📰 Give Us A Wink – Review: Feb. 1976
- Sweet
- Feb 28, 1976
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 28
A one‑page Record Mirror & Disc review assessing Sweet’s attempt to move deeper into hard‑rock territory with their 1976 album Give Us A Wink.
Published in February 1976, this Record Mirror & Disc review critiques Sweet’s Give Us A Wink, arguing that the band’s pursuit of rock credibility results in an indulgent, over‑inflated album saved only by the taut “Action” and the hypnotic “Healer.”
📰 Key Highlights
One‑page album review in Record Mirror & Disc, Feb. 1976
Album: Sweet – Give Us A Wink (RCA RS 1036)
Review criticises the album’s heavy‑handed production and overextended arrangements
Notes Sweet’s ongoing attempt to gain credibility within the rock community
Praises only two tracks: “Action” and “Healer”
Accompanied by a band photograph captioned “not a particularly stylish band”
📰 Overview
By 1976, Sweet were in the midst of redefining themselves. Having emerged as a glam‑pop singles machine under the songwriting team of Chinn & Chapman, the band were now writing and producing their own material, pushing toward a heavier, more guitar‑driven sound. Give Us A Wink was intended as a statement of independence and rock legitimacy.
The Record Mirror & Disc review, however, is sceptical. It argues that Sweet’s shift into hard rock results in excess rather than evolution — extended solos, repetitive riffs, and a lack of subtlety. The reviewer suggests that the band’s desire for credibility has led them away from the concise pop craftsmanship that made their early hits so effective.
📰 Source Details
Publication / Venue: Record Mirror & Disc
Date: February 1976
Issue / Format: One‑page album review
Provenance Notes: Verified from the printed page provided; album details aligned with RCA catalogue.
📰 The Story
The review opens with a jab at the album’s sleeve — described as “childishly vulgar” — and argues that the music inside matches its lack of refinement. Sweet, the reviewer notes, are “not a particularly stylish band,” and their attempt to gain rock credibility results in an “indulgent outing” filled with dated harmonies and overblown arrangements.
Key criticisms include:
Overextended arrangements — simple pop ideas inflated into long, heavy‑handed tracks.
Lack of variety — songs blend into one another, exposing the sameness of the band’s hard‑rock approach.
Indulgent musicianship — extended solos and “bash bash drumming” dominate the record.
Despite the overall negative tone, the review singles out two tracks for praise:
“Action” — described as taut, focused, and worthy of repeated plays.
“Healer” — noted for its hypnotic quality.
The closing line — “for people who are aware that winking makes you go deaf” — underscores the reviewer’s view that the album’s humour and excess undermine its musical ambitions.
📰 Visual Archive
Record Mirror & Disc review of Give Us A Wink, February 1976.
🟣 Variant Block
Record Mirror & Disc – UK – 1976
• One‑page album review
• Sweet – Give Us A Wink
• RCA RS 1036
📰 Related Material
Explore the tags below for connected posts and themes.
📰 Closing Notes
This review captures the tension between Sweet’s glam‑pop origins and their mid‑’70s push toward heavier rock. Give Us A Wink is presented not as a breakthrough, but as an overreaching attempt at credibility — redeemed only by flashes of discipline and invention.
🏷️ Hashtags (Archive Tags)
📰 Sources
• Record Mirror & Disc, February 1976 (review)
• RCA Records catalogue listings
Sweet’s "Give Us A Wink", a one-page album review in Record Mirror & Disc, February 28, 1976..
SWEET: 'Give Us A Wink' (RCA RS 1036)
The childishly vulgar sleeve is matched by the less than subtle record it contains. But then Sweet are not a particularly stylish band. What they do aspire to these days is credibility within the rock fraternity. They are a little further along that road, though they don't deserve to be with this indulgent outing of dated harmonies and the belief that extended solos and bash bash drumming are where it's at.
They have learnt how to write simple pop songs then blow them out of all proportion with the result that tracks blend into one another exposing the worst of heavy rock music it's similarity. Only the really taut 'Action' and hypnotic 'Healer' stand repeated plays. The rest is pretentious and for people who are aware that winking makes you go deaf.
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