// Category Archive for: Issues

Sparks Spectacular: Introducing Sparks (1977)

By Janina

I wanted to see this album live mainly because I’ve not seen it done before. My favorite Sparks opus will probably always be Propaganda. However, unlike say, Big Beat or Music That You Can Dance To, I still like all the songs on Introducing.

I “prepared” for the gig by talking about it with new-found Sparks “friends” in the pub beforehand—we’re a dedicated, “fine bunch of guys.”

For Sparks’ 1977 album, Introducing, which was a third of the way through their mammoth past repertoire, the small Islington venue was just over half-full, but it was not a bad turnout of clearly hard-core Sparks fans for what Russell Mael himself said was “one of the lesser known albums”. He stated it was “a real treat that” we came out and made them feel “all warm inside”. Aah. The fans were very conservative-looking guys—none of the Goth and Bohemian crowds seen in larger venues when the band has showcased a new album. Although there wasn’t a lot of movement on stage, it was hard to see everything clearly.

The guitarists, drummer, and the roadies were all wearing T-shirts with Ron’s face from the album cover. It’s a reminder of what a mammoth undertaking this was to plan, since the T-shirts change for each gig, as does the stage’s only decoration—the screen backdrop with the album covers rotating. Such attention to small (and as always, tongue-in cheek) details is definitely appreciated.

The line-up onstage was similar to the previous six gigs: goatee-bearded Jim Wilson, a Sparks fan, was on guitar; apparently he’s been amazed that he’s actually on stage with the Mael brothers. Curly-haired Steven Nistor was on drums, but for this show Marcus Blake pitched in on bass, doing a sterling job—as did the entire quintet. Russell wore a black suit with red stripes and tie. Ron sat in his white shirt and played away without engaging for the entire hour. It’s been said he doesn’t like Introducing at all, but with his deadpan expression on stage we’ll never know if he does hate it or whether having performed it live in front of an appreciative audience changed his mind.

“A Big Surprise” opened the show, with the crowd already singing along. If there’s one thing that could niggle with these concerts it’s that since the order of the songs follows that of the albums, you’re not necessarily opening, or closing, on the strongest, rockingest number, but this “Surprise” still came across well, with Russell even managing a bit of bopping on the small stage. Was it my imagination, or did he look tense at the start and then relax as the songs went on?

“Occupation” rocked, with Russell ironically checking with the audience for the lyrics at the “we pilots” point and subsequent verse. “Ladies,” a song about flights of fancy involving famous women, came and went without so much impact, but still got the crowd singing along. However, I wonder how close to bland some tracks on other albums may sound live. . . I always preferred the upbeat, fast numbers. “I’m Not” and “Forever Young” were punchy numbers with the guitar screech section in the latter song coming across perfectly—”just like the album,” everyone said. “I’ve broken every rule,” sang Russell, and musically Sparks certainly have done that.

“Goofing Off,” the song like a Cossack dance, was definitely the sharp rocking highlight—with the crowd shouting out “hey!” when needed, and the guitars allowed free reign to go into a long frenzy. Alas, whereas for Indiscreet strings had appeared, Sparks had decided not to bring on a violinist for the start of this number, so Russell spoke the first verse with no background music and then, like a train chugging off, the pace built up into the sledgehammer chorus.

“Girls on the Brain” and “Over the Summer” could be Beach Boys tracks, one of Sparks’ cited influences from L.A. Jim and Marcus gave a perfect rendition of the backing harmonies for these, especially as the album itself has seven backers. For “Girls on the Brain” did Ron nod his head when Russell sang “. . . my brother, who is kind of thick?” How far from true. The songs, while more muted and less frenetic generally than the more familiar previous albums, still carry the same Sparks chuckle-inducing lyrics.

A few times Russell seemed to mispronounce words—”menopause” in “Girls on the Brain,” for example—but otherwise the performance was flawless. The low-key “Those Mysteries” had grown men waving their arms and swaying.

The encore was a mid-seventies b-side—”Alabamy Right”—where Russell had to revert to his trademark of singing fast and very high so it was quite a contrast to the Introducing songs. The bass guitarist on the previous concerts, Steve McDonald, was brought back for this one song which was “so complicated” that it required an extra hand on stage.

The overall sound could have been a little less booming and the clarity of the backing vocals turned up a notch (though I’m no techie), and there was perhaps less enthusiasm, but generally—although Introducing is a short album—it was another fine Sparks night for me. The short concert left me wanting more, so had to rush off to buy tickets for two others.

Sparks Spectacular: Big Beat (1976)

By Michael Row

You gotta realize: I’m a social worker by trade—on a fixed income—and I’m trying to get by in insanely expensive London. This isn’t exactly easy. Much as I might’ve wanted to, I just couldn’t plop down £350 for a Golden Ticket to see all 21 SPARKS gigs at the Carling Islington Academy. I had to choose, and very carefully.

