The "mind/Body" single got a lot of play on Radio Luxembourg back in the day, presumably was a bit too "explicit" for Radio1
― Mark G, Wednesday, 6 April 2011 15:56 (thirteen years ago) link
I think I read about "Digalongamacs" in the old Jem Records import catalog, and then bought it in a sale bin w/o ever having heard it.
― Hardcore Bangage (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 6 April 2011 16:24 (thirteen years ago) link
Could be fun!
--
Sparks to perform at the Los Angeles Film FestivalPosted On: May 3rd 2011
We are delighted to announce that Sparks will be performing The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
The performance will take place on June 25th at the Ford Amphitheatre.
Originally commissioned by Swedish National Radio in 2009, this groundbreaking musical will be presented for the first time in a live setting in what might best be described as a "film-to-be" form. Acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin, who will direct the final feature film, will be onstage giving stage and cinematic directions throughout the performance, as the cast — including famed Finnish actor Peter Franzen as Ingmar Bergman, Ann Magnuson as Greta Garbo, and of course Russell and Ron Mael — performs the musical in its entirety. Projections have been created by production designer Galen Johnson to foreshadow the mood and atmosphere of the final film.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 20:09 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A2Q_1oWWPc
― more horses after the main event (Eazy), Wednesday, 4 May 2011 05:27 (thirteen years ago) link
Also: saw this on PBS in high school in the eighties, my introduction to Sparks, other than seeing their goofy album covers in record stores.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfwnl58sL-E
― more horses after the main event (Eazy), Wednesday, 4 May 2011 05:30 (thirteen years ago) link
Bump, for the goofiest video on earth.
― more horses after the main event (Eazy), Wednesday, 4 May 2011 14:12 (thirteen years ago) link
Always a winner.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 4 May 2011 14:16 (thirteen years ago) link
i am a total fool. how had i not heard the entirety of no. 1 song in heaven until yesterday? i picked up a nice copy for $5, and although i was familiar with the title track and "beat the clock", it's the song sandwiched between the two on the second side - "my other voice" - that's flooring me. it emerges as a cross-fade with the ending of "beat the clock", gets into la dusseldorf territory of blissful strange celestial cloudwalking in giant baggy white trousers. in comes a chorus that is poppy as hell, but not earth pop. it fades out with moroder's processed backward cymbals and hi-hat stomps, before appropriately leading into the no. 1 song in heaven. i really, really have to check out terminal jive.
― your holiness, we have an official energy drink (Z S), Monday, 22 April 2013 13:49 (eleven years ago) link
Don't get your hopes up re: Terminal Jive, is all I'm sayin'.
― New Authentic Everybootsy Collins (Dan Peterson), Monday, 22 April 2013 13:55 (eleven years ago) link
Honestly TJ is a comparative fall from the heights but very glad you got No. 1 in full -- the whole album is indeed that spectacular.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 22 April 2013 13:55 (eleven years ago) link
Anyway by all accounts Portland was a blast while tonight Seattle might well explode, given the huge concentration of fans there waiting for four decades...
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 22 April 2013 13:56 (eleven years ago) link
I think Tryouts For The Human Race was the first single I ever bought.
As for Terminal Jive, When I'm With You is wonderful: "it's that break in the song when I should say something special/But the pressure is on and I can't make up nothing special/Not when I'm with you"
― Daniel Giraffe, Monday, 22 April 2013 14:01 (eleven years ago) link
enjoying ned's post about no. 1 here: http://nedraggett.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/sparks-and-the-number-one-album-in-heaven/
i basically don't know any of their post 70s stuff at all! (except for lil' beethoven, which, i suspect unusually, was my intro to sparks. it came in as a cd promo when i was working in a store for a few years) it seems like kimono and no. 1 in heaven are the consensus faves for people getting into sparks, and often the listening journey ends there.
― your holiness, we have an official energy drink (Z S), Monday, 22 April 2013 14:05 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, I've learned to love "When I'm With You" on it's own terms; it's a great Sparks single.
― New Authentic Everybootsy Collins (Dan Peterson), Monday, 22 April 2013 14:16 (eleven years ago) link
It is, no question. I love that it was a huge hit in France.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 22 April 2013 14:25 (eleven years ago) link
Terminal Jive is underrated!
