Mike Chapman Demos For The Sweet 1970 - 1974

[@pleun315]

Holy cow, that guy is a real genius....and could have been an amazing frontman too

[@pleun315]

Mike Chapman is like the Wrecking Crew....... Almost unknown but THE brilliant genius energy brhind some of the worlds biggest hits....

[@djgaryowens]

He could have had all the hits HIMSELF, he didn't even need The Sweet.

[@haraldmax9685]

He had all the hits. His name was under all the songs and he collected the money. The guys from the Sweet were under contract and only interpreted his songs publicly and were allowed to put their own songs on the B sides. In the studio, they didn't even record most of the instrumentals themselves, but Chapman had studio musicians do it.

[@riodejaneiro664]

​@@haraldmax9685You're forgetting a highly over looked ingredient, chemistry.

[@joru3101]

Mike Chapman war der Meister im Hintergrund, The Sweet die Show auf der Bühne, Musikbusiness eben.

[@zenon544]

Schmälert trotzdem nicht die Leistung der Band-Mitglieder. Fox on the run oder Life is like oxygen sind z.B. auch selbstgeschrieben von ihnen.

[@joru3101]

@@zenon544Kann man so sehen.

[@old-meloman]

я считаю мой любимый продюсер . В этой жизни - надо брать самое лучшее.

[@nurknanker6105]

Whadda show for the eyes & ears!! Little Willy & T.Rex beat Bowie to the punch for us Glitter Critters in the USA.

[@sveinsigurdgismarvik4445]

Sweet was the best band in their field😊

[@moggiee1]

Mike's a genius

[@LeeRatbag]

Fascinating piece of rock history here!

[@shaunw9270]

Some crunchy Stooges guitar on Blockbuster!, Hellraiser & Teenage Rampage ! . Great stuff . Loved the Sweet 👍

[@scatcatcnut]

I interviewed Steve Priest not long before he died - he maintained that Sweet had to do a ton of work to make the songs sound right - listening to these demos though, they sound fully formed on the whole.

[@andyw.3048]

So interesting! You are very lucky to have met him

[@thetragicyouth]

Given that Chinn and Chapman were producing/assistant producing as well as writing (and given how good the demos sound), that sounds like utter bullshit from the late Mr Priest.

[@scatcatcnut]

@@thetragicyouth I'd like to hear what they were working with to prompt the comments - but I am inclined to think that it was more about Steve's lack of respect for the talents of Micky Chinn more than anything else! Re Nicky, when I asked Steve what I thought he brought to the Chinnichap team, he said, 'his father's money'.

[@scatcatcnut]

Sorry re typo Micky for Nicky above!

[@OriginalMixedUpKid]

Yeah, if Sweet had to work hard to make their versions of these songs it says more about them than Chapman/Chinn😆🙈

[@schnuffi1712]

Tolle Demo 👍👍👍 Zum Teil Songs die ich noch nicht kannte !!!!

[@RAFchurchlawford4469]

Mick Nordström's INSULT to Mike Chapman: "Listening to the demo of Ballroom Blitz, it is amazing what it became! I would not touch that song listening to that lousy demo! My God!" Remember, there wouldn't BE a Ballroom Blitz without that "lousy demo!" Remember, remember, remember, remember, remember, remember, remember! Remember it's a demo!🙄47:15

[@mused932]

Awesome ,Brillliant ,,,Thanks for sharing.

[@cliveedwards2958]

I bought Hellraiser when it was released and its allways been such a great hard rocking track.,so I was itching to hear the demo..I remember hearing one of The Sweet saying that it was a strong demo..and it is..remarkably close to the official version..geat feel to it..and no wonder the band loved it

[@mateuszrozmus9418]

This shows how good musicians our beloved boys were.

[@RavenThom]

i don't believe Andy, Mick or Steve actually played on these, or did Brian siing

[@mateuszrozmus9418]

@@RavenThom I know, I mean the final versions were a way better that this, where they actually played, and modified some songs. Just look at the difference between Ballroom Blitz, which demo sounds like Mud or playing faster T.Rex copy, and the final version, where Andy and Steve with Phill Wainman did a lot of work and created a immortal hit.

