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 (six years ago) link
And we got new single/video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC0rzv1j8Zc
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 16 May 2017 17:33 (six years ago) link
its already stuck in my head
― frogbs, Tuesday, 16 May 2017 17:41 (six years ago) link
Man, that sounds like Sparks.
― Are you Thurston Moore (but enjoying it less) (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Wednesday, 17 May 2017 08:30 (six years ago) link
I don't really like that at all. It doesn't have the same charm as anything from Lil' Beethoven or Hello Young Lovers. I hope there's better to come from them.
― kitchen person, Wednesday, 17 May 2017 13:26 (six years ago) link
That was a great track and you're high.
American tour dates announced, shows on sale Friday
đşđ¸ U S A⨠Get ready! Ron and Russell are finally bringing the Sparks Hippopotamus Tour home this October! Tickets on sale this Friday. pic.twitter.com/amtXWwTAwH— SPARKS (@sparksofficial) July 25, 2017
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 25 July 2017 17:10 (six years ago) link
(And hint, tickets actually on sale now -- MISSIONARYPOSITION is the code. See you at the 7 pm SF show...)
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 27 July 2017 17:49 (six years ago) link
thanks for the tip!
― Badmotorfinger Debate Club (MFB), Thursday, 27 July 2017 20:29 (six years ago) link
Second NYC show added, IIRC. Also, new interviews abounding -- good one in the Quietus:
http://thequietus.com/articles/23002-sparks-interview-2
Which has this detail:
The way you ended up working with Giorgio Moroder was thanks to...Russell: ...a lie. As is our wont.Ron: It wasnât the first time and won't be the last.Russell: Weâd been doing an interview in LA with a German journalist and she said, âWhatâs next for you guys?â And we said, âOh, weâre going to be working with Giorgio Moroder on our new albumâ and we hadnât even made any contact with him. It was something we wanted to do. She said, âOh really, thatâs great, Giorgio is my good friendâ. We went, like, âOh shitâ. We owned up and said, âWe havenât actually approached him but we would like to work with Giorgioâ so she said she would introduce us. No one knew what that album was going to be like. There was an intimidation factor because he was knowledgeable about electronics; at that time we didnât have any knowledge of that - weâve since learned. And the other thing was he was used to working with Donna Summer whoâs this great singer, so it was intimidating for someone like me coming from a band world with these stylistic eccentricities. In the end, he really embraced it and we think [No.1 in Heaven] was a really special record.
Russell: ...a lie. As is our wont.
Ron: It wasnât the first time and won't be the last.
Russell: Weâd been doing an interview in LA with a German journalist and she said, âWhatâs next for you guys?â And we said, âOh, weâre going to be working with Giorgio Moroder on our new albumâ and we hadnât even made any contact with him. It was something we wanted to do. She said, âOh really, thatâs great, Giorgio is my good friendâ. We went, like, âOh shitâ. We owned up and said, âWe havenât actually approached him but we would like to work with Giorgioâ so she said she would introduce us. No one knew what that album was going to be like. There was an intimidation factor because he was knowledgeable about electronics; at that time we didnât have any knowledge of that - weâve since learned. And the other thing was he was used to working with Donna Summer whoâs this great singer, so it was intimidating for someone like me coming from a band world with these stylistic eccentricities. In the end, he really embraced it and we think [No.1 in Heaven] was a really special record.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 10 August 2017 17:01 (six years ago) link
And re Morrissey:
It is true that you used to always communicate by fax?Russell: Yes, we did. We have all the fading messages which weâve kept. By fax and in giant letters, and even more recently - several months back - on my doorstep. I didnât hear him. I was working at home, and I go outside and thereâs an album propped up against the door and itâs a Morrissey album with the Ameba Records sticker still on it which had just been purchased there obviously, and it had been inscripted by Morrissey saying âRussell, you have to record âWindy Dayââ - which was a demo we made in the Kimono My House period that was recently released in a repackaging of Kimono with various tracks that were demos at the time. And he said that, and it was just left there, and he was gone in the wind. He didnât want to speak, so thereâs this odd relationship from a distance. Itâs intriguing and nice.
