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Kermit!
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Joined: 08 Aug 2017
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Location: Islington N1
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 Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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| sjadey wrote: | | My experience is much the same as Kermit's. Fan since '74, first saw them live at SBE in '94 and at least once on every UK tour since. How did you get in to the SBE after party, Kermit? What happens at such things? |
I'm very lucky sjadey. I moved to London in '77 when I was 17. It was the disco years & if anyone else lived through those hazy days you'll know they were so amazing. When Sparks turned disco with the 'No 1 in Heaven' album it was like they were following me onto the dancefloor. Donna Summer has been my other favourite artist along with Sparks so when they joined up with Giorgio Moroder I felt like they must have been hearing my vibes from the disco floor. Over those magical years I got to meet a lot of wonderful people. Around '81 I met Paul Rutherford from Frankie goes to Hollywood, a really great guy & before the Frankie days. He would come round to a mate of mines to cut his lodgers hair every few weeks. When he turned up in Frankie I couldn't believe it 'cos he'd not said anything. Of course I was so happy with his success in Frankie, they were amazing let's face it. At the 'Senseless violins' gig Paul was there & he'd been in the video to 'Charlie Parker' as well. If you missed him check the vid again. Anyway, he was going to the after party & knowing him for so long he took me in as his guest, which after just seeing Sparks live in concert for the first time at last, was just another dream coming true. It was held just around the corner from the Odeon in a huge bar/restaurant that I think had probably been hired for the night. It was packed and when Ron & Russ came in the place went crazy. I did get to say to Ron 'Please, don't ever stop' and he firmly said to back 'we won't'!! The musical genius of a man has certainly stuck to his word & that was 34 years ago. I also got to meet Christi Haydon who had joined Sparks on drums on this comeback album. She was with her mum, a lovely lady, who was glowing with pride for Christi & her success. Christi was shining & both were so friendly & nice to me. I chatted away with them both for about 10 very special minutes. I couldn't believe it when I saw Claudia Brucken from Propaganda there too but she was busy talking I didn't feel it was right to go & say hi. I'd loved Propaganda from day one. They were of course on the same label as Frankie at ZTT records, both produced by Trevor Horn. Claudia's voice is just sublime & so unique. She should have been much bigger than she is. If any of her songs were on a TV advert people would be opened to a whole lot of wonderful material.
It was a brilliant night anyway, basically a meet & greet for a couple of hours but one I will always remember. I've had many since too but my fingers are aching now. Sparks were back with a bang which was terrific & hit the UK charts once again. Having good taste does have it's advantages sometimes. 
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sjadey
Sparks Guru
Joined: 20 May 2008
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Location: High Wycombe, Bucks., England
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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I too was a fan of Donna Summer, Frankie and Propaganda. Glad you had such an amazing time and got to speak to Ron.
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Kermit!
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Joined: 08 Aug 2017
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Location: Islington N1
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| Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 11:26 pm Post subject: |
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| sjadey wrote: | | I too was a fan of Donna Summer, Frankie and Propaganda. Glad you had such an amazing time and got to speak to Ron. |
...thanks sjadey, we both certainly have a great taste in music!!
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The fan formally known as kermit
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MaelGirl
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Joined: 11 Sep 2018
Posts: 191
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| Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 12:46 am Post subject: |
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| Kermit! wrote: | | sjadey wrote: | | My experience is much the same as Kermit's. Fan since '74, first saw them live at SBE in '94 and at least once on every UK tour since. How did you get in to the SBE after party, Kermit? What happens at such things? |
I'm very lucky sjadey. I moved to London in '77 when I was 17. It was the disco years & if anyone else lived through those hazy days you'll know they were so amazing. When Sparks turned disco with the 'No 1 in Heaven' album it was like they were following me onto the dancefloor. Donna Summer has been my other favourite artist along with Sparks so when they joined up with Giorgio Moroder I felt like they must have been hearing my vibes from the disco floor. Over those magical years I got to meet a lot of wonderful people. Around '81 I met Paul Rutherford from Frankie goes to Hollywood, a really great guy & before the Frankie days. He would come round to a mate of mines to cut his lodgers hair every few weeks. When he turned up in Frankie I couldn't believe it 'cos he'd not said anything. Of course I was so happy with his success in Frankie, they were amazing let's face it. At the 'Senseless violins' gig Paul was there & he'd been in the video to 'Charlie Parker' as well. If you missed him check the vid again. Anyway, he was going to the after party & knowing him for so long he took me in as his guest, which after just seeing Sparks live in concert for the first time at last, was just another dream coming true. It was held just around the corner from the Odeon in a huge bar/restaurant that I think had probably been hired for the night. It was packed and when Ron & Russ came in the place went crazy. I did get to say to Ron 'Please, don't ever stop' and he firmly said to back 'we won't'!! The musical genius of a man has certainly stuck to his word & that was 34 years ago. I also got to meet Christi Haydon who had joined Sparks on drums on this comeback album. She was with her mum, a lovely lady, who was glowing with pride for Christi & her success. Christi was shining & both were so friendly & nice to me. I chatted away with them both for about 10 very special minutes. I couldn't believe it when I saw Claudia Brucken from Propaganda there too but she was busy talking I didn't feel it was right to go & say hi. I'd loved Propaganda from day one. They were of course on the same label as Frankie at ZTT records, both produced by Trevor Horn. Claudia's voice is just sublime & so unique. She should have been much bigger than she is. If any of her songs were on a TV advert people would be opened to a whole lot of wonderful material.
