, tubular bells^, gong^, effects^ (drums is uncredited)
• Andy Scott – lead vocals (track 8), guitars, Moog synthesiser track 1, piano^, cello^

^credited only (uncredited)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1974) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[13] 33 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14] 6 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[15] 9 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] 2 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[17] 12 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 4 UK Albums (OCC)[19] 27

Year-end charts Chart (1974) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 14

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Gold	100,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.