Sparks (band)
Encyclopedia
Sparks is an American rock
and pop
band formed in Los Angeles
in 1968 by brothers Ron
(keyboards) and Russell Mael
(vocals), initially under the name Halfnelson
. Best known for their quirky approach to songwriting, Sparks' music is often accompanied by intelligent, sophisticated, and acerbic lyrics, and an idiosyncratic, theatrical stage presence, typified in the contrast between Russell's wide-eyed hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's sedentary scowling. Starting with their masterwork, "Lil' Beethoven" in 2001, the band began performing their albums in their entirety. 2008 saw the band perform all 21 of their albums in successive nights at the Islington Academy and Shepherd's Bush Empire in London.
Though the band's long career has seen them successfully pioneer many different musical genres; including glam pop
, power pop
, electronic dance music
, mainstream pop and most recently chamber pop, Sparks have created their own unique musical universe. While achieving chart success in various countries around the world including United Kingdom
, Germany, France, and the United States, they have enjoyed a cult following since their first releases. Sparks have been highly influential on the development of popular music, 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. Their frequently changing styles and visual presentations have kept the band at the forefront of modern, artful pop music. They are held in esteem by such bands and performers as Morrissey
, Kurt Cobain
, Franz Ferdinand
, Arcade Fire, Fang Island
, Ott, MGMT
, Sonic Youth
, Ramones
, Duran Duran
, Bjork
, Depeche Mode
, New Order
, Def Leppard
, Faith No More
, The Pixies, Ween
, Mark Burgess
of the Chameleons and They Might Be Giants
, all of whom cite Sparks as a major influence.
The 2002 release of Lil' Beethoven
, their "genre-defying opus", as well as the more recent albums Hello Young Lovers
(2006, their 20th studio album), Exotic Creatures Of The Deep
(2008), and their latest fantasy musical The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman
(2009–2010) have brought Sparks renewed critical and commercial success, and seen them continue to "steer clear of pop conventions."
Sparks are best known for the song "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us
", which reached number 2 in the British charts in 1974, "When I'm With You" which topped the French Charts in 1980, and "When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'" which topped the German and European charts in 1994/95 and was the top airplay record in Germany for 1994. They are also noted for Russell Mael's falsetto
voice and Ron Mael's keyboard style as well as their stage presence.
Brothers Ron and Russell Mael grew up in Pacific Palisades, in western Los Angeles County, California
, 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.
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. 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 Barrett
's Pink Floyd
, The Kinks
and The Move
, which led to their description of themselves as "Anglophiles".
Forming Halfnelson
in 1968, 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 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
, 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 incidentally saw on one night Queen
open for Sparks. These London appearances helped them to secure a significant cult following. An appearance on the BBC Television
's Old Grey Whistle Test
led to wider interest where host Bob Harris
compared the band to a cross between Zappa's Mother's of Invention and the Monkees.
, and a deal from Island Records
, thanks in part to the exposure garnered by their BBC2
Television Whistle Test
performance, they placed an ad in music weekly Melody Maker
("Wanted bass player for Sparks. Must be beard free and exciting") and through this hired Martin Gordon
. With Adrian Fisher on guitar and Dinky Diamond on drums, in the midst of power strikes and a threatened vinyl shortage, 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. This hit led to an appearance on the BBC
's flagship music show Top of the Pops
. Russell's hyperactive movements were in sharp contrast to the keyboard-bound, soberly-dressed Ron's expressionless squint. In 1975 the band returned to the states to tour supporting the Kimono & Propaganda albums which had gained strong cult attention in New York, Cleveland, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles primarily from FM radio play and a national TV appearance on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
. Flo and Eddie were the supporting act. Sparks also performed on American Bandstand
in 1975 with host Dick Clark mugging with Ron.
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".
with Rupert Holmes
on production, followed by Introducing Sparks
; both were mostly recorded with session musicians. This new "West Coast" sound yielded such songs as ""Nothing To Do", "Everybody's Stupid", and "Throw Her Away (and Get A New One)". In 1976, Sparks made one of their first forays into the movie business, making a cameo appearance in the thriller film Rollercoaster, after Kiss
turned down the roles. They performed the songs "Fill 'Er Up" and "Big Boy."
