The first track on Sparks' 19th LP, 'Lil' Beethoven' is 'The Rhythm Thief', and it sets the scene, as, apart from one track, there is conventional drumming, human or electronic across the LP. Instead the LP, released in 2002, is largely piano lead with orchestral arrangements and complex vocal arrangements all performed by Russell and collaborator Tammy Glover. He's also sampled extensively as part of the instrumentation. This obviously had precedents on 'Plagarism' but the overall concept is minimalist, based on repetitive vocal lines with string driven orchestrations. For a band who reinvent themselves regularly it's a remarkable departure, but works very well while remaining recognisably Sparks. It's the sort of record that deserves several listens. The one thematic exception is the seven minute 'Ugly Guys With Beautiful Girls', a guitar and drum lead track that looks back to their glam rock days. It was critically acclaimed but didn't chart, however, this isn't so important anymore, and to that extent it's a success for its ambition.
LP: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ls80koYCCedNgwqEleAf27TFn62TwD530
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lil%27_Beethoven
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The first track on Sparks' 19th LP, 'Lil' Beethoven' is 'The Rhythm Thief', and it sets the scene, as, apart from one track, there is conventional drumming, human or electronic across the LP. -
'Balls' was Sparks 18th LP, recorded over 1998 and 1999, and released in 2000.'Balls' was Sparks 18th LP, recorded over 1998 and 1999, and released in 2000. It has a more aggressive sound, with techno beats and acid baselines alongside rock and orchestral components. Again, the Mael brothers clearly knew what was going on in the music world and there are tracks that wouldn't sound out of place in a compilation of the time, perhaps the more remarkable for a band who had been around for thirty years. As always, there are some catchy tunes and clever ideas but it doesn't seem quite enough. The lead single 'The Calm Before The Storm' is a straight(ish) dance track but the 2008 reissue added an alternative version 'The Calm Before the Opera' which (IMO, of course) would have been a better single, mixing Beach Boys harmonies, crunchy beats and rock guitar. 'Bullet Train' gets going in the same sort of way, but there's a feeling that somewhere along the line things were toned back, and it doesn't go in either direction. The more I think about, I hear Underworld in there, but then again I hear Underworld in a lot of things.
The LP didn't build on the success of 'Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins' and only reached 16 on the UK independent chart as it was released here by an independent label. It doesn't have quite the same immediate appeal as 'Gratuitous Sax' but it wouldn't have sounded out of place in the charts in 2000. I'd be wondering what I had to do to repeat these one off successes.
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LP: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n-eoDX31JochHyEPVOVvdyexCsuqXbeTs
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balls_(Sparks_album) -
1986's 'Music That You Can Dance To' is synth and sampler lead again and also sees the return of Russell's falsetto a bit .As was traditional at the time, Sparks promoted the single 'Change' in the UK on BBC1's 'Wogan', which is the source of many great TV appearances, and this is no exception. It includes timpanis and a man with a small moustache doing a soft show shuffle. https://yewtu.be/watch?v=5NNeZuB4qjg
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1986's 'Music That You Can Dance To' is synth and sampler lead again and also sees the return of Russell's falsetto a bit .1986's 'Music That You Can Dance To' is synth and sampler lead again and also sees the return of Russell's falsetto a bit . The sampled arrangements are a lot more adventurous than the last couple of LPs, but the tongue is still pressed firmly in the cheek. The lead track is a dance track that harks back 'No 1 in Heaven' again and other dance floor tracks where 'The Scene' is a very contemporary hi-nrg track with *that* slap bass sample. On the other hand, 'Armies of the Night', recorded for the horror film 'Fright Night' is a brooding bit of goth, and 'Rosebud' is a bit of equally filmic drama. 'Modesty Plays' is a rework of their 1982 single brought up to date for 1986.
