Sweet Fanny Adams is the second studio album by the English glam rock band Sweet, released on 26 April 1974 through RCA Records.
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 is 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, the only Sweet studio album to enter the chart. It reached 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. The album has elements of psychedelia, while "Set Me Free" is a proto-speed metal song, and "Sweet F.A." has lyrics that foreshadow punk rock.
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.", Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil also covered the song on his third solo album Tattoos & Tequila as "AC/DC".
"Set me Free" was covered by English heavy metal band Saxon in 1984 on their 6th album Crusader.
Track listing Notes taken from the original album booklet.
Personnel Notes taken from the original album booklet.
Sweet Brian Connolly – lead vocals , handclaps^, tambourine^ Steve Priest – lead vocals , bass guitar, 6-string bass^ Mick Tucker – vocals, timpani^, tubular bells^, gong^, effects^ Andy Scott – lead vocals , guitars, Moog synthesiser , piano^, cello^
^credited only
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1974)Peak positionAustralian Albums (Kent Music Report)33Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)9Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)4
Year-end charts Chart (1974)PositionGerman Albums (Offizielle Top 100)14
Certifications and sales
References