and how do I get that 20 album pdf?
(I met them, you know, back in '75...)
― Mark G, Friday, 15 June 2012 06:40 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.arthurmag.com/2011/03/12/at-home-at-work-at-play-a-listener%E2%80%99s-guide-to-sparks%E2%80%99-first-20-albums-by-ned-raggett-arthur-no-29may-2008/
― cwkiii, Friday, 15 June 2012 11:36 (twelve years ago) link
thanks!
― Mark G, Friday, 15 June 2012 12:13 (twelve years ago) link
So classic. What else do we have remotely like them?
Andrew W.K.!!!!!
― frogbs, Friday, 15 June 2012 13:15 (twelve years ago) link
Ron Mael walked up to me backstage at the Whiskey one time and looks all fretful, but, for a moment, doesn't say anything.I say the early 80s version of Whassup and he scretches his chin, tells me in his late thirties, and he's worried that he isn't married yet. "Am I weird or something?" he asks.― Ian Grey (Ian_G), Friday, 9 April 2004 19:17 (8 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Ian Grey (Ian_G), Friday, 9 April 2004 19:17 (8 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
The only reply I can imagine woudld be the face that says "O Rlly?"
Because, that sounds like someone that's kept his 'other life' completely secret, successfully.
― Mark G, Monday, 25 June 2012 13:09 (eleven years ago) link
yeah we know stunningly little about these guys. have they ever been married?
― frogbs, Monday, 25 June 2012 15:22 (eleven years ago) link
Other than their complete lack of rock'n'roll behavior, we don't even learn that much about their personal lives in any of their biographies.
Maybe they're spies or somethin?
― mr.raffles, Monday, 25 June 2012 16:04 (eleven years ago) link
They just know how to stay low key. (Met 'em briefly a couple of times, know a variety of people who know them -- again, they just know how to stay low key.)
Actually this is a timely revival, they've just fired up an official YouTube channel -- plenty of their videos have long been around but now there's a proper central location. And a lot of them are absolutely great!
http://www.youtube.com/SparksOfficialVideo
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 25 June 2012 16:53 (eleven years ago) link
Nice rendition of Sherlock Holmes from their recent show at Bush Hall:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFIqVkyHAtQ
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:11 (eleven years ago) link
Sparks official channel –––– yes!!!!!
― chupacabra seeds (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:14 (eleven years ago) link
forgot how much I love "tips for teens"
― chupacabra seeds (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:15 (eleven years ago) link
Any idea if they're working on a new album at all? I can't believe it's already been four years since Exotic Creatures.
― Kitchen Person, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:23 (eleven years ago) link
this is a timely top, i listened to sparks on my commute in this morning. it just felt like a sparks day.
― john zorn has ruined klezmer for an entire generation (bene_gesserit), Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:33 (eleven years ago) link
Well they did the Seduction of Ingmar Bergman project so more like two years -- probably something up their sleeve here soon.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:35 (eleven years ago) link
I can't remember where I heard this but my favorite quote about that soundtrack was "I really admire Sparks four-decade long quest to sell as few albums as possible"
It's actually quite good!
― frogbs, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:37 (eleven years ago) link
Oh yeah I forgot that soundtrack even came out, didn't do a lot for me really. The three albums before that are all so good, really excited to see what they come back with.
― Kitchen Person, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:46 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah I'm still listening to Hello Young Lovers six years later now, next to Kimono I think it's almost definitely their best album, there's nothing like it
Exotic Creatures was definitely very good, but IMO outside of "Lighten Up, Morissey" it didn't quite hit those same highs
― frogbs, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:49 (eleven years ago) link
Lighten Up though was probably the best single of the year, if it was a single, that 3rd extended chorus is one of the all time great Sparks moments
― frogbs, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:52 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah I totally agree with that, Exotic is a really solid album but not in the same league as Hello Young Lovers or Lil' Beethoven which both just blew me away at the time. They would both be in my top five Sparks albums, which would probably look like this these days,
1. Propaganda2. No. 1 In Heaven3. Kimono My House4. Hello Young Lovers5. Lil' Beethoven
― Kitchen Person, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 18:26 (eleven years ago) link
Oooh... fun!
