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Sparks is an American rock and pop music band known for their quirky approach to pop music. The band centers on two brothers: songwriter and keyboard player Ron Mael and vocalist/songwriter Russell Mael. The band first emerged as Halfnelson from the Los Angeles club scene, but changed their name to Sparks, a play on the Marx Brothers, after the release of its first album. The band's style has evolved from 60s homage to glam pop to power pop to metal to mainstream pop to electronic dance music to its latest incarnation, which is characterized by uniquely crafted artistic pop songs layered with repetition of lyrical phrases and supplemented by lush classical-style arrangements. Despite the many genres in which Sparks has dabbled, a recognizable "Sparks sound" has given the band a massive cult fan base and the admiration of their peers.

Style

Sparks' musical style has changed dramatically over their almost forty year career. In the beginning they attempted to emulate the sound of their English heroes, such as The Who, Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd and The Kinks, sometimes even pretending to be an English band while on the LA club circuit. They relocated to England during the Glam Rock era where, despite cutting an odd figure on this scene, they found success with their polished brand of intricate pop tunes and convoluted lyrics. By the second half of the decade they were concerned that the sound they had developed while based in England was in danger of becoming stale, they returned to LA determined to adopt a more "West Coast" sound. This they achieved with producer Rupert Holmes on Big Beat and Introducing Sparks, however they were not satisfied with the results which they felt lacked personality, perhaps due to the reliance on session musicians. This led to the most dramatic change of style the band would attempt, when they teamed up with Giorgio Moroder, dropped the band format altogether and produced Number One in Heaven. This album is regarded as a landmark in the development of electronic music and greatly influenced bands which would emerge in the following years such as Depeche Mode, New Order and the Pet Shop Boys. They soon returned to a more traditional line-up, which remained until 1988's Interior Design. There then followed a long hiatus until 1994's Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins, which was a foray into the techno dance world, which they had helped to spawn back in the late 1970s. While their style has remained on the same path since Gratuitous Sax..., they have nonetheless continued to push the boundaries of conventional pop music and songwriting, remaining both innovative and highly influential.

Lyrically, the band's style has been described as coming from "the school of Cole Porter, favouring caustic wit over trivial personal problems, …achingly clever lyrics seesaw between superficial gloss, profound sentiment and the incomprehensibly bizarre." Repeated lyrical motifs have become a distinct feature on recent albums. "On My Baby's Taking Me Home" off Lil' Beethoven (2002), the song title is repeated 104 times, with no other words being used. Similarly, on the same album, "Your Call Is Very Important To Us", uses a corporation style call-hold message: "Your call is very important to us. Please hold" which is then sung with some additional words: "At first she said your call is very important to us, then she said please, please hold." The only other lyrics in the song are "Red light" and "Green light". These elements are layered with a simple piano line to create a highly textured effect.

History

The history of Sparks spans five decades, from inception in the late 1960s LA club scene, through adoption by English fans in the middle 1970s, electronic experimentation in the late 1970s, and finally breaking through in the US of the early 1980s, a cinematic sojourn at the end of that decade with a return to form in the mid 1990s which continues to this day as they continue to push the boundaries of pop music.

Inception in Los Angeles

Brothers Ron and Russel Mael grew up in Culver City, in western Los Angeles County, California, during the "Golden Age" of the LA club scene, with The Doors, Love and The Standels regularly playing the Whisky-a-Go-Go on Sunset Strip and the Beach Boys playing the afternoon event Teenage Fair. Both attended UCLA, Ron studying cinema and graphic art, Russell theatre arts and filmmaking. Detesting the folk music scene, which they considered "..cerebral and sedate and we had no time for that", they developed a particular taste in English bands of the time such as The Who, Syd Barretts Pink Floyd, The Kinks and The Move, which led their description of themselves as "Anglophiles".

Sparks (1971): Harley Feinstein, Earle Mankey, Jim Mankey, Russell Mael & Ron Mael

Forming Halfnelson in 1968, with renowned rock critic John Mendelssohn on drums, they soon came to the attention of producer Todd Rundgren, at whose urging Albert Grossman signed the band to his Bearsville record label. Their self-titled debut, with the line-up consisting of college friend Earle Mankey on guitar, Mankey's brother Jim on bass, Harley Feinstein now on drums and Rundgeon producing, sold poorly, but after switching labels to Warner Bros and renaming themselves Sparks, the re-issued debut spawned the minor regional hit "Wonder Girl".

