SPARKS

Eric Murray · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 5:25 am Post subject:

@ Alex
Yes Grouchos was a great shop - after Bruce’s / Sleeves closed in Kirkcaldy Grouchos was my closest shop to go to unless I went to Edinburgh

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/dundee/1573855/legendary-dundee-record-store-grouchos-officially-closes-as-stock-cleared-from-shop/

Andy M · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 9:05 am Post subject:

What a good idea, highersynth. Looking forward to all the discussions.

I’ve been listening to the debut album for almost half a century now; I searched it and Woofer out shortly after buying Kimono in ’74, and it’s a record I revisit regularly. For me, it’s by no means a “knock you off your feet” debut album, rather it’s more of a slow burner. I really like Rundgren’s production on this – everything’s clear, simple and uncluttered, letting the songs speak for themselves. Never sure about a scoring system, but maybe 7-8/10?

Rob-C mentioned the booklet which came with the repackaged 2 Originals double LP – I’d echo that it’s well worth seeking out.

Favourite track for me has to be Fletcher Honorama (also the one I’d most like to hear live) but other gems are available – Saccharin and the War and Slowboat especially. In another universe, Slowboat would have been a massive hit single, surely. Can’t say there’s any track on the album I dislike.

As to weird tracks, this must be a face-off between Roger and Biology 2, with Roger just winning.

I enjoyed the Ra Ra Riot cover of SATW, and more recently Ty Segall covered Slowboat on Fudge Sandwich, but I guess I’d really like to hear Alice Cooper do a proper version of (No More) Mr Nice Guys!

Something that hasn’t been mentioned thus far is the different artwork for the two versions of Halfnelson/Sparks. My preference is for the original version (though arguably the second most accurately represents the album’s production values). Over 50 years later we have The Girl is Crying in Her Latte, which features a girl in the foreground and the band in the background. Plus ça change . . .

highersynth · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 3:32 pm Post subject:

phdave that afternoon · Certified Fan Joined: 01 Jul 2023 Posts: 71

I think I am ready to react after listening to this on repeat for a few days.

I am not disappointed with the level of weirdness of song construction and lyrics that I expect from Sparks. It is hard to not think of this in terms of it being a debut album and compare it to what came after, but it does not sound too much like a first effort. There are a lot of the same elements that come up in other albums that I have heard. I guess the influences of the Beatles, early Pink Floyd, the Doors, etc. are more obvious in this albums than others I've heard.

Russ's funky vocals are there from the beginning. The subject matter of the songs is appropriately off the wall. Wonder Girl has the lyrical twist that is a staple of Sparks songwriting. High C also. I like all of the songs. They are catchy and ear-wormy with goofy lyrics. I did not find myself laughing at any of them which I often do at Sparks lyrics. Some of the lyrics are more abstract / hard to read than other songs I am familiar with.

I'm not sure how to score it. Based on albums in general or Sparks albums? I don't know what all of the albums sound like so rating them on a Sparks scale is difficult. 6/10 feels about right, but I think this might grow on me over time.

Favorite track remains Wondergirl. I love the percussion and bass. I can listen to them all day long. Other songs I like (find myself humming in my head at various times during the day) are High C, Roger, Slowboat, Saccharin and the War.

I like the diversity of the tracks, but if I had to pick least favorite it would be Biology 2 and Bing Bands. They are appropriately Sparks weird but not my favorite to listen to on repeat at least.

The song I'd like to hear live is all of them since I have never heard any of them live before. But if I had to pick one it would be Slowboat (and if possible see Russ be pulled along the stage in a boat while singing).

highersynth · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 4:24 pm Post subject:

Sooo. More listening on repeat. I LIKE this album, as a whole, and I'd forgotten how much. It's interesting to consider it in light of later albums - you can sort of hear the newness of the band, and the youth of its members.

I think on reflection I'd give it a 7 - that's compared with Sparks albums, @PhDave, rather than albums generally - that's too big a comparison for me!

Favourite tracks are Wondergirl, Simple Ballet and Slowboat. After a lot of listening I'm ambivalent toward Big Bands and Saccharin and the War. The former is my least favourite because I keep getting bored in the middle of it; with the latter, despite @Alex's helpful analysis, which sounds bang-on incidentally, it feels unnecessarily obscure / coded. Overdone.
Roger and No More Mr Nice Guy don't move me either way.

The rest fall into the "intriguing" category, and I love me a bit of intrigue. Fa la fa lee - a catchy song about a bloke who fancies his sister. High C - a young man apparently stalking an older opera singer. Fletcher Honorama seems to be an ironic memorial to a hated teacher. Biology 2 is self-consciously clever, an anthropomorphic personification of the science of sex, and even though it's not Russell singing, I can't help smiling at it.

