Sparks
Origin	Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre(s)	Rock, pop, Psychedelic pop
Years active	1970–present
Website	www.allsparks.com
Members
Ron Mael Russell Mael Dean Menta Tammy Glover
Former members
John Mendelsohn Earle Mankey Jim Mankey Harley Feinstein Martin Gordon Adrian Fisher Norman "Dinky" Diamond Trevor White Ian Hampton Sal Maida Jeffrey Salen Hilly Boy Michaels Ben Benay Alan Broadbent David Foster Ed Greene David Paich Mike Porcaro Reinie Press Lee Ritenour Thom Rotella Keith Forsey Bob Haag Leslie Bohem David Kendrick James Goodwin John Thomas

Sparks is an American rock and pop music band formed in Los Angeles in 1970 by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals), initially under the name Halfnelson. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Psychedelic pop is a musical style inspired by the harder louder songs of Psychedelic rock but applied more to a pop music setting Ron Mael (born Ronald David Mael, August 12 1948, Culver City, California) is an American Musician and Russell Craig Mael (born 5 October 1948 or 1953 Santa Monica, California) is an American Singer who with his older Dean Menta served as the guitarist for the rock band Faith No More from 1995 to 1997 John Mendelsohn, American Drummer and rock critic of Rolling Stone magazine Earle Mankey (sometimes misspelled "Earl" in credits (b James Andrew Mankey is the guitarist in Concrete Blonde and also played with Sparks. Martin Gordon (born 1954 Hitchin, Hertfordshire) is an English Musician, who plays Bass guitar and Piano. Alan Broadbent, ONZM (born April 23, 1947 in Auckland New Zealand) is a jazz pianist, arranger and composer best known for his work David Walter Foster, OC, OBC, LLD (born November 1, 1949 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Ed Greene (born 13 April 1969 in New York City, United States is a former American Soccer player David Paich (born David Frank Paich on June 25 1954 in Los Angeles California) is a session musician from the 1970s 1980s and 1990s keyboard Mike Porcaro (born Michael Joseph Porcaro, May 29 1955, South Windsor, Connecticut) is best noted as the bass player in Lee Mack "Captain Fingers" Ritenour (born January 11 1952) is an internationally acclaimed guitarist recording artist composer and producer Keith Forsey (born on 2 January, 1948 in London, England) is an British Soundtrack Composer, Drummer Leslie "Les" Bohem (born 1950 is an American Screenwriter and television writer The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Ron Mael (born Ronald David Mael, August 12 1948, Culver City, California) is an American Musician and Russell Craig Mael (born 5 October 1948 or 1953 Santa Monica, California) is an American Singer who with his older Halfnelson (sometimes spelled Half Nelson) was an American rock band which was a precursor to the more successful Sparks. Best known for their quirky approach to song writing,^[1] Sparks' music is often accompanied by cutting and acerbic lyrics,^[2] and an idiosyncratic stage presence, typified in the contrast between Russell's wide-eyed hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's sedentary scowling. ^[3]

The band's long career has seen them successfully adopt many different musical genres; including glam pop, power pop, electronic dance music and mainstream pop. Glam rock (also known as glitter rock) is a sub-genre of Rock music that developed in the UK in the post- Hippie early 1970s which was "performed by Power pop (or powerpop) is a popular Musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and Rock music. Synonyms Since around the mid-1980s electronic dance music has enjoyed popularity in many Nightclubs and as of 2006 is the predominant type of music played in Traditional pop or Classic pop or Standards music denotes in general Western (and particularly American popular music that either wholly predates the advent of Despite these many styles, a recognizable "Sparks sound" remains throughout, and they have enjoyed a large cult following since their first releases. ^[4] Sparks have been highly influential on the development of popular music,^[3] in particular on the late 1970s scene, when in collaboration with Giorgio Moroder (and Telex subsequently), they reinvented themselves as an electronic pop duo, and abandoned the traditional rock band line up. Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder (born on April 26 1940 in Urtijëi, Italy) is an Italian Record producer, songwriter ^[5] In contrast to the esteem in which they are held by such peers as Depeche Mode, New Order, Pet Shop Boys and They Might Be Giants, who all cite Sparks as a major influence,^[2][5] their almost constantly changing styles and unique visual presentations have sometimes seen them dismissed as a novelty act. Depeche Mode (dəˌpɛʃˈmoʊd are an English Electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. New Order are an English rock group formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner ( vocals, Guitars Synthesizers, Peter Hook The capitalisation of song titles in this article is disputed They Might Be Giants (commonly abbreviated to TMBG) is an American Alternative rock band which began as a duo of John Flansburgh and John ^[6]

