Sparks - C ou D

Great, witty, camp as tits wry pop from a band who have made some of the finest records ever made. There's a cheap 'best of' available including all their greatest hits and misses - essential purchase before you go to the gig.

Sparks - C ou D

yup.

classic, btw

Sparks - C ou D

Kimono My House, Propoganda and Indiscreet all have great songs on them mostly by Ron Mael and all have some lemons too (eg pineapple, a song by Russell)

There's a brilliant Sparks Best Of available from Fopp for about £3 or £5 - well worth checking out. Unremixed, too.

Actually full rerecordings rather than remixes, to be pedantic.

(Ron Mael)

See, the writing's on the wall
You bought the girl a wall
Complete with matching ball-point pen
You can breathe another day
Secure in knowing she won't break you (yet)

Something for the girl with everything
Have another sweet my dear
Don't try to talk my dear
Your tiny little mouth is full
Here's a flavour you ain't tried
You shouldn't try to talk, your mouth is full

Something for the girl with everything
Three wise men are here
Three wise men are here
Bearing gifts to aid amnesia
She knows everything
She knows everything
She knew you way back when you weren't yourself

Here's a really pretty car
I hope it takes you far
I hope it takes you fast and far
Wow, the engine's really loud
Nobody's gonna hear a thing you say

Something for the girl with everything
Three wise men are here
Three wise men are here
Where should they leave these imported gimmicks
Leave them anywhere
Anywhere
Make sure that there's a clear path to the door

Something for the girl with everything
Something for the girl with everything
Something for the girl with everything
Something for the girl with everything
Three wise men are here
Three wise men are here
Three wise men are here
Three wise men are here

Here's a partridge in a tree,
A gardener for the tree
Complete with ornithologist
Careful, careful with that crate
You wouldn't want to dent Sinatra, no

Something for the girl who has got everything,
Yes everything
Hey, come out and say hello
Before our friends all go
But say no more than just hello
Ah, the little girl is shy
You see of late she's been quite speechless, very speechless
She's got everything

what's the latest album like ?

and why all those changes of style and demograph ? what of their large later (and earlier) less celabrated back catalog ? ie not glib search/destroy (yes or no or try this) answers, more _why_ ? how ? huh ?

(and how about photos from their earlier careers as clidd underwear models)

they're one of those outfits with their own quite different career mythology -- less groupies and drugs, probably very interesting in other ways

I wish someone would remix "Monster of Love" and crank the drums.

Bought this for three quid in HMV - they've got loads, snap 'em up, kids!

Can't intellectualise the already weightily, flouncily intellectual - just buy the above or Kimono My House, c'mon, it's only just more than a pint. Worth it for "Beat The Clock" and the other Moroder collabs alone.

I love "Pineapple" btw.

and JS are opening for Sparks in Central Park this summer!

Re the question: I like some of their songs, but not that many. When they're on, they're a breed apart, but I certainly can't listen to a side all the way through.

"Nicotina"

Not every cigarette is a dead, dead thing
Some have a mind and try to be other things
Pushed in the pack, they crave some Virginia air
Softly, they pray to someone, but life ain't fair

They're born to lose
They're born to fill
The lungs of Jack
The lungs of Jill
And like I said
Life just isn't fair

Nicotina, Nicotina, Nicotina is her name

Once in a while a cigarette has a name
N-I-C-O-T-I-N-A, that's her name
She had a tiny voice, and she sang all day
She was a cigarette, but she loved to play

Nicotina, Nicotina, Nicotina is her name

A man with a cough
Stepped to the machine
Dropped coins in the slot
The end of a dream

He ripped the pack and coughed, and then coughed again
Popped out a cigarette, and we're near the end
She screamed and screamed but so much was filtered out
Now Nicotina's only a tiny cloud

Nicotina's gone, but life goes on though
Nicotina's gone, but life goes on though
Nicotina's gone, but life goes on and on and on and on and on
Nicotina, Nicotina, Nicotina was her name

An acquaintance, Michelle who helps run Marc Almond's website, has a slew of enjoyable photos from the recent London show up here:

http://www.beyondthedarkroom.co.uk/

Click on 'Stage' and then follow the links.

