I love Sparks so much, in fact, that in my opinion I could take a random 30-minute selection from any of their 24 studio albums and it would be a great listen. Here's the test.
I haven't duplicated any songs that I've used in last year's Sparks post or as part of any other previous Dubhed selections. I also avoided the classic early 1970s trio of Kimono My House, Propaganda and Indiscreet, as well my other personal favourite, No. 1 In Heaven.
It's half-and-half 20th and 21st century, spanning the (currently) six decades of Sparks' recording career. Is it a keeper? You'll be the judge of that.
1) Big Boy (1976)
2) Giddy Giddy (2017)
3) Occupation (1977)
4) The Ghost Of Liberace (1994)
5) Your Call's Very Important To Us. Please Hold. (2002)
6) Eaten By The Monster Of Love (1982)
7) (She Got Me) Pregnant (2008)
8) The Existential Threat (Album Version) (2020)
1976: Big Beat: 1
1977: Introducing Sparks: 3
1982: Angst In My Pants: 6
1994: Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins: 4
2002: Lil' Beethoven: 5
2008: Exotic Creatures Of The Deep: 7
2017: Hippopotamus: 2
2020: A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip: 8
advert yesterday saying they are on tour 2023 - hopefully Bristol bound (fingers crossed)
ReplyDeleteI saw Sparks at the O2 Academy in 2013 (was it really a decade ago?!) and I would love to see them again. I had no idea that they were going to share the 2023 tour teaser when I created this post/selection. What a coincidence!
DeleteThe outgoing and flamboyant frontman, and the quiet, enigmatic keyboard player. Hadn't occurred to me until someone pointed out last year, but they formed the template for so many other duos that followed. Always impressed to hear such '70s bands are still recording and touring. What's the old adage, 'If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life'. Well done Russ and Ron.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. I loved Sparks from the first time I saw them on TV - I must have been 4 or 5 - but they unsurprisingly left an impression! Yes, it's easy to see the parallels with Pet Shop Boys, including their deft lyricism and, for me, Sparks' music has shown no signs of diminishing or deteriorating with each successive album. Watching the old videos on YouTube the other day, I was also struck by how beautiful they both were as young men. That would have been lost on me as a young one, fascinated more by Ron's "Hitler" moustache and Russell's unearthly falsetto, but no surprise to read that they were both mail order catalogue models in their childhood.
DeleteMaybe it's because I'm a female but just realised my last two comments have been more about the artist's look and image than the music. It's become apparent since writing my blog that I didn't take much heed of the lyrics when I was young, it was all about the melody/sound and the image. Why the Beatles got so big so quickly and many other bands like them since - young girls go a bit giddy over good-looking boys! Young lads like clever bands that write clever lyrics. Sweeping statement there but put it down to teenage hormones! Luckily I do now take heed of the lyrics.
DeleteSo Russ and Ron were catalogue models in the childhood - didn't know that but makes sense.
Pre-teen, I think it's fair to say that I was far more interested in what the artist looked and sounded like than the lyrical content. If I had to point to one artist that was a catalyst for taking notice of the words and their meaning, it would be The The. Coincidentally, I realised that their album Infected was released on 17th November 1986, inspiring today's post. I spent hours poring over the lyric sleeve back in the day and the songs still resonate.
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