The 2002 release of Lil' Beethoven, their self-described "genre-defining opus",^[7] and 2006's Hello Young Lovers (their 20th studio album) have brought Sparks renewed critical and commercial success, and seen them continue to "steer clear of pop conventions. Lil' Beethoven is the nineteenth Album by Sparks, released in 2002. Hello Young Lovers is the twentieth Album by Sparks. It is a concept album which addresses aspects of modern love "^[8]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Inception in Los Angeles 1.2 Anglophiles in Albion 1.3 Return home 1.4 Return to music 1.5 Revival: 2002 - 2006 1.6 2008 1.7 Sparks Spectacular 2 Style 3 Discography 4 References and notes 5 External links

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 Russell Mael grew up in Pacific Palisades, in western Los Angeles County, California,^[9] during the “Golden Age” of the LA club scene, with The Doors, Love and The Standells regularly playing the Whisky-a-Go-Go on Sunset Strip and the Beach Boys playing the afternoon event Teenage Fair. Pacific Palisades is a district within the US city of Los Angeles California, located between Brentwood to the east Malibu to the west Los Angeles County is a county in California and is by far the most populous county in the United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. This article is about the band For their self-titled debut album see The Doors (album; for the Oliver Stone film see The Doors (film; for Doors in computing Love was an American Rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s The Standells were a 1960's Garage rock band from Los Angeles, California. For a fire at the similarly named nightclub in Brisbane, Australia, see Whiskey Au Go Go fire. The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile and a half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood California. The Beach Boys is an American rock band Formed in 1961 the group gained popularity for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a California Youth culture ^[10] Both Ron and Russell Mael are seen in the audience during the Ronettes section of the famous rock movie Big TNT Show, filmed in 1966. The Ronettes were a Girl group of the 1960s from New York City, best known for their work with producer Phil Spector. Both attended UCLA, Ron studying cinema and graphic art, Russell theatre arts and filmmaking. The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United Detesting the folk music scene, which they considered ". . . cerebral and sedate and we had no time for that",^[10] they developed a particular taste in English bands of the time such as The Who, Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd, The Kinks and The Move, which led their description of themselves as "Anglophiles". The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Pink Floyd are The Kinks were an English pop and rock group formed in 1963 and categorised in the US as a British Invasion band The Move were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s from Birmingham, England, and were among the most popular British bands to not find any success An Anglophile is a person who is fond of English culture and England in general ^[10]

Forming Halfnelson in 1968, with rock critic John Mendelsohn 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. Halfnelson (sometimes spelled Half Nelson) was an American rock band which was a precursor to the more successful Sparks. John Mendelsohn, American Drummer and rock critic of Rolling Stone magazine Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American Musician Albert Bernard Grossman ( May 21, 1926 - January 25, 1986) was an entrepreneur and manager in the American Folk music scene Their self-titled debut - with the line-up consisting of college friend Earle Mankey on guitar, Mankey's brother James on bass, Harley Feinstein now on drums and Rundgren producing - sold poorly, but after switching labels to Warner Bros. Records and renaming themselves Sparks, a play on the Marx Brothers,^[11] the re-issued debut spawned the minor regional hit "Wonder Girl". Earle Mankey (sometimes misspelled "Earl" in credits (b James Andrew Mankey is the guitarist in Concrete Blonde and also played with Sparks. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. The Marx Brothers were a popular team of sibling Comedians who appeared in Vaudeville, stage plays film and television

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,^[5] which, despite much heckling during performances, helped them to secure a significant cult following. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. ^[9] 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. The Old Grey Whistle Test (usually abbreviated to Whistle Test or OGWT) was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 "Whispering" Bob Harris (born Robert Brinley Harris in Northampton, England on 11 April 1946) is a ^[11]