Initially, I figured I’d go and see the very first record the Mael brothers ever recorded—under the moniker HALFNELSON—a really weird one, even by SPARKS standards. Then I started leaning toward Angst in My Pants: that was my newwavey entrance into the wild and woolly world of SPARKS as an 11 yr old in ’81. Eventually, I even considered Introducing Sparks, their most maligned and dismissed work; I am a contrary bastard by nature. But one godawful early morning a few months back, I reached for something to hold morning coffee and I found my hands wrapped tightly around my vintage SPARKS Big Beat mug. I’d made my decision.

Yes, Big Beat from 1976—the first LP SPARKS made stateside after returning to L.A. from their years-long, chart-topping run in the UK. Recorded with an entirely new band, some of whom had been plucked from New York “new thing” bands like MILK & COOKIES and TUFF DARTS. A return to a simpler, harder-rockin’ sound. And a big letdown in the eyes of most SPARKS fans.

But to these ears, Big Beat always sounded like a big step forward: they were turning into a streamlined CHEAP TRICK that suited the second half of the seventies like a glove, while their lyrics remained as cynically absurd/biting as ever. So what if the arrangements and production felt a bit blunted in comparison to earlier LPs like Indiscreet? The Maels were in the process of reinventing themselves yet again, and that’s when SPARKS always felt most vibrant.

I struck up a conversation with a greyhaired, 40-something fella while in line. By day, he worked as a rubber scientist (!), but night he transformed into an unflagging SPARKS fanboy and lucky Golden Ticket holder. He gave me a rundown of the first five shows I’d missed and we chatted about things only meaningful within a tight SPARKS orbit: what Ron’s moustache looks like these days, how cryptic the lyrics to “Biology 2” were, and which song they might play for the encore this evening (I picked “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”, while he chose correctly with “Tearing the Place Apart”). I appreciated the opportunity to vent my fandom to someone similarly awestruck.

Early on in the evening, Russell gave thanks to the far-from-capacity crowd of mostly middle-aged men for coming out for “one of the obscure albums.” He acknowledged that we all could have done the obvious and come out for Kimono My House—yawn—but we didn’t. We were there for Big Beat. We knew he knew why we were there.

No bare chests or high-waisted white jeans on display from Russell on this night. But that didn’t matter, because he was belting out these tuff tunes like Jacques Brel might’ve sang “Jacky” back in ’65, if that Frenchman had a deeper appreciation for Marshall stacks and three-chord guitar pop. In between songs, Russell put the songs into context: prefacing “Nothing to Do” with a story about how Johnny Ramone was always threatening to work up a cover of it with his RAMONES (it woulda sounded hot), and relating the story of writing “Confusion” for a Jacques Tati film that was left unfinished when the director died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism. Throughout the gig, Ron sat near-immutable behind his Roland keyboards—with logo altered to spell out Ronald—only slightly altering his stare sloth-like every few minutes to creep everyone out. The real show-stopper was “I Want to Be Like Everybody Else” which got all us gushing fans screaming along like it was a dumb football chant. “A warning,” Ron noted halfway through the set, “some of these lyrics are not meant to be taken literally.” Thank you, sir, for the clarification.

Weirder still was seeing gentlemen Ron and Russell propelled forward by such a young, motley group of backing musicians. On closer inspection, I realized I recognized a few: Steven McDonald of REDD KROSS on bass, Jim Wilson and Marcus Blake of MOTHER SUPERIOR on guitars. These longhairs played it perfectly—wild but rock solid—with that restrained precision that always marks all SPARKS in my mind. Eternal teen Steven M., in particular, looked to be having a grand ol’ time, grinning and bobbing as he thumped out basslines that may well have inspired a half dozen different REDD KROSS tunes.

And so when things finally rolled toward a close with “Tearing The Place Apart,” it didn’t matter that Russell flubbed the lines and had to start again from the beginning. “I’m getting rid of every memory/I don’t know where to start”—we knew the lyrics by heart, anyway.

Sparks Spectacular: Indiscreet (1975)

By Noisy Boy

My excitement for this show was piqued when I ran into Jim Wilson and Marcus Blake wandering around Islington, and they told me to “expect some surprises tonight,” and surprises there were aplenty.

First off was the wonderfully charismatic support act Phillipe Tasquin, who had the courage to start his set with a piano/vocal cover of “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us.” With a vocal range and style similar to Russell Mael he pulled it off, much to the delight of the crowd. The rest of his set was just him and his string quintet, and jolly good it was, too.

For the first five songs, this was the best Sparks gig yet—the enthusiasm was high, the crowd roared louder than I’d ever heard them, and they simply ripped through the high-energy first few songs. Similarly, “Without Using Hands” was tremendous and note-perfect, and when the brass section came back out for “Get In The Swing,” the place went wild, especially during the “I’m happy! so happy!” bit, then Steve’s drum roll back into the chorus. Actually, on reflection, it’s probably the best single performance so far. To be then greeted with the string quartet and Phillipe Tasquin conducting and playing his recorder solo for “Under The Table With Her” (my favorite on the album) was simply heavenly, and it was nearly impeccably performed. However, my heart sank when Ron’s vocal didn’t come through on the “dinner for twelve, thank you” line, which is a favorite part, and slowly, after that, the gig sort of unraveled.

