Sweeney Todd - Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd will forever be remembered as the band who released "Roxy Roller," a song that was everywhere when I was a kid. The song was pure glam, and Gilder's sultry vocals enhanced it. Despite his high-pitched delivery, there was a cockiness to the song that made you want to strut - or at the very least put on a pair of roller skates, be a rebel, and skate counter-clockwise.

After the debut, Nick Gilder would leave the band, along with guitarist James McCulloch, and collaborate on Gilder's "Hot Child in the City." For a short time, Bryan Adams would join Dan Gaudin, Budd Marr, and John Booth, and they would release one more album and even re-record their seminal hit.

I have a few collections that include "Roxy Roller," so it was a jarring surprise to hear the album cut. The guitar solo is vastly different, and the running time is about a minute longer. I've actually gone back and played the song a couple of times just to be sure.

This is about as weird as hearing The Sweet's album version of "Love Is Like Oxygen" when you think you know the song, only to realize you've always known the radio edit, and the album version feels - well, weird. In the case of The Sweet, the album cut is amazing. For Sweeney Todd, I'm still processing.

What I do like, though, is after all this time being surprised and presented with something new from something so familiar.

Listening to this for the first time, it's very glam, which I guess was the pop version of prog - but with shorter songs and more attitude. The songs are good, and while the album starts off with their killer signature song, the rest aren't relegated to filler status.

Heck, the first side ends with a rather strange instrumental titled "The Kilt" that leaves you wondering: where will side two pick up?

Well, it picks up with "Rock 'n' Roll Story," which musically pairs pretty well with "Roxy Roller." The guitar riff reminds me a little of Elton John's "The Bitch Is Back," and Nick's voice is so high it's hard to imagine this was the height of cool back in 1975.

The album closes out with "Let's All Do It Again," and it's a fitting end to an enjoyable trip down memory lane. Oddly enough, it's a song I can picture fitting right in with The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Go figure. Maybe I am stuck in a time warp.

Sadly, the copy I managed to find was a little worse for wear, and there's some rash and distortion on a couple of tracks. But this was a great find, along with the BTO and The Kings albums.

That was a good day.

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