Their follow up album, A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing, led to a tour of the United Kingdom, including a residency at the Marquee in London, which, despite much heckling during performances, helped them to secure a significant cult following. An appearance on the BBC Television's Old Grey Whistle Test led to wider interest regardless of a cold reception from the show's host Bob Harris.

Anglophiles in Albion

Relocating to England in 1973 with a new manager, John Hewlett, founder of John's Children, and a deal from Island Records, thanks in part to the exposure garnered by their Whistle Test performance, they placed an ad in music weekly Melody Maker and through this hired Adrian Fisher on guitar, Martin Gordon on bass and Dinky Diamond on drums. In the midst of power strikes and a threatened vinyl shortage, with Muff Winwood producing, they recorded their breakthrough Kimono My House in 1974, scoring a number 2 hit with the single "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" (), despite Elton John betting Winwood that the song wouldn't break into the charts. This hit led to a remarkable appearance on the BBC's flagship music show Top of the Pops. Russell's manic wide-eyed hyperactive movements provided the perfect contrast to keyboard-bound, soberly-dressed (sensible shirt, pullover and tie) Ron's inscrutable, expressionless squint. Ron Mael's toothbrush moustache and disciplined haircut reportedly prompted John Lennon to exclaim "Christ, they've got Hitler on the telly!"

The follow up albums, Propaganda and Indiscreet, produced by Tony Visconti, were similarly successful and produced the hit singles "Looks, Looks, Looks", "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth" and "Something For The Girl With Everything". Both of these albums came with striking cover art. Propaganda has the Mael brothers portrayed as victims of a kidnapping, while Indiscreet shows the aftermath of a light aircraft crash in suburbia.

Return home

Rollercoaster (1976 film)

1976 saw the Maels return home to LA. Concerned that their music may have become stale, they changed to a more "American" sound and recorded Big Beat() with Rupert Holmes on production, followed by Introducing Sparks; both were mostly recorded with session musicians. This new "West Coast" sound was deemed a failure as they felt the results were "bereft of personality". In 1976, Sparks made one of their first forays into the movie business, making a cameo appearance in the disaster film Rollercoaster, after Kiss turned down the role.

After the disappointment of the last two albums, the brothers found themselves at "a 'what do we do now?' moment". By 1979 they had tired of the rock band format and determined to take their music in a more electronic direction. They had expressed admiration for Giorgio Moroder, creator of the iconic disco anthem I Feel Love performed by Donna Summer, to a German journalist who turned out to be a friend of his. As a result, they teamed up with Moroder and created No. 1 In Heaven, an album which would not only redefine the Sparks sound but would challenge the concept of what is meant by a band and would be a major influence on artists such as Depeche Mode, New Order and The Pet Shop Boys. The follow-up in 1980, Terminal Jive, scored a massive hit single in France, "When I'm With You", which led to them staying in the country for a year promoting the album.

Finding the electronic equipment they had adopted for their new sound too cumbersome to tour with, they returned to the more traditional band format for their next three releases, Whomp That Sucker, Angst In My Pants and Sparks in Outer Space. They finally broke into the US singles charts with "Cool Places" from 1983's ..Outer Space. The track was a collaboration with Go-Go Jane Wiedlin, who, at one time, ran her own Sparks fanclub, and its success was in part thanks to LA's KROQ radio station, which hailed them as local heroes.

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the brothers concentrate on filmmaking, particularly an attempt to make a Japanese comic strip, Mai, The Psychic Girl, into a movie. Despite interest from Tim Burton and six years' work on the project, it came to nothing.

Return to music

1994 saw the Maels return with the release of Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins, providing the hit singles "When Do I Get To Sing My Way?"() and "When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing)". 1997 saw the release of Plagiarism, an album of cover versions of their own songs featuring collaborations with Faith No More, Erasure and Jimmy Somerville. Half of the album was recorded by Toni Visconti in London with the other half recorded by the brothers in their own purpose-built studio in LA, surrounded by busts of Elvis.Balls, released in 2000, was generally perceived as Sparks treading water.