[@rabfallon4507]

@@RavenThom The Sweet sang on all their records ,but ,after their fourth hit, Little Willy, Chapman realised Sweet were better than the session musos, and a compromise was reached. The band could play on the A-sides (Wig-Wam Bam, Block Buster!, Hell Raiser), which Chinnichap would continue to write, and the B-sides would showcase Sweet's songwriting and Scott's hard-rock riffs.

[@mickwarnie8707]

@@RavenThom they all sang

[@DRWho1959]

@@mateuszrozmus9418 What's wrong with MUD?

[@daveharris7224]

Overall these demos are very good and must have given the band confidence in recording the songs. Of course they added there own special magic to the recordings.

[@anjaschmied2799]

Top ...👍Thanks a lot for sharing this with us !! 💃🎶🎵

[@guitarmuscle6968]

This is Fucking Gold

[@alanm5939]

Great post, thanks.

[@MsTstang]

SO great to hear the Guys ..Sweet is the most awesome under rated group there was ...It great there being brought up and listened to ..Thanks

[@caryheuchert]

Mike Chapman makes Ballroom Blitz sound more like Bowie’s Ziggy era “Hang on to Yourself”.

[@stuatagovailoa7536]

“Til she took him to the silver STREAM!” 😂

[@michaelmos7497]

🍀🍀🍀One of the most interesting 70's pop music KZbin posts I've seen lately. An excellent study for Sweet fans, music lovers, musicians and producers. Thanks!

[@rannisto12]

"Why Did Caroline Cry" sounds like a very nice and beautiful song! What a shame that it was never recorded by anyone.

[@clausstimpfig3803]

thats so true

[@davidrichards914]

a Sweet tribute band should do a full studio version

[@sergeymch2985]

Спасибо за песни

[@xy6240]

many thanks!!!!!! appropriate PR ..... maybe even more fans will notice now ... critics, how awesome these guys were !!!!!!! and still misunderstood ... but we will change THAT !!!!!!!! be there ... LET'S GO!

[@mickhague6180]

Brilliant

[@janlis001]

He almost sounds like Brian!🥱

[@lpnelson6584]

Mike Chapman, all the Sweet hits, Kiss You All Over, Mickey, Better Be Good to Me, The Best, Stumblin In, Heart and Soul, man, that guy can write hits. WOW

[@sebastian0107]

Mud, Blondie ... 📀

[@nurknanker6105]

Insane catchy hooks! This is like a fever dream.. wheres the Quatro demos??

[@vincentdelhommeau4667]

La claque pour Alexander Graham Bell, et un brut de décoffrage pour I Wanna Be Commited👍

[@solangeveloso427]

I listened to all demos and really the songs sounded very different from the versions we know. Consequently Chapmann and Chinn did a great job because they made the songs sounded fantastic

[@2Jore]

Ausgezeichnete Demos, Mike Chapman.

[@Puschelhase100]

....der absolute Hammer...!!!!

[@stuatagovailoa7536]

This is Gods work, thank you greatly

[@xy6240]

Thank`s and greetings.....E.

[@quotemenot7520]

Really interesting demos by Mike, just vocal and guitar and almost like the finished article but without the band and production. Most people do not know the role the producer plays in the production of a song especially if the producer also wrote the song. What he hears in his head he has to get the band to translate it all. I never knew that the drum intro to Ballroom Blitz was by Mike and not Mick. The whole song is constructed in segments which when producer is happy will put them altogether as a finished song. Overdubs will be added where needed until the producer is happy with the song. The sound and magic was created by the producer who put in many hours to make it sound like it does. If there is anything on yt about production, check it out, you will be surprised just how influential and important the producer is. Great songs, great production, thank you Mike.

[@sigany]

You can also "borrow" from others. Why invent the wheel again... kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5SwlaV-gZJ7nbc

[@quotemenot7520]

@@sigany Because that's what original people do, those with little to no talent will plod along and plagiarise. But you can also use the same 4 chords in a different order with a different melody, pace and intonation and come up with a different song or something similar to another song. All down to the writer.