By 1979 the brothers found themselves at a crossroads. 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 but also be a major influence on emerging electro pop artists. The follow-up in 1980, Terminal Jive
, scored a massive hit single in France, "When I'm With You", which led to the Maels' (of Breton
descent themselves) staying in the country for a year promoting the album, Russell being sufficiently fluent in French. The single also hit the Top 20 in Australia, reaching #14.
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
(the title track of which appears in the 1983 movie "Valley Girl
") and Sparks In Outer Space
. They finally broke into the US singles charts with "Cool Places
" from 1983's In 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-FM
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 manga
, Mai, The Psychic Girl, into a movie musical. Despite interest from Tim Burton
and six years' work on the project, the film has not yet gone into production. There currently is speculation that Tim Burton may once again take on the project and direct.
, 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 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
. 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
(who had appeared on his own tribute song by the band on the album Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins).
Balls, released in 2000, again put the band in a context of electronic instrumentation with some of Ron Mael's most striking and perceptive lyrics. However, it was panned by critics who thought the band were 'treading water'.
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 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 former Faith No More
guitarist Dean Menta
in addition to Tammy Glover on drums. Long-time fan Morrissey
invited Sparks to perform at the 2004 Meltdown Festival
, of which he was curator. They performed their breakthrough Kimono My House album, followed by Lil Beethoven, both in their entirety. Also in this period, the duo appeared in the video for Justin Hawkins
's cover of "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us", in which Ron and Russell play the referee and MC at a darts match between Hawkins and darts champion Phil Taylor. This version of "This Town" reached No. 6 in the UK charts.
February 2006 saw the release of Hello Young Lovers, their twentieth studio album. The album is regarded as carrying on where Lil Beethoven left off, being described as "... cynical, intelligent and very, very funny", it has met with considerable acclaim.
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
and Morrissey
.
The pair appeared in the season 6 finale of the US TV show Gilmore Girls
, performing "Perfume" from the album Hello Young Lovers. 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
. The track "Perfume" was featured in a Dolce & Gabbana
TV commercial in 2009.
On May 12, 2008, Sparks released the single "Good Morning", taken from the album Exotic Creatures Of The Deep
.
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 premièred their new album on the twenty-first concert on June 13, 2008. 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 première of Exotic Creatures Of The Deep, though Russell Mael admitted that he and Ron would probably influence the poll a little.
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.
In 2009 the band played two consecutive nights at the London Forum
on 20 and 21 March. They played Exotic Creatures of the Deep in its entirety at both gigs, followed by Kimono My House in its entirety on the first night and No. 1 In Heaven in its entirety on the second night.
Valentine's Day evening 2009 saw Sparks perform the same show featuring their Exotic Creatures of the Deep and Kimono My House albums played in their entirety before a sold-out hometown crowd at the Mael Bros. alma mater in Los Angeles, UCLA.
On August 14, 2009, the band premièred the radio musical The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman
, commissioned by the Swedish public radio (SR) and featuring the Mael brothers themselves and Swedish actors Elin Klinga
and Jonas Malmsjö
, both of whom worked with Bergman in his lifetime. The musical, partly in English, partly in Swedish, tells the story of Bergman's supposed relocation to Hollywood after his breakthrough with Smiles of a Summer Night
(1956), and the surreal and discomforting encounter with the movie capital. On October 28, 2009, the UK's BBC 6 Music held a similar event in London whereby the musical was played in its entirety before a live audience at BBC Broadcasting House in London and later to be broadcast with a Q&A with the Maels. In interviews for Swedish newspapers, the band said they hoped to be able to theatrically stage the musical as well as turn the musical into a feature film. Amongst the filmmakers cited as undertaking "The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman" with the Mael Brothers is Canadian avant-garde director Guy Maddin
.
Ron and Russell Mael appear as interview subjects in the 2009 documentary The Magnificent Tati, discussing their proposed involvement during the early 1980s in a Jacques Tati
movie titled Confusion, for which a screenplay was written but never shot due to Tati's death.
In 2010, Sparks remixed Yoko Ono
's song "Give Me Something
". September 2, 2010 marks the debut of the new theme songs that Ron and Russell have composed and recorded for NPR radio's Bookworm show, broadcast in Los Angeles on station KCRW. The two songs mark the first time in 21 years that the Bookworm show has used a new theme song, these being commissioned by show host and Sparks fan Michael Silverblatt. The compositions are entitled, "Where Would We Be Without Books?" and "I Am A Bookworm."
