SPARKS

leslie hanagan · Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2023 12:58 pm Post subject:

Yes, in a 7th April 1979 interview for NME.
'The Charm-O-Meter Hits Record Low'

scroll to the bottom of the page.

https://www.fanmael.nl/selected-articles/selected-articles-1970-s

highersynth · Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2023 1:18 pm Post subject:

I used to read smash hits. It fancied itself as “serious music journalism“ and yet it was aimed at teenage girls. Go figure.
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dinky · Sparkologist Joined: 26 Jul 2003 Posts: 669

waterloosunset · Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2023 6:57 pm Post subject:

Can this Sunday come soon enough?
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Buckeye Randy · Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2023 7:11 pm Post subject:

waterloosunset · Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2023 11:32 pm Post subject:

highersynth · Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2023 2:01 am Post subject:

highersynth · Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2023 2:32 am Post subject:

OK, so my go to get it off my chest. I've tried and I don't much like Terminal Jive.

This is really a Harold Faltermeyer album performed by Sparks (well, Russell, actually), isn't it? And I'm not that mad about Harold Faltermeyer. From the various things I've read and listened to this week, I don't think Harold was that mad about Sparks either - most of the stories seem to be tinged with (unacknowledged) disrespect in both directions.

These quotes, mainly from Fanmael.nl's pages, interest me, and I think explain a great deal about the soullessness we've mostly all observed:
"Ron had brought about 20 new songs for the album but only one, “When I’m With You”, was selected by the production team to be on the album."
and
"Afterwards Ron remarked bitterly that he was not allowed to play on his own record, but that is probably a
bit exaggerated. Nevertheless, his role during the recording was less prominent than on any album before.
Ron Mael: 'Harold could play better than me or Giorgio, but the songs were more heavily screened. We
submitted twenty songs, and only one passed muster. And even then the middle eight was changed. I was hurt.'"

A Sparks album with minimal input from Ron? erm... No thank you!

Anyhoo - whys and wherefores aside - favourite track for me would have to be When I'm With you, closely followed by Stereo which is the only other one with even a hint of interesting / interpretable lyric. It's also stuck in my head.

As a teen, the video with the vent doll for WIWT frankly embarrassed me, and it was that more than anything else that made me want to distance myself from the band. I was getting teased for my known liking of these weirdos. Watching it now, I see the skill in it, and find it adds layers to the song for me, but I don't any longer give a **** what anyone else thinks about what I like!

Least favourite song, without question, Young Girls, which I honestly can't listen to - as others have said it lacks the humour to create parody, and I hate hearing Russ singing those words. I find it musically boring. I was trying to work out what's SO bad about the lyrics given many other rock and pop songs imply equally dodgy desires - and concluded that it's their reflective nature, describing this protagonist having repeatedly, habitually preyed on (really very young) girls and liking it - they are unrepentant. Poor choice of subject, R&R.

The rest - Noisy Boys is ok. Greatest Show is ok. But "disco" went through a phase of very plodding, rather slow 1-2 beats that aren't actually danceable, which is ironic, and a number of the other tracks use this sluggish tempo. Maybe Harold never tried dancing to 'em.

Finally, I looked up the youtubes of TJ songs from 21x21 and it did make me smile that when the boys performed these in a rock style, the ones I can find (Stereo and Noisy Boys) actually work SO much better.

Like it or not Sparks rock at heart. But for the album itself 3/10
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Tomorrow I'll find out all I should know...

dinky · Sparkologist Joined: 26 Jul 2003 Posts: 669

Quite bizarre that Sparks biggest ever selling record was off this album.

4/10.

highersynth · Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 3:33 am Post subject:

And just a final thought - I follow 3 of the Facebook fan groups. It's #Sparkstember and TJ was yesterday. There seem to be lots of fans who love the album, and a handful whose favourite it is.
So maybe it's all a matter of perspective?

Onward.

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Tomorrow I'll find out all I should know...

highersynth · Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 3:34 am Post subject:

Welcome to Week 10 of Album Club - w/c 10th September - Whomp that Sucker

You can find a link to the album on Spotify here:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3x0j7lxTq1i4VHMBXFg94B?si=yJgQG6_RRH2-d8tfEXM7eQ

Prompts for discussion, if needed, and scores for previous albums, at the top of the thread.
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Tomorrow I'll find out all I should know...

SteveBoyce · Sub-Deity Joined: 17 Jan 2002 Posts: 755

highersynth · Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 7:19 am Post subject:

Alex Robertson · Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 7:31 am Post subject:

I'd moved to London by this time and occasionally stuck my nose into NME to keep up with releases...the fanclub was a godsend, so I was aware the album was out soon.
Many people knew I was a Sparks fan, I've never hidden my Sparksuality ( I take pride in having coined that term and use it often) so it was with great sadness I have to say I missed out on an invite to a promotion for this album ( was informed I could've got said invite except the bloke who obtained it for me was off sick from work)...so essentially I missed out on the "boxing match"...I think Russell suffered broken or bruised ribs after it....unless that's an urban myth????
I did by way of compensation, get promo copies of Tips For Teens (7" and 12") from the lost invite guy...these were later stolen 😢 along with many singles I had.
But I got the 159 from Kilburn to Oxford Street that Saturday and straight to HMV, to buy the album.
Another new direction...soaring fairground organs on acid...Sparks return with a joi de vivre and a half....If pressed I'd pick Tips For Teens as a favourite track ( lyrically hilarious)...a belter of an album, no tracks as a filler imh...
9/10

Alex Robertson · Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 7:33 am Post subject:

highersynth · Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 7:43 am Post subject:

waterloosunset · Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 9:11 am Post subject:

I agree with @Alex.

Also, today the stars align because we start Whomp Week here, and it is Sparkstember's Whomp Day on at least Twitter and Instagram.
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better drop the requirement that everything be great

Andy M · Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 10:03 am Post subject:

“And I am happy, happy, happy, happy, happy.”

Whomp That Sucker is a fun album, a return to form, the first of a run of what I think of as the US pop era for Sparks. It’s almost as if No 1 & TJ never existed, with Whomp following on from Introducing, this time with a fixed group of experienced players from Bates Motel.

Standouts for me are Where’s My Girl (with its Walter Mittyish nod to This Town) and the gloriously bonkers Wacky Women - these being two of my favourite Sparks songs ever - along with Don’t Shoot Me and Nastassia. On the other end of the quality spectrum, Upstairs, Suzie and Funny Face are rather so-so.

Good cover, too.

I’m getting a bit lost with my scoring, but I’ll go here for 7/10.

Andy M · Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 6:38 am Post subject:

A few more words about the cover that I forgot to add yesterday. For those interested in the rather outré elements of Sparks collectibles, The Glimmers plagiarise both the album title and (unashamedly) the cover, back and front, with their album Whomp That Sucker! (2010). Similarly – and I should have mentioned this during the relevant album discussion – I.U.D. copy R&R’s poses for Big Beat for the cover of their 2009 LP The Proper Sex. Neither artiste acknowledges the source material . . .

highersynth · Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 2:50 pm Post subject: