This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2014) |
"Block Buster!" (also sometimes listed as "Blockbuster!") is a 1973 single by The Sweet. Written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, and produced by Phil Wainman, "Block Buster!" was the band's sole UK No. 1 hit. Released in January 1973, it spent five weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart,[8] and also made #1 in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Ireland, and #3 in Finland, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. Outside Europe it peaked at #1 in New Zealand, #29 in Australia and at #73 on the American Billboard Hot 100.
| "Block Buster!" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Sweet | ||||
| from the album The Sweet | ||||
| B-side | "Need a Lot of Lovin'" | |||
| Released | 5 January 1973[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:13 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman | |||
| Producer(s) | Phil Wainman | |||
| Sweet singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Video | ||||
| "Blockbuster" - Top Of The Pops on YouTube | ||||
Music and lyric
editIts Muddy Waters-inspired blues riff is markedly similar to that featured on fellow RCA act David Bowie's "The Jean Genie", released shortly before, but all parties maintained this was a coincidence.[9]
TV performances
editSome controversy arose after the band's performance of the song on the British television program Top of the Pops on 25 December 1973, for which bassist Steve Priest wore a swastika arm band.[10]
Charts
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2018) |
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 29 |
| Austria | 1 |
| Belgium | 2 |
| Denmark | 1 |
| Finland | 3 |
| Germany | 1 |
| Ireland | 1 |
| Italy | 30 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
| Norway | 3 |
| South Africa | 7 |
| Spain | 12 |
| Switzerland | 3 |
| United Kingdom[11] | 1 |
| United States[12] | 73 |
In the case of Belgium, there are two types of lists. The one for the Flemish speaking part of Belgium (Flanders) saw the song reach number two, for five consecutive weeks,.[13] In the French speaking part (Wallonia) the song climbed to number one, for two consecutive weeks.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Promo disc with release date". Discogs.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (2014). The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal?s Debauched Decade. Voyageur Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-62788-375-7.
- ^ Swanson, Dave (10 May 2014). "10 Underrated Glam Rock Stompers Worth Getting All Dolled Up For". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ Chapman, Ian (2015). Experiencing David Bowie: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-44223-752-0.
- ^ Wroe, Nicholas (12 September 2014). "That's neat: Chinnichap's blitz of 70s hits become a musical". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- ^ Sandford, Christopher (1996). Bowie: Loving The Alien. Da Capo Press. pp. 400–103. ISBN 978-0306808548.
- ^ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Deluxe and Delightful: Glam". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 282–3. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Nicholas Pegg (2000). The Complete David Bowie: p.110
- ^ "Steve Priest | The Sweet". Thesweetband.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ^ "UK Official Charts". Official Charts Company. 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "Hot 100: The Sweet". Billboard. 2019. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "The Sweet - Block Buster - Vlaanderen". ultratop.be.
- ^ "The Sweet - Block Buster - Wallonie". ultratop.be.