― PaulTMA, Monday, 22 April 2013 14:26 (eleven years ago) link
I gotta stand by this take
http://nedraggett.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/getting-terminal-with-sparks/
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 22 April 2013 14:31 (eleven years ago) link
(xpost) I'd be interested in hearing why you think TJ is underrated. Compared to other albums by my longtime heroes that came out in 1980 (Bowie's Scary Monsters and Roxy Music's Flesh and Blood, for two, it just seems so flat and lifeless to me, songwriting, performance and production alike. And because I didn't buy it until several years after its release, so much great new synth-based music had come out of new wave in the meantime that it just felt turgid. The guitar in particular has a certain bad, processed early 80s rock sound to it that really grates on me. (xpost)
― New Authentic Everybootsy Collins (Dan Peterson), Monday, 22 April 2013 17:02 (eleven years ago) link
When I'm With You is a great single but I really do not like much else on there.
― frogbs, Monday, 22 April 2013 17:04 (eleven years ago) link
Meantime
http://t.co/rFT4B3ShaQ
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 22 April 2013 20:25 (eleven years ago) link
prior to this thread I had no idea Terminal Jive was considered some kind of failure. I don't like it as much as No. 1 Song in Heaven but its a perfectly acceptable sequel to my ears. they def head weaker albums still to come.
― four Marxes plus four Obamas plus four Bin Ladens (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 22 April 2013 20:32 (eleven years ago) link
It just sounds unfinished; the ideas seem incomplete. Rock 'n' Roll People in a Disco World is a favourite of mine though.
― archibald brandysnap, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 06:42 (eleven years ago) link
i am a total fool. how had i not heard the entirety of no. 1 song in heaven until yesterday? i picked up a nice copy for $5, and although i was familiar with the title track and "beat the clock", it's the song sandwiched between the two on the second side - "my other voice" - that's flooring me. it emerges as a cross-fade with the ending of "beat the clock", gets into la dusseldorf territory of blissful strange celestial cloudwalking in giant baggy white trousers. in comes a chorus that is poppy as hell, but not earth pop. it fades out with moroder's processed backward cymbals and hi-hat stomps, before appropriately leading into the no. 1 song in heaven. i really, really have to check out terminal jive.― your holiness, we have an official energy drink (Z S), Monday, 22 April 2013 13:49 (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― your holiness, we have an official energy drink (Z S), Monday, 22 April 2013 13:49 (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
This post goes for me too! Almost in its entirety!
What I did was to take my cheaply bought LP and the two 12" singles for "Tryouts" and "beat the clock" for the extra tracks (in short, two Peter Cook ads and a long remix of "Beat the clock") and make a mini-cd with sleeve..
Yeah, "My Other Voice", was playing in my brane for the past week! Also, something was bugging me for a while: "What does it remind me of?" .. At first the Super Furry Animals' "Juxtaposed" because of the Vocoder, but no its "Dazzle Ships" OMD, innit?
― Mark G, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 09:14 (eleven years ago) link
"Terminal Jive" was where Giorgio palmed them off to his assistant, Harold Faltermeyer, wasn't it?
― Mark G, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 09:16 (eleven years ago) link
I've been relistening to No. 1 a lot this year and I think it may be a top 3 album for them, next to Kimono and Hello Young Lovers. So much unbridled joy in these songs and doggdamn do I love that little descending bass synth part in the chorus of "La Dolce Vita"
― frogbs, Thursday, 25 April 2013 15:33 (eleven years ago) link
Anyway, me on the band from last week in the Quietus
http://thequietus.com/articles/12088-sparks-masonic-hall-hollywood-forever-cemetery
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 25 April 2013 15:59 (eleven years ago) link
At long last!
