FFS (aka, Franz Ferdinand and Sparks)

Another song out, "Collaborations Don't Work"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGAwp5syXyE

And first video, for "Johnny Delusional"

http://www.vevo.com/watch/GBA321500043

Fun interview:

http://www.nme.com/features/ffs-interview-franz-ferdinand-and-sparks-on-how-broken-teeth-and-1990s-pop-shaped-their-unexpected-c

Another new one here:

http://po.st/CallGirl

For anyone who doesn't want to sit through a minute of redirect error warnings, that is a youtube of audio only of a song, not another new interview

Ha, true.

And a full stream of the album is here

http://www.npr.org/2015/05/31/410046656/first-listen-ffs-ffs

http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/SiteNewAnswersControllerServlet

http://thetalkhouse.com/music/talks/luke-haines-the-auteurs-black-box-recorder-talks-ffs-ffs/

this is great so far!

Yeah, love it.

the bonus tracks on the deluxe edition are well worth it as well

this record rules

It really does rule. So many great tracks on here. "Police Encounters" and "Call Girl" are both so good. My vinyl version is coming today so I'm excited to hear these bonus tracks.

so much verve! so much panache!

Ok I knew I would like this but "Collaborations Don't Work" is even better than I had hoped

great Glastonbury set!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkCdHztozzE

Yeah they've been killing it at their performances -- there's a great set from Paris a couple of days before that floating around as well. If a tour doesn't happen here I will be so mightily pissed, I am waiting on an announcement like nothing else.

Also, extended interview with Billy Sloan:

http://t.co/sNs3fVODsQ

Russell Mael's voice has held up remarkably, 66 years old! wow

All that clean living!

American tour happening!

https://twitter.com/ffs_music/status/628617213952569344

Cannot wait.

Annnnd interviewed Russell tonight after interviewing Paul of FF last week. Story'll be in the SF Weekly on October 8.

As important as Sparks were to me in my teens and 20s, I haven't paid much attention for the past fifteen years (and I know next to nothing about Franz Ferdinand, but I'm really liking the new album.) They're playing here next month and I'm suffering what I call "Fear Of Missing Something." Haven't seen them since the '80s, but also have tentative plans to go out of town that weekend.

go go go go

I haven't paid much attention for the past fifteen years

You've missed one of their most fertile periods btw

I was about to say. And you really, really should go.

Yeah, maybe. I didn't really care for the recent stuff I did hear ("The Rhythm Thief" and "Dick Around" come to mind.) I did like their 2-man set at Coachella, and as I said, this new record really sounds like old times. But mostly I've just been digging into old country and rockabilly; I'm more into Sparkle Moore than Sparks these days.

Hey, nothing wrong with that at all! But think of it this way -- this is almost certainly the only time this combination is going to be touring America, and go for it for the crazy one-off it is.

Seeing them in Toronto on Wednesday - and arrived in the city to find it moved to a venue half the size originally booked. Boo for them, yay for me!

Here's a festival set I shan't be watching before the show: http://culturebox.francetvinfo.fr/festivals/festival-rock-en-seine/concerts-2015/franz-ferdinand-sparks-ffs-au-festival-rock-en-seine-225771

And here's my short interview with Russell and Paul

http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/franz-ferdinand-sparks-ffs/Content?oid=4136165

The show was fantastic btw - they really feel like a whole band, and Alex & Russell interact as co-frontmen throughout. If you have half an interest in either, I strongly recommend going.

First choice Ponderosa Stomp and second choice rockabilly fest road trip didn't work out for me, so I'm going to FFS tonight. Off to listen to "Take Me Out" to see if I even know it. I'm painfully unhip to Franz Ferdinand.

Fuck this tour is so good I command you to see them if there are any remaining dates in your city, most fun I've had at a show for a long time

Han agrees apparently

https://scontent-fra3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfl1/v/t1.0-9/11954711_10152959856816875_17821622003459695_n.jpg?oh=326cf58f8e15d67e6b02ac8e7dc03a7a&oe=56899AF5

:-)

Bummed I opted out of seeing them in the end

i didn't get chance but kids spoke v highly

Yeah, this was so fun, I don't know how I was ever on the fence about going. I could have used a few more vintage Sparks songs, but fantastic night.

Caught the Boston show at the Orpheum and it was perfect.
Very smiley crowd. Everybody just seemed stoked. Loads of young people too. I would've thought even FF fans would skew much older.

Anyway. If you have the opportunity, do what everybody else in this thread is saying, and GO.

i was at that show too!

Did you notice all that smiliness too?
I hope I wasn't just imagining it. haha

Well last night in Oakland was the end of the tour and they confirmed it was the end of FFS -- at least for now but I think we have to treat it as the glorious one-off it was rather than something that'll happen again. Stellar show of course and it all ended after some appropriate farewell notes (San Francisco was where they finally got the ball formally rolling on this two years ago) with "Collaborations Don't Work."

yeah you know, I'm okay with that. This was great and this year felt kinda "special" in a way that is hard to replicate. I loved Grinderman (and that 2nd album tour was something else!) too but I was okay with Cave doing away with that quickly too.

but yeah an all-time concert for me

not to be a downer but how much has Sparks got left in 'em? they've been around since '68!

Russell's voice has held up amazingly well and FFS album was great and this tour felt pretty triumphant so seems like an odd time to ask that question.

that's why I'm asking. it's almost inhuman.

Ron just turned 70 a couple of months ago. I suspect they'll outlive us all.

Anyway, one last new FFS song, planned for the album but never completed.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/post/idsa.cecc4b7c-77d6-11e5-adf9-e48966e073bf

okay now I'm on "The Gambler" and I have to say "Taste Of My Love" may not even have the worst lyrics on the album

oh whoops thought this was the Love Beach thread

you know I kinda wonder if I've been getting FP'd for bumping all these old obscure album threads. I don't blame you if you do

by the way is there any indication which group wrote what? like "Dictator's Son" & "Piss Off" are clearly Sparks, no one else writes songs like that, but something like "Little Guy From the Suburbs" is probably FF? there aren't any credits in the sleeve.

Probably intentional!

by the way is there any indication which group wrote what? like "Dictator's Son" & "Piss Off" are clearly Sparks, no one else writes songs like that, but something like "Little Guy From the Suburbs" is probably FF? there aren't any credits in the sleeve.

There was fan club newsletter around the time the album came out that broke down the writing credits song by song. You're right about these three, if I remember correctly. I think "Suburbs" was the only one that was entirely credited to Alex Kapranos on the album proper, and he also had the bonus track "King of the Song." The other tracks that were entirely Sparks-written were "Johnny Delusional," "Save Me from Myself," "The Power Couple," "So Many Bridges," and "Look at Me." Everything else was collaborative. I remember being surprised that most of my favorites were the true collaborations and just the ones where FF were essentially Sparks' backing band!

when I first heard "Call Girl" my thought was "hmmm this sounds a bit like that 'Do You Want To' song" without realizing the band who wrote it was literally on the record