[@mickwarnie8707]

Phil wainman was the producer not mike chapman at this stage ( except on turn it down and i wanna be committed ) and it was phil that came up with the IDEA of the ballroomblitz intro which was just an old sandy nelson pinch anyway, but it was mick tucker that played it on the record. So i think you better do a bit more research before you post a pack of crap.

[@rabfallon4507]

Amazing the posts asking who's singing when it's the Mike Chapman Demos

[@mjh5437]

Well,if this is Chapman singing,his voice sounds exactly the same as Brians.

[@moreheff]

@@mjh5437 It sounds like a lot of these were slowed down for the vocal recording and then speeded up again. Hence the Brian confusion

[@mickwarnie8707]

​@@mjh5437 i think you must have wax in your ears

[@jenshulvejstergaard5422]

Fedt med de gamle demoer hilsen Jens

[@paulfoster8560]

Excellent stuff, Sweet were my first band so to hear these demos is amazing after all these years. You can tell that Moonlight in Baskerville was written with Mud in mind.

[@CamperVanPersie]

....."'cause we all know Dyna is Dynamite....alright"...Paul,You can hear the descending?? chords in the demo,it even has the same guitar tone.

[@MatsJonason]

Well it was written for Sweet who rejected it. Then it transformed into Dyna-Mite and given to Mud who got their first hit with it.

[@xy6240]

@@CamperVanPersie perfect!!!!!!!!!

[@thetragicyouth]

You can hear it was written with Sweet in mind - all the Steve Priest parts are there. But it was recycled and rewritten for Mud.

[@aks8]

And now Silverglam have recorded it , but on Spotify it doesn’t give Chapman the writing credit ?

[@craigandfriends1276]

Chapman’s genius knows no bounds. Sweet we’re monster talents, but everything is here in the demos. Which we’re made on two Revox machines, bouncing back and forth.

[@chrisc9389]

Chapman was an amazing songwriter and musician but once Andy, Steve, Mick and Brian realized the talent and song writing they processed within themselves it was time for them to do their thing and fly

[@mickwarnie8707]

​@@chrisc9389thats right stuff chapman

[@pleun315]

Hearing this ...he could be an awesome frontman himself . But thank God for Brian ❤

[@antoniosanz3911]

Muchas gracias por regalarnos éstas versiones.

[@walbani]

Congratulations !!! M ATOM. You are the Greatest. /*/ Thanks.

[@stvnmcl]

Will always drive me crazy that they turned down “Dyna-Mite” as it was obviously written for them and is such a Sweet song.

[@JimOfShatner]

Wow! Fascinating stuff.

[@michaelmullin9540]

I am lucky enough to have this on reel to reel Mike has the same range as Brian

[@mauricecarrig3019]

Well that's why HE wrote and thankgod THE SWEET DONE THE REST

[@mickwarnie8707]

Yeah and thank god sweet took full control of the writing also

[@coreykeer5218]

This is awesome! I love hearing Demos from great bands. The Sweet was one of the first bands I really loved at 8 years old with the American "Desolation Boulevard " . Still love them. What a True classic rock band !! Glad to hear this ' Find ' .Thank you!!!!

[@Peacemaker5364]

Thanks for posting. Great demo.

[@MyOwnWayMusic]

Thank you M Atom, a great and extremely rare find. Amazing ... bloody amazing ... some of these were possibly made or had their genesis in Nicky Chinn’s Mayfair flat where they had a home studio setup to develop new Chinnichap songs...The Ballroom Blitz demo is very raw, missing Phil Wainman's distinctive drum idea and someone came up with the guitar riff as it's not on the demo in the intro section... Really Phil Wainman deserves a co-write for his contribution with fixing up the music, the arrangement and turning it into something amazing. Chappy has a very good singing voice.. The truck drivers key changes are shockers.. where they shift the end choruses of the song up a tone and then another.., but of course back then it was a common trick used by songwriters.