For me, in Wonder Girl, Simple Ballet and Fletcher Honorama, we get a hint of the band that is later to emerge. Ron and Russell's writing hadn't matured; and their comments in the booklet others have mentioned, seem rather studied (and clumsy) attempts to sound "rock'n'roll". Not a criticism - they were twenty-something newbies at the time, and hadn't yet perfected the art of enigmatic arch.

As a 15 year old this album seemed incredibly clever to me (I always was a pompous little git) and I enjoyed it more for that than for the music. Nowadays the musical talent that was beginning to be evident, and the beginnings of the wit that the guys are so admired for, are much more important to me.

A joyful album.
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phdave that afternoon · Certified Fan Joined: 01 Jul 2023 Posts: 71

I am just now looking at the writing credits and I just noticed that Russell is credited as the sole writer of Roger and Saccharin And The War and that Jim and Earle Mankey get writing credits. That makes sense given the lyrical differences with later Sparks songs. I was thinking that Ron wrote them, but some he co-wrote and others he doesn't even get a credit. I'm assuming that later albums will be mostly Ron songs.

Here are the songs that were not solely credited to Ron:

Roger (Russell Mael)
Simple Ballet (Russell Mael, Ron Mael)
Slowboat (Russell Mael, Ron Mael)
Biology 2 (Earle Mankey)
Saccharin And The War (Russell Mael)
Big Bands (Ron Mael, Russell Mael)
(No More) Mr. Nice Guys (Jim Mankey, Ron Mael)

phdave that afternoon · Certified Fan Joined: 01 Jul 2023 Posts: 71

I forgot to answer this one:

- Track you'd most like to hear covered and by whom

Only thing that comes to mind is Alice Cooper covering (No More) Mr. Nice Guys

highersynth · Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 5:34 am Post subject:

highersynth · Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 5:40 am Post subject:

highersynth · Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 5:56 am Post subject:

[quote="Buckeye Randy"]I find number ratings interesting because it is a moving target that is very individualized and everybody having different criteria. I start my number ranking criteria by asking myself how many 10/10 should there be? How many 'perfect' albums have there been? It's different for everybody but I don't see how it's possible to consider more than 5 albums a 10/10. How many 9/10 should be possible on a scoring list when considering every album ever released? It's different for everybody.

Totally agree it's tough rating albums without a benchmark. And don't know about anyone else, my ratings change almost daily!
It would be pretty pointless I agree to have too many 10/10s, and for me, only a couple of the albums warrant that. So far I've only found one that I really don't like at all, and I'm saving my low scores for that one!!
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highersynth · Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:03 am Post subject:

highersynth · Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:05 am Post subject:

highersynth · Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 6:07 am Post subject:

Ear-worms from this album are Slowboat (predictable), Simple Ballet (less so) and rather astonishingly Biology 2.

Was going to do a poll on this but have discovered you can't add a poll part way through a thread. Pity.

Anyone else got any lasting echoes they can't shake?
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Toughest Girl In Town · Sparks Guru Joined: 15 Feb 2022 Posts: 3885

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

You should maybe listen to the earlier 1969 demo album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhKwPqE9lSo
Some of the songs have earlier versions. The Syd Barrett influence is even more obvious there.

A few of Ron's song titles are references to Kinks titles, Wonder Girl / Wonder Boy is a fairly obvious one.

Fletcher Honorama is my personal favourite off the first album.

Didn't Alice Cooper ask the Maels about using another song off this album, as well as the title for No More... ? I've forgotten.

highersynth · Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 2:39 pm Post subject:

Ooh will give that a listen @steveBoyce. Just checked with Google - no Alice Cooper songs coming up as crediting Maels. Not that that’s a definitive answer.
Listened today to Alice’s No More Mr Nice Guy and realised I have thought for years that the version in my head was his. I was mistaken. It’s Sparks’.
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SteveBoyce · Sub-Deity Joined: 17 Jan 2002 Posts: 755

highersynth · Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 3:23 am Post subject:

highersynth · Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 3:26 am Post subject:

Welcome to Week 2 of Album Club - w/c 16th July - A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing.

You can find a link to the album on Spotify here:
https://open.spotify.com/album/65RIlZ4KlLzX2MxzV7A4hQ?si=fylI9qbXSzW5G05kzkFkTw

Prompts for discussion, if needed, at the top of the thread.
Enjoy!
_________________
Tomorrow I'll find out all I should know...

aussie · Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 5:23 am Post subject: