The Sweeney!
A series of three compilations paying tribute to the best T.V series ever made. Dirty dialogue mixed with funky music.
It's the greatest television series ever made… A tough, action-packed, MANLY series riddled with curious rhyming slang, hilarious banter, racism, sexism, heavy-drinking and last - but certainly not least - some of the greatest music ever used in anything ever created. Ever. This music was library music from the 1970s. A lot was from De Wolfe, KPM, Chappell and perhaps a few more I'm not aware of. Mint.
With The French Connection as its primary influence, The Sweeney ran for 4 series between 1975-78 on the British ITV channel. There were also a couple of big-screen movies (the first one being especially weak), and a TV pilot episode named after the main character 'Regan'. He's a RIGHT bastard!
A HUGE hit in the 1970s, The Sweeney may be slightly dated in terms of fashion and dialogue, but the scripts were always very well written, and it was the first time a TV production took the cameras to the streets, lending a sense of gritty realism not seen before on UK screens. It's the music, however, that has a lasting legacy. Which is why I made some compilations dedicated to The Sweeney, and 1970s Cop music in general.
Let's face it, some Sweeney compilations were always in the offing… And I always knew it would be quite a task to gather lots of library music together with some samples from the show, and cobble them together for the purposes of personal entertainment. There were three main time periods when I was absolutely hammering the Sweeney; Firstly in 2007, secondly in 2009, and finally in the last months of 2012. There was always Sweeney moments earlier on, but not specifically for the purposes of musical compilations. Oh yes, this shit goes waaaay back.
Three full compilations came out of these mammoth sessions, and one lounge music compilation will be as an added extra.
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Sweeney Volume 1: Hard Men
Sweeney Volume 2: Shooter In The Boot
Sweeney Volume 3: Bleak City
Personally, I think volume 1 is the slickest, but volume 3 makes me wee myself the most. It's a cliché, but they really don't make 'em like this anymore. Classic.
