2021 Sparks Documentary

[esimms86]

Oh my dear, sweet Lord. Sparks has been one of my favorite bands for almost 50 years. They're basically two brothers from Southern Cal, one on keyboards (Ron Mael) and the other vocalist (Russell Mael). I believe Russell was a QB on his high school football team. Anyway, they had like three really good rock albums the 70's when they were basically a band: Propaganda, Kimono My House and Indiscreet. Catchy tunes with amusing lyrics. They've put out maybe 25 albums over the years in all different genres. Personally, I like their typical rock band stuff the best.

Over the last few years they happen to have just put out a couple more "band" albums (like noted above), meaning not just the two brothers with some extra musicians. The actually recorded as a band. Hippopotamus was the album with the biggest "hit" song of Edith Piaf (said it better than me):



It's interesting to ask people if they've heard of Sparks. Usually it's "no" or "I think I've heard of them" and, occasionally, "Oh, yeah. The band where the guy had a Hitler mustache" (Paul McCartney imitated Ron Mael in the video "Coming Up"). But every once in a while you ask the question and you see the person's eyes get big, along with a huge smile, and they'll say "one of my favorite bands". Sparks fan base is loyal and dedicated. I am one of those freaks!

John Lennon, while watching them on television, called up a friend (Ringo?) and said that he just saw Hitler(Ron) performing with T. Rex(Russell).

Frank Ferdinand did a collaboration album with Sparks entitled “FFS.”

 

[jefe1]

Yes I love those early rock Sparks records and was lucky to have seen them in concert back then....

 

[SomethingAnything]

Oh my dear, sweet Lord. Sparks has been one of my favorite bands for almost 50 years. They're basically two brothers from Southern Cal, one on keyboards (Ron Mael) and the other vocalist (Russell Mael). I believe Russell was a QB on his high school football team. Anyway, they had like three really good rock albums the 70's when they were basically a band: Propaganda, Kimono My House and Indiscreet. Catchy tunes with amusing lyrics. They've put out maybe 25 albums over the years in all different genres. Personally, I like their typical rock band stuff the best.

Over the last few years they happen to have just put out a couple more "band" albums (like noted above), meaning not just the two brothers with some extra musicians. The actually recorded as a band. Hippopotamus was the album with the biggest "hit" song of Edith Piaf (said it better than me):



It's interesting to ask people if they've heard of Sparks. Usually it's "no" or "I think I've heard of them" and, occasionally, "Oh, yeah. The band where the guy had a Hitler mustache" (Paul McCartney imitated Ron Mael in the video "Coming Up"). But every once in a while you ask the question and you see the person's eyes get big, along with a huge smile, and they'll say "one of my favorite bands". Sparks fan base is loyal and dedicated. I am one of those freaks!

Quick potted history from my perspective...
They had a big hit in Oz (and most of the world I imagine) with 'This Town ain't big Enough for the both of us' from Kimono - the whole album is great though - and then followed up with Propaganda, an amazing album. Indiscreet was pretty good, but did not quite reach the heights of Propaganda, and then they blew everyone away with an album with Giorgio Morodor called No1 in Heaven that had the huge hit 'number on song in heaven'. That album and Proganda would be wonderful in surround! Here's the wiki entry for that Heaven album, which shows just how regarded it was: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._1_in_Heaven#:~:text=Nº 1 in Heaven is,on later synth-pop bands.

Such a great band in its day, with still some things left to say now and then.

 

[AtAlls2Words]

Great thread !
I first encountered Sparks in their Moroder period , No1 Song etc. Still like this era.
I was aware they had a rock band history, but I tried not to hold that against them (!).
UK music press gave them some attention around 'Music that...' & 'Gratuitous Sax...', but really it was Lil Beethoven that got me hooked. From memory championed by Jonathan Ross on BBC Radio 2 !
I followed them more actively from that point, but strangely wasn't fussed on FFS, and particularly liked Hippopotamus and finally saw them on that tour (fearing it might be my last chance).
It feels like the stars aligned for them last year. Probably set in motion by the 2021 documentary.
2023 = great album release with 'Girl is Crying...' + tour + Royal Albert Hall + Glastonbury.
There was massive coverage and love for the band in the UK.

If you are curious then search up 'Sparks interview on Tiswas 1979' and if you are not delighted by 1min30secs then maybe its not for you after all !!

 

[AtAlls2Words]

So this was a surprise. I have a friend who collects all sorts of obscure stuff and last time I went up to visit he played me a quad DVD of this band and someone named "Electric Samurai" which is a Japanese synth pioneer I believe. The latter was literally like Disneyland electric light parade meets pop music...but the Sparks release was an absolute revelation. It's the 1977 "Introducing" release in quad (or at least most of it it seems) and sounded amazing like it was recorded yesterday...one of the best four channel quad releases I've heard to date. Several of the tracks sound like they're literally right in the room with you.

I could have sworn they're from the UK based on their voice--but they're from the United States. I'm from California originally and the band rings a bell (especially as I heard KGB played them)...but I do not recall hearing of them per se. Definitely going to have to look into them further after hearing this release.

Wow - dare I ask where the DVD came from ? Sounds fab.

 

[Muppet69]

Great thread !
I first encountered Sparks in their Moroder period , No1 Song etc. Still like this era.
I was aware they had a rock band history, but I tried not to hold that against them (!).
UK music press gave them some attention around 'Music that...' & 'Gratuitous Sax...', but really it was Lil Beethoven that got me hooked. From memory championed by Jonathan Ross on BBC Radio 2 !
I followed them more actively from that point, but strangely wasn't fussed on FFS, and particularly liked Hippopotamus and finally saw them on that tour (fearing it might be my last chance).
It feels like the stars aligned for them last year. Probably set in motion by the 2021 documentary.
2023 = great album release with 'Girl is Crying...' + tour + Royal Albert Hall + Glastonbury.
There was massive coverage and love for the band in the UK.

If you are curious then search up 'Sparks interview on Tiswas 1979' and if you are not delighted by 1min30secs then maybe its not for you after all !!

Tiswas! Fantastic! When we we’re kids it was either Swapshop or Tiswas and I remember seeing that live!

 

[DuncanS]

Tiswas! Fantastic! When we we’re kids it was either Swapshop or Tiswas and I remember seeing that live!

Tiswas was also loved by us Uni students at the time (in my case '76-'79), but there was a 3 year waiting list to get in the tank! I did see the adult Tiswas live with Sally James all in leather, and everybody singing the Far Canal song