For the encore of what may have been the final live date ever in America for Faith No More on December 1, 2010 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, Ron and Russell Mael were invited by Mike Patton and Co. to perform the Sparks' classic hit "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us." To a surprised and ecstatic sold-out crowd, the brothers reprised the song that also appears as a collaboration with Faith No More on Sparks' 1997 album Plagiarism. The original Sparks' version is from their 1974 classic LP, "Kimono My House."
On June 25, 2011 as part of the Los Angeles Film Festival, Sparks presented the World Premiere live performance of The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman. Film maker Guy Maddin provided directions based on the screenplay, with Ron and Russell reprising their recorded roles on stage. The role of Ingmar Bergman was performed by Finnish movie actor Peter Franzén
. Ann Magnuson
portrayed the role of Greta Garbo, and Rebecca Sjöwall
did the role she performed on the original album as the Starlet.
Tammy Glover reprised her role that she originated on the original album as The Hollywood Starlet. The show was held at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
in Hollywood, a fitting place to enact the premiere performance live. The group showcased at the film festival in their quest for funding for the feature film version. The performance garnered glowing reviews from journals such as The Huffington Post, the LA Times, the LA Weekly, and LA Record.
, 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 (sans Holmes) on Introducing Sparks.
However the band were not satisfied with the results, which they felt lacked personality, perhaps because of the reliance on session musician
s. 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 No. 1 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. 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, other than a spoken interlude. 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.
, Jim Wilson
, Marcus Blake, Steven McDonald
, Dean Menta
and Tammy Glover.
Previous musicians who have played in Sparks include Ben Benay, Leslie Bohem
, Alan Broadbent
, the late Norman "Dinky" Diamond, Harold Faltermeyer
, Harley Feinstein, the late Adrian Fisher, Keith Forsey
, David Foster
, James Goodwin, Martin Gordon
, Ed Greene
, Bob Haag, Ian Hampton, Christie Haydon, David Kendrick, Josh Klinghoffer
, Sal Maida, Robert Mache, Earle Mankey
, Jim Mankey, John Mendelsohn, Hilly Boy Michaels
, Giorgio Moroder
, David Paich
, Mike Porcaro
, Reinie Press, Hans Reumschüssel, Lee Ritenour
, Thom Rotella, Jeffrey Salen, Spencer Sercombe, John Thomas, Tony Visconti
, Thomas White
, Trevor White and Richie Zito
.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band formed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1968 by brothers Ron
Ron Mael
Ronald David Mael , is an American musician and songwriter. He and his younger brother Russell, make up the pop duo Sparks.Ron Mael was born in Culver City, California. Ron plays keyboard and writes most of the songs for Sparks...
(keyboards) and Russell Mael
Russell Mael
Russell Mael is an American singer and songwriter who, with his older brother Ron, is in the band Sparks....
(vocals), initially under the name Halfnelson
Halfnelson (band)
Halfnelson was an American rock band, which was a precursor to the more successful Sparks. Halfnelson was formed in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , the first incarnation also including friend and electro-whizz Earle Mankey .-History:In the late sixties,...
. Best known for their quirky approach to songwriting, Sparks' music is often accompanied by intelligent, sophisticated, and acerbic lyrics, and an idiosyncratic, theatrical stage presence, typified in the contrast between Russell's wide-eyed hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's sedentary scowling. Starting with their masterwork, "Lil' Beethoven" in 2001, the band began performing their albums in their entirety. 2008 saw the band perform all 21 of their albums in successive nights at the Islington Academy and Shepherd's Bush Empire in London.
Though the band's long career has seen them successfully pioneer many different musical genres; including glam pop
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
, electronic dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
, mainstream pop and most recently chamber pop, Sparks have created their own unique musical universe. While achieving chart success in various countries around the world including United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Germany, France, and the United States, they have enjoyed a cult following since their first releases. Sparks have been highly influential on the development of popular music, in particular on the late 1970s scene, when in collaboration with Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
(and Telex
Telex (band)
The Belgian synth-pop group Telex was formed in 1978 by Marc Moulin, Dan Lacksman, and Michel Moers, with the intention of "Making something really European, different from rock, without guitar — and the idea was electronic music." Mixing the aesthetics of disco, punk and experimental electronic...
subsequently), they reinvented themselves as an electronic pop duo, and abandoned the traditional rock band line up. Their frequently changing styles and visual presentations have kept the band at the forefront of modern, artful pop music. They are held in esteem by such bands and performers as Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
, Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
, Arcade Fire, Fang Island
Fang Island
Fang Island is an American indie rock band formed in Providence, Rhode Island, and based in Brooklyn, New York. The group consists of guitarists Jason Bartell, Chris Georges and Nicholas Andrew Sadler, bassist Michael Jacober, and drummer Marc St. Sauveur...