Maybe it was my vantage point up above the stage where it’s impossible to generate the same atmosphere as on the floor because it’s simply not crowded. The guitars were all but inaudible, especially Marcus’s acoustic guitar. Maybe it’s just that things weren’t rehearsed as well, which is understandable seeing as this included the first new musicians for one gig only. At any rate, it sort of felt like a balloon slowly deflating.

I was willing “Looks, Looks, Looks” to go right, especially as Russell had said it was the song’s debut performance since Top Of The Pops in 1975. But the horns weren’t given a count in and missed their cue and Russell’s autocue broke just before the final verse, which is why they kept repeating the lyrics a bit too often. It was amusing to see Steve McDonald laughing his ass off at this while the prompter tried to flash up the right lyric, but for a few seconds I genuinely thought it was going to fall apart. However, it’s a testament to the band (and the crowd’s enthusiasm) that they managed to patch it up and end it relatively flawlessly.

Speaking of flawless, the final two songs certainly made up for any flubs—both were beautiful, and “Gone With The Wind” was a nice surprise (albeit one I’d spotted on the setlist from up on high). So, not the best gig technically, but still a wonderful experience, and one that will have to endure until No. 1 In Heaven, which is my next one.

By Craig Irving

Since I arrived in London, everything was an emotional build-up to this show. It’s always been my favorite Sparks record and I never thought I would get to hear it played up close and in person. There isn’t a single track on the album I wasn’t dying to hear live.

I heard about their plans to bring in musicians for the show that night to play strings and horns and I was very excited. I heard that it was a last-minute decision, but the musical prodigies they hired came and just destroyed it. . . seriously. Everything altogether sounded utterly incredible. “Without Using Hands,” “Get In The Swing,” “Under The Table With Her,” “How Are You Getting Home,” “Pineapple”. . . it was almost too much to handle. It’s exhausting really; hit after hit after hit, and everything played to perfection.

My favorite of the evening was definitely “In The Future;” that’s always been my favorite song off the album. I always dreamed of how loud, crazy, and quirky those keyboard lines would sound live and I was right; Ron played them wonderfully. I can’t imagine how “Looks, Looks, Looks” would have sounded without the extra musicians they brought in. I guess Ron would have just programmed everything into his keyboards, which obviously wouldn’t have had a tenth of the impact it did.

My only disappointment that night was that I was hoping they would play “Looks Aren’t Everything” as the encore, but instead they played “Gone With The Wind.” Oh well, I got to hear it on their webcast later.

At the end of the show it was clear to me this would be the peak of my trip. Even though I had the privilege of seeing Sparks three more times after that night (Big Beat, Introducing Sparks, and, No. 1 In Heaven), Indiscreet was the height of my Sparks Spectacular experience. To top things off, I had the pleasure of meeting Ron and Russell after the show
. . . another dream come true.

As my trip to London was winding down, I thought I would get depressed pretty quickly. But after having the privilege of seeing Sparks play eight concerts in a row, I knew I had no reason to feel unfulfilled. Even better, I knew I would be seeing Steven McDonald play with Redd Kross two weeks later in Toronto. Who wouldn’t be thrilled?

. . . and as Ron writes, “wanting more than what I have might appear as greed.”

Also:

Please read Mike Bennett’s review at Hablo Ennui.

Sparks Spectacular: Propaganda (1974)

By Noisy Boy

If I say this was the first Sparks show that was just as good as the previous night, I’d be damning it with faint praise—it was absolutely wonderful, but they’ve all been wonderful so far. Another capacity crowd were as reverential as they had been on previous nights, and the guys do seem genuinely touched by the repeated displays of love and gratitude from the crowd. And rightly so—the performances were nearly flawless, bar the odd little flub here or there (most notably the end of “Achoo” where either the band carried on too long or Russell came in too early, probably the former).

Highlights included the title track rearranged for three voices, performed impeccably, and the sheer crowd enthusiasm that greeted “B.C.,” all capped off with the “I wish that I” sing-along from the crowd at the climax of “Bon Voyage.” And, of course, when Ron did his dance during “Who Don’t Like Kids”—whether it was spontaneous or not—it brought the house down. The encore of “Lost and Found” was also a surprise (sort of—I looked at the setlist while they were being laid out for the band), but was still excellent, even if I’d have preferred “Marry Me.” Nonetheless, the guy that tried to give the bouquets of roses to Ron and Russell (thwarted by security, but successful thanks to a kindly person with a photographer’s pass who put them on the stage) had exactly the right idea.

By Alex Arnott

Tuesday 20th May was an exciting day for this Sparks fan. I had three Sparks tickets in my hot little hands for the performances this week, but for some reason Propaganda was the one that excited me the most. It certainly helped that half an hour prior to going to the N1 centre, one of my companions gave me a present: a handmade Sparks-themed passport holder embroidered with the slogan Bon Voyage!

