Hollis another epic band selection to Spotlight! Sparks, the finest musical example of hilarious artul creative commentary expression 🎵 My introduction came on the heels of their joining forces with Franz Ferdinand, I've never looked back! Lil' Beethoven & Hello Young Lovers are my favorites to spin.
Glad you enjoyed it, Christopher! What was so great about them teaming up with Franz Ferdinand is that FFS turned on so many cool people, like you, to what the Maels had been up to for decades. It's such a testament to Sparks's rich and exhaustive catalog that we each have our favorite eras of the band.
I saw the Sparks doc made by Edgar Wright and went down a Sparks rabbithole. previously, I had heard Kimono My House and 1st impression: they were a band who applied the artiness of Roxy Music to the studio chops of Queen. for no good reason, I decided not to explore further at the time... from Halfnelson until Terminal Jive, Sparks never fail to surprise me. (TJ feels like a step backward to me). did I say 'surprise'? I might have meant confound. I found myself saying, "what is this music?" it's that unique! and then they continue that streak again with Whomp That Sucker until they take (imo) another detour with Music You Can Dance To. and then there's a relative valley of albums that begins to flip my expectations again at Balls. at which point, I begin to ask myself "what is this music?" again. this band is a challenge for me, but I applaud the fact that their music is getting noticed. Sparks are incredibly influential yet weirdly overlooked. they should be known as one of the great rock innovators.
So many great things you said, Robert! You're so right about a Roxy Music meets Queen sound--of course, it's a tribute to Sparks's talent that their first album (as Halfnelson) came out one year before Roxy Music's debut LP and two years before Queen's debut LP. How impressive is that? It's also a reminder that if they had concentrated on one aspect of their sound rather than their hybrid sound, they might have been as successful as either band. (This world tends not to reward bands who are unique and/or those who can do several things at once. At least not America.) But they continued to follow their hearts, and challenge listeners who still occasionally ask, as you did, "What is this music?" The Mael brothers seem to finally, at long last, be reaping the benefit of a moral victory, if not a commercial one. [And we're of the same mind on Terminal Jive, which is why I skipped it when compiling my favorites.] Thanks for the comment!
Hollis, As a life long Sparks fan I very much enjoyed your video of your favorite Sparks albums from this prime period of their career, especially the (very interchangeable) top 4. Your assessment of each song was nicely done. A couple of points I think are worth mentioning on two of the songs from Kimono My House: First, Here In Heaven (probably my all time single favorite Sparks song) is more specifically about Romeo and Juliet, but in the Sparks song Juliet survives. The clever lyrics "Juliet you broke our little pact, Juliet I'm never coming back" and "Juliet, I thought we had agreed, Now I know why you let me take the lead" suggest this. And secondly Talent is an Asset is not about a musical prodigy, but about Albert Einstein as a child. Further clever lyrics; "Someday he will reassess the world, And he'll still have time for lots of girls," "Look at Albert isn't he a sight, Growing, growing at the speed of light," and repeated use of the word "relative" (as in the Theory of Relativity) are evidence of this. Just thought these points were important enough to mention and realizing them makes each of these song's lyrics even more witty! Thanks again for the great video and keep up the good work!
I'm just seeing this video now and am happy to see Pulling Rabbits getting some love. Even cut down to top 5 Sparks albums, Pulling Rabbits still makes my list, its just such a fun album to listen to! Cheers for the video!
i was a young teen when I saw Sparks on Don Kirshner.......Kimono to Big Beat I thought was arguably one of the best run of 4 albums ever......not gonna lie....Introducing upset me immensely and I don't think I ever recovered fully..... I bought all these later albums but felt something was missing......the rock feel had changed......great job on this video...
Ron attempted to steal back the moustache which that German politician whose family name began with the letter H had stolen from Charlie Chaplin. Alas, a failed attempt! Later British comedian Richard Herring tried to do this again, only to be scolded and misunderstood: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Oi-kdK-3Zc8.html&ab_channel=AA That moustache is lost to humanity forever.
@@rjwusher To be fair, it is going to be nearly impossible to rehab that mustache while there are still some victims of the holocaust and families of the victims alive.
