Sparks- Talent is An Asset (REACTION & REVIEW) 

As I arrived at a party one night in a country Queensland town, this album was playing a t maximum volume and everyone was singing along. One of the great nights. It's a sing-along-song, bush party stuff!

Hot tip: Angst in My Pants is a top-tier Sparks album in general.

Regarding the "relatives / non-relatives" - the line is not just double-entendre, it is a *triple* entendre! Not only is it a reference to the well-known "Theory of Relativity", but also to the fact that Einstein cheated on, then essentially abandoned, then divorced, his first wife Mileva to be with his cousin Elsa (first cousin maternally, and second cousin paternally)! "He don't need any non-relatives", indeed!

So nice to see reaction video of this priceless band....74 my year

So glad to see Sparks back on your channel! Angst (the full album) would be a very interesting jump from Kimono. The whole album is great, but very different.

I am old enough to remember Sparks appearing on BBC's " Top Of The Pops " and, as a young child, being fascinated, but also slightly terrified of them. I was only familiar with their big hit-singles. It has been great to listen along to this album and enjoy the great music and witty lyrics. Cheers !

This is my first time seeing any of your videos and I have even finished watching, but I already love you. You can still see the shit where it hit the ceiling in the shed were I first heard this album and discovered human remains. This album manifested into my reality to help me solve a serious crime. Talent is an asset, you have to understand that. People murder others for their assets, and if talent is an asset then people will murder you to assume your identity, talent, and any money you were making from that talent. This is directly involved in th crime I'm still solving, and it involves MY relatives. I don't know how Sparks was able to make an album to help me with all this, but they did and its quite brilliant if you knew my story and how it directly links to it. Have you ever seen the movie SOUTHLAND TALES? Watch it and ask yourself how many Sparks references you can makes from it.

Its a massive grower this song and a fans favourite ! Kimono an album to be played in one whole take . Some of the live versions are funny when they slow it down and do some talk over pieces mid song..

Glad to see you returning to this fantastic album. Always huge fun, great wordplay and extremely catchy. Keep going!

Listening to this song on headphones you'll notice the ending chorus moves from left to right

This is a great song, but yes, definitely do "Angst in My Pants"!

Been waiting for this one! Surprised you thought it was just 'OK', it is one of my favourite tracks. Thanks for doing it.

Lesson time - a Mac is short for a Mackintosh coat (named after its inventor Charles Macintosh) which originally was a rubberised overcoat but is now fairly widely used, in the UK at least, for any plastic or waterproof coat that you might wear. You have heard of this before - listen again to Penny Lane - 'And the banker never wears a Mac in the pouring rain, very strange' Not Sparks' best meanwhile, but still better than most.

I remember the first time I heard this song. It was on a TV show called "The Midnight Special" (this was pre-MTV). That show came on at midnight on Fridays, which coincidentally was my curfew as a teenager. I was usually still buzzing from the night's recreations when watching, and that colored my perception of this tune.

Bass is the sexiest instrument. Yes.

We moved a lot, Dad was a wannabe house flipper back in the 60-70s, three elementary, two high schools… no talent shows I can remember. I took on a southern accent as quick as possible when we moved south… tried to blend in. Song wise, short and sweet. I could see Ron dancing to this.

Thanks for coming back to Sparks. Indeed, they are not for everyone. I always loved the fade out as the parents push outsiders farther and farther away. Cancel the magazines, don't buy him any jeans... So much for overprotective parents who wish to shield their little genius from the world. For a real mind-blower, try 'As I Sit to Play the Organ at Notre Dame Cathederal', off their 20th (!) album 'Hello Young Lovers'. So glad to see you pumping out these songs for us!

"Angst.." would be a great pick for next Sparks record to react to, jumping ahead to the 80s and arguably their most successful period.

THIS ALBUM RULES!!!!!!

I’ve got Angst in my Paaaaaants

When I was about 11 years old I like this like Japan the group there art house music or new wave or no wave

I always bloody loved this song back in the day 🙄

Sparks "Eaten By The Monster Of Love"...Nuff Said.

Been waiting for this forever ! 😂

Sparks music from the Kimono & Propaganda period is totally infectious & catchy New-wave, years ahead of the Cars, Devo and Elvis Costello!! The US just wasn't quite ready for it yet! Check out "Girl From Germany" from the Woofer in Tweeters Clothing album in '73. They just about had the signature sound dialed in on that one!

Yes! Finally back to this great duo!

Thanks for paying attention to Sparks. You might want to check out fanmael.

Hi Justin. Dave from The Smoke. Plenty of funny or eccentric Sparks song titles - a British newspaper The Guardian quotes one every time in its Quiz Of The Week. Most annoying title? I'll go for 'Your Call's Very Important To Us. Please Hold.' off their excellent album Lil' Beethoven. Well, we've all been there. For an Albert Einstein biopic, I recommend the Genius TV series starring Geoffrey Rush (on the National Geographic channel).