We managed to grab a more desirable spot than we’d had for Sunday night’s Kimono My House show, which was filled to the gunnels. Directly in front of us were a couple that had decided to bring their preteen daughter to the show, a child who will hopefully be well-versed in decent music by the time she comes of age. We arrived in time for the support, which was Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip. It was apparent that the crowd was skeptical at first, but they managed to win us over with intelligent rap and the aid of props, which always help.

The main attraction loomed and the suspense was absolutely palpable. The guys were a little bit later than they’d been on Sunday night for Kimono, which heightened the anticipation further. Soon enough the band entered the stage, clad in their phenomenal, now-trademark album art T-shirts. A huge cheer as Ron walked on, another massive cheer for Russell. After a few moments, they started to indulge us. Just like on the album, “Propaganda” the song is over almost as soon as it’s begun. I’d hoped with futility for the longer version, but we’ll have to wait for Plagiarism for that. The band did a valiant job with the a cappella backing vocals. This led seamlessly into “At Home, At Work, At Play” where Russell got to start flexing his vocals a little more and generally get the crowd excited.

Naturally, “Reinforcements” followed. “Reinforcements” always makes me think of Blackadder IV. With lyrical motifs such as “I’m on guard again but unprepared to fend for myself in a battle,” I can’t help but be reminded of Stephen Fry’s character General Melchett! Whether anyone else shares this comparison with me is a different story, but it was clear that this song is a true sing-along, really giving me the feeling of being in the Sparks Army. Even Russell counting along in the break of this song was a privilege to view. At the end of the song there was a powerful combination of band and audience singing “re-in-force-ments, re-in-force-ments,” which was nothing short of a joy.

“Here’s a little song now, it’s about a happy little family whose names were Aaron, Betty and Charlie. . . the song is called ‘B.C.'” declared Russell at the request of the drummer Steven Nistor, self-referencing an old performance of the song on German TV. I’m sure you know the one: Russell’s wearing a long red scarf, and the audience clap after the first verse and he says “Not yet!” “B.C.” went past in a frenetic flash with some quality Ron faces illustrating once more the vast differences between the Mael personalities. “Thanks But No Thanks” allowed more audience participation with the opening la’s, and Russell got more active running around the stage, claiming, “My orders come from high above me” with real credibility, gesticulating at the viewers in the balcony.

At this point, I saddened a touch knowing we were about halfway through, which is a curse that is also the key ingredient to the magic of these shows. In a way you know exactly what you’re getting, which is why you’re there, but all the time you’re wishing that the albums were at least three times longer! Soon enough the pounding introduction of “Don’t Leave Me Alone With Her” was upon us, and Russell was tackling one of the more difficult songs on this opus, and tackle it he did, with relish. Rushing to the front of the stage while imploring us not to leave him alone with her, it seemed for a moment that he was contemplating a stage dive! Ron surveyed his adoring minions in his disparaging manner all the while, despite uncharacteristic (but welcome!) grinning towards the start of the show. The end of the song was a chaotic, yet perfectly organized falsetto.

Just as we were recovering from the wonder of their performance, they stunned us once more with a beautiful rendition of “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth” with a projected large image of the earth on the screen behind them. Even the oft-tuneless roars of the crowd couldn’t spoil this song. I have always loved watching live videos of this song, wherein Russell magnanimously waves his arms at the crowd during the line “Hang on to anything that brings a quick return to my friends, to my friends!” and was delighted to finally be a part of it. My personal favorite part of the song however, is “Well, I’ll admit I was unfaithful, but from now I’ll be more faithful”, a promise that would be very hard to believe if sung from any other lips.

Ron tinkled out the final phrase and then they burst into an extremely energetic “Something For The Girl With Everything,” which got us all grooving again. A personal highlight of this song for me was yet more audience participation, with Russell whispering, “something for the girl who has got everything is. . . ” and us all yelling back, “EVERYTHING!” We were rendered speechless by Russell succeeding at the very challenging ending to the song, and heartened knowing that “Achoo” will be easily achievable, too.

Ron’s gentle keyboard opening to “Achoo” belies the true energy of this ode to sneezing, which must in fact be the catchiest and best song with sneezing as a subject matter that anyone will hear. We all joined in with the sneezing in the chorus, and the final sneezing fit was pulled off with the aid of the band working as backing singers (sneezers?). At this point, the gig was drawing achingly close to a close. For “Who Don’t Like Kids,” the album art was flanked by two animated mice marching in time to the song, mice who look suspiciously like Jerry of Tom and Jerry fame. At this point, our beloved Ron could not suppress himself any longer, and launched into what seemed to be a spontaneous performance of the Ron shuffle, after which my friend announced that now she could die happy, having seen it live! After his dance, he apologized sheepishly and said that he would never do it again, to disappointed cries from us, who would gladly watch him dance again and again.

Then came “Bon Voyage,” and this being the last of the shows my friends would be attending, it was an absolutely perfect farewell for them. This is one of the songs that my crafty friend (who made the passport holder) favors, so she was delighted to get to see it live. “Goodbye to my lucky friends and foes, glad that we could know you” is as good a sentiment as any on which to finish the album proper. After the introductions of the mightily able band, thanks and presentations of bouquets to the Maels, they quit the stage, but having attended the gig the night before, we knew that there would be a small encore. I was hoping for “Marry Me” but we inexplicably got “Lost and Found” instead, which was triumphant and left us craving yet more.

