Review SWEET “Live 25”

Sweet have been keeping the live-album tradition alive for quite some time, and Live 25 now adds another entry to the band’s long concert history. This time, the album draws on performances from the band’s recent tour, including material from their latest studio effort, Full Circle.

Full Circle showed Andy Scott and his band in remarkably good shape, and the newer songs have enough punch to hold their own alongside the classics. “Circus” and “Don’t Bring Me Water” now make the jump from the studio to the stage, fitting comfortably into a catalog that has been shaping Sweet’s sound for decades.

Still, nobody buys a Sweet live album hoping to hear only the new material. The classics are the main attraction, and Live 25 knows exactly where its bread is buttered. “Action” provides a suitably forceful opening, while the fast and direct “Set Me Free” takes us back to 1974. And once the album enters its final stretch, the big guns are loaded: “Love Is Like Oxygen,” “Fox on the Run,” and, naturally, “Ballroom Blitz” all make their appearance.

In that sense, Live 25 connects Sweet’s past with its present without trying to reinvent the wheel. One small detail is worth mentioning: this does not seem to be a recording of one complete concert, but rather a collection of performances from different shows. For the average Sweet fan, that is hardly a deal breaker.

What matters is what comes out of the speakers—and Live 25 delivers a lively trip through Sweet’s catalog, mixing newer material with the songs that have kept the band on the road for decades. Put it on, turn it up, and let the hits do what they have always done: bring a little more sunshine into the room.