Sparks - C ou D

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.

You are correct, Ned.

SPARKS will be the subject of a special BBC Radio 2 documentary, 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us – The Story Of Sparks', to be aired on January 20th at 8pm, the show covers the duo's 35-year career and featured interviews with the band as well as with producer GIORGIO MORODER and will include the band’s first-ever demo plus unreleased studio and live recordings.

Somebody encode and distribute this, please!

Ned, did you get you a copy of that? I can YSI it if you didn't.

1. Fa La Fa Lee
2. Girl from Germany
3. Beaver O'Lindy
4. Whippings and Apologies
5. This Town Ain't Big Enough For the Both of Us
6. Amateur Hour
7. Talent is an Asset
8. Propaganda/At Home, At Work, At Play
9. BC
10. Something for the Girl with Everything
11. Beat the Clock
12. My Other Voice
13. The No. 1 Song in Heaven
14. Just Because You Love Me
15. Tips for Teens
17. Angst in My Pants
18. Eaten By the Monster of Love
19. Cool Places
20. Music that You can Dance To

So it's just my fave, not some definitive thing. Thus, no I Predict, which always kinda annoyed me. And how do you not include ALL of Kimono My House?

Some problems, the transition from Something for the Girl with Everything to Beat the Clock is odd, and I couldn't solve it because I didn't have the albums that came out in there (I think Introducing and Indescreet?) and even if I did, I don't know if there's anything "transitional" to get to the Moroder produced stuff. What might work would be to not be chronological, because the early 80s Mack produced stuff is electronic rock/new wave in ways that would make a good transition between the glam and the italo-disco.

Anyway, check out those songs and if you can't get into them, have your brain checked.

01 - This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us
02 - The Louvre
03 - Reinforcements
04 - Don't Leave Me Alone With Her
05 - Moon Over Kentucky
06 - Achoo
07 - Thanks But No Thanks
08 - Girl From Germany
09 - How are you getting home
10 - Bon Voyage
11 - Amateur Hour
12 - Thank God It's Not Christmas
13 - Here In Heaven
14 - Hospitality on parade
15 - Hasta Mañana Monsieur
16 - angst in my pants
17 - The Number One Song In Heaven
18 - Young Girls
19 - sherlock holmes
20 - hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil
21 - Rock, Rock, Rock
22 - I Married Myself

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.