Opening act Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip’s most successful song to date is called “Thou Shalt Always Kill.” In it there is a section wherein they reel off a list of influential bands, followed by the phrase “just a band.” At the end of this section, they threw in “Sparks—just a band” and got booed by all of us devoted fans. It was a valiant effort, boys, but this is one musical act that is most certainly not “just a band.” Just a band would never be able to treat their fans to such an extravaganza and succeed so triumphantly.

Also:

Please read Mike Bennett’s review at Hablo Ennui.

Sparks Spectacular: Kimono My House (1974)

By Noisy Boy

More reports from the (literal) front line! This was absolutely brilliant, and as much an improvement in every respect (including the sound, which even down the front was superb) as the second night was from the first. Unsurprising perhaps, given the capacity crowd (who grew impatient during the DJ’s protracted set, booing and chanting for him to get off, at least until he dropped a remix of “Good Morning” as his final song) and the widely-known material, but still wonderful to see the enthusiasm that Ron and Russell put into material they must be sick of playing, especially “This Town” and “Amateur Hour,” which both were met with rapturous applause.

What’s more, Ron had even changed his moustache to the classic “Hitler” look, and save for the odd extra line, didn’t look 34 years older than the fellow on the rear sleeve of Kimono My House! While Russell didn’t quite go for the full afro look (shame!), his voice was in fine fettle, and again if you closed your eyes, you could believe that only days had passed rather than years.

Once they launched into “Falling In Love With Myself Again,” it was obvious that the enthusiasm was uniform for all the songs, as was the high level of playing, most notably Russell’s continued absence of any sort of prompt sheet or reminders, and Jim Wilson’s note-for-note rendition of Adrian Fisher’s fine fretwork. What was also noticeable was the Marcus Blake had much more of a role, and occasionally their dual lead playing was a spectacle to behold. Not to dismiss the contributions of the rhythm section—both bassist Steven McDonald and drummer Steven Nistor play the material as if they’ve been playing it for years. The call-and-response between guitar and bass in “Falling In Love With Myself Again” drew much applause and rightly so.

The energy reached fever pitch during the clap-along intro to “Talent Is An Asset” (again, flawless) and continued during “Complaints,” and into “In My Family.” The abiding image of the evening for me was Russell stood behind Ron, leading the crowd in a clap-along while Ron looked his usual deadpan self. Brilliant.

The only real clunker of the night was “Equator.” I’ve a feeling that all the musicians messed this up at some point or another, and Russell’s vocals dipped a bit during the really high parts, but all was made up for with the final vocal which slowly faded out, the audience leading the response with help from Jim and Marcus. I wasn’t at the Kimono/Lil’ Beethoven show for Morrissey’s Meltdown, but I imagine that the starry-eyed reverence that attendees talk about when they mention the end of “Equator” could apply here, too.

Cue more rapturous applause, and the first bow, but a second clunker—this time Steve’s beautiful Rickenbacker 401 took an off-balance dive straight onto the floor, causing him to miss the bow and look extremely distraught (and rightly so since they’re not cheap). When they came back out for the encore, a quick fix took place while Russell retold his story of rubbish hairspray. But once they powered into “Barbecutie” it was a delight—I’d previously asked Ron and Russell to play this song when they did the Hello Young Lovers show in London, and they politely declined, but now I was able to see it, and rock it did. Russell mentioned it was a “contender” for the final show setlist, so if they do it again, I’ll be twice as happy!

Also:

Please check out Mike Bennett’s review at Hablo Ennui.

Sparks Spectacular: A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing (1973)

By Noisy Boy

Tonight’s show was about twenty times better than last night. My friend complained that the sound was worse where she was, but stood further back, it sounded a lot better, if not so powerful. Nonetheless, the band were on fire.

Everything was performed brilliantly and there was a much more charged atmosphere, including air punches aplenty for “Beaver O’Lindy” and “Do Re Mi” (which was possibly the highlight). “Here Comes Bob” was rearranged for piano, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar. As with last night, one of the many joys of this series of shows is simply watching Sparks play as a band without any backing tracks, extra vocals, or over-reliance on synths. They well and truly rocked by the time “Whippings & Apologies” was played, Russell milking the pauses for all they were worth! If there’s one lingering complaint (and there has to be), it’s that Jim Wilson should take the distortion off his guitar at certain moments—it sort of made “Roger” a bit wonky last night, and the same for “The Louvre” tonight, where the slide guitar should be a bit more delicate. But it’s a minor grumble! If they’re as much improved tomorrow as they were from yesterday, we’re in for a treat. . .

By Craig Irving

All right, night number two. . . This time we knew we could arrive a little later in the evening and still manage to get a great spot to watch from. We got the impression Sparks would come on every night at 9 o’clock like clockwork so we arrived just before that, yet still managed to work our way back into the exact same amazing spot we had the night before.

