warwickhunt Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 I wouldn't say he was an 'influence' on me but crickey the music of the Sweet certainly made its mark! Sad day indeed 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pst62 Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 R.I.P. Steve Priest. He kept it simple, most of the time, but he was no slouch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 I was a huge fan. Only a kid but music meant just as much if not more to me back then. I was aware of him as a showman more than as a bass player, it wasn't until JJB and Bruce Foxton that the bass leapt out at me, but he was a part of my journey. Sad news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 Was fortunate enough to see The Sweet at Rebellion in 2015. Not sure which version it was (Steve Priests or Andy Scotts) but they were great, and very surreal to see punks & skins line-dancing to stuff like Wig Wam Bam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chezz55 Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 Had the pleasure of seeing Sweet live at Woods Leisure Centre in Colchester when Blockbuster was top of the charts (around 1973 ish). Great band, and they really rocked the place. They played a Who Medley which included My Generation with accurate Bass Breaks. I got their autographs for my sister. RIP Steve Priest - a fine bass guitarist and a nice guy. Chris 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 Loved his posing and his playing. RIP, Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pst62 Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 3 hours ago, Lozz196 said: Was fortunate enough to see The Sweet at Rebellion in 2015. Not sure which version it was (Steve Priests or Andy Scotts) but they were great, and very surreal to see punks & skins line-dancing to stuff like Wig Wam Bam. That would've been Andy Scott's Sweet, Steve and his wife moved to California around 1986 and he more or less led a reclusive life. IIRC he only ever returned to the UK for the funerals of former band mates Brian Connolly and Mick Tucker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 Sweet was a big part of my musical journey. One of the very first bands i was into in early 70's. I loved that whole Glam Rock thing hence the reason i'm now in my dream band (70's Glam Rock covers.) He could play some really great bass lines altho most of the Sweet songs are pretty straight forward but that's what made hit songs back then. It wasn't all about technical ability. He was an absolute showman and the comedian in the band. Our drummer lived near Steve when he was a kid. They always referred to Steve as the guy that plays in a band. As they got older Steve became famous and he even got a lift home from pub in his Rolls Royce one day. He has loads of great stories about Sweet in those early years. Steve never seemed to change. He always came across as a really nice guy. He played at Brian's daughters wedding when Brian wasn't doing too well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 3 hours ago, dmccombe7 said: Sweet was a big part of my musical journey. One of the very first bands i was into in early 70's. I loved that whole Glam Rock thing hence the reason i'm now in my dream band (70's Glam Rock covers.) He could play some really great bass lines altho most of the Sweet songs are pretty straight forward but that's what made hit songs back then. It wasn't all about technical ability. He was an absolute showman and the comedian in the band. Our drummer lived near Steve when he was a kid. They always referred to Steve as the guy that plays in a band. As they got older Steve became famous and he even got a lift home from pub in his Rolls Royce one day. He has loads of great stories about Sweet in those early years. Steve never seemed to change. He always came across as a really nice guy. He played at Brian's daughters wedding when Brian wasn't doing too well. Great version of Fox on the Run, despite the rest of the (non Sweet) band members going into chorus too soon after the solo 😆. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickD Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 Back in the mid-90s I did a stint with 70s Glam Cabaret act, trawling around Europe doing Military bases. Lots of Sweet in the set and they were great, fun lines to play,. The songs were unashamedly fun, and I've never known songs more effective for getting even the most reluctant audience on a dance floor and keeping them there. RIP Fella! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 For me, the sad thing is that I never really appreciated that Priest was actually a bass player. Sweet came to prominence when I was about 13 and as far as I was concerned Priest was the one playing the funny-looking guitar and delivering those wonderfully arch lyrics. Great band, loved them to bits, Priest was my favourite member (of course) but I knew nothing about bass guitars in those days. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inthedoghouse Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 (edited) I seem to the remember the B sides of the singles were sometimes rockers that I liked better than the A sides and there were some good rockers on Sweet FA. I especially loed this track - happy memories 🙂 Edited June 5, 2020 by inthedoghouse 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 (edited) This is one of my favs Edited June 5, 2020 by dmccombe7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 Great band. What a rhythm section! Lots of happy memories listening to Sweet - loved the idea of 'the heavy side'. Great 'heavy rock' performance here, live in '74 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 And then they would do this to completely throw you. Amazing harmonies from them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 1 hour ago, inthedoghouse said: I seem to the remember the B sides of the singles were sometimes rockers that I liked better than the A sides and there were some good rockers on Sweet FA. I especially loed this track - happy memories 🙂 it was quite a while after hearing Saxon's version, that I realised it was originally by The Sweet. I wondered why so many bands were covering Saxon! 😝 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayn Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 Great band and real character bass player. Loved 'em back in the day. This was my fave. https://youtu.be/JkPoVzSPkqQ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 My fave Sweet number 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 This is really sad. Steve always brings back happy memories from when I was a kid of my mum watching Blockbuster on TOTPs, before my parents split up. When he did his little bit in the middle my mum started laughing and couldn’t stop. She thought he was hilarious, in a good way, and looked forward to him being on, although she wasn’t much of a pop or rock music fan. Great band. One of my best mates auditioned as drummer once, although he didn’t get it. R.I.P. Steve. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 2 hours ago, grayn said: Great band and real character bass player. Loved 'em back in the day. This was my fave. https://youtu.be/JkPoVzSPkqQ We do that in ours Glam covers band and its great to play. Lots of energy. I love playing it, but then again i enjoy doing all the Sweet songs we cover. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inthedoghouse Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 A friend just gave me the background to the song 'Set Me Free' that I posted further up this page. They were doing a gig in Belgium and a girl climbed on stage. Steve and Brian put their hands inside her clothes before the bouncers removed her. They were promptly arrested after the gig. She was 14. They were both jailed and the top brass at RCA flew over and had to negotiate bail. They were eventually released and told to return to face court at a later date. It was said that they were likely to get 5 years each. Andy and Mick wrote this song about the ordeal while they waited in the UK for their return. The Sweet, rather than face the consequences, never ever returned to Belgium. If they had, Brian and Steve would have been immediately arrested. (from The Story of The Sweet DVD) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 20 hours ago, inthedoghouse said: A friend just gave me the background to the song 'Set Me Free' that I posted further up this page. They were doing a gig in Belgium and a girl climbed on stage. Steve and Brian put their hands inside her clothes before the bouncers removed her. They were promptly arrested after the gig. She was 14. They were both jailed and the top brass at RCA flew over and had to negotiate bail. They were eventually released and told to return to face court at a later date. It was said that they were likely to get 5 years each. Andy and Mick wrote this song about the ordeal while they waited in the UK for their return. The Sweet, rather than face the consequences, never ever returned to Belgium. If they had, Brian and Steve would have been immediately arrested. (from The Story of The Sweet DVD) Wow! I never Knew. They seemed like such gentlemen. Apart from when singing 'if we don't 🦆you then someone else will' which always struck me as a little gratuitous. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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