Russell: Yes, we did. We have all the fading messages which weâve kept. By fax and in giant letters, and even more recently - several months back - on my doorstep. I didnât hear him. I was working at home, and I go outside and thereâs an album propped up against the door and itâs a Morrissey album with the Ameba Records sticker still on it which had just been purchased there obviously, and it had been inscripted by Morrissey saying âRussell, you have to record âWindy Dayââ - which was a demo we made in the Kimono My House period that was recently released in a repackaging of Kimono with various tracks that were demos at the time. And he said that, and it was just left there, and he was gone in the wind. He didnât want to speak, so thereâs this odd relationship from a distance. Itâs intriguing and nice.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 10 August 2017 17:07 (six years ago) link
funny, I just listened to Introducing Sparks for the first time in a while yesterday. I agree with them on that album and Big Beat - good songs, execution maybe not so good. Big Beat sounds like it was recorded in a closet. funny he should mention "Goofing Off"...that's one of my favorite Sparks tunes. also love "Occupation", it reminds me of a couple songs my 2 year old likes
― frogbs, Thursday, 10 August 2017 19:01 (six years ago) link
la lala la lala la la la lala lala la lala la la la lala lala la lala la la la la
― flappy bird, Thursday, 10 August 2017 19:04 (six years ago) link
also wanna point out that Big Beat is the one time where the lyrics seem to go from funny to downright cruel in a few spots. well that and "Tips for Teens". Sparks sorta get a pass on this but I kinda wonder what the fallout would be if someone wrote a song like "Throw Her Away And Get a New One" today
― frogbs, Thursday, 10 August 2017 19:05 (six years ago) link
You read that story about the guy with six 'pre-interview' dates at almost the same time the other day? If anything that song is now a documentary.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 10 August 2017 20:32 (six years ago) link
"Don't Shoot Me" is in the ads for the Get Shorty tv show and got me to revisit Whomp That Sucker. So thanks, Get Shorty tv show.
― The Man Who Saw The Midwife (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 12 August 2017 07:45 (six years ago) link
listened to ONE random track from the new Scooter album and guess who it is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DksxoFhm-os
you probably shouldn't listen to this
― frogbs, Sunday, 3 September 2017 20:40 (six years ago) link
well that was fucking nuts
― flappy bird, Sunday, 3 September 2017 22:14 (six years ago) link
Blocked in my country due to copyright reasons.
― shackling the masses with plastic-wrapped snack picks (sic), Monday, 4 September 2017 00:55 (six years ago) link
The new album definitely needs cutting down a little bit, but there's some great stuff here. I Wish You Were Fun and So Tell Me Miss Lincoln Aside From That How Was The Play? are my current favourites.
― kitchen person, Wednesday, 6 September 2017 17:43 (six years ago) link
Okay, it's out:
https://sparks.lnk.to/hippopotamusFA
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 8 September 2017 13:16 (six years ago) link
this is their funniest album in a long time, isn't it? kinda feels like the sharp sense of humor that went wayward sometime around Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat is back. some real great tunes too. I don't think it needs to be cut down...every song on this seems pretty good to me!
― frogbs, Monday, 18 September 2017 13:40 (six years ago) link
Yeah, I was thinking you'd have to go back to the '80s to find the last Sparks album that was this overtly fun/funny. At the same time some of the last album's more melancholy side is there too -- feel like they've really perfected that balance.
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Monday, 18 September 2017 20:53 (six years ago) link
Livestream of their Berlin show happening now:
https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/078567-001-A/berlin-live-sparks/
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 6 October 2017 16:31 (six years ago) link
Oooooh, thank you!
― "Celebration" encourages the listener to celebrate good times. (Dan Peterson), Friday, 6 October 2017 16:38 (six years ago) link
ok I'm dying at the video for "missionary position"
― good art is orange; great art is teal (wins), Monday, 9 October 2017 17:16 (six years ago) link
Btw I find the idea that they haven't been funny since the 80s bizarre. Good morning, lighten up morrissey, collaborations don't work
― good art is orange; great art is teal (wins), Monday, 9 October 2017 17:21 (six years ago) link