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.

I was happy to let Sean in SF know about their show tonight via chat -- he got all excited because he didn't know about that beforehand, and is at the venue now! Hope he has a good time.

A fine disc, that, as you can see here.

and if not, b) am th only one who thinks there is no such person as Noel and the song is just Russell singing in a low voice then sped up? Even the picture of "noel" on the label is questionable...I swear it could be Russell!

Also, 'We Are The Clash'. That's quite good too. I swear this band can never step a foot wrong.

That was a weird set list!!!

Good!

it was kind of surreal, for the last few days there's been a particular early Sparks deep cut stuck in my head (thanks to some recent reissues) and it was somehow actually in the set list. mind you I'd been avoiding spoilers, I had no clue what was coming.

I don't wanna spoil anything for those who are planning to see them, all I'm gonna say is they played a lot of really great tunes from not-so-great albums, it was really a showcase of their entire career, none of this "lets just forget about the 30 years between then and now" shit a lot of veteran bands do. some of the guys I went with knew very little about the band and left very impressed.

Russ sounded incredible. his voice really hasn't changed at all. one thing I will say though, I know a Garth Brooks outfit when I see one, and the man definitely cribbed a part of his wardrobe last night. Ron on the other hand was wearing a suit and XXXXL shorts

I don't even especially like the song, but it was touching to hear them bring out something as obscure as "Those Mysteries" when I saw them in 2013. I guess reviving their entire catalogue onstage shows they're willing to encompass it all.

I saw 'em in DC last week and it was easily the most energetic Sparks audience I've ever been a part of. Also (unrelated, I'm sure) the youngest crowd I've ever seen at a Sparks show. Some teens, and more than a few genuine children there with their parents. I saw one young kid wearing a yellow suit modeled after the cactus suit Russell wore on American Bandstand in 84! I think the documentary has been really key in creating a new generation of Sparks fans.

yea there was definitely a moment like that concerning a particular tune I really love from one of those albums so unliked you have to hit "see all" on their RYM page to find it. and it wasn't even one of the singles! totally killed too.

xp That same kid came to the DC show in the same outfit last year. Russell pointed him out from the stage.

The album's good! Not *too much* of a departure from the previous two.

actually I would disagree with this! the wild hyperactive electronic stuff (especially on "Mona Lisa"!) seems unlike anything they've done in the past. also it's cinematic and sweeping in a way their last several only hinted at. it's also...oh I dunno...a bit more TMBG-ish I think. obviously I mean that in a good way. if any of them I think it reminds me most of Hippopatamus but it's actually more ambitious than that. some of the string arrangements are really pretty! are they still fake??

"Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is" definitely feels like one of those things where a band will randomly slap some unreleased tune from their glory years onto a new album and hope nobody notices. only its actually one of the less interesting songs on the album, instead just sounding kind of out of place, as good as it is. maybe they wrote it just to prove they still could do songs like that

some of the string arrangements are really pretty! are they still fake??

I've been wondering about that too. One of my first thoughts hearing the album was that they must have started using some new, more realistic orchestral samples, but then on the Tim Burgess Twitter listening party, Ron said the orchestrations for "Take Me for a Ride" were done by Nathan Kelly, who did the orchestrations for the 40th anniversary Kimono concerts. I don't see his name anywhere in the credits though, and there aren't credits for any orchestral performers, so I'm not sure about the exact extent of those orchestrations. Maybe he helped out with some other songs too?

"When You Leave" could totally be a TMBG song.

Last night's Hollywood Bowl show: a real treat. It's been pretty much the same set for the tour but it was a delight hearing "Beaver O'Lindy" dug up.

