Sparks - C ou D

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.

I don't know if 'We are the Clash' has been discussed already but it's from a recent issue of Uncut, part of the Clash-tribute cover cd, and so it's very nu-Sparks. Big clean sharp sound and well worth hearing. 'Dancing is dangerous' is set to be my big 'weekend song' for the next few months, I can tell. Really, everyone should hear this - interested parties should email me.

Here is the track list for "Hello Young Lovers":

"Dick Around"
"Perfume"
"The Very Next Fight"
"(Baby Baby) Can I Invade Your Country?"
"Rock, Rock, Rock"
"Metaphor"
"Waterproof"
"Here Kitty"
"There's No Such Thing As Aliens"
"When I Sit Down To Play the Organ at the Notre Dame Cathedral"

I love this record already.

That reminds me of the Scott Walker line (well, Jacques Brel in translation via Scott Walker):

A ring on every finger
A finger in every country

ihttp://www.noblepr.co.uk/Press_Releases/gut/images/sparks/ss1_sml.jpg

For the tour, looks like they'll be doing the Li'l Beethoven thing where the concert will have the first half be the new album in its entirety.

The drummer's purty.

I'm just listening to Profile again and I'm just amazed at how every song could be some other band's entire career (and probably was once that band heard these guys). "Angst in My Pants" is so damn perfect, hilarity and melancholy poised *just* right.

And I just reminded mhyself that Terminal Jive has "When I'm With You", which slaps. BTW Music That You Can Dance to is nowhere near as bad as people say.

Terminal Jive is largely brilliant, that instrumental version of When I'm With You seems to beat it with a stick but it's decent although obviously retread of the previous album. Hello Young Lovers sounds like The Lawnmower Man spewing a 90s CGI pelvis bone up for an hour

Unpopular opnion: My Baby's Taking Me Home is an excruciating waste of time but useful for pee breaks. Handy, as they genuinely believe it's an important song

I love Sparks btw

Balls was a great album imo, the best thing they'd done since Angst In My Pants

I actually like Gratuitous Sax a lot, what turned it around was realizing that they weren't exactly trying to ape Very by Pet Shop Boys as much as they were predicting stuff like Aqua :)

"Introducing Sparks" had terrible reviews, but when Spotify first started I made a point of hearing it there.

Nothing wrong with it.

that one is just boring after years of rockin' - it just don't rock.

Best version of Introducing I ever heard was the live set from their 21 by 21 series. Even with just a basic one-camera webstream setup, that was how it should have always sounded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E7HuqNkbgY

Oh those are on YouTube now?!

that long convo with Rob Brydon is good - John Woo is directing their next musical holy shit

Heck yes. Thread over here:

X Crucior: John Woo directs a new Sparks musical

No huge surprises in his choices but his enthusiasm is super charming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sJ0pu5MOCU

hell yeah on the last 3

Forever grateful to Ron and Russell for turning me on to John Adams many years ago via some magazine article

xps I can't imagine calling the new album their worst, especially when Interior Design and Terminal Jive exist, but I'd probably rank it somewhere in the bottom third of their catalog. It does remind me a little of those two albums, but also some better ones, like Introducing and Balls (which are closer to Mad!, quality-wise), mainly in that there's more of a directness in the lyrics than they usually allow themselves.

One thing these albums have in common is that each of them preceded a radical change in style and an artistic peak. Probably not much chance that'll happen at this point in their career, with this album being so well received, but...it'd be cool if it did.

feel like the hit rate is a lot higher on this one than Interior Design or Terminal Jive

Balls is maybe a good comparison. I've actually always thought that album was underrated though, a bit behind the times perhaps but most of the songs are good

Yup, I think Balls is a fine album, and it's super impressive that they've spent most of the last 20+ years making albums that are better than it, only now getting back down to around that level.

Balls is pretty good, yeah

The Balls-era shows in LA were good fun, I gotta say.

One thing these albums have in common is that each of them preceded a radical change in style and an artistic peak. Probably not much chance that'll happen at this point in their career, with this album being so well received, but...it'd be cool if it did.

Hey, the next album could well be X Crucior. Don't rule it out!

Oh, true!

Last night was another fine treat from them -- I was especially pleasantly surprised at the number of songs throughout their career they played that I've never seen them do before. That's always a plus!

Yeah the depth of their catalog is a wonderful thing. Saw them in Washington earlier this month.

https://www.criterion.com/current/top-10-lists/876-sparks-top-10

Jeez, I love his films! But most of the time I share with Guy is spent speaking about our passion for Japanese baseball players who have excelled in the U.S.; not speaking about film with him seems appropriate. What am I going to say to him about movies that wouldn’t sound foolish? I feel on safer ground discussing Shohei Ohtani.