Taking Sides: Sweet's "Love is Like Oxygen" vs. Boston's "Don't Look Back"

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So, the wife and I are in the process of moving, right, and we've successfully bought and moved lots of stuff into the new place, but we haven't sold the old place as yet. So, we're in this weird limbo stage between the two. Meanwhile, nine tenths of my CD collection now resides in the new place, while all we're left with here in the old place are the VARIOUS ARTISTS discs, and appropos of fuck-all, the wife threw on one of those TIME WARNER AM GOLD REMEMBER THE 70's discs (this one encapsuling 1978), and we're quite alarmingly enjoying it more than any sane person with arguable taste has any right to. Anyway, just heard these two "classics" back to back, and a debate has ensued as to which rocks more mightily. She wants to include "Hot Child in the City" to this, but I'm refusing on the basis of it being completely crap. So which is it, plangent think piece on the nature of love by glambos Sweet or title track from sophomore album by hirsute arena rockers Boston? Weigh in, please.....

http://www.timelife.com/tl_products/6338-2.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 00:33 (twenty-two years ago)

"Hot Child in the City" is absolute genius!! As is "City Nights" the album it's on. "Love is Like Oxygen" is ok, but the Sweet were on their last legs at that point.

btw, Arthur, Ned and I heard a somewhat addled roving guitarist perform an "unplugged" version of LILO last weekend.

― Sean (Sean), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 00:54 (twenty-two years ago)

His version of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" was truly the zen masterpiece, though.

Never EVER liked "Hot Child in the City," the vocals were just too damn smarmy.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 01:15 (twenty-two years ago)

hot child in the city is GOD

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 01:18 (twenty-two years ago)

ps "somewhat addled"!

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 01:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Fairly damn well addled, actually.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 01:20 (twenty-two years ago)

ha! wish I coulda been there

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 01:40 (twenty-two years ago)

my friend does a really good hiphop remix of that sweet song,he pitches up the chorus just-blaze style and adds gunshots and gully guitars.

― juiceboxxx, Tuesday, 28 January 2003 02:01 (twenty-two years ago)

"Don't Look Back" is a serious contender for my absolute favourite single of all time. I haven't heard the Sweet song. If it's anything like "Ballroom Blitz", it's a worthy opponent.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 02:50 (twenty-two years ago)

"Don't Look Back" is definitive. "Love Is Like Oxygen" is merely classic.

― ara, Tuesday, 28 January 2003 04:21 (twenty-two years ago)

"Love Is Like Oxygen" is too mechanical to rock -- Boston by default. ¥

― christoff (christoff), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry. "Don't Look Back" is worthless. "Love is Like Oxygen" has a good riff at least. "Hot Child.." .. awful chorus - the rest is OK.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 15:57 (twenty-two years ago)

"Don't Look Back" is a serious contender for my absolute favourite single of all time.

Oh. My. God.

― J (Jay), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

"'Don't Look Back' is a serious contender for my absolute favourite single of all time"

"'Don't Look Back' is definitive."

Damn! Who knew this thread would be such a hotbed of headspinning confessions?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Re: The Laguna Beach Busker--he was a ukelilist, Sean. The "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" went something like "...strum strum strum...HIDE!...strum strum strum...HIDE!...strum strum strum...HIDE!" It was incredible. He looked a bit like this:
http://www.3artstudios.com/judy/media/mountain%20man.jpg

Then he wandered off into the bushes to HIDE!

I'm thinking "Love Is Like Oxygen" vs. "The Air That I Breathe" would be a more appropriate fite, Alex.

― Arthur (Arthur), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it was "HEY!" he said as well. He did indeed wander down into the bushes.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

"Love Is Like Oxygen" trumps "Hot Child in the City" (which I'm surprised Pink or Avril haven't been given to cover yet), which in turn trumps "Don't Look Back."

I like all three, though.

― mike a (mike a), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 17:03 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm certain it was "Hey!"... but you're right about the ukelele.

― Sean (Sean), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 17:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I think "Love is Like Oxygen" is more pop-friendly (yet still with a concrete rock edge), while "Don't Look Back" is strictly riff-based rock, Rock, ROCK with prog-metal leanings! Despite being a scowling, fire-honoring disciple of Killing Joke, Cop Shoot Cop, the Ramones, Misfits and Stranglers, I must confess that "Don't Look Back"'s circular riff still sends gives me the giddy rock shivers like I was eleven years old again and hearing it from the backseat of the car, hoping one or both of my parents aren't about to switch the station.

"Hot Child in the City" reminds me of Billy Idol. But, I guess that's subconsciously because of Idol's equally lamentable "Hot in the City."

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 17:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Plus "Love Is Like Oxygen" is about four songs in one - you just don't hear singles go through that many changes in mood and melody anymore.