Lessee:1. Propaganda2. Indiscreet3. Hello Young Lovers4. Lil Beethoven5. No.1 in Heaven
― mr.raffles, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 18:37 (eleven years ago) link
And just because they have so many great albums..
6. Indiscreet7. A Woofer In Tweeting's Clothing8. Angst In My Pants9. Exotic Creatures Of The Deep10. Sparks
― Kitchen Person, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 18:49 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah! Your 6-10 are still albums most groups would kill to make.
Mines:6. Kimono My House7. Exotic Creatures of the Deep8. Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing9. Seduction of Ingmar Bergman10. Angst In My Pants
After this, it gets a lil muddier. All their albums have SOME dope shit on them though.
― mr.raffles, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 19:33 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah I think they are the band with the most great albums. Apart from the ones I listed I really rate Outer Space and Gratuitous Sax too. The rest are mostly mixed but do contain some great moments. Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat is probably my least favourit album of thiers but it still has A Song That Sings Itself which is stunning.
Surprised to see Seduction of Ingmar Bergman in your list, I only played it the once but don't remember much about it.
― Kitchen Person, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 20:39 (eleven years ago) link
Re: Song Thaat Sings Itself... YES.
Even Big Beat has a bunch of songs I like!As Seduction goes, it hit me hard after a few listens. Thought it was minor myself at first, but that may just be because it wasn't rly treated like a new Sparks album when it came out. Love it now.Some very catchy stuff on there.
― mr.raffles, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 21:01 (eleven years ago) link
I'm surprised to find out that people don't like Big Beat. I'm not big on the production but I like the feel of it - like Sparks does the Cars (though the Cars wouldn't come around for a few years)
My top 5 would probably be Kimono, Hello Young Lovers, Propaganda, No. 1 in Heaven, and Li'l Beethoven, in some order, honorable mention to the s/t and Big Beat
― frogbs, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 21:03 (eleven years ago) link
I'll have to give Seduction another listen at some point.
Big Beat just doesn't have that many memorable songs on it, the only one I usually put on playlists/compilations would be I Bought The Mississippi River. I think the other problem is the albums it followed, such an amazing run of albums then Big Beat just sounded flat in comparison. That one and Introducing aren't bad albums just quite forgettable.
― Kitchen Person, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 22:32 (eleven years ago) link
'Indiscreet' is the masterpiece for me, I've listened to it a zillion times. I will have to check out the more recent once; I did listen to 'Hello Young Lovers' and there were some genius moments though nothing compares to the early stuff for me....the first 5 + 'Number 1 in Heaven' are just INFALLIBLE.
― hyksos, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 22:56 (eleven years ago) link
Indiscreet would make my top five records by anyone ever. There are at least 4 or 5 others that are legitimately great.
I am apparently the only person that doesn't like Lil' Beethoven. I keep going back to it, hoping this will be the time it finally clicks...nothing yet. It's weird because there's no other band that I love so much with an album as universally revered as this that just doesn't resonate with me at all.
― cwkiii, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 13:19 (eleven years ago) link
I was like that about Lil, like also I was like that re: Paul's Boutique.
but hey
― Mark G, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 13:21 (eleven years ago) link
That one definitely took a while to fully appreciate. It's definitely the most atypical Sparks album and outside of "Ugly Guys with Beautiful Girls" it doesn't really have that Sparks sound the way the following two albums did.
As for Big Beat and Introducing - you gotta love "Occupation", right? I dunno I feel both albums are let down a bit by the production but they're both pretty good. I was surprised by how much I wound up liking Introducing Sparks after being thoroughly confused on the first listen
― frogbs, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 13:59 (eleven years ago) link
Introducing's best incarnation was the live performance that was part of the 21 x 21 series in London a few years back. They could seriously swap out that performance for the studio recording and everyone would think it's one of the best albums ever.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 14:21 (eleven years ago) link
so where's the 21-disc box set capturing all this? (only half-joking, btw)
― frogbs, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 14:23 (eleven years ago) link
There were rumors of a DVD set but so far nothing...