Anglophiles in Albion

Relocating to England in 1973 with a new manager, John Hewlett, founder of John's Children,^[12] and a deal from Island Records, thanks in part to the exposure garnered by their BBC2 Television Whistle Test performance,^[5] they placed an ad in music weekly Melody Maker ("Wanted bass player for Sparks. John's Children, formerly "The Silence" were a Leatherhead, England 1960s pop-art/mod band featuring future T Island Records is a Record label that was founded by British record producers in Jamaica. The Old Grey Whistle Test (usually abbreviated to Whistle Test or OGWT) was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly Music Newspaper Must be beard free and exciting")^[13] and through this hired Martin Gordon. Martin Gordon (born 1954 Hitchin, Hertfordshire) is an English Musician, who plays Bass guitar and Piano. With Adrian Fisher on guitar and Dinky Diamond on drums, in the midst of power strikes and a threatened vinyl shortage,^[14] 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 producer Muff Winwood that the song wouldn't break into the charts. Kimono My House is the third Album by Sparks. The album title is generally assumed to be a Pun on the Rosemary Clooney hit " This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us " is a song written by Ron Mael of the American pop group Sparks. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Mervyn "Muff" Winwood (born 15 June 1943 Erdington, Birmingham) is an English Songwriter and Record producer, and ^[14] This hit led to an appearance on the BBC's flagship music show Top of the Pops. Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, was a long-running British music chart Television programme, made and broadcast Russell's hyperactive movements were in sharp contrast to the keyboard-bound, soberly-dressed Ron's expressionless squint, whose toothbrush mustache and neatly parted hair gave him more than a passing resemblance to Adolf Hitler. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately Gordon was sacked the day after the band's appearance on the show with no explanation at the time, although years later, Hewlett admitted to him that the brothers had found him intimidating. ^[13]

The follow up albums, Propaganda and Indiscreet, the latter 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". Anthony Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American Record producer and sometimes a Musician or Singer. ^[9]

Return home

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. Big Beat is the sixth Album by Sparks released in 1976 The release was their final album for Island Records in the UK and their first for Rupert Holmes (born February 24, 1947) is an American - British Composer, Singer-songwriter, Musician and Introducing Sparks is the seventh Album by Sparks. This was previously the only Sparks album only released on vinyl (though bootlegs were This new "West Coast" sound was deemed a failure as they felt the results were "bereft of personality". ^[5] 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 roles. A disaster film is a movie genre that has an impending or ongoing Disaster (such as a damaged Airliner, Fire Rollercoaster is a summer 1977 disaster-suspense Film directed by James Goldstone. Kiss (also typeset as KISS) is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972 ^[15]

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. Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder (born on April 26 1940 in Urtijëi, Italy) is an Italian Record producer, songwriter " I Feel Love " is a song by Donna Summer, taken from her 1977 concept album I Remember Yesterday. Donna Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines December 31, 1948) is an American Singer-songwriter and Musician who gained Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. 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^[5] and would be a major influence on emerging electro pop artists. No 1 In Heaven is the eighth Album by Sparks. Released in 1979 it renewed interest in the band after disappointing sales of albums like Big Beat ^[2] 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. Terminal Jive is the ninth Album by Sparks, the second to have a Giorgio Moroder produced disco-vibe This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. ^[5][9] The single also hit the Top 20 in Australia, reaching #14. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

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. Whomp That Sucker is the tenth Album by Sparks. Beginning with this album and continuing through 1988's Interior Design the Mael brothers worked with Angst in My Pants is the eleventh Album by Sparks. Track listing All songs written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael In Outer Space is the twelfth Album by Sparks. Released in 1983 it was their most successful album in the USA They finally broke into the US singles charts with "Cool Places" from 1983's . " Cool Places " is a song recorded by American duo Sparks in collaboration with Go-Go's member Jane Wiedlin. . Outer Space. The track was a collaboration with Go-Go Jane Wiedlin, who, at one time, ran her own Sparks fanclub,^[15] and its success was in part thanks to LA's KROQ radio station, which hailed them as local heroes. For the 1960s band see The Go-Go's (1960s. The Go-Go’s are an all-female American Pop band formed in 1978 Jane Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958 in Oconomowoc Wisconsin, United States of the Los Angeles punk scene. KROQ-FM is a commercial Radio station located in Los Angeles California, broadcasting on 106 ^[2]

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. Mai the Psychic Girl, known simply as in Japan, is a Manga written by Kazuya Kudō and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami. Despite interest from Tim Burton and six years' work on the project, it came to nothing. Timothy "Tim" William Burton (born August 25 1958 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and Set designer, notable for the quirky ^[9][16]

