Sparks - Lil' Beethoven

[Pierre]

Is it just me or is the latest album by The Sparks really a work of pure genius? I bought it on Saturday and I've been singing How Do I get To Carnegie Hall? and Ugly Guys with Beautiful Girls all weekend.

Strange band, the Sparks. I can't find many common ground between their glam-prog-pop of the 70s, their synth-pop a la PSB in the 90s and the symphonic pop of Lil' Beethoven.

Any advice on what albums to bought?

[flum]

Pierre said:

Is it just me or is the latest album by The Sparks really a work of pure genius? I bought it on Saturday and I've been singing How Do I get To Carnegie Hall? and Ugly Guys with Beautiful Girls all weekend.

It is an amazingly good album, though personally I'd rate What Are All These Bands So Angry About as my favourite track (with the Ron Speaks version of Suburban Homeboy that was on the single just in second place). It's a shame that, despite the critical plaudits it got, no bugger bought it. The pop scene needs a band like Sparks like dog needs it's bark.

[nnnumb]

Pierre said:

Is it just me or is the latest album by The Sparks really a work of pure genius? I bought it on Saturday and I've been singing How Do I get To Carnegie Hall? and Ugly Guys with Beautiful Girls all weekend.

Strange band, the Sparks. I can't find many common ground between their glam-prog-pop of the 70s, their synth-pop a la PSB in the 90s and the symphonic pop of Lil' Beethoven.

Any advice on what albums to bought?

Ther mid 90s album 'Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins' which contains the classic 'When Do I Get To Sing My Way', is a work of genius, which everybody should own.

If you're just starting out though, there are several great compilations which offer a good overview of their whole career ('The Heaven & Hell Collection', 'Profile: The Best Of The Sparks', etc).

They really should be given more recognition, shouldn't they. Genius!

[Nick]

The first four songs on Kimono My House (which is all cheap and remastered these days, just like every other album in the whole world that came out before 1991) are quite possibly the Best First Four Songs On Any Album Ever.

Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins is the closest any album has ever come to sounding like Very by PSB (to my ears, at least). I dunno if that works as a recommendation to other people, of course (though it really, really should). There's something to adore about every single song on it, and each track seems to better the one before. It's like the upbeat europoppy soundtrack to the troubled and complicated life of a beleaguered sitcom character. So, yes, buy it, of course.

[klee]

I *hearted* When I Kiss You I Hear Charlie Parker Playing. And Number One Song in Heaven absolutely blew it away. it made me realise that someone had invented dance music a decade before most people think.

Unfortunately, I think Sparks are one of those bands who are there to inspire other musicians and be influential rather than be mega-famous in their own right.

[zaffra]

I know I shouldn't but I do like Vic & Bobs piss take on Shooting Stars.

Gratuitous Sax ... is the only album of theirs I own, and yes it's wonderful.

[Pierre]

Okay then I've just ordered Gratuitous Sax..... and I'll try to locate a good compilation of their early works. Someone else advised me to go and check out Kimono my house, a mid-70s album. I might do that too. Thanks.

[Bruce Pristine]

I'm finding that I admire L'il Beethoven more than I actually like it. It's really good but the repetition gets to me after a while. When you're in the right mood it can be a cool trip. Quite an achievment nontheless.

My boy was very angry when I took him to see the concert in Hackney. He loathed it but forgave me.

I've noticed they've given the album a big promotional push - the re-release, concerts and HMV ads for the DVD (....a fairly low budget, PowerPoint extravaganza.)

[klee]

They do that with Sparks every couple of years, don't they?

I think someone at their record company (and doubt whether it's the same person twice) goes: -

"Hmm, Sparks are really influential aren't they, but commercially underrated. I know, what we'll do is give them a huge promo push, get them to do everything they can and then everyone will wake up, realise they're the best thing since . . . ever, and buy their album by the forklift truck load."

Unfortunately, it just never seems to translate.

[Pierre]

I take the liberty to bring back this thread from the deepest depths of the forum as I need an update. I'm now firmly acquainted with Lil' Beethoven, Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins, Kimono My House and Propaganda. Where should I head to next? It seems they released quite a few albums during the 80s and I never heard a thing about any of those.

Is there one in particular I should buy?

Thanks.

[nnnumb]

This is an essential purchase for anyone who's interested in modern pop music's roots. It's only six tracks, but every one is just perfect.

'Interior Design' is very underrated too, and has been repackaged and retitled about a dozen times. See also 'Music That You Can Dance To' for more classic 80s Sparks.

[Nick]

pierre said:

I take the liberty to bring back this thread from the deepest depths of the forum as I need an update. I'm now firmly acquainted with Lil' Beethoven, Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins, Kimono My Hpuse and Propaganda. Where should I head to next? It seems they released quite a few albums during the 80s and I never heard a thing about any of those.

Is there one in particular I should buy?

Thanks.

If you can find Angst In My Pants, you really, really need to get that, especially for the second half. 'Moustache' is three-and-a-half minutes long, yet still manages to pack about four encores in there, somehow.

I can't remember which of their unloved mid-80's albums it's on, but if you can find the original version of 'Change' (rather than the Sergeant Peppery version on Plagiarism, at least until you've heard the original) in all its clicking, crashing, climactic glory, get that too. I think it's on Profile, one of the many, many Sparks compilations, as well.

I mean, if you just went out and bought everything they've ever released, I'm sure they wouldn't mind at all. Win-win!

[qbahn]

'Change' was possibly the greatest lost single of the 80s - it was on the album 'Music That You Can Dance To' (which also contained the bona fide work of art 'Rosebud'). It stiffed somewhere in the bottom of the top 100 despite (or perhaps because of) a bunch of great promo appearances that included Ron & Russ going on TVam and miming through a cardboard cutout of a TV screen because London Records had been too cheap to shoot a video.

Other Sparks tunes worth a mention in my mind - the lolloping electrofolk of 'Eaten By The Monster Of Love' off of 'Angst In My Pants', the very, very sweet 'A Song That Sings Itself' off of 'Pulling Rabbits Out Of A Hat' and 'I Bought The Mississippi River' from 'Big Beat' - a genuinely amazing piece of music hall pop that is actually all about Buying The Mississippi River.

[Pierre]

Well. Thanks for your tips.

It looks like it'll be less easy than I thought to follow them though. Those albums are available neither at my local "mediatheque" (a place where you can borrow CDs. I'm not sure of the English word)), nor in record stores. I'm going to be browsing online retailers. I'm surprised to see how scarcely re-issued their back catalogue seems to be.