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 14:23 (eleven years ago) link
I'm listening to Introducing Sparks right now and "Big Surprise" just cut into "Baby Blue Sedan" by Modest Mouse after 50 seconds, then to some crappy later-day ELP tune after 20 more, my iPod is seriously acting weird
― frogbs, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 15:28 (eleven years ago) link
I don't mean the track skipped, I mean this is what the track is now
the song was "Better Days". then it cut into one second of "Me! I Disconnect From You" by Gary Numan. wtf is going on here
― frogbs, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 15:31 (eleven years ago) link
hidden message from yr iPod, it seems.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 15:33 (eleven years ago) link
lol it just cut in more Black Moon-era ELP and then some Uriah Heep , what are you trying to tell me
― frogbs, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 15:42 (eleven years ago) link
ok now "Over the Summer" got mixed into "Foil" by Autechre. I'm done with this.
― frogbs, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 17:57 (eleven years ago) link
Heads up, new album fully announced for September, Hippopotamus. Song titles:
1. Probably Nothing 2. Missionary Position 3. Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me) 4. Scandinavian Design 5. Giddy Giddy 6. What The Hell Is It This Time? 7. Unaware 8. Hippopotamus 9. Bummer 10. I Wish You Were Fun 11. So Tell Me Mrs. Lincoln Aside From That How Was The Play? 12. When You're A French Director 13. The Amazing Mr. Repeat 14. A Little Bit Like Fun 15. Life With The Macbeths
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 25 March 2017 02:19 (seven years ago) link
They played some new songs tonight in Glasgow for the 6 Music Festival -- here's the title track:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e368gw/videos/p04x13b3#p04xylv0
And here's "What The Hell Is It This Time?" via an audience member:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMa-0eaZQUo&t=193s
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 25 March 2017 02:20 (seven years ago) link
Album preorder page, etc. etc
https://sparks.tmstor.es/
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 25 March 2017 02:22 (seven years ago) link
The single is pretty good!
― cwkiii, Saturday, 25 March 2017 04:11 (seven years ago) link
They've done this thing so many times now where the opening line of a song is so, so corny, I think "OK, they've finally lost it," but they consistently spin this stuff into gold. Unreal.
― cwkiii, Saturday, 25 March 2017 04:12 (seven years ago) link
Almost fifty years on and they just still have that indefinable 'it' in that regard. Spectacular.
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 25 March 2017 04:30 (seven years ago) link
The backing band is mostly made up of the guys from Mini Mansions, which is Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman's side project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc8b8_qhvSY
― how's life, Monday, 27 March 2017 13:18 (seven years ago) link
there's a fairly detailed 5-star review up on RYM already that's pretty hilarious (and obviously fake)
We get another mash up with Sparks re-imagining New Orders "Love Triangle" as "Stitch Me Up, Patch Me Down" (Peter Hook garnering a co-writing credit), before we get seriously operatic with a gazillion Russells chorusing "When The Fat Lady Sings (I Can't Get Laid)" as our lover boys sexual anguish builds up to derail our Diva's onstage performance. A certain Katherine Jenkins, for freaks sake. Sparks then go Japanese heavy in a manner only really PiL have been able to do, ("Ease" from Album) again Dean Menta's crashing chords against some outstanding Asian wooden drums playing (synth) from Ron in "Geisha Boy, Geisha Girl (I MILFed Your Mama)" then its a colossal, uplifting instrumental that could have been borrowed from Classical Chill. Ron's weaving a Stravinsky ballet with some subtle percussion, leading to an outstanding guitar solo, "(D)Air To Behold" one of Sparks's loveliest pieces for some time. We finish with a couple of slower numbers "The Man Who Put The "E" Into Whiskey" mourning a lovers breakdown late in a bar (the obvious successor to "T*ts") and "I Mourn You" a soul wrenching struggle concerning the death of ??? It remains unclear.
― frogbs, Monday, 27 March 2017 13:55 (seven years ago) link
I can't believe the name of Track #11
― cpl593H, Tuesday, 28 March 2017 13:41 (seven years ago) link
Jim O'Rourke singing karaoke of Sparks lmao https://youtu.be/h_yuTYi4xpM?t=22m55s
― flappy bird, Thursday, 20 April 2017 03:43 (seven years ago) link
And we got new single/video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC0rzv1j8Zc
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 16 May 2017 17:33 (seven years ago) link