[@sigany]

For the question of Ballroom Blitz, you get the answer right here.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5SwlaV-gZJ7nbc

[@Cl4rendon]

Brilliant!!! So raw and hilarious in parts - And i can`t help hearing him sound a bit like Brian & Andy on some of the vocal layers - This is so phenomenal. You also notice the margin the band used in the end to make the songs sound how they wanted to. I really LOVE the "Turn it down" demo - Before Mike kicks off, it seriously sounds as if he`s doing some good `ol yayo....:D

[@xy6240]

absolutely ... and yet still underestimated ... help to change this ..... we are in

[@annechen5129]

This is really cool! Thanks for posting :)!

[@laszlomajnik9322]

Lovely and mesmerizing. Thank you so much!

[@ladislavrimoci7697]

it was great...thank you...

[@deppilisa]

This is awesome! Thanks so much for posting this.

[@clausstimpfig3803]

wunderbar

[@04esfera]

"Chop Chop", "Dusty" and "Cindy" were included on the album by BBC DJ Tony Blackburn, "Tony Blackburn", RCA International INTS 1407, 1972. "Chop Chop" was also released as a single, RCA Victor 2109, 1971.The Sweet performed their own version, released on their album "Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be", RCA Victor SF 8238, 1971

[@alanblake6464]

That you for these. Brilliant to hear.

[@jedsettah3372]

interesting these are so fully formed even down to the "are you ready Mick " spoken bit in Ballroom Blitz , for some reason I expected the band to have had more input but publishingwise I guess it didnt matter so much if you got your own song on the B sides of number 1 sellers . Would be interesting to know if he wrote these with the bands "style" in mind or not

[@jland12]

He was writing songs for The Sweet and one night went along and watched them perform a particularly wild gig. The next day he wrote "The Ballroom Blitz" about that gig. The band hated the idea of someone else writing their songs but couldn't deny they sounded like hits.

[@sigany]

@@jland12 kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5SwlaV-gZJ7nbc

[@w5winston]

this is fucking awesome

[@barrydelisle4453]

Love this

[@paisleybabee]

Why did Caroline Cry reminds me a tad of Love Flows Where My Rosemary Goes

[@DRWho1959]

Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes

[@MarkGelderland]

Absolutely fascinating!

[@bodowen]

This is amazing. Thank you for posting!

[@KantianParadox]

Really cool.

[@callithowiseeit5806]

So interesting to hear, Chapman certainly had a great nose for the times, I feel for The Sweet, rabbits in headlights really (industrywise), great players/interpreters but no cohesive identity so reached for the lippy and gowns of the time but left visually homeless once eras shifted, being beyond merely current is as much about anticipation of the near future as it is navigating the present, without a clear or strong vision (or at least some sort of an eye on that future shift) any band will struggle, it's what kept Bowie in the game

[@CamperVanPersie]

Chords used in "Baskerville" used in "Dynamite",so demo could be mid 1973?

[@CamperVanPersie]

@@coulsdontown5114 No,this cannot be right.If 'Baskerville' was turned down by the Sweet before 'Teenage Rampage',then it must have been in 1973,as Teenage Rampage was released in the UK early January 1974.Also Mike Chapman would not have been so blatant as to reuse such a recognizable chord sequence from Dynamite, in what would have been a high profile release.

[@yournamehere7182]

AMAZING

[@andyw.3048]

Is it just me, or did Mike Chapman's voice sound REMARKABLY close to Brian Connoly's?

[@prezakid9]

Yeah I thought so as well!

[@andyw.3048]

​@@prezakid9 Okay, apparently Mike Chapman wanted to be the lead singer of Sweet himself, which led to Brian being forced to sing similar to him.

[@djolemadzarevic]

@@andyw.3048 And what prevented him from being the singer of The Sweet? If he wanted to - he could. It was practically his project. And, why Brian sings that way after departure from Mike? Rather, it will be that during the formation of the band (or in pursuit for a suitable band), they were looking for a singer who sounds similar to him, while also being attractive to the audience.

[@varaguenschi]

Super

[@djolemadzarevic]

Chinn/Chapman belongs to the greats like Lennon/McCartney, Holland/Dozier/Holland, Jagger/Richards, Ulvaeus/Andersson, it must be admitted. By the way, "Little Willy" here sound so great, right in the middle of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" and some Bowie stuff from that period. I like it better than The Sweet version :)

[@helenclark8473]

Comparing these demo versions to the actual chart songs gives songwriters hope. Its amazing how these very basic rough versions were totally transformed in the studio.