It was a brilliant night anyway, basically a meet & greet for a couple of hours but one I will always remember. I've had many since too but my fingers are aching now. Sparks were back with a bang which was terrific & hit the UK charts once again. Having good taste does have it's advantages sometimes. |
Wow, what a great story!! Did you get any pictures? |
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Kermit!
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Joined: 08 Aug 2017
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| Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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No pictures. It was a case of enjoying the moment back then. Mobile phones weren't capable of taking pictures yet so there was none of the selfies, having to take a pic of everything & put it on Facebook within 5 minutes generation going on. It's a shame those days are gone forever. Now there are mobiles and Ipads in your face everywhere when you go to a gig. There was a time when security would tell you to put your cameras away but in the end the mobiles won. Personally, I think the days of no cameras was much more enjoyable although I do admit without them we wouldn't have so much footage of our idols. It's an odd one really.
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MaelGirl
Groupie
Joined: 11 Sep 2018
Posts: 191
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| Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Kermit! wrote: | | No pictures. It was a case of enjoying the moment back then. Mobile phones weren't capable of taking pictures yet so there was none of the selfies, having to take a pic of everything & put it on Facebook within 5 minutes generation going on. It's a shame those days are gone forever. Now there are mobiles and Ipads in your face everywhere when you go to a gig. There was a time when security would tell you to put your cameras away but in the end the mobiles won. Personally, I think the days of no cameras was much more enjoyable although I do admit without them we wouldn't have so much footage of our idols. It's an odd one really. |
I know, I get so beyond annoyed when people can't get off their phones/tablets/etc. The worst has to be when you pay a ton on money for a concert, drive over 4 hours, wait over five hours in the cold, and the people next to you in the show are more concerned about fb/twitter/all the awfulness! Def wish we could go back to those simpler times, before almost everyone had to be connected all the time. |
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Turtle152
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Joined: 24 Dec 2015
Posts: 136
Location: Pittsburgh, U.S.
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| Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 6:44 am Post subject: |
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| It must be even worse for the performers onstage, looking out over the crowd and seeing so many people looking down instead of up. |
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MaelGirl
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Joined: 11 Sep 2018
Posts: 191
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| Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Turtle152 wrote: | | It must be even worse for the performers onstage, looking out over the crowd and seeing so many people looking down instead of up. |
Absolutely agree. I don't go to a ton of shows a year, but the few I do go to are people that I am actually a super-dedicated fan of. I would never behave the way some rude and inconsiderate people choose to at shows. |
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Buckeye Randy
Sparks Guru
Joined: 21 Aug 2013
Posts: 4675
Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 4:06 am Post subject: |
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Are casual or disinterested concert goers on phones annoying? Sure.
I think even more annoying are people talking during the opening act. This practically ruined Elvis Costello going through a greatest hits show (a rarity for him) while opening for Steely Dan.
I believe Iggy Pop had some colorful comments about concert goers that weren't on board during his iconic live release, 'Metallic KO'.
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MaelGirl
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Joined: 11 Sep 2018
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Buckeye Randy wrote: | Are casual or disinterested concert goers on phones annoying? Sure.
I think even more annoying are people talking during the opening act. This practically ruined Elvis Costello going through a greatest hits show (a rarity for him) while opening for Steely Dan.
I believe Iggy Pop had some colorful comments about concert goers that weren't on board during his iconic live release, 'Metallic KO'. |
Talking during a concert is awful. I can remember at least twice being near some idiot talking during a show and I was so mad. So cool you saw Elvis Costello! I have somehow managed to to miss him every time he's in Ohio!
Last edited by MaelGirl on Sun Feb 10, 2019 2:45 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Bnx
Sparkologist
Joined: 30 Oct 2018
Posts: 512
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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| My hand is raised. (I've been a fan since May) |
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Buckeye Randy
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Joined: 21 Aug 2013
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Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Bnx wrote: | | My hand is raised. (I've been a fan since May) |
How were you introduced to Sparks?