@@LividImp My late father was Jewish, I live in a country (The Netherlands) that was occupied during the war, and I'm a historian by education, so I'm quite aware of the sensibilities. Here in The Netherlands all public display of Nazi symbols is forbidden by law. Until recently owning a copy of Mein Kampf was a criminal offence. Note that the Mael brothers are Jewish. I believe their parents were refugees from Austria. I'm of two minds when it comes to dangerous symbolism. Sometimes I think it's better to apply irony. Ron Mael walking into a German television studio in 1974 looking like a ghost from the recent dark past feels like poetic justice. I think a few Germans tuning in for happy disco entertainment must have choked on their Bratwurst: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QAzESJ62irI.html&ab_channel=SparksPropaganda
@@rjwusher Not saying it is the way things should be. I'm very much a "judge the artist, not the art" kind of guy. But the reality is that most people just won't accept a toothbrush mustache as normal, probably until after both of us are dead.
Excellent video...Agree with commentry on Introducing....It is my favourite Sparks album...It seriously rocks and harmonies are amazing.. Occupation and Goofing Off are easily two of the best Sparks songs ...I cannot believe it completely failed.. As a whole I think is a better set of songs than Kimono and Propaganda ..
I'm jealous of all the Sparks vinyl you have. I'm working on my own collection and even finding any albums at all in all the record stores within 5 hours of me is impossible.
I'm not so sure about Russell being a Devo fan. An interviewer asked him once what he thought of Devo, and Russell gave a very diplomatic answer, something like, "Well, it's always nice when bands wear funny hats."
It’s called This Town Ain’t Big enough for Both of Us, not This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both Of Us. Although Ron does sing it each way on different choruses. The song was going feature lots of different movie cliches but ended up just using just one cliche.
Very solid list actually. Great to see Big beat and Introducing get some love because they're awesome and I feel they often get overlooked. You've convinced me to give Pulling Rabbits another chance and that one is damn good too. If I had to give my personal top 5 (although with a band like Sparks it tends to change sometimes), I'd go... 1. Whomp That Sucker 2. Propaganda 3. Big Beat 4. Angst In My Pants 5. Introducing
Hey George! Sorry for the late reply; just seeing this now. Thanks for sharing! I love your list--and there's no fat on that bone. Nice to meet someone else who shares my affection for Introducing. Can't understand why it hasn't been embraced by Sparks fans yet. I predict (no pun intended) that Introducing--as well as Big Beat--will be "rediscovered" before long. Then we can smirk at those johnny come latelys. Hope Pulling Rabbits lived up to the billing for you. It was a real grower on me. Take care!
SPARKS, my favorite band, Kimono My House my first album of theirs, which I bought and have and listen to on an old gramophone, because it brings me back to my youth when I was a 13-year-old girl and I get really sad when I listen to them because they bring me back to one better and better time ...
I know what you mean, Vesna. Sparks are one of those bands whose music transports you back to when you first heard them. And KMH is SUCH a fantastic album. Thanks for sharing your memories.
Gee, that was fun... So thanks.. Really savoured 20 minutes of genuine appreciation of Sparks. Lovely the sincerity of the impromptu, but articulate take, fuelled by passion. So much echoes my own journey following Sparks. Especially love the comments about Hippo, Hello Young Lovers, Balls. Please don't skip. From L'il Beethoven through to Exotic Creatures, Sparks actually played every track in order live. And they did it for 21 albums through the Spectacular.
Thanks for the comment! So glad you enjoyed the episode, and that our Sparks journey was similar. Happy to share my love of the band. It's amazing that Sparks is so expansive live, and really give the fans everything they could ask for in a concert.
I laughed heartily when you used the term castrati when talking about Russell's vocal. No "hot takes" like my prior Nevermind comment. I enjoy Sparks quite a bit, especially their mid to late 70s period with more guitar rock focus. There are quite a few that I haven't heard, but my favorites are mostly the same as yours. Propaganda, Indiscreet, and Kimono. I really enjoyed the FFS album. Did you like it? I loved the Sparks Brothers documentary. Did you see it? If so what did you think?
Hey there! I did love the Sparks Brothers documentary, although at times it felt almost like a celebration of commercial failure-almost as if Ron and Russell never tried to break through. They wanted a wide audience to enjoy their music, as do most artists. I think it’s mostly bad luck, the band’s idiosyncratic material and the boring nature of most people’s taste that kept Sparks from massive success. It’s not some big mystery as the documentary purports. Ron and Russell never wavered from a very offbeat formula; they signed up for a career on the margins of success. Which is admirable, but not tragic or surprising. That said, the documentary was so well done and lots of fun. And I did enjoy the FFS album. Even though I prefer each band separately.
