Disco Sunday #20: Sparks’ Moroder Phase
[Ed. Note: I'm on the road with limited interwebz access now, so inspired in part by Justice's inclusion of a Sparks track on their infamously rejected-by-Fabric mix that made the rounds a few weeks ago, I'm reposting a classic Disco Sunday gem you may have missed the first time around. Think of it as "Disco Sunday: L'Edition Classique"!]
The bros. Mael formed their first band, Halfnelson, in 1968, and were discovered by Todd Rundgren. Their first record, produced by Rundgren, did poorly, but after renaming themselves Sparks (as a nod to the Marx brothers), tweaking their sound and touring the UK they began to blow up in the burgeoning glam scene. After placing an ad in Melody Maker which read: “Wanted bass player for Sparks. Must be beard free and exciting”, the band released the album “Kimono My House.” The album spawned their first big UK single, “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us”, and has been covered by bands like Siouxsie and The Banshees as well as The Darkness. It’s not terribly disco but it’s definitely bizarro, and worth a listen to help get yer musical edumacation straight:
MP3: Sparks – “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us”
America continued to ignore Sparks, while their popularity in the UK continued to grow. This was in no small part based on their appearance on shows like “Old Grey Whistle Test”, in which viewers learned that the band’s bizarro pop melodies were being made by this guy:
Ron plays it totally stone faced, cold and creepy, in sharp contrast to the bouncy hooks and Freddy-esque falsettos of vocalist Russell. And then there’s the Chaplin…ok, fine: Hitler mustache (I’m pretty sure they’re Jewish, so it’s, you know, OK). The overall effect is fantastically off-putting, in that “are they kidding? Of course they are! I think!” kinda way. And it makes for pretty compelling TV, as you can see in this clip from Top of The Pops for their song “The Number One Song in Heaven” from their 1979 album of that name produced by Giorgio Moroder:
MP3: Sparks – “The Number One Song in Heaven” – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Here’s a second song from that same Moroder-produced album, which is my favorite and certainly the most relevant to Disco Sunday. The track is called “Beat the Clock”, and is probably their most enduring dancefloor track. I even saw it on a Sasha comp around ‘99 (so sue me, I have a Sasha comp!)
MP3: Sparks – “Beat The Clock (Remix)”
Sparks finally made a splash in the U.S. in 1983 with a new, uber-synthpoppy sound. Their album “Sparks in Outer Space” featured a hit single, “Cool Places”, that featuring the Go-Gos’ Jane Wiedlin on vocals. The whole album is infectious, in a simplistic, minimal kinda way, with the as-always-characteristic sardonic lyrics. I love this track for many things, not the least of which is the line “Think of all the places/we’ve had our little fun/In the church at Christmas/Busted by that nun.”
MP3: Sparks – “All You Ever Think About is Sex”
Les Freres Mael, who continue to enjoy huge success in the UK, are going to perform every album they’ve made in its entirety in a concert series called “21 Albums in 21 Nights” that begins May 16 in London. Check their Myspace for details.
Buy Sparks on Amazon
Sparks Webby Web
Sparks Fan Site
xx,
Baron von Luxxury
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It took six weeks for the record “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us” to begin to be accepted in the U K. (a month longer than any record is given today).
The best band ever! I’m going to check their new album ‘Exotic creatures of the deep’ soon.
all u ever think about exclusively
hahahaha—fucking genius