It's a better sounding record than the last two LPs. There's a bit more adventure but also a lot of sampler presets. But hey, it was the 80s. There was also a standalone single 'Change' that is, along with closing track 'Let's Get Funky' more diverse in its sounds. That was replaced by 'Armies of the Night' on the US and Canadian versions and on the 2011 reissue. 'Change' reached 85 in the UK, but the LP didn't chart anywhere.
LP: https://yewtu.be/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kgN5ccQSN6Pq4YEpLjsdC5wu-97IYKkSc
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_That_You_Can_Dance_To
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I've been up to my eyes in actual work today so I'll either get to 'In Outer Space' tonight or it'll be a double feature tomorrow.I've been up to my eyes in actual work today so I'll either get to 'In Outer Space' tonight or it'll be a double feature tomorrow.
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'Angst in My Pants' was Sparks eleventh album, released in 1982.'Angst in My Pants' was Sparks eleventh album, released in 1982. Following the rather indifferent response to 'Whomp That Sucker' it seems less slick, and more sonically interesting, seemingly taking influences from European post punk/goth bands while still remaining resolutely Sparks. There's a lot of chorused bass and guitar and rolling toms as well trebly synthetic sounding drums - my first thought was Joy Division and the Cure, if they were in a better mood.
'I Predict' was released as a single, with a David Lynchesque video featuring Ron as a stripper, a distressing concept in itself. The song looks back to the Glitterbeatish glam of 'Kimono My House' and is the most immediate track on the LP. For all that, it's sonically more interesting and contemporary sounding than 'Whomp That Sucker'. Then again, I'm just an old goth.
LP: https://yewtu.be/watch?v=94qnf_DtrEE (yewtu.be isn't being helpful for me at the moment though)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angst_in_My_Pants
#sparkstember @sparkstember -
Sparks' tenth album 'Whomp That Sucker' returned to straight rock instrumentation As much as anything it sounds like a return to their early LPs with a bigger production and a keyboard forward sound.Sparks' tenth album 'Whomp That Sucker' returned to straight rock instrumentation As much as anything it sounds like a return to their early LPs with a bigger production and a keyboard forward sound. It was reasonably successful in France again and reached the lower reaches of the US charts, but wasn't successful in the UK. The first single 'Tips For Teens' got some airplay and is probably the catchiest track. The singles also have videos, with 'Tips for Teens' set in a boxing ring, and 'Funny Face', a hit in France, with Ron being lightly creepy in that way he actually isn't.
As an LP, well, it's a Sparks LP, and it's an enjoyable half hour or so, but after 'No1 in Heaven' and 'Terminal Jive' it feels like they're not sure what to do with themselves.
LP: https://yewtu.be/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kNxO4kjpzYfVnge48AxG1r2IT_tYAr-ho
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whomp_That_Sucker
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1980's 'Terminal Jive' brought back guitar and bass but still had a sequenced, disco feel and was produced by Giorgio Moroder and Harold Faltermeyer.1980's 'Terminal Jive' brought back guitar and bass but still had a sequenced, disco feel and was produced by Giorgio Moroder and Harold Faltermeyer. It has a very contemporary feel, making me think of both Devo and 'Eliminator' era ZZ Top. The LP wasn't released in the US and didn't chart in the UK, but it was more successful in Europe, including a hit in France with 'When I'm With You', which lead to the band staying there for a year to promote the LP.
Following the success of 'No1 in Heaven' the LP seems to be marking time in returning to more traditional instrumentation, as if unsure of how to move forward. 'Rock and Roll People in a Disco World' could be interpreted as their thoughts on where they were. For all that it has some banging choruses and drives along nicely. Leading on 'When I'm With You' and putting an instrumental version on the same side of the LP is a bit of an odd choice. Side two flows better than side one.
LP: https://yewtu.be/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n_IfGI2mFDV_-N6JwFTKKp-4d0IXalEtI
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_Jive
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The comparative failure of 'Big Beat' and 'Introducing' caused the Mael brothers to rethink their direction.@sparkstember The additional tracks that have been added over the years include promotional spots made by Peter Cook for the LP and for the single of 'Tryouts for the Human Race', therefore being doubly relevant to my interests. In the one for the LP he does adopt the rather doubtful persona of a 'Jewish' lawyer representing God. They're in the playlist, should you so wish.