@Lawrence Windrush You disagree? Actually it sounds like you're agreeing with me. And I doubt record-label support or label hopping mattered, as when the band had hits (This Town Ain't Big Enough, Beat the Clock, No 1 in Heaven, Cool Places) they did get airplay and managed to have their records in the stores. Record label hopping only happened when they were dropped due to a lack of sales. Only when a band's songs match up with a wide audience's tastes can a band have massive success. And Sparks unique approach to music and most people's bland sensibilities ensured that wouldn't happen. My point is EVERY artist wants the world to love their music. Some artists try and pander to audiences for success. Sparks never did. They kept evolving and following their muse. Sparks wanted the audience to come to them. Unfortunately, most of the time, they didn't.
@Lawrence Windrush They're an interesting case all right. And I agree that every band is just stumbling in the dark. Not sure where you got me saying Sparks "self sabotaged," but I truly believe after 4 or 5 albums, the brothers knew they were destined to be a cult band with a rabid following, rather than a band on the verge of blowing up. And whereas the Ramones (like Sparks, an influential band who should have sold more records than they did) kept working with different producers trying to unlock the band's "popular appeal," Sparks only worked with different producers (Visconti, Moroder, etc.) who fit the material/sound they wanted to explore. I put it to you that without compromising, a bigger audience is impossible. Since neither the path chosen by the Ramones or Sparks ended up bringing either mass acceptance, I think history shows that Sparks' path was the smarter one. They can hold their heads up.
Hollis: succint eloquence, wit, passion, puns, poetic alliteration(?) and analysis of Ron's hidden meanings. And also citing 100 songs. Truly at the level we Sparks fans expect, our hearts are one( as are all of ours). ( your #1 was a 'Big Surprise😉)
Hello Hollis I'm a HUGE FAN of SPARKS TOO! ! I feel a DEEP KINSHIP with them ESPECIALLY with RUSSELLS INCREDIBLE SOULFUL UNIQUE VOICE Ron's MEANFUL HUMOROUS THOUGHTFUL EMPATHIC LYRICS, MAGICAL WONDERFUL MELODIES &REALLY DANCEABLE RHYTHMS. I have HUGE RESPECT for their INCREDIBLE body of WORK. Both of them have SPENT their WHOLE LIFE in the SERVICE of POPMUSIC! The WHOLE POPMUSIC INDUSTRY haved NEVER them the REALLY DESERVED RECOGNITION &APPRECIATION gives for me it's a BUMMER! ! Many "MAINSTREAM BANDS have STOLEN RIFFS or other ELEMENTS without any ADMISSION PRICE &REPRESENT that's why I LOVE it to hear from you very much that you LOVES "FOREVER YOUNG " and NOT the "Alphaville Version! Anyway I will last but not least like to share with you my Favourite Top 10 Albums! 1) Propaganda 2)Introducing 3)Music that you can dance to 4)Angst in my pants 5)Hello young lovers 6)Lil Beethoven 7) The Seduction of ingmar bergman 8)Balls 9)Hippopotamus 10) Annette (We love each other so much ) It's really HARD to make a CHOICE that's a TESTAMENT to their UNBELIEVABLE CATALOGUE LOVELY GREETINGS B.C
Hi Babette! Thanks for sharing your top ten with me! I can't argue with those selections. You've got something old, something newer and something brand new! You're so right; it's really difficult to choose between so many genius works of art. I think it will be decades before the Mael brothers are truly appreciated for what they've given music. They're still way ahead of their time; and as you say, so many artists have stolen from their great ideas. Nice to meet a fellow Sparks fan! Thanks for the comment, and welcome to the channel!
Great video! I also did a video listing my 10 favorite Sparks albums. We both chose a lot of the same records. Glad to see someone else giving some love to "Number One In Heaven". Absolute masterpiece. :) Keep up the great work!
I just subscribed. Guy, we could listen to you all night: your wit, your conviction, your insight into the lyrics, and your general Sparks empathy. Your style appreciation is on a par with Russ and Ron's. It is obvious, like me, you bought into the Maels at a formative age, and equally you are a product of Sparks{and dEvO?}. And it's cool that your {debatable(ha!)} top 10 has attracted, not only yours, but the most intelligent comments from loving Mael-lovers I've ever seen, which I thought the Sparks Bros.documentary lacked. It was after all, a tad too self-deprecating. And I confess I must coincide, their 70s-2000s, about 20 albums, output was their peak, and now [ with the exception of their stunning "The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman] they're just relaxing in their LA. pools, treading water and tending their lawns. And no two top10s can be equal, as no Sparks fan follows the flock. Looking forward to catching up on your previous 84 episodes!
