Level Headed is the sixth album by
Sweet. Different versions were released by
Polydor in Europe and by
Capitol in the US, Canada and Japan.
The album features "Love Is Like Oxygen", the band's last single to hit the top 40, peaking at #8 in the US and #9 in the UK. The single version of "Love Is Like Oxygen" is substantially shorter than the album version. A second single, "California Nights", was released from the album but only reached #76 in the US.
This was the last album to feature the classic Sweet lineup, as
Brian Connolly departed around a year after the album's release, in order to embark on a solo career. The remaining trio of
Steve Priest,
Andy Scott, and
Mick Tucker continued on and delivered three more albums before breaking up in 1981.
Sweet struggled to earn credibility as album artists and/or score hits after finally wresting themselves free of songwriting/production team
Nicky Chinn and
Mike Chapman in the summer of 1974. They turned out a few albums before achieving both goals with
Level Headed. The album gave them their final Top Ten hit with the dreamy "Love Is Like Oxygen," a single that suggested that its accompanying record was a trippy mainstream pop record.
Instead, it was one part of an ambitious sonic mosaic where
Sweet tried a little bit of everything, cloaking it all in a neo-prog aesthetic.
If it was hard to hear the candy crunch of early
Sweet on "Love Is Like Oxygen," it seems like "Little Willy" in comparison to the rest of
Level Headed, where the group runs wild in the studio. Throughout the first half, they indulge in catchy pop, dressing it up with mild psychedelia, elongating melodies with breezy harmonies and studio swirl.
This is just a teaser for the second side, where they delve deep into album rock weirdness, trying on classical-inspired art rock with "Anthem No. 1" and "Anthem No. 2," waltzing along with the Europop "Lettres d'Amour," and livening the proceedings with "Strong Love," a horn-spiked disco tune.
Certainly, this is not classic-era
Sweet, but that's precisely what's good about
Level Headed -- they're off-kilter and adventurous, occasionally stumbling but always making interesting music on an album that's anything but what the title promises.
If
Level Headed didn't spawn another hit, so be it -- it remains one of
Sweet's most fascinating albums, compared to both what came before and after. Yes, it was "Ballroom Blitz," "Fox on the Run," and other early hits that influenced the pop-metal of the late '70s and '80s, but for hardcore
Sweet fans,
Level Headed is a gem to treasure.
Side AA1. Dream On - 2:52
A2. Love Is Like Oxygen - 6:57
A3. California Night - 3:42
A4. Strong Love - 3:27
A5. Fountain - 4:44
Side BB1. Anthem No. I (Lady of the Lake) - 4:12
B2. Silverbird - 3:27
B3. Lettres D’Amour - 3:28
B4. Anthem No. II - 1:04
B5. Air on ‘A’ Tape Loop - 5:54