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)". " My Way " is a song with lyrics written by Paul Anka and popularized by Frank Sinatra. 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. Faith No More was an American Alternative metal band that formed in San Francisco, California from 1982 to 1998 Erasure are an English Synth pop duo formed by Songwriter and Keyboardist Vince Clarke and Singer Jimmy Somerville (born June 22, 1961) is a Scottish pop singer born and raised in Glasgow. Half of the album was recorded by Tony Visconti in London with the other half recorded by the brothers in their own purpose-built studio in LA, surrounded by busts of Elvis. ^[9][2] In 1998 they recorded the soundtrack for the movie Knock Off, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, directed by the acclaimed Hong Kong based producer/director Tsui Hark^[6] (who had appeared on his own tribute song by the band on the album Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins). For knock-off (counterfeit products see Counterfeit Knock Off is a 1998 American Action film directed ( 徐) Tsui Hark, born Tsui Man-Kong (徐文光 on February 15, 1950, is a New Wave Film director in Hong Kong Balls, released in 2000, was generally perceived as Sparks treading water. ^[9]

Revival: 2002 - 2006

If Balls was greeted with apathy, 2002 saw the release of the album which the band themselves described as their "genre-defining opus". Lil' Beethoven, featuring quasi-classical arrangements of strings and choirs,^[9] led to renewed interest in the band, for instance Record Collector magazine named the album as one of its "Best New Albums of 2002", describing it as ". Record Collector is the United Kingdom 's longest-running monthly music magazine . .  possibly the most exciting and interesting release ever from such a long established act"^[17] and later in 2003 saying ". . .  it really does feel like one of the best albums ever made. "^[5] A 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. The line-up now included Tammy Glover on drums and former Faith No More guitarist Dean Menta. Faith No More was an American Alternative metal band that formed in San Francisco, California from 1982 to 1998 Dean Menta served as the guitarist for the rock band Faith No More from 1995 to 1997 Long-time fan Morrissey invited Sparks to perform at the 2004 Meltdown Festival, of which he was curator. Steven Patrick Morrissey (ˈmɒɹɪsiː born May 22, 1959) known primarily as Morrissey, is a British Singer and Lyricist Meltdown is an annual English festival held in London, featuring a mix of music art performance and film They performed their breakthrough Kimono My House album, followed by Lil Beethoven, both in their entirety. ^[7]

February 2006 saw the release of Hello Young Lovers, their twentieth studio album. ^[16] The album is regarded as carrying on where Lil Beethoven left off, being described as ". . .  cynical, intelligent and very, very funny",^[18] it has met with considerable acclaim, though some reviewers regard the constant use of wit, satire, and lyrical repetition as becoming wearisome or annoying. ^[19][20]

The brothers tend to be dismissive of the latest trends in popular music, seeing most current bands as lacking musical ambition and experimental drive. ^[7][3][8] Indeed the predictable trends in much of modern rock, as they see it, served as inspiration for their latest album. ^[8] However, they have expressed admiration for Eminem, Outkast, Franz Ferdinand, Belisha and Morrissey. Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17 1972 known as Slim Shady and his primary Stage name Eminem, is an Academy Award -winning Outkast (typeset as OutKast) is a Grammy Award -winning American hip hop duo based out of East Point Georgia, a city Franz Ferdinand is a rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001 ^[7][10]

The pair appeared in the season 6 finale of the US TV show Gilmore Girls, performing "Perfume" from the album Hello Young Lovers. Gilmore Girls was an Emmy Award -winning Golden Globe -nominated American Comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino They released a live DVD of a September 2006 show at the London Forum as well as a long-awaited CD release of their previously unavailable 1977 album Introducing Sparks. Introducing Sparks is the seventh Album by Sparks. This was previously the only Sparks album only released on vinyl (though bootlegs were

2008

On May 12th 2008, Sparks released the single "Good Morning", taken from the album Exotic Creatures Of The Deep. Exotic Creatures of the Deep is the twenty-first Album by Sparks.

