Give Us a Wink
Encyclopedia
Give Us a Wink is an album released in March 1976 by the British rock band Sweet
. It was their first album to be fully written and produced by the band themselves. Consequently it completed the move to the hard rock style that had always been the trademark of the self-penned single B-sides backing the more pop oriented singles written by Nicky Chinn
and Mike Chapman ever since their breakthrough in 1971. Give Us a Wink reached No. 3 in Sweden, No. 9 in Germany and made it into the Top 20 in Norway, Canada and Australia. In the US it reached No. 27 but it didn't chart at all on Sweet's home territory, the UK.
Give Us a Wink contains two singles, "Action" and "The Lies in Your Eyes" that were recorded and released prior to the album itself. "Action" reached the Top 10 in 1975 in numerous European countries and Canada but stalled at No. 15 and the UK and No. 20 in the US. Though "The Lies in Your Eyes" reached only No. 35 in the UK, it was very popular in other parts of Europe as well as Australia. A third single, "4 July" was released in Australia only but failed to chart.
The US version flipped the sides of the LP album
and added "Lady Starlight" as 3rd track on side two, a title from the European version of the 1974 Desolation Boulevard
album that wasn't available in the US at the time.
The original LP was released with a die-cut cover that caused the eye to wink as the sleeve was removed and placed back into the cover.
A digitally remastered version was issued on CD in 1999 with two bonus tracks. Another remastered version was reissued on CD in 2005 with three different bonus tracks.
"Action" has been covered by several rock bands like Raven
(on the album Rock Until You Drop
), Black 'n Blue
(on the album Black 'n Blue
) and Def Leppard
(as a UK Top 20 single and later on the album Retro Active
).
, Steve Priest
, Andy Scott
, Mick Tucker
.
Sweet (band)
Sweet was a British rock band that rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s as one of the most prominent glam rock acts, with the classic line-up of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bass player Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker.Sweet was formed in 1968 and achieved their first...
. It was their first album to be fully written and produced by the band themselves. Consequently it completed the move to the hard rock style that had always been the trademark of the self-penned single B-sides backing the more pop oriented singles written by Nicky Chinn
Nicky Chinn
Nicky Chinn born Nicholas Barry Chinn, 16 May 1945, London, UK) is a British songwriter and record producer. Together with Mike Chapman he had a long string of hit singles in the UK and US in the 1970s and early 1980s, including several number-one records...
and Mike Chapman ever since their breakthrough in 1971. Give Us a Wink reached No. 3 in Sweden, No. 9 in Germany and made it into the Top 20 in Norway, Canada and Australia. In the US it reached No. 27 but it didn't chart at all on Sweet's home territory, the UK.
Give Us a Wink contains two singles, "Action" and "The Lies in Your Eyes" that were recorded and released prior to the album itself. "Action" reached the Top 10 in 1975 in numerous European countries and Canada but stalled at No. 15 and the UK and No. 20 in the US. Though "The Lies in Your Eyes" reached only No. 35 in the UK, it was very popular in other parts of Europe as well as Australia. A third single, "4 July" was released in Australia only but failed to chart.
The US version flipped the sides of the LP album
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
and added "Lady Starlight" as 3rd track on side two, a title from the European version of the 1974 Desolation Boulevard
Desolation Boulevard
Desolation Boulevard, released in 1974, is the second album by Sweet that year. It contains an original variant of one of the band's best known songs, "Fox on the Run"....
album that wasn't available in the US at the time.
The original LP was released with a die-cut cover that caused the eye to wink as the sleeve was removed and placed back into the cover.
A digitally remastered version was issued on CD in 1999 with two bonus tracks. Another remastered version was reissued on CD in 2005 with three different bonus tracks.
"Action" has been covered by several rock bands like Raven
Raven (band)
Raven are an English heavy metal band associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They had a hit with the single "On and On", and refer to their music as "athletic rock".-Formation:...
(on the album Rock Until You Drop
Rock Until You Drop
Rock until You Drop is the first full-length album by the British heavy metal band Raven, released in 1981. The album was the first of many heavy metal studio albums issued by British independent label Neat Records. It reached position No. 63 in the UK Albums Chart.The song "Lambs to the Slaughter"...
), Black 'n Blue
Black 'N Blue
Black 'n Blue is a Hard rock band from Portland, Oregon. The current members are singer Jaime St. James, guitarist Shawn Sonnenschein, guitarist Jeff Warner, bassist Patrick Young, and drummer Pete Holmes.-History:...
(on the album Black 'n Blue
Black 'N Blue (album)
Black 'n Blue is the self-titled debut album of Black 'n Blue, recorded in 1984.The track "Chains Around Heaven" had previously appeared on the second pressing of the first Metal Massacre compilation, perhaps best known as the compilation to feature the first commercially-released recording by...
) and Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
(as a UK Top 20 single and later on the album Retro Active
Retro Active
Retro Active is an album by British hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1993. The album features touched-up versions of B-sides and previously unreleased recordings from the band's recording sessions between 1984 and 1993...
).
Track listing
All titles are written by Brian ConnollyBrian Connolly
Brian Francis Connolly was a Scottish musician, best known as the lead singer of the British rock band, Sweet.-Early life:...
, Steve Priest
Steve Priest
Steve Priest is a founding member and bass player/backing vocalist of the glam rock band Sweet.-Biography:...
, Andy Scott
Andy Scott (guitarist)
Andy Scott is a British musician and songwriter. He is best known for being the lead guitarist and a vocalist in the band Sweet.-Early years:Scott started out playing bass guitar...
, Mick Tucker
Mick Tucker
Michael Thomas "Mick" Tucker was the drummer and backing vocalist of the English glam rock band, Sweet.-Bands:...
.
Side one
- "The Lies in Your Eyes" – 3:47 (recorded at AIR StudiosAssociated Independent RecordingAssociated Independent Recording , an independent recording company, was founded in London in 1965 by Beatles producer George Martin and his partner John Burgess after their departure from EMI....
, London) - "Cockroach" – 3:47
- "Keep It In" – 5:00
- "4 July" – 4:22
Side two
- "Action" – 3:44 (recorded at Audio International Studios, London)
- "Yesterdays Rain" – 5:16
- "White Mice" – 5:00
- "Healer" – 7:18
Bonus tracks on 1999 reissue
- "Someone Else Will" – 3:25
- "Miss Demeanor" – 3:17
Bonus tracks on 2005 reissue
- "Action" (7" version)
- "Cockroach" (Munich mix)
- "4 July" (Munich mix)
Sweet
- Brian Connolly – lead vocals, stringString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
machine - Andy Scott – guitars, vocals, celliCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, synthesizers, voice bag - Steve Priest – bass, vocals, celli
- Mick Tucker – percussion, vocals, celli, phased gong
Production
- Sweet – producers
- MackReinhold MackReinhold Mack is a German record producer and sound engineer, mostly known for his collaborations with rock bands Electric Light Orchestra and Queen. Most of this work took place at Giorgio Moroder's Musicland Studios in Munich...
– engineer - Louie Austin – engineer
- Nick Ryan – engineer