“Girl From Germany” kicked off the set and immediately painted a massive grin across my face. Russell sang this wonderfully, and he seemed all warmed up from the night before. This was pretty damn clear to everybody as he sang his long extended falsetto at the end of “Nothing is Sacred.” I was totally floored, and my friend was, too.

“Beaver O’Lindy” was very fun and full of energy from the crowd. “Here Comes Bob” is one of my favorites from the album, and hearing it live was definitely not just a novelty; it was one of my favorite performances that entire set.

As the next few songs were played, it occurred to me that most of my favorite pre-Kimono songs were on the first album. Since the album copy I had was an official combo disc of the two together, I guess I never separated them.

“The Louvre” was pretty and “The Underground” was fun, but my excitement was reserved for what I knew was around the corner. . . “Batteries Not Included” and “Whippings and Apologies.”

Hearing “Batteries Not Included” was a novelty, but a damn fine one it was. However, the best song of the entire night was certainly their album-closer, “Whippings and Apologies.” I had high expectations and had in my head exactly how I hoped it would sound, yet they made it sound even better than I could imagine.

It’s because of the full band that this song sounded so strong and powerful. Ron and Russell simply couldn’t have pulled off such a big sound with just themselves. The sound mix was perfect where I stood; everything was loud, clear, and (of course) Russell’s vocals did not disappoint. . . each and every time he came back in to sing the chorus line. When I went back home I knew I wouldn’t get to hear it that way again. I got to see/hear it performed again on the webcast for the Exotic Creatures of the Deep encore show, and though it did remind me of how it sounded back in London, I can still only hear it in my head. I sure won’t forget it.

Also:

Please check out Mike Bennett’s review at Hablo Ennui.

Sparks Spectacular: Halfnelson (1971)

By Tim Collins

“One song down. 255 to go.”

Now that’s a phrase that can’t have been used much in the history of live music. It’s possible that Wire or Napalm Death might have got through a few hundred songs in a couple of hours back in the day, but if that happened it went unrecorded.

Approaching the rock concert medium with the inventiveness and work ethic they’ve applied in the studio over the years, Sparks decided to play all twenty-one of their albums in over twenty nights at Islington Academy and one at Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

So when he finished opener “Wonder Girl,” Russell Mael didn’t really need to remind us how unusual this whole undertaking is. Anyone who’s ever been involved in live music will appreciate the scale of the task here—the months of rehearsal, the endless possibility for fluffs.

Will Ron’s poker face crack under the pressure? Will Russell be reduced to staggering around on stage with crumpled lyric sheets like a vintage Shaun Ryder?

Nope. Sparks pounded through their wonderful 1971 debut as though this was their current set. In fact this rendition of a record that’s almost four decades old proves how much of the Sparks idiosyncrasy was there right out of the box—the falsetto, the keyboards, the arch lyrics, the eclectic stylings.

Russell hit the high notes with ease although there were a few noticeable mistakes from the band. Ron’s keyboards were slightly too low in the mix, which robbed songs like “Fa La Fa Lee”’ and “Roger” of some of their charm.

Not that this mattered to the audience, who sang along to “Slowboat” and “Fletcher Honorama” with all the enthusiasm you’d expect from a fanbase finally getting to share their private obsession.

Their energy wasn’t lost on the group and by the closer “No More Mr. Nice Guys” and surprise encore “England,” the atmosphere is celebratory as it dawns on band and fans that this whole improbable project is actually going to work.

One album down. Twenty to go. I could make a habit of this.

By Craig Irving

Sparks performed their Sparks Spectacular earlier this year and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to achieve my lifelong goal of seeing the band live over and over again across multiple nights. . . and to see my favorite of their albums no less. “Wonder Girl?” “Whippings and Apologies?” “Biology 2?” The entire Island Records trilogy?

This was going to be insane. . . I flew to London from Toronto with a friend.

The anticipation was killing me and I really had no idea what to expect in terms of venue-size and popularity. Knowing their largest crowd would be drawn from London, I was nervous. I wanted the most intimate experience I could get. Selfish, I know. . . but I had to be up close. Walking into the club I was relieved. Even at the back I would’ve been totally happy, but we made our way to the very front of the stage. It filled up quickly, but I had my spot and I was happy as hell.

Photo © Daniel Gray @Dead By Sunrise

When they started playing “Wonder Girl” I was immediately blown away; this was going to be really really really good. I didn’t even care that the sound needed a little tweaking and correcting; I was totally engaged with how impressive Russell’s vocals were and how he matched the original album’s delivery so impeccably. Watching Ron work his genius and Steven McDonald enjoying himself greatly kept a smile plastered across my face for the entire night.

“High C” was hilarious, as the audience filled in those weird melodies. “Simple Ballet” and “Slowboat” were both beautifully delivered by Russell, but the real acclaim should be saved for “Biology 2.” Wow. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that it would’ve been about 40 years ago that this song was written and Russell sang it exactly the same way, not a single note was off. That’s an insane accomplishment, and a serious testament to Russell’s talents.