Yeah, you gotta hear the whole Angst in my pants album.

When Einstein was a boy another boy stole his mac. But the boy had second thoughts and decided to give it back to young Albert. Hence the phrase 'return of the mac'. (I'll just leave quietly!)

Another fantastic album by sparks ✨️

Angst In My Pants is a fantastic song, especially the re-recorded version on Plagiarism.

Cool, back to Sparks after a break. 🙃

Yay!

The lyrics are very relevant today as well. "Everything's relative (Go away Albert's mother say to me) We are his relatives and he don't need any non-relatives"

I hope you'll get to the Kimono My House era b-side Lost and Found. It's kind of an empty song, not about much but totally hysterical

Just a little historical side note - 50 years ago this month, in July 1972, a newly reformed group called Renaissance, with members who never recorded together before, laid the tracks for their debut album, Prologue. Their first song, the title track "Prologue", still amazes me (along with the rest of the album) - it's on Spotify, too.

I would never think this is from 1974. I didn’t hear them until the 80’s, from the movie Valley Girl, which has a couple of scenes with Sparks songs…including Angst In My Pants. Instantly fell in love. There’s some really good songs on that album. Talking about the Sparks album but Valley Girl soundtrack is sweet too.

I always imagine this as a part of a musical. :D

More Sparks please. Very underrated group. Catchy and fun as always. Thanks!!

You are one of the best "reactors" on YT. The fact you want to pursuit the works of Sparks and Talk Talk tell me you have great musical appreciation. Keep up the good work!

I saw Roger Waters last night at TD Garden and saw your doppelgänger

Angst in my Pants is a good one and Eating by the Monster of Love, too. Anyway, I wanted to recommend doing some King Missile songs. Detachable Penis is their most famous song, but I'd like you to do something different. Failure is a dark song, but it gives me hope when I listen to it. Socks is a fun song. I saw them live once and was the funniest and best show I've been to.

I remember Sparks from their hit "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of us" and the brother who moved in strange ways and had this narrow Chaplin moustache. Bought the album "Kimono My House" but that was about it. Not interesting enough to my ears. After all, I was catching-up on Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Sweet, Slade, Yes, Kinks, Steppenwolf, Procol Harum, Moody Blues, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Neil Young, Genesis, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull and by that time also UFO and Scorpions. So, hey, not too much time to spend on Sparks. Cheerio JP.

Everything is relative, each and every facet. For some people"Talent is An Asset", but for me dancing is the fastest-----way, to get a chance to relieve, that "Angst In My Pants" with Sparks in the dark! Peace.

If you ever think of listening to some more *Shrubbies* in your spare time, you might enjoy *Sabled Fur* ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UR7brCVKVtU.html (the guitarist shows some of his Senegalese - or maybe Malian - influences in the first minute or so, for one thing). It'll cost you less than four minutes, if you do.

My favourite album from sparks and the other is propaganda

Lil’ Beethoven Would be a good album to check out

I liked the earlier songs enough to buy the album so I know where I sit on this one. My big talent was the ability to read at an adult level fairly young. Not exactly riveting entertainment for those who were watching.

Finally some more Sparks - hooray! It's one of the funniest songs of KIMONO MY HOUSE, although not one of the top 3. Can't wait for more to come! Btw, I immensely enjoyed them on their recent tour - they are so energetic (although they are getting closer to their 80's!) and rock the house. Great performance and even my buddy who accompanied me to the concert and who didn't really like them beforehand was exited afterwards.

Thanks for this Justin Lad. A valuable opportunity to hear neglected artists of the past yet I can't say I regret my decision to by-pass the record. I was 8 at the time and , as others have stated , their tv appearances were as petrifying as Alice Cooper's . Just wondering whether December is the ideal month for you to dedicate a week or two of 12" mixes ? I'm currently listening to Chinas Crisis' WAKE UP "King in a Catholic Style" on 12" inch vinyl which, even if I say so myself, is cough, better than Sparks. Yep. That Good. Other essential 12" records? Level 42: The Chant Has Begun Waterboys : December Genesis : It's Gonna Get Better (extra verse version) Associates: Those First Impressions Erasure: Rock Me Gently (Real drums mix) Hue & Cry : Labour of Love and that's just for starters. Diolch x

I am usually not one for poppy stuff, but Sparks is fun and quirky enough that I wouldnt turn the channel... lol... OK, see you tomorrah ;)

At last!! Very good album, but yes, not one of his best songs.

Not catchy? Ha! Wait till you wake up with this in your head in the next few days. Also I don't know who these people are who didn't like you doing Sparks but I had unsubscribed because you took so long to get back to them!

Jeez... this was nothing short of embarrassing. And maybe it was that ringing, almost sleigh bell sound, put me in mind of a really cheesy christmas special type ditto. Thanks JP for something I can't unhear. *Re talent shows, an american thing maybe? None of the schools etc I attended here in the UK held talent show.