― mike a (mike a), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 17:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Good point, Mike.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 17:46 (twenty-two years ago)

One of my many ideas-that-will-never-be: a CD-length cover of the first Boston album. I've even worked up pretty good poppy versions of "Peace of Mind" and "Long Time." The problem would be singing the lyrics with a straight face.

― mike a (mike a), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 17:54 (twenty-two years ago)

It was "hey!" The Gary Glitter version, how could I forget. I guess "hide" just sounds better.

― Arthur (Arthur), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 17:56 (twenty-two years ago)

So what about "Love is Like Oxygen" -vs- "You've Blown it All Sky High" by Jigsaw ? I'll still take the Sweet - but for some reason, I place these two songs in the same Disc-go-Round (singles caddy.)

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 18:27 (twenty-two years ago)

re "You've Blown it All Sky High"... I would never have remebered this song again in my life if you hadn't mentioned it. I'm sure it's been more than 20 years since I've heard it, or thought of it. Thanks, I guess.

― Sean (Sean), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Hope it isn't stuck in your head too long...

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 20:05 (twenty-two years ago)

it being a compilation, "LiL Oxygen" is probably exhibited in its truncated SP-version, no? (i don't kno' that comp) ...but either way it's not a very good track, by that time (as's ''ready opined somewhere above) Sweet was definitely trurning sour
so the Boston boys win, this time

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 20:50 (twenty-two years ago)

"but either way ['Love is Like Oxygen's] not a very good track"

AGGHH! How can you say that? It's a magnificent track. All those histrionic moments? The harmonies? The crunchy guitar hook? The way those drums usher in the encroaching chorus? The double-timed, dewey-eyed keyboards? It's sheer genius, man!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

...and the way the guitar answers the french horn as if being played from the peaks of a high, lofty mountain somewhere off in the Middle-Earthan distance?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 21:44 (twenty-two years ago)

it's a good song. not their best, but a great reinvention. the only Sweet song that sounds "American" rather than "British" to me, perhaps not surprisingly ...

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 22:46 (twenty-two years ago)

unfortunately I shouldn't really be answering this thread, because I don't know "Don't Look Back" or "Hot Child In The City". the crap Brit equivalent of "Love Is Like Oxygen" was probably City Boy's "5-7-0-5" (shudder).

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 22:48 (twenty-two years ago)

vow, a little something's happened on the thread - in the short while i've been away 'onurin' the fire in my kitchen!
(Alex kno's ho' i do that ;-) )

okeh, saying Sweet's Lil thing is "not a very good song", i was saying exactly what i meant, i.e. i did not imply that imo it's 'utter crap' or anything - and it sure is the best thing on the damn Sweet album it came from
anyhow it's weepy-Sweet, and as far as weepy-Sweet songs go, i rather prefer The Six Teens, say, any day
anyway, Boston's well-acted cool carelessness appeals to me more, in the context of the original comparison

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 28 January 2003 23:37 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

Revive! I've been listening to the Sweet song. (I'd thought it was by ELO before.) It's a cool track and not what I expected based on "Ballroom Blitz" and "Fox On the Run", even though I probably still wouldn't rate it over "Don't Look Back". I like how AMG describes the keyboard line as "winter-clear".

"Hot Child In the City" makes me think of the Sex & the City episode where Carrie hooked up with the guy from the comic book store.

― Sundar (sundar), Monday, 5 September 2005 13:51 (twenty years ago)

As a sidenote, has anybody heard "Don't Look Back" by The Remains ? It's on the original Nuggets LP / CD and is one of the bets rock songs I've ever heard.

The Remains were an awesome (if short lived) 60's band that opened for The Beatles on their last tour (67 I think). They have a lot of great tracks, but "Don't Look Back" is one of my all time favourites.

Boston is okay.

― Erock Lazron, Monday, 5 September 2005 15:08 (twenty years ago)

three years pass...

REVIVE

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 10 April 2009 16:07 (sixteen years ago)

Wow, that didn't work at all. Never mind.

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 10 April 2009 16:08 (sixteen years ago)

There we go.

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 10 April 2009 16:08 (sixteen years ago)

i too thought "love is like oxygen" was an ELO song for the longest time. i still think its the best ELO song that ELO didn't write.

― chocolatepiekid, Friday, 10 April 2009 16:17 (sixteen years ago)

lol same here

― meisenfek, Friday, 10 April 2009 16:31 (sixteen years ago)

thirteen years pass...

Heard “Love Is Like Oxygen” coming out of a passing car last night for the first time in years and it sounded great.

― Wile E. Is President (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 4 May 2022 17:39 (three years ago)

Listening again now, never really paid attention to the goofy backing vox.

― Wile E. Is President (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 4 May 2022 17:39 (three years ago)

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