May and June 2008 saw the 21-night "Sparks Spectacular" in London, where they played each of their albums in chronological order during the first twenty nights, and premiered their new album on the twenty-first concert on June 13th, 2008. ^[21]. Each night, they performed an album in its entirety followed by a rare track - many of the songs have never been performed live before. The band asked their fans to visit their website and vote for the track that they'd most like to hear the band perform during the second half of the 21st concert after the premiere of Exotic Creatures Of The Deep, though Russell Mael admitted that he and Ron would probably influence the poll a little. Exotic Creatures of the Deep is the twenty-first Album by Sparks. . .

Fans who bought a "Golden Ticket" (which allowed entry into all 21 gigs) also received a poster signed by the band and a CD single entitled Islington N1, a reference to the postal address of the venue for the first 20 gigs.

Sparks Spectacular

Date	Album	Year	Venue	Extra track(s)
16 May	Sparks / Halfnelson	1971	Carling Islington Academy	England
17 May	A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing	1972	Carling Islington Academy	Arts & Crafts Spectacular
18 May	Kimono My House	1974	Carling Islington Academy	Barbecutie
20 May	Propaganda	1974	Carling Islington Academy	Lost and Found
21 May	Indiscreet	1975	Carling Islington Academy	Gone With The Wind
23 May	Big Beat	1976	Carling Islington Academy	Tearing The Place Apart
24 May	Introducing Sparks	1977	Carling Islington Academy	Alabamy Right
25 May	No. 1 In Heaven	1979	Carling Islington Academy	Dancing Is Dangerous
27 May	Terminal Jive	1980	Carling Islington Academy	Singing In The Shower
28 May	Whomp That Sucker	1981	Carling Islington Academy	Get Crazy
30 May	Angst in My Pants	1982	Carling Islington Academy	Minnie Mouse
31 May	In Outer Space	1983	Carling Islington Academy	Sports
1 June	Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat	1984	Carling Islington Academy	National Crime Awareness Week
3 June	Music That You Can Dance To	1986	Carling Islington Academy	Change
4 June	Interior Design	1988	Carling Islington Academy	Big Brass Ring It's Kinda Like The Movies
6 June	Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins	1994	Carling Islington Academy	Marry Me
7 June	Plagiarism	1997	Carling Islington Academy	Looks Aren't Everything
8 June	Balls	2000	Carling Islington Academy	What Would Katherine Hepburn Say?
10 June	Lil' Beethoven	2002	Carling Islington Academy	Wunderbar
11 June	Hello Young Lovers	2006	Carling Islington Academy	Profile
13 June	Exotic Creatures Of The Deep	2008	Shepherds Bush Empire	Moustache Looks Aren't Everything Big Boy Goofing Off What Would Katherine Hepburn Say? Shopping Mall Of Love Those Mysteries Dick Around Get In The Swing Looks Looks Looks Batteries Not Included Whippings And Apologies Change This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us

