SPARKS

highersynth · Last edited by highersynth on Sun Dec 31, 2023 5:27 am; edited 54 times in total

A Sparks album per week.
Like a book club but with Sparks albums. PROMPTS:

- Overall score out of 10 (just to provoke opinion)
- Favourite track and why
- Least favourite track and why
- Weird / enigmatic tracks - theories and if anyone has any, background stories
- Track you'd most like to see live
- Track you'd most like to hear covered and by whom

Week 1 - "Sparks" - 6.8 (8 votes)
Week 2 - A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing - Starts p 2 - 7.8 (5 votes)
Week 3 - Kimono my House (reissue has extra tracks) - Starts p 4 - 9.5 (10 votes)
Week 4 - Propaganda - Starts p 6 - 9.6 (8 votes)
Week 5 - Indiscreet starts p 8 - 9.1 (8 votes)
Week 6 - Big Beat Starts p 10 - 6.6 (8 votes)
Week 7 - Introducing Sparks Starts p 11 - 6.6 (9 votes)
Week 8 - No.1 in Heaven - Starts p 12 - 8.5 (9 votes)
Week 9 - Terminal Jive - Starts p 14 - 3.5 (10 votes)
Week 10 - Whomp that Sucker - Starts p15 - 6.7 (8 votes)
week 11 - Angst in my Pants - Starts p16 7.8 (9 votes)
Week 12 - In Outer Space starts p17 - 3.8 (9 votes)
Week 13 - Pulling Rabbits out of a Hat - starts p18 - 5 (8 votes)
Week 14 - Music that You can Dance to - starts p18/19 - 5.2 (9 votes)
Week 15 - Interior Design - starts p20 - 4.3 (8 votes)
Week 16 - Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins - starts p20 - 8.7 (8 votes)
Week 17 - Balls - starts p21 - 7 (8 Votes)
Week 18 - Lil' Beethoven - starts p22 - 9.8 (8 votes)
Week 19 - Hello Young Lovers - starts p23 - 8.4 (9 votes)
Week 20 - Exotic Creatures of the Deep - starts p24 -8.3 (8 votes)
Week 21 - FFS - starts p25 -7.25 (10 votes)
Week 22 - Hippopotamus - Starts 26 - 9 (8 votes)
Week 23 - A Steady Drip Drip Drip - starts p27 - 7.75 (8 votes)
Week 24 - The Girl is Crying in her Latte - starts p28 - 8.6 (8 votes)

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

I would love to do this. I'm only a recent Sparks fan and feel like I am drinking from a firehose. No idea how I missed Sparks all these years, but they are exactly the kind of thing I like and I'm overwhelmed with 50+ years of music to catch up on. I'd love to go through the albums one by one. I have done this with a few other bands and really feel like I get a deeper appreciation for their work when I fully digest one album at a time.

highersynth · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2023 1:19 pm Post subject:

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

OK I'm on it. I was only familiar with Wonder Girl and No More Mr. Nice Guys. Also heard a bit of Slowboat when Todd Rundgren talked about the audition performance in the Edgar Wright documentary. All others are brand new to me.

Alex Robertson · Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 3:00 am Post subject:

My theory about Saccharin And The War...which I have yet to get anyone to agree with ...
I have always considered it to be about the Pill, women's lib and sexual emancipation.
15 years the bus had waited...I would say "the bus" was the free love movement of the 60s...and the "15 years" was the period from the end of the war to the 60s.
Every girl took in a doctor...I've heard a theory that this was a reference to a sex toy, negating the need for men and basically emasculating them, however I've thought this was the contraceptive pill, which allowed women more sexual choices and making them less prey to men's desires and whims.
Eyeliner worn by all them girls...possibly refers to Mary Quant's bold products being as they were at the time thought to be provocative and sexually alluring.
Just some of my thoughts on this song.

Toughest Girl In Town · Sparks Guru Joined: 15 Feb 2022 Posts: 3842

Count me in!
On this album, my favourite song is "High C". I guess Ron always had a soft spot for female opera singers...