http://store.universal-music.co.uk/restofworld/exclusives/sparks-new-music-for-amnesiacs-the-ultimate-collection-box-set/invt/5037300783451
Disc 101. Wonder Girl02. Roger03. High C04. Girl From Germany05. Batteries Not Included06. Whippings and Apologies07. This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us08. Amateur Hour09. Equator10. Talent Is An Asset11. Barbecutie12. Propaganda13. At Home At Work At Play14. Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth15. Something For The Girl With Everything16. Alabamy Right17. Hospitality On Parade18. Happy Hunting Ground19. Looks, Looks, Looks20. Get In The Swing21. Miss the Start, Miss the End22. Big Boy23. Nothing To Do24. Looks Aren't Everything25. Tearing The Place ApartDisc 201. Goofing Off02. Over The Summer03. The Number One Song In Heaven04. Beat The Clock04. Tryouts For The Human Race (Unreleased Version)05. When I'm With You (LP Single Version)06. Young Girls (LP Single Version)07. Tips For Teens08. Funny Face09. I Married A Martian10. Angst In My Pants11. I Predict12. Mickey Mouse13. Eaten By The Monster Of Love14. Cool Places15. Popularity16. I Wish I Looked A Little Better17. Pretending to Be Drunk18. A Song That Sings ItselfDisc 301. Music That You Can Dance To02. Change03. Let's Get Funky04. Singing in The Shower (with Les Rita Mitsouko)05. So Important06. A Walk Down Memory Lane07. Madonna08. National Crime Awareness Week (Psycho Cut)09. Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins10. When Do I Get To Sing "My Way"11. (When I Kiss You) I Hear Charlie Parker Playing (Radio Edit)12. Tsui Hark (Feat. Tsui Hark & Bill Kong)13. Let's Go Surfing14. Propaganda15. Pulling Rabbits Out of A Hat16. This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both Of Us (with Faith No More)17. Bullet Train18. It's A Knockoff19. Calm Before The StormDisc 401. Concerto In Koch Minor (Wunderbar)02. The Rhythm Thief03. How Do I Get To Carnegie Hall?04. My Baby's Taking Me Home05. Suburban Homeboy06. I Married Myself07. Dick Around08. Perfume09. The Very Next Fight10. Metaphor11. As I Sit Down To Play The Organ At The Notre Dame Cathedral12. Good Morning13. Lighten Up, Morrissey14. Strange Animal15. Photoshop16. I've Never Been High17. I Am A BookwormBonus CD:Islington N1Two Hands One Mouth
01. Wonder Girl02. Roger03. High C04. Girl From Germany05. Batteries Not Included06. Whippings and Apologies07. This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us08. Amateur Hour09. Equator10. Talent Is An Asset11. Barbecutie12. Propaganda13. At Home At Work At Play14. Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth15. Something For The Girl With Everything16. Alabamy Right17. Hospitality On Parade18. Happy Hunting Ground19. Looks, Looks, Looks20. Get In The Swing21. Miss the Start, Miss the End22. Big Boy23. Nothing To Do24. Looks Aren't Everything25. Tearing The Place Apart
Disc 2
01. Goofing Off02. Over The Summer03. The Number One Song In Heaven04. Beat The Clock04. Tryouts For The Human Race (Unreleased Version)05. When I'm With You (LP Single Version)06. Young Girls (LP Single Version)07. Tips For Teens08. Funny Face09. I Married A Martian10. Angst In My Pants11. I Predict12. Mickey Mouse13. Eaten By The Monster Of Love14. Cool Places15. Popularity16. I Wish I Looked A Little Better17. Pretending to Be Drunk18. A Song That Sings Itself
Disc 3
01. Music That You Can Dance To02. Change03. Let's Get Funky04. Singing in The Shower (with Les Rita Mitsouko)05. So Important06. A Walk Down Memory Lane07. Madonna08. National Crime Awareness Week (Psycho Cut)09. Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins10. When Do I Get To Sing "My Way"11. (When I Kiss You) I Hear Charlie Parker Playing (Radio Edit)12. Tsui Hark (Feat. Tsui Hark & Bill Kong)13. Let's Go Surfing14. Propaganda15. Pulling Rabbits Out of A Hat16. This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both Of Us (with Faith No More)17. Bullet Train18. It's A Knockoff19. Calm Before The Storm
Disc 4
01. Concerto In Koch Minor (Wunderbar)02. The Rhythm Thief03. How Do I Get To Carnegie Hall?04. My Baby's Taking Me Home05. Suburban Homeboy06. I Married Myself07. Dick Around08. Perfume09. The Very Next Fight10. Metaphor11. As I Sit Down To Play The Organ At The Notre Dame Cathedral12. Good Morning13. Lighten Up, Morrissey14. Strange Animal15. Photoshop16. I've Never Been High17. I Am A Bookworm
Bonus CD:
Islington N1Two Hands One Mouth
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 14 August 2013 12:05 (ten years ago) link
12. Tsui Hark (Feat. Tsui Hark & Bill Kong)
an odd inclusion
― sleepingsignal, Wednesday, 14 August 2013 14:09 (ten years ago) link
Really wish they'd included "The Japanese Have Come and They've Bought My Number One" instead
still, lots of stuff I haven't heard yet here
― frogbs, Wednesday, 14 August 2013 14:31 (ten years ago) link
They could just as easily do a full 4 CD set like this of rarities. There is something to be said for having some kind of a proper honest to god career overview, though.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 14 August 2013 14:36 (ten years ago) link
yeah, and unlike many box sets the fourth disc is just as strong as the first.