Current revival

Sparks in 2006

If Balls was greeted with apathy, 2003 saw the release of the album which Sparks themselves described as "their genre defining opus". Lil Beethoven is a lush, quasi-classical arrangement of strings and choirs which led to renewed interest in the band, Record Collector named the album as one of its "Best New Albums of 2002" describing it as "..Possibly the most exciting and interesting release ever from such a long established act" and later in 2003 saying "..it really does feel like one of the best albums ever made." A successful UK and European tour had the band playing the entire album each night in the first half of the show, with fan favourites making up the second. A performance in Södra Teatern in Stockholm was filmed and released on DVD. The line-up now included Tammy Glover on drums and former Faith No More guitarist Dean Menta. Long time fan Morrissey invited Sparks to perform at the 2004 Meltdown Festival, of which he was curator. They choose to perform their breakthrough Kimono My House album followed by Lil Beethoven, both in their entirety.
In 2004, Sparks were sampled on the track "Acid Pants" by Orbital on their Blue Album. February 2006 saw the release of Hello Young Lovers(), their twentieth studio album, which continues to see the Maels "steer clear of pop conventions". While the album is regarded as carrying on where Lil Beethoven left off, being described as "..cynical, intellegent and very, very funny", it has not met with universal acclaim as some reviewers regard the constant use of wit, satire, and lyrical repetition as becoming wearisome or annoying. On May 9, 2006, they had a brief cameo appearance on the television show Gilmore Girls.

The brothers tend to be dismissive of the latest trends in popular music, seeing most current bands as lacking musical ambition and experimental drive. Indeed the predictable trends in much of modern rock, as they see it, served as inspiration for their latest album. However, they have expressed admiration for Eminem, Outkast, Franz Ferdinand and Morrissey.

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Label
1971	Sparks/Halfnelson	Bearsville
1972	A Woofer in Tweeters Clothing	Warner Bros
1974	Kimono My House	Island
1974	Propaganda	Island
1975	Indiscreet	Island
1976	Big Beat	Island
1977	Introducing Sparks	Columbia
1979	No. 1 In Heaven	Virgin
1980	Terminal Jive	Virgin
1981	Whomp That Sucker	Why-Fi
1982	Angst in My Pants	Atlantic Records
1983	In Outer Space	Atlantic Records
1984	Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat	Atlantic Records
1986	Music That You Can Dance To	Curb
1988	Interior Design	Underdog
1994	Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins	Logic
1998	Plagiarism	Roadrunner
2000	Balls	Recognition
2002	Lil' Beethoven	Artful
2006	Hello Young Lovers	Gut Records

Singles (incomplete)

Year	Title	Label	UK Chart#	German Chart#	French Chart#
1974	"This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us"	Island Records	2
1974	"Amateur Hour"	Island Records	7
1974	"Something For The Girl With Everything"	Island Records	17
1974	"Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth"	Island Records	13
1975	"Get In The Swing"	Island Records	27
1975	"Looks, Looks, Looks"	Island Records	26
1976	"Big Boy"	Island Records
1979	"The Number One Song In Heaven"	Virgin Records	14
1979	"Beat The Clock"	Virgin Records	10
1979	"Tryouts For The Human Race"	Virgin Records	45
1980	"When I'm With You"	Virgin Records	1
1980	"Young Girls"	Virgin Records
1981	"Tips For Teens"	Why-Fi Records
1981	"Funny Face"	Why-Fi Records
1993	"National Crime Awareness Week"	Finelex Records
1994	"When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'?"	Logic records	32	7
1994	"When I kiss you (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing)"	Logic Records	36
1994	"Now That I Own The BBC"	Logic Records	70
2001	"The Calm Before The Storm"	Universal Records
2003	"Suburban Homeboy"	Artful Records
2006	"Perfume"	Gut Records	80
2006	"Dick Around"/"Waterproof"	Gut Records

References and notes

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Sparks (band)