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The comparative failure of 'Big Beat' and 'Introducing' caused the Mael brothers to rethink their direction.The comparative failure of 'Big Beat' and 'Introducing' caused the Mael brothers to rethink their direction. In an interview with a German journalist they expressed an admiration for Giorgio Moroder. The journalist turned out to be a friend of Moroder, made the introduction and their eighth LP 'No1 in Heaven' was recorded with him at Musicland in Germany.
Musically the LP's instrumentation is electronic except for Keith Forsey's drums and, its sequencers and synths have the trademaek Moroder sound that was first heard on Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love'. Of the six tracks, four were released as singles, two of which 'Beat the Clock' and 'The Number One Song in Heaven' made the Top 20 in the UK. The LP also embraced modern promotional techniques such as videos and 12" singles so subsequent reissues have included a variety of variations of the original songs. As much as anything, it put them back on the radio and inspired or re-inspired those of us with an ear for the different. It's a short LP and has long songs, but there's no filler.
LP: https://yewtu.be/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k1ccadVxeKZXGykpGDoT00P72O2y9ZjIk
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._1_in_Heaven
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The band returned to the US and recorded their sixth LP 'Big Beat' in New York with a session band.The band returned to the US and recorded their sixth LP 'Big Beat' in New York with a session band. It was recorded with Rupert Holmes and Jeffery Lesser and has a rockier American AOR 'West Coast' sound than previously. It's still recognisably Sparks due to Russell's voice and slightly wonky arrangements and lyrical ideas, but it's often steamrollered by the rock arrangements. That said, 'Nothing To Do' could be Cheap Trick, and 'I Bought The Mississippi River' is a piece of Maelean whimsy. Side two seems a little lyrically ropey, or perhaps of its time, but otherwise it's another different Sparks. It didn't chart in the UK or US, nor did the singles 'Big Boy' or 'I Like Girls'. My favourite track is 'Nothing To Do', which might have been a better choice in the UK where punk was just starting out.
LP: https://yewtu.be/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mw6ynGaaAS7UZBh_leBNMieBYoIyCMOR4
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Beat_(album) -
Sparks' fifth LP was 'Indiscreet', released in 1975.Sparks' fifth LP was 'Indiscreet', released in 1975. While it still referred to contemporary glam rock like 'Kimono' and 'Propaganda' , there were broader influences from outside of rock, such as vaudeville, jazz and classical music, with orchestral arrangements by Tony Visconti. Lead UK single 'Get In the Swing' sounds like a college anthem with a marching band. Looks Looks Looks is a trad jazz song. It was less successful than their previous two LPs but still charted in the UK and US.
From nearly 50 years later, as well as the less rock elements, and perhaps because of Tony Visconti's other productions of the time, there are elements of Bowie in there, and it's also apparent to me that it influenced the next generation of British bands of the time, not least the young Associates, who probably started playing their early gigs at around the same time as the LP came out. It's fun (there are tracks called 'Tits' and 'Pineapples') and was probably fun to make. My personal note: Get In The Swing is one of those formative songs, probably heard on Radio Two in the morning, and there tune has stuck in my head since then, but I couldn't have told you there was a marching band on it until I listened to it last year.
LP: https://yewtu.be/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kVpYtIoOFykboexuJt2xtDbvEDxhiS02Y
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiscreet_(Sparks_album)
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September the first is the first day of Sparkstember so we start with their first LP.September the first is the first day of Sparkstember so we start with their first LP. Originally released as Halfnelson, it was reissued in 1972 as Sparks when the band changed their name. Recorded with Todd Rundgren, it opens with Wonder Girl, which for me at least, sounds exactly like Sparks, 53 years ago.
LP: https://yewtu.be/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nyQbdPeAMGywwONfFKJiM_QLvndv-8EVY
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparks_(Sparks_album)
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