Style

Sparks' musical style has changed dramatically over their almost forty year career. Halfnelson is the debut Album by Halfnelson, and the band changed their name to Sparks shortly after their debut and the album was re-released by Warner Events February 5 - Eric Burdon & War disbanding They never performed togeather again until April 21 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing is the second Album by Sparks. Events January 17 - Highway 51 South in Memphis Tennessee is renamed " Elvis Presley Blvd" January 20 - The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Kimono My House is the third Album by Sparks. The album title is generally assumed to be a Pun on the Rosemary Clooney hit Events January - The Ramones form January - Joni Mitchell releases her monumental album Court and Spark, supported The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Propaganda is the fourth Album by Sparks. The title track is a short a capella song with multiple overdubs from Russell Mael. Events January - The Ramones form January - Joni Mitchell releases her monumental album Court and Spark, supported The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Indiscreet is the fifth Album by Sparks. It was released in 1975 and later re-released with three bonus tracks Events January 2 - New York City US District Court Judge Richard Owen rules that former Beatle John Lennon and his lawyers The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Big Beat is the sixth Album by Sparks released in 1976 The release was their final album for Island Records in the UK and their first for Events January-February January 5 - Bob Dylan releases Desire January 6 - Peter Frampton The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Introducing Sparks is the seventh Album by Sparks. This was previously the only Sparks album only released on vinyl (though bootlegs were Events Bohemian Rhapsody is named 'The Best Single Of The Last 25 Years' by BPI. The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. No 1 In Heaven is the eighth Album by Sparks. Released in 1979 it renewed interest in the band after disappointing sales of albums like Big Beat See also Musical groups established in 1979 Record labels established in 1979 1979 in music (UK The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Terminal Jive is the ninth Album by Sparks, the second to have a Giorgio Moroder produced disco-vibe Events January January 1 - The year starts off with a strong Disco backlash which causes the majority of musicians to abandon the use of real instruments The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Whomp That Sucker is the tenth Album by Sparks. Beginning with this album and continuing through 1988's Interior Design the Mael brothers worked with See also Musical groups established in 1981 Record labels established in 1981 List of 'years in music' The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Angst in My Pants is the eleventh Album by Sparks. Track listing All songs written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael See also 1982 in music (UK Musical groups established in 1982 Record labels established in 1982 The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. In Outer Space is the twelfth Album by Sparks. Released in 1983 it was their most successful album in the USA Major releases Michael Jackson's Thriller, the highest-selling album of all time as well as the best-selling album of 1983 and 1984 was released The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat is the thirteenth Album by Sparks. See also Events January 21 - " Relax " by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart it The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Music That You Can Dance To is the fourteenth Album by Sparks It was released in 1986 See also Musical groups established in 1986 Record labels established in 1986 Events January The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Interior Design is the fifteenth Album by Sparks. Track listing "So Important" "Just Got Back From Heaven" This is a list of notable events in Music that took place in the year 1988. The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins is the sixteenth Album by Sparks. This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994. The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Plagiarism is the seventeenth Album by Sparks. It is a tribute album of sorts featuring new alternate versions of some of their best known songs Events January January 9 - David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Balls is the eighteenth Album by Sparks released in 2000 "It's a Knockoff" was recorded for the movie Knock Off See also 2000 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2000 Record labels The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Lil' Beethoven is the nineteenth Album by Sparks, released in 2002. This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002 The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Hello Young Lovers is the twentieth Album by Sparks. It is a concept album which addresses aspects of modern love This is a list of notable events in Music that took place in the year 2006. The Carling Academy Islington is a music venue off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. Exotic Creatures of the Deep is the twenty-first Album by Sparks. This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2008 The Shepherds Bush Empire (the first word is sometimes spelled Shepherd's) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 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. The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Syd Barrett (born Roger Keith Barrett; 6 January 1946 - 7 July 2006 was an English singer songwriter guitarist and artist Pink Floyd are The Kinks were an English pop and rock group formed in 1963 and categorised in the US as a British Invasion band 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. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Glam rock (also known as glitter rock) is a sub-genre of Rock music that developed in the UK in the post- Hippie early 1970s which was "performed by 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. The " West Coast " " Western Seaboard " or " Pacific Seaboard " are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the Western United States This they achieved with producer Rupert Holmes on Big Beat and (sans Holmes) on Introducing Sparks.

However the band were not satisfied with the results, which they felt lacked personality, perhaps due to the reliance on session musicians. Session musicians are musicians available for hire as opposed to musicians who are either permanent members of a musical outfit or who have acquired fame in their own right 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. Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder (born on April 26 1940 in Urtijëi, Italy) is an Italian Record producer, songwriter This album is regarded as a landmark in the development of electronic music and greatly influenced bands which would emerge in the following years. ^[5][2] 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. Techno is a form of Electronic dance music (EDM that emerged in Detroit, Michigan, USA during the mid to late 1980s ^[22] 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. ^[3]

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. "^[2] 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, other than a spoken interlude. ^[5] 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", "Green light", "I'm Getting Mixed Signals" and "Sorry, I'm Going To Have To Put You Back On Hold". These elements are layered with a simple piano line to create a highly textured effect. ^[20]

Discography

see Sparks discography

References and notes

External links

Official

• Sparks' site
• Sparks at MySpace

Biographical or discographical

• Sparks at Allmusic
• Sparks at Discogs
• Sparks discography at MusicBrainz

Fansites

• http://www.sparksfan.info
• Sparks Photos
• SPARKS (fansite)
• Sparks Discography
• HALFNELSON SPARKS
• (French) Sparks - French-language site
• http://www.sparks.siteboard.de
• Sparks - Hello Young Lovers
• Forum Francophone France

Other

• Kittenpants.org interview
• Sparks covered by Awaken. MySpace is a popular social networking Website offering an interactive user-submitted network of friends personal profiles blogs groups photos music and allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. Discogs, short for discographies, is a Website and Database of information about Music Recordings including commercial releases promotional MusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an Open content Music database

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