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Bnx
Sparkologist
Joined: 30 Oct 2018
Posts: 512
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Buckeye Randy wrote: | | Bnx wrote: | | My hand is raised. (I've been a fan since May) |
How were you introduced to Sparks? |
The first time I heard them was last year through my parents' Kick-ass soundtrack CD (This Town Ain't Big Enough).
I only bothered to look it up this year (Thinking it was MIKA: yes, I know, good job me) after finding out about Split Enz.
Which lead to me finding out about an array of musicians including: Katie Melua, Franz Ferdinand, Kraftwerk (Through a comment on an FFS video), Laurie Anderson, Kate Bush (Okay, technically that was due to my dad showing me "Babooshka"), etc.
Last edited by Bnx on Sat Nov 24, 2018 5:57 am; edited 1 time in total |
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MaelGirl
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Joined: 11 Sep 2018
Posts: 191
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| Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2018 11:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Bnx wrote: | | Buckeye Randy wrote: | | Bnx wrote: | | My hand is raised. (I've been a fan since May) |
How were you introduced to Sparks? |
The first time I heard them was last year through my parents' Kick-ass soundtrack CD (This Town Ain't Big Enough).
I only bothered to look it up this year (Thinking it was MIKA: yes, I know, good job me) after finding out about Split Enz.
Which lead to me finding out about an array of musicians including: Katie Melua, Franz Ferdinand, Kraftwerk (Throuogh a comment on an FFS video), Laurie Anderson, Kate Bush (Okay, technically that was due to my dad showing me "Babooshka"), etc. |
Mika, as in that cute little singer who does "We are Golden"? |
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Bnx
Sparkologist
Joined: 30 Oct 2018
Posts: 512
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| Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 12:32 am Post subject: |
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| MaelGirl wrote: | | Bnx wrote: | | Buckeye Randy wrote: | | Bnx wrote: | | My hand is raised. (I've been a fan since May) |
How were you introduced to Sparks? |
The first time I heard them was last year through my parents' Kick-ass soundtrack CD (This Town Ain't Big Enough).
I only bothered to look it up this year (Thinking it was MIKA: yes, I know, good job me) after finding out about Split Enz.
Which lead to me finding out about an array of musicians including: Katie Melua, Franz Ferdinand, Kraftwerk (Throuogh a comment on an FFS video), Laurie Anderson, Kate Bush (Okay, technically that was due to my dad showing me "Babooshka"), etc. |
Mika, as in that cute little singer who does "We are Golden"? |
Searching that up, yes. (I don't actually listen to MIKA, I just thought it was him) |
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Buckeye Randy
Sparks Guru
Joined: 21 Aug 2013
Posts: 4675
Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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| Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 11:10 am Post subject: |
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| Bnx wrote: |
I only bothered to look it up this year (Thinking it was MIKA: yes, I know, good job me) after finding out about Split Enz. |
Sooo....is there a connection between Split Enz and Mika?
BTW, I had never heard of Mika. Wiki tells me he has had 6 top ten signals in the UK but no top 40 in the US. I've noticed that anything that has a sniff of Queen does much better outside the U.S..
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Bnx
Sparkologist
Joined: 30 Oct 2018
Posts: 512
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| Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 11:34 am Post subject: |
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| Buckeye Randy wrote: | | Bnx wrote: |
I only bothered to look it up this year (Thinking it was MIKA: yes, I know, good job me) after finding out about Split Enz. |
Sooo....is there a connection between Split Enz and Mika?
BTW, I had never heard of Mika. Wiki tells me he has had 6 top ten signals in the UK but no top 40 in the US. I've noticed that anything that has a sniff of Queen does much better outside the U.S.. |
No, there isn't a connection. It just made me think about opening possible doors. |
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Buckeye Randy
Sparks Guru
Joined: 21 Aug 2013
Posts: 4675
Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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| Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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Several years ago I bought 'History Never Repeats, Best Of Split Enz'. It was worth the purchase price just to own "I Got You" but it also introduced me to a host of other fun tracks.
Many of the songs sound similar to the Bates Motel era of Sparks.
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Bnx
Sparkologist
Joined: 30 Oct 2018
Posts: 512
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| Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 12:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Buckeye Randy wrote: | Several years ago I bought 'History Never Repeats, Best Of Split Enz'. It was worth the purchase price just to own "I Got You" but it also introduced me to a host of other fun tracks.
Many of the songs sound similar to the Bates Motel era of Sparks. |
I'm only really a fan of their early stuff, as in, Phil Judd era Split Enz. (Although, I guess, my very first taste of them was I Got You, I think) |
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Buckeye Randy
Sparks Guru
Joined: 21 Aug 2013
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Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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| Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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Courtesy of Spotify, I'm now listening to 'Split Enz - The Collection: The Best Of The Early Years'.
Nice sound, folksy UK mixed with some Roy Wood and Cockney Rebel. Definitely not the Split Enz I'm familiar with.
Thanks!
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