I really appreciate the kind words. This channel is a labor of love for me, as all the music I cover has gotten me through (and still gets me through) life. And you're so right on the Sparks doc, and top 10. The fans, and their LP ratings, are as varied as Sparks catalog.
Thanks. Interesting to have my own thoughts challenged on your selections from their 'dead meat' periods. I'll go back to give them another listen and reassess what I feel are not the greatest productions.
Thanks a lot, Peter! I appreciate that. With a band that's been around so long to have, as you say, "dead meat" periods, it's often easy to overlook a few albums that get lost in the scrum. Happy listening!
Thank you for the list, always enjoy a different take--was surprised to see Pulling Rabbits included, I generally rank it as my least favorite of theirs although the title track is probably their best rocker from the 80s and With All My Might is easily the best love song they ever put out. The rest of it never really clicked much for me but after your review I will be re-assessing my disdain for this album. I added my own personal list below: 10 Hello Young Lovers 9 Halfnelson 8 A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip 7 Exotic Creatures of the Deep 6 Angst in My Pants 5 Hippopotamus 4 Indiscreet 3 Whomp That Sucker 2 Kimono My House 1 Propaganda
Hey there, happy to play a role in your reassessment. I can't fault you for your choices (it's definitely an equal-opportunity list, with some eclectic choices), but then again, I can't fault anyone on their Sparks favorites. They're such a unique band in that something different about them appeals to each of us. We each have a different Sparks. Thanks for the comment!
Gratuitous Sax' is probably my favourite, their 16th, amazing considering it was 6 yrs after interior design considered a career end release. Indiscreet 2nd favourite from their 70's the gatefold sleeve is epic . Hello Young Lovers 3rd , 30+ yrs between them can't think of any other act could match that .
Yes! It is an amazing run of breathtaking albums. Indiscreet is one of my favorite album covers of all time. That's so cool that GS&SV is your favorite by them. They're the one act where I'm never thrown by whatever album fans name as their favorite. Any album by them is valid as someone's favorite. Thanks for the comment, Martin!
@@PopCultureGraveyard sparks once supported Kraftwerk .( Buffalo 75) .. imagine that concert ! There are some acts you think you'll never see live . I think GS&SV means alot to me is I saw it played live (as a 3 piece with Christi Haydon on percussion) March 95 , they hadn't toured abroad I think since 86 , and certainly not as far north as Manchester. I doubt anybody believed they'd be still going, and be more appreciated 26 yrs later.
Interesting selection. Mine's a bit different but there's no arguing about taste. As a Sparks fan, you might be interested to check out the fanmael site.
A very good video!! Congratulations. I'm in love with Sparks music. I'm from Spain and here they are almost unknown. One of my favourite album is Pulling rabbits out of a hat, and its so so underrated !! To me is a brilliant and clever album. Kisses from Spain 🙂🙂
Thank you, Emi! So nice to hear from a fellow Sparks fan! And I think you and I are two of the only fans who really love the Pulling Rabbits LP. I'm surprised to hear that they are so obscure in Spain--but at least you have them all to yourself! Hope you enjoy my other videos. Take care!
@@PopCultureGraveyard thank you!! Sparks are one the most important band in history, but underrated 😔 even the track pulling..talks about that : " all I get is polite applause..." But in these days they are an icon in pop culture at last!
@@emiliorodry72 hola, pensaba que yo era el único Sparks Fan en Spain. Y eso porque soy de londres. Me alegro que por lo menos somos 2.Yo vivo en la sierra de madrid·Y Vd.?. Decepcionado que no hayan incluido Madrid, ni españa, en su gira del mundo ahora. ¡Hasta Mañana Monsieur!
This album is totally underrated . I wish there were live videos of Sisters, With All My Might. And a full length live video of A Song That Sings Itself.😎
Any Album where someone can rhyme a 58'Microbus, Titus Andronicus and a woman with an abacus deserves to be in someone's top 10 , especially when they're past retirement age when they wrote it !
@@martino9134 Disagree. Recently( the last few albums) the lyrics seem to me either simplistic or navel-gazing ; the rantings of old men. ( Sorry, but I'm gettting old too). One remembers Ron's 70s period, such wonderful ideas, not merely capricious rhyming. And such melodies !Barbecutie Thank god its not Christmas Without using Hands In the Future etc.