There were definitely songs that made an amazing impression on me live. “Fa La Fa Lee” was awesome and fun and definitely set the mood for the night. The killer song for me though, was “Big Bands.” By this point in the set, the sound mix was perfected and the song sounded. . . big. Jim and Marcus definitely helped make that happen, but my amazement was watching how great Steven Nistor played drums. Everything already sounded so perfect to me at this point, and they played this song damn well.

If Sparks were going to put any songs from the Halfnelson show onto a DVD, I would hope it would be “Big Bands,” “Biology 2” and “(No More) Mr. Nice Guys.”

The conversation between my friend and I as soon as the show ended was full of short, self-contained statements like, “I’m soooooo happy” or “Exceeded expectations.” What else could we say?

We walked away from the venue in utter glee, as we rambled on and on about this historical night we just experienced: how exciting it was watching Steve McDonald play with Sparks, and how happy we were that we would get to relive this experience four more times! It’s saying quite a bit, I think, when a band you travel halfway around the world to see doesn’t disappoint you in the slightest. I was ready for more. . .

By Albert Resonox

First off, meeting everyone in The EdVI (Edward The Sixth to the uninitiated—only 20 seconds away from the Islington Academy) was a treat: Sparks music blaring, meeting friends old and new, absolutely everyone smiling, lots of hand shaking and kissing. There were so many pictures being posed for and taken that there should’ve been a flash photography warning. Rolf deserves a great big thank you for getting that arranged! It was really nice to see Sparks guitarist Jim Wilson there meeting the hoi-polloi (nice fella).

Queuing outside any venue is usually a bit of a pain, but not that night. People were all talking and joking with one another like they had known each other for years, including the bouncers (sorry, “security staff”). The merchandise stall was selling retro T-shirts as well as brand new 21 x 21 ones (amongst various other items) but the glossy Programme on sale for a piddling £10.00 was an absolute snip. The hall itself was initially very dark, but in my opinion, that only gave a more intimate feeling to the night.

Photo © Daniel Gray @Dead By Sunrise

I would’ve thought that an opening act on the first night of such an historic occasion would’ve been very well-known and at least adequate for the task. Although young Rod Thomas was not well-known, I’m sure he soon will be. And as for being adequate, he surpassed that goal in spades. His was a tough crowd to please but he did a first class job of pleasing us whilst we waited (some more impatiently than others) for the main event. Sparks bassist Steve McDonald was in the crowd enjoying Rod’s set, a testimony indeed!

Then after a short, but seemingly endless wait, a cheer spread through the crowd, and on came Sparks: Ron as pristine, neat, and business-like as ever; Russell in a bright red suit. The others in the group were wearing shirts with the Halfnelson car picture on them.

Russell warmly welcomed the crowd and outlined the plans for the tour, explaining that they were a prelude to the premiere of the new album Exotic Creatures Of The Deep. At this point he gave us an impromptu “Good Morning” falsetto (just those two words) then said that was a “preview.” Big audience laugh.

Russell chatted and joked throughout the whole set, after the first song commenting “one down” before saying “Oh Christ, what have we let ourselves in for?” Ron was laughing a lot, as well as really belting away on those keys. He did his trademark not-moving-anything-higher-than-the-wrists maneuver. By George, those hands worked like they were demon-possessed to compensate, though! The drum-kit looked massive but Steven Nistor was more than man enough to handle it. He had incredible energy as did Steve McDonald and Jim Wilson. Marcus Blake guested on two tracks and Russell promised we’d see more of him at future dates. Together the band was really tight and well-rehearsed, and in fact, relaxed in each other’s company.

The Halfnelson/Sparks album played in order was unbelievable. Each song was my favorite one because each individual performance was so powerful. I honestly couldn’t pick a top track as every single one was perfection! Russell dedicated “(No More) Mr. Nice Guys” to Todd Rundgren (as well as expressing his gratitude for giving Sparks the benefit of the doubt and allowing them to record the album in the first place) and boy, did it rock.

After the show, the bands left the stage to tumultuous applause and shouts of “more more!” When they returned to the stage—again to thunderous applause—Russell introduced the band members and explained about voting online for the encore of the Exotic Creatures show before launching into “England,” to another great cheer (and ironically the biggest cheer was from the Scots). Then they departed for the last time to even more cheers.

I have never seen or sensed such immense joy and sheer pleasure from the band as I witnessed that night. The audience were still smiling and buzzing as they made their way to various homes, hotels or pubs and clubs. In fact, I’m still smiling. . . what a night indeed!

Sparks Spectacular: 21 Miracles of the Modern Age

From May 16 through June 11 of 2008, Sparks played all 20 of their albums in a row, one per night, at Carling Academy Islington in London. This astounding series of shows, from a band who’s been around for 37 years, was followed by the live premiere of their twenty-first studio release, Exotic Creatures of the Deep, on June 13 at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Fans from around the world submitted reviews for each night of the show to Popshifter, and we have published them in this issue.

