Sweet - The Lost Singles (2021) LP

The first thing that needs to be stated is that without releases of this format, the collection of Sweet's musical heritage (even if not all, but the most significant) will be egregiously incomplete. The feeling that arises after listening to them that "maybe Sweet's singles are the most important thing" is completely justified. The impression that "wow! sides B are often even cooler than sides A", normally too... But here, when choosing a decent collection of this kind from Sweet, typical mistakes of the compilers await us.
The first of them: the inclusion of album songs that were released on small records. This release avoids such duplication – there are no such here. There is (let's analyze the question more pedantically!) Action and Fox on the Run – but in single (markedly different from album) versions. There is a Stairway to the Stars from the American version of Off the Record – but taking into account the fact that we still have the English version, the solution is adequate.
The second mistake of the compilers: the choice of early materials from the time of imposing the style of "bubble-gum" on the group (and attracting accompanying session players). In this edition, the edge of the "maturity of style" is determined quite competently: nothing before 1971 (and from 1971 only Alexander Graham Bell and You're Not Wrong for Loving Me).
So, the anthology is correct and quite exhaustive. Indeed, without excess and without loss.
The layout of the album is also entertaining: from late to early. We start with the materials of 1977 and reach the end of side A to the song Action (1975), especially beloved by our people. Sides B and C give out a cannonade of the most notable hits from Fox on the Run to Block Buster! (with their great B-sides, of course) – and finally, side D plunges into the early-but-stylish, roll call of Chinn+Chapman's driving hits with even more energetic declarations of gravity, rock 'n' roll and the arranging fantasy of an ambitious band.
The sound will not disappoint, Sweet is always bright, juicy, inventive. This is, generally speaking, perfectionism. This is a guitarist who was fond of synthesizers and unusual treatments, this is a drummer who seriously competed with Ian Pace. Voices, choral arrangements, which served as a subject of imitation for Queen. The sound of the band is branded colorful, saturated. Dense drums, synthesizers, guitars with interesting timbres. Energy, power, fury, brilliance, irony. Consistently strong production – even early stuff.
The design of the album exploits the inclination of the letters relative to the theoretical horizon and each other – and a common red-orange scale with muted posterized photos as a background. This is how the obverse, the turn (on which the tracklist is without details, but with a slope), apples, a turn are made... On the latter, there is quite an interesting biographical article (in small print) about "a band that constantly made fans guess what would happen next." But the envelopes of the discs stand out with a bright showiness: they are glossy, a black-and–red photo of the group with autographs on the first and another, where the faces are larger, on the second. Here are detailed (with explanations from where) tracklists (white and red on black), on the back (we continue to tilt the horizons!) – rhombuses of red-orange appearance. Vinyl is currant-red, transparent. It sounds high-quality and confident.