― sleepingsignal, Wednesday, 14 August 2013 14:47 (ten years ago) link
Amen, sleeping signal. That's a rarity in itself!
― mr.raffles, Wednesday, 14 August 2013 14:50 (ten years ago) link
Meantime, something interesting to note...
REVENGE TOUR UPDATE: Completely new show with 15 SONGS not previously played!!Whoa, that's right--- if you saw the Two Hands One Mouth tour, you ain't seen the Revenge of Two Hands One Mouth. Ron and Russell have announced that they have been rehearsing 'approximately 15 new songs taken from their 23 albums that were not played on the previous tour.' The new songs have been given the special Revenge of Two Hands One Mouth touch.So grab your tickets now and see what's new in Two Hands land. Below are the tour dates thus far.A few more shows are planned.NORTH AMERICA 2013OCTOBER23 Atlanta, GA (Variety Playhouse)25 Asheville, NC (Mountain Oasis Festival)27 Washington, DC (9:30 Club)28 New York, NY (Webster Hall)30 Boston, MA (Brighton Music Hall)NOVEMBER01 Montreal, QC (Le National)02 Toronto, ON (Lee's Palace)03 Hamilton, ON (This Ain't Hollywood)04 Detroit/Pontiac, MI (Crofoot Ballroom)06 Chicago, IL (Lincoln Hall)07 Chicago, IL (Lincoln Hall)09 Austin, TX (Fun Fun Fun Fest)11 Los Angeles, CA (Fonda Theatre)EUROPE 2013NOVEMBER24 London, UK (Union Chapel)25 Glasgow, UK (Arches)27 Bristol, UK (Bristol Academy) DECEMBER 01 London, UK (Union Chapel)02 London, UK (Union Chapel)04 Paris, France (Alhambra)06 Barcelona, Spain (Sala Copernico)07 Madrid, Spain (Sala Razzmatazz)
Whoa, that's right--- if you saw the Two Hands One Mouth tour, you ain't seen the Revenge of Two Hands One Mouth. Ron and Russell have announced that they have been rehearsing 'approximately 15 new songs taken from their 23 albums that were not played on the previous tour.' The new songs have been given the special Revenge of Two Hands One Mouth touch.
So grab your tickets now and see what's new in Two Hands land. Below are the tour dates thus far.A few more shows are planned.
NORTH AMERICA 2013
OCTOBER23 Atlanta, GA (Variety Playhouse)25 Asheville, NC (Mountain Oasis Festival)27 Washington, DC (9:30 Club)28 New York, NY (Webster Hall)30 Boston, MA (Brighton Music Hall)
NOVEMBER01 Montreal, QC (Le National)02 Toronto, ON (Lee's Palace)03 Hamilton, ON (This Ain't Hollywood)04 Detroit/Pontiac, MI (Crofoot Ballroom)06 Chicago, IL (Lincoln Hall)07 Chicago, IL (Lincoln Hall)09 Austin, TX (Fun Fun Fun Fest)11 Los Angeles, CA (Fonda Theatre)
EUROPE 2013
NOVEMBER24 London, UK (Union Chapel)25 Glasgow, UK (Arches)27 Bristol, UK (Bristol Academy)
DECEMBER 01 London, UK (Union Chapel)02 London, UK (Union Chapel)04 Paris, France (Alhambra)06 Barcelona, Spain (Sala Copernico)07 Madrid, Spain (Sala Razzmatazz)
Would love to catch the LA show but I am previously booked.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 6 September 2013 05:48 (ten years ago) link
h8 myself for not listening to these guys before now
― Tip from Tae Kwon Do: (crüt), Monday, 28 October 2013 16:05 (ten years ago) link
Later is better than never.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 28 October 2013 16:54 (ten years ago) link
Except Never isn't hosted by Jools Holland.