Click on the album art to read reviews for each live performance.

And scroll down to read a review of the entire concert series.

Thanks to all the writers and photographers who contributed to this feature or graciously allowed us to use their words and photos: a-anne, Nick Barber, Mike Bennett @Hablo Ennui, Noisy Boy, Tim Collins, Daniel Gray @Dead By Sunrise, Alex Gabriel-Bayston, Alex J. Geairns @Cult TV, Timothy Hall, Here Kitty, Angie Holmes, Craig Irving, Janina, Louise Lee, Rachel Lipsitz @littlepants, Elizabeth McCarthy, Musicalsushi, DP Nixon @Playlouder, Michael Pearson, Albert Resonox, Michael Row, Miss Missy Tannenbaum, and Will Vigar

Popshifter would also like to thank the following for their help and support in producing this feature: Alex Robertson and everyone at the AllSparks.com forum, Ned Raggett and everyone at the Mael List, and Sue Harris at Republic Media

And extra special thanks go out to Ron and Russell Mael for continuing to inspire music fans everywhere.

By Tim Collins

Looking at the price information at the bottom of the live ad I see the option to buy a “Golden Ticket” that gets you into all 21 shows for £350.

“What kind of person buys that?” I think.

That person ends up being me. I don’t plan to see Sparks play all their albums in order. I just get caught up in the whole thing. It’s a bit like one of those nights when you go out for a quick pint and end up staying out until two, except that it happens over the course of a month.

I have tickets for the first few shows, including the albums from the band’s mid-seventies commercial peak, which sell out fast and are attended by celebrities such as TV host Jonathan Ross and Joe Elliot from Def Leppard (a man who seems to have puzzlingly good musical taste given his output).

I mean to return to normal life after 1979’s Giorgio Moroder collaboration No. 1 in Heaven, but I can’t stop. I’m hooked on the narrative of the Sparks discography as it moves through glam to disco, through eighties synthpop to nineties dance, to arrive at the band’s exquisite late period.

Plus, as I explore deeper into the Sparks back catalogue I begin to realize how good their quality control has been. Some of their eighties output is blighted by brash production, but the songs themselves have been consistently great—loaded with counter-intuitive ideas and sly double meanings.

I buy one ticket from a tout and one on the door before finally giving in, getting a Golden Ticket and accepting the Maels as part of my nightly routine.

Five nights a week I arrive at Islington Academy just before nine, buy a lager from the bar, and push my way to the front. Sparks then play that night’s album in full, followed by a rare track that may or may not be from the same era.

Later on, I get on the tube and listen to the album they’re doing next on my iPod.

It starts to feel more like one long show with 23-hour breaks between encores than a series of gigs. The atmosphere inside the shows is unusual, too. More like a fan convention than a typical gig, especially at the shows for the less well-known albums.

It can’t be easy to play a totally different set every night. I start to wonder why Sparks are putting themselves through this.

Partly, I think, they want to do something PR-worthy to draw attention to new album Exotic Creatures of the Deep. And that’s fair enough. The album completes a trilogy of lush orchestral pop that began with 2002’s Lil’ Beethoven and continued with 2006’s Hello Young Lovers. Although subject to a cult following and a critical reputation, especially here in the UK, these innovative works still got a little lost in the modern rock clutter. And if this London marathon helps to push the new one, then so much the better.

Or maybe this is just the Maels applying their studio work ethic to their live shows. The brothers are apparently driven to mammoth sessions while crafting their meticulous pop. So maybe playing every single one of their albums live is the only way they can make their rehearsal schedule as grueling as their studio routine. I wonder if they’re losing money on all of this. When I put this query to David, a Canadian fan who’s taken a month off work to come to the shows, he responds, “They’re not doing it for money. They’re doing it for art.”

So is that it? Are we all part of some conceptual piece here, a commentary on the nature of modern rock fandom, or an effort to destroy the tendency for nostalgia in modern music by taking it to its logical conclusion?

Possibly. But I think the real reason Sparks want to do this is the same reason they’ve done a lot of things throughout their career—because it shouldn’t work, but it does. Over the past four decades Sparks have been drawn to unusual creative choices through a mix of contrariness and inventiveness, and here they’re applying the same spirit to live performance.

And it’s this brilliantly perverse spirit we all have to thank as we file out of the final show at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire after three hours and three encores and slowly admit to ourselves that this time the show really is over

Bringin’ the Crazy: John Cale in the 1970s

By Emily Carney

John Cale’s musical career has encompassed many genres—rock and classical notwithstanding—and at present time he still shows no sign of letting up. He also notably produced many other artists’ albums; it’s impossible to imagine Nico’s The Marble Index and Patti Smith’s Horses without his dark sonic influence. Cale’s own 1970s solo albums—particularly his Island Records trilogy of Fear, Slow Dazzle, and Helen of Troy—have also dated remarkably well.
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1983: Music For Twelve-Year-Olds?

By Less Lee Moore

Remember when you were old enough to like “cool” music but still young enough to shamelessly appreciate crappy music? For me, that time was 1983.
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