[@jonbrowning6839]

These all sound fully formed. Bit of a very early Bowie vibe.

[@michaelcameron2292]

Sweets biggest failing not writing 99% of their own hits And the early hits were too bubblegum They could never win over the heavier brigade Still some really great pop songs though and they were fine musicians

[@mateuszrozmus9418]

Damn brother, you just got my words spoken! Just take a look at the Co-Co single. On the A side the nice, bubblegum pop song. You are buying the single because of that, then you are turning it on the b-side and what you've got? Pure heavy metal song about the prostitute... If they were not so in love with being famous and in shown in TV, the will be one of the best early metal acts in the world. They were much more fresh than Black Sabbath, not so pathetic like Purple. They were much closer to the later NWOBHM acts, like Saxon or Def Leppard. They realized it to late, to join the first heavy rock/metal boom in the world. In 1976 when Give Us A Wink was born, Sabbs were in trouble, Purple are doing the weirdest work in their career and in opposition we've got Rainbow and UFO. But our four beloved boys were already on the shelf as a pop group with some bubblegum hits, and nobody has taken it serious...

[@xy6240]

They weren't just great musicians ... they were exceptional

[@xy6240]

@@mateuszrozmus9418 it is exactly like that!!!!!!!!!!

[@didisweet6034]

Listen from the beginning on to their self penned B-Sides and you`ll know what kind of a very fine Hard`nd Heavy Group there are!!

[@bipbopboom]

@@mateuszrozmus9418 you are exactly correct!! You summed the band and the environment up perfectly! Well done! Cheers!

[@xyz8655]

WOW

[@pavlova1952]

❤👏✌️

[@spidif2544]

Ballroom Blitz is very Punk here and Rocky Horror

[@DRWho1959]

Cindy must have been rejected by Sweet - because it ended up being done by Tony Blackburn. The other rejected songs would be good to hear a really good tribute band do them in the style of the band or artist that matches them best. I really like Why Did Caroline Cry?. Can someone do a similar thing for Suzi Quatro, and one for MUD?

[@wd51103]

"Midnight in Baskerville" also hat been rejected by Sweet, but later turned into "Dynamite" for MUD indeed

[@micknordstrom2591]

Listening to the demo of Ballroom Blitz, it is amazing what it became! I would not touch that song listening to that lousy demo! My God!

[@glamindenmark]

well Sweet said. WHAT the Hell are we going to to with this.. BLITZ, then Phil Wainman took the drums and BANG it became a Big Hit....

[@Olegzyan]

Who sings Cindy Cindy? Doesn't sound like Brian or Steve.

[@ericdanielski4802]

Mike Chapman.

[@anastasiosantoniadis3559]

Alexander Graham Bell🎉

[@davidtabizel7727]

Moonlight In Baskerville sounds like a Mud track rather than a Sweet track - a bit of Tiger Feet in there or the song Dynamite? It shows how Mud and Sweet could have interchanged their songs easily.

[@Peter-mi7ld]

There is a BBC radio documentary elsewhere on KZbin about the history of ChinniChap. Mike says Dynamite was turned down by Sweet so they offered it to Mud and that is when Mud became a Top chart act rather than medium sellers. Baskerville sounds like it was intended for Sweet with the obvious camp Steve Priest bits (RIP). It certainly sounds like Dynamite in places. People say the songs were just shared out among their artists but I rather believe they were mostly purpose built for each artist. Of course they sound alike, but thats because the same people wrote them all. Would have been fun to hear the different bands singing each other's songs!

[@Piedknabo]

I understand songs credited to Chinn & Chapman were mostly Chapman's -- does anybody know what input (if any) Chinn had on these tunes?

[@JohnSmith-rv7my]

Mike Chapman provided the songs Nicky Chinn provided the finances hence co write credit. 👍

[@farrellvanessa]

Yup. He was the money man 😊

[@mjh5437]

@@JohnSmith-rv7my So Chinn didn`t contribute any music nor lyrics whatsoever?