― Mark G, Monday, 28 October 2013 17:13 (ten years ago) link
http://www.nme.com/news/franz-ferdinand/75354#9
Franz Ferdinand and Sparks working on joint album
― Johnny Fever, Friday, 7 February 2014 19:10 (ten years ago) link
Great news, this. Like I've muttered elsewhere, it's very unsurprising; they've had a huge mutual admiration society going for years now, and it's just another great 'who knew?' twist in Maeldom, beyond the occasional collaborations they've done with others. A tour would be interesting after the Two Hands/One Mouth setup.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 February 2014 19:35 (ten years ago) link
Anyway, here's the Stuart Maconie radio special on the band from earlier today:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/r4choice/r4choice_20140311-1134a.mp3
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 21:00 (ten years ago) link
OH HELLO YOU.
Because I had to stop posting Sparks links on twitter, I'll post this here instead. Motiv8 remix of "Now That I Own The BBC"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-yKXQMYHp8
― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Tuesday, 11 March 2014 21:57 (ten years ago) link
Whole lotta Sparks threads, but I cannot see that anyone's mentioned "The Final Derriere" yet, so here it is.
'The Final Derriere’ is excerpted from the Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson film The Forbidden Room, screened at the IMAX London, on October 9th 2015 as part of the BFI London Film Festival and in select cinemas from December 2015.Ron Mael and Russell Mael of Sparks were commissioned to write a song for a segment of the film that concerns a gentleman (Udo Kier) who is “plagued by bottoms” and seeks out a doctor (André Wilms) to surgically eliminate the desire, a desire fanned by “Master Passion” (Geraldine Chaplin). Special appearance by Charlotte Rampling.
Ron Mael and Russell Mael of Sparks were commissioned to write a song for a segment of the film that concerns a gentleman (Udo Kier) who is “plagued by bottoms” and seeks out a doctor (André Wilms) to surgically eliminate the desire, a desire fanned by “Master Passion” (Geraldine Chaplin). Special appearance by Charlotte Rampling.
― Enter nothing in the dialog and click 'OK' (Øystein), Monday, 26 October 2015 22:40 (eight years ago) link
And here's their Christmas single. Really.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdQ4pLaPuYw
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 20 November 2015 21:59 (eight years ago) link
new single "you've every right to be a dick" is wonderful. Sparks write the best satirical tunes. "baby can i invade your country?" from a few years back was great too.
― well bissogled trotters (Michael B), Thursday, 17 May 2018 13:01 (six years ago) link
I know it's miming to payback but they're just so great to watch.
https://www.sonuma.be/archive/sparks-thanks-but-no-thanks
― MaresNest, Saturday, 5 January 2019 13:09 (five years ago) link
I love that song.
― Never Turn Your Back On Virginia Woolf (Tom D.), Saturday, 5 January 2019 13:50 (five years ago) link
V nice
― Mark G, Saturday, 5 January 2019 14:12 (five years ago) link
Hah I loved that song for years before finally realizing what it was really about
― frogbs, Saturday, 5 January 2019 16:44 (five years ago) link
Uh, what's it about?
― Mark G, Saturday, 5 January 2019 18:11 (five years ago) link
... Really?
― Mark G, Saturday, 5 January 2019 18:12 (five years ago) link
Predatory paedophiles, surely?
― Never Turn Your Back On Virginia Woolf (Tom D.), Saturday, 5 January 2019 18:24 (five years ago) link