Alex Robertson · Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 6:55 am Post subject:

I'd say my favourite track off this album is Slowboat...it is hauntingly poignant...the closer he gets to his love she remains further away from him.

https://youtu.be/ojPXMUM4C9k
A version you may like.

highersynth · Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 11:48 am Post subject:

highersynth · Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 11:51 am Post subject:

highersynth · Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 12:10 pm Post subject:

dinky · Sparkologist Joined: 26 Jul 2003 Posts: 669

One of my top 3 albums, sometimes it's number one. The breadth and depth of the lyrics is astonishing for a first album.

High C is my favourite, I suspect the 'we could reach High C or maybe somewhere thereabouts' is Ron playing with words and alluding to things sexual (C for climax)

Simple Ballet is a gem, I bet there's not another lyric in history that has the word plié in it.

Buckeye Randy · Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2023 4:10 am Post subject:

I think this is a great thread.

My intro to Sparks was the glam trilogy and then I started filling in the back catalogue including "Sparks" (Half Nelson).

I'll be honest, I did not initially like this release because it was different than the three albums I loved. I also did not take the time to revisit it at any time before my turntable took a dive in the '90's. I never bought the CD and only have access through Spotify.

Because of this thread, I took the time for a listen. I appreciate some of the songs more than previously and I'll probably add a few to my Sparks playlist. The one that stands out for me is "High C".

In general, not a great album for me but I like more now than I did last week. 4/10
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Billy, Don't Be A Porter

Toughest Girl In Town · Sparks Guru Joined: 15 Feb 2022 Posts: 3842

I also listened to it this morning, and I forgot how much I love "Roger" too, with its great Gimme Shelter soundalike intro!

highersynth · Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2023 1:56 pm Post subject:

Thanks everyone for joining in! :)

I’ve listened on repeat today - I’d forgotten how much I liked the overall weirdness of this album!
Off the cuff thoughts (not ready yet to write more):
Overall score 6/10 - good debut
Favourite track (today) Wondergirl - love the catchy beats
Least favourite - jury is still out
Song would most like to hear live - Slowboat, without question.

To be continued.
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Tomorrow I'll find out all I should know...

Alex Robertson · Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2023 2:19 pm Post subject:

https://youtu.be/NsxOYCs0rgU

Oscar · Power Groupie Joined: 10 Oct 2002 Posts: 413

Fun thread idea! My favorite on the debut is "Big Bands." Lyrically it strikes me as an especially wise look at music fandom, and musically, with its mini-suite structure, it wouldn't be out of place on the Kinks' Arthur album (a favorite of mine). "High C" and "Fletcher Honorama" are close runners up.

"Biology 2" is my least favorite. Admittedly I haven't listened to much Frank Zappa, but this song always makes me feel like someone just stuck a Zappa song on my Sparks album. There's a nice melody or two in there, but ultimately it's just not my thing. Too intentionally weird.

"(No More) Mr. Nice Guys" might be my second least favorite song on the album, but that's probably the one I'd most like to see them do live.

I'll give this album an 8/10. Maybe their most beautiful-sounding album? And it's got a few of their best songs ever.

Rob-C · Fan-in-Training Joined: 07 Jun 2019 Posts: 15

I’ve got the ‘2 Originals of Sparks’ double LP, which was a re-release of the 1st 2 albums following the success of Kimono and Propaganda. It comes with a superb 16 page booklet which includes Ron and Russell’s comments on every song. Some of their comments on the 1st album:

Roger: RON: ‘I don’t understand this song - ask Russell’

High C: RON: ‘My favourite track off the first two albums’

Biology 2: RUSSELL: ‘The first Sparks song I ever heard on the radio…I didn’t even get to hear myself singing as Earl sang on this one’.

Saccharin….RUSSELL: ‘A weight reducing song.’

No More Mr Nice Guys: RUSSELL: ‘at least somebody discovered this song and made a buck or two..’ (I guess he means Alice Cooper).

‘No More Mr Nice Guys’ is the stand out track for me. For the album overall, 7/10.

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

Alex Robertson · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 2:37 am Post subject:

So I'd give this a high rating, especially as it is a debut album...would be hard pressed to find a track I dislike.
After buying Kimono, I went to Groucho's in Dundee to order the two Bearsville albums as I already had Girl From Germany as a single.

@highersynth...you will say when we are through with this album and starting on the next?

Buckeye Randy · Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2023 3:27 am Post subject:

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.