[@rumblehat4357]

I don't believe he contributed anything to the songs at all.

[@56dinosaur]

I assume that Nicky Chinn was the lyricist.

[@mrsionsmith]

Why?

[@Cl4rendon]

Nope.. He just bummed around as a business man.

[@chrisc9389]

wow, this is really cool. Who is playing and singing on these demos? Is it MC & NC?

[@Cl4rendon]

It’s all mike Chapman. Nicky Chinn was musically useless as tits on a bull.

[@coulsdontown5114]

100% Mike Chapman. Nicky Chinn didn't do anything to do with the music really. He was just the financial and business side of things.

[@old-meloman]

Вступал в пионеры - любимая группа была

[@joelnorman5652]

I WAS MARRIED TO THE FOX ON THE RUN. SHE WAS LAUREN FOX AND GREW UP WITH BRIAN IN WEST DRATEN ENGLAND

[@63rambler66]

Did you, too, get annoyed when she didn't look the same as she did before?

[@joelnorman5652]

@@63rambler66 I loved her and passed of anurism me I loved her ❤ and thought of her as a dove her beagles and buddies animal rescue is huge GOD BLESS THE FOX ON THE RUN CHEERS MATE

[@farrellvanessa]

Condolences on the loss of your wife. Andy spoke about the makings on this song: "Although the song is credited to the entire group, really it was Scott’s baby. The subject matter was an unspecified groupie, hence the couplet: ‘You talk about just every band/But the names you drop are second-hand’." “Those lyrics were hastily written in the pub before recording the song for the album, hence the fact that it lacked a final verse,” Scott says, laughing. “We vowed that when we re-recorded it we would re-write the words, but never did.”

[@mjh5437]

I think you mean West Drayton,not "Draten"?

[@huwphotographer9389]

Hello,is there a link to where to buy this cd ?

[@rabfallon4507]

Google not work on your computer ??????

[@istvannebartfai7218]

Nincs magyar fordítás, így nem érdekel.

[@rubyrue69]

are the sweet singing this or is it mike?

[@rubyrue69]

@@mightyatom ohh that explains it, thanks

[@leomolzberger1882]

Facebook SWEET by Leo M.

[@shootoff5765]

почему сам не пел, не выступал?

[@ericdanielski4802]

30

[@mickwarnie8707]

Thank god sweet knocked back half of this rubbish.

[@coulsdontown5114]

Only 'knocked back' 5 of the 18 here. The other 13 were released. I don't suppose they had much say on the first album as were just hired as vocalists as a front for most of the tracks.

[@mickwarnie8707]

@@coulsdontown5114 thank god they knocked those 5 then f face

[@mickwarnie8707]

@@coulsdontown5114 only the first 4 or 5 A sides on the singles was the case. The b sides were written and played by them and roughly half of the first album.

[@VortekStarling]

This is why you should never let other people write your songs, you'll sound like a joke band, which Sweet in fact did. It's like they weren't a real band just human midi players of very lame pop songs. I mean the early years of the band, not the later hard rock version where they did write their own songs.

[@CamperVanPersie]

Would You look a 'Gift Horse' in the mouth?....Great Pop music doesn't need over explaining.If 'The Kids' like it,that is enough.

[@mickwolff8529]

Listen to Give Us A Wink, Off The Record and Level Headed They will change your mind Sweet Fanny Adams and Desolation Boulevard will also do that Just listen to Set Me Free or Sweet FA from Fanny Adams

[@VortekStarling]

@@CamperVanPersie It did make them a lot of money, which paved the way for them later being able to use their own material.

[@DRWho1959]

@@VortekStarling they learned how to write songs by paying attention to Mike Chapman. They wrote Rebel Rouser, Fox On The Run, and their best song Love Is Like Oxygen.

[@VortekStarling]

@@DRWho1959 It was just a suggestion, see what's available.

[@PlasticGirl65]

Interesting, few songs I've never heard of, I guess Sweet didn't record them. I like the guitar on turn it down better than the single version.

[@kevinpears2628]

Brilliant..