They’ve had plenty of lovely songs over their career but a couple of times on the latest album they go for a kraftwerkian prettiness that feels quite new and a perfect fit

Def up there with their very best for me, first listen gave me the same feeling as Hello Young Lovers where I wondered if this is actually the best they’ve ever been

They're just that good!

What a career

Just saw the documentary last night and I was most surprised by how Californian Ron sounded - I don't really know what I expected him to sound like though! Obviously the best thing about it was the Mael Brothers, I could have done with a lot more of them and a lot less of comedians I've never heard of whose agents got them the gig. Also the chronological album-by-album approach became a bit of a route march.

Didn't expect this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH8i_-vUwGY

Lil' Richter

Roffle

Oh, that sounds beautiful (on one play).

cant think of a single other Sparks track that sounds like this

Rarely see Sparks vinyl for decent prices out in the wild so I was pretty stoked to grab Indiscreet and Propaganda the other day for seven bucks apiece.

Vinyl and CD reissues coming soon for #1 Song in Heaven and Noel's heretofore out of print "Is There More To Life Than Dancing?" from 1979. I never had heard of Noel's record before, but it's awesome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6dAYlIHeqc

hadn't seen this before, incredibly cute

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=search&v=376015494406401

what is it?

they're at a train station in Paris which has one of those open pianos you can play on so they film an impromptu performance of This Town, some lady recognizes who they are and starts geeking out

New song out, "Do Things My Own Way"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-ad9MqsKQ

New album is called MAD! and who can blame them.

wonder if they're dialing things back a little on this one, whatever it is I'm on board. hope they come around to Milwaukee again, I still can't get over how great that show was

Russell being 76, it's kinda nuts to me that this is almost the first time he sounds, not his age as such, but maybe as you say just a little calmer. But that's more than all right -- these guys are just going to keep going until they can't.

He sounds no older than Andrew Eldritch did at 30.

given the title of the album I suspect it'll get wild but who knows. I thought their last album had some pretty wild arrangements

amusingly I was gonna post about how cool the ambient style ending was but it turns out Youtube just autoplayed some Hiroshi Yoshimura

LOL pvmic

This was my first I believe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weAZYNi8xC4

Ha, whoops - wrong thread

Anyway, full video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdY_rx-TOWE

LOL that still shot

I appreciate how many times either Ron or Russell have been visually ruined over the decades in their art.

That YouTube thumbnails is a bit... indiscreet *snoball pauses for audience laughter*

hahaha

*bows*

wonder if the person who did the recent Squid video ("Swing") did this one? pretty similar, with both you spend the first 15 seconds wondering if it's green screened and then you find out that yes it is, very very much so

The director of this video is Ambar Navarro, if that helps. Based in LA and some good credits, but no mention of Squid that I can see:

https://www.ambarnavarro.com/

(If they've had their ambarbecutie at gmail account for a while, the Sparks fandom is pretty legit!)

And another new one -- release date for the full album in late May:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEEIU-WrorY

hope they got paid for that! If I had a brand and wanted it to get stuck in everyone's head, I know who I'd call...

Okay, US tour dates announced, on sale next week:

https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/487973317_1221319049363901_5797858258957917357_n.jpg

Plus new song/video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODeoz3pDgNU

Hmm, image didn't go through, so:

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kqdyhnklmmv34nmml6btyqv6/bafkreihmnrz7kxws4dbyq6aeu442zezolfjosoqhrjz5stcsejhcv67poq@jpeg

Plus new interview, including some John Woo musical talk

https://variety.com/2025/music/news/sparks-tour-new-album-mad-interview-1236355069/

Small glitch, though!

“Actually, the last time we played the Greek, the opening act was the Red Hot Chili Peppers,” Ron Mael notes. “So, they owe us a favor to come back and support us on this one.”

That was the early 80s and all -- but they did play the Greek about twenty years back opening for the Go-Gos, IIRC. (Had to miss that show, sadly.)

Anyway there's also some new X Crucior talk in the interview so I've started a thread on ILE:

X Crucior: John Woo directs a new Sparks musical

Another new one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z9Bc4heH2I