, Ott, MGMT
MGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, Bjork
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
, Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
, The Pixies, Ween
Ween
Ween is an American alternative rock group. They formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when central members Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. Ween has a large cult underground fanbase despite being generally unknown in American pop music...
, Mark Burgess
Mark Burgess (musician)
Mark Burgess is an English singer, bass player and songwriter. He was the lead singer, co-founder and main force behind English post-punk band The Chameleons. He currently resides in Germany and the UK.-Biography:...
of the Chameleons and They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
, all of whom cite Sparks as a major influence.
The 2002 release of Lil' Beethoven
Lil' Beethoven
-Deluxe edition:-Personnel:* Russell Mael – Vocals, programming, production, arrangements* Ron Mael – Keyboards, orchestrations, programming, production, arrangements* Tammy Glover – Drums* Dean Menta – Guitar* John Thomas - Mixing, additional engineering...
, their "genre-defying opus", as well as the more recent albums Hello Young Lovers
Hello Young Lovers (album)
Hello Young Lovers is the twentieth album by Sparks. It is a concept album which addresses aspects of modern love.-Release:Hello Young Lovers was commercially more popular than any Sparks album since the nineteen-seventies, and it reached #66 on the UK Album Chart. The album did not chart in the US...
(2006, their 20th studio album), Exotic Creatures Of The Deep
Exotic Creatures of the Deep
-Imperial Records edition DVD:- Personnel :* Russell Mael - all vocals, engineering, mixing* Ron Mael - keyboards, programming, orchestrations, mixing* Tammy Glover - drums* Dean Menta - guitars* John Thomas - mixing, engineering-Sparks Spectacular:...
(2008), and their latest fantasy musical The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman
The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman
The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman is the 22nd album by American rock/pop group Sparks, released in August 2009. The duo's first pop musical, Seduction is built around an imaginary visit to Hollywood by Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman in the mid-1950s. Its storyline focuses on the divides between...
(2009–2010) have brought Sparks renewed critical and commercial success, and seen them continue to "steer clear of pop conventions."
Sparks are best known for the song "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us
This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us
"This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" is a song written by Ron Mael of the American pop group Sparks. It is the opening track on their 1974 album Kimono My House, and was the lead single from the album, reaching number two in the UK singles chart....
", which reached number 2 in the British charts in 1974, "When I'm With You" which topped the French Charts in 1980, and "When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'" which topped the German and European charts in 1994/95 and was the top airplay record in Germany for 1994. They are also noted for Russell Mael's falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
voice and Ron Mael's keyboard style as well as their stage presence.
Early inception
The history of Sparks spans five decades, from inception in the late 1960s LA club scene, through adoption by British 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.Brothers Ron and Russell Mael grew up in Pacific Palisades, in western Los Angeles County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, during the “Golden Age” of the LA club scene, with The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, Love
Love (band)
Love was an American rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were led by singer/songwriter Arthur Lee and lead guitarist Johnny Echols...
and The Standells
The Standells
The Standells are a garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as the "Godfathers of Punk Rock", and are best known for their 1966 hit "Dirty Water," now the anthem of several Boston sports teams.-The 1960s:...
regularly playing the Whisky-a-Go-Go on Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
and the Beach Boys playing the afternoon event Teenage Fair.
Both Ron and Russell Mael are seen in the audience during the Ronettes
The Ronettes
The Ronettes were a 1960s girl group from New York City, best known for their work with producer Phil Spector. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett ; her older sister, Estelle Bennett; and their cousin Nedra Talley...
section of the famous rock movie Big TNT Show, filmed in 1966. 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
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
's Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
and The Move
The Move
The Move, from Birmingham, England, were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s. They scored nine Top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any success in the United States....
, which led to their description of themselves as "Anglophiles".
Forming Halfnelson
Halfnelson (band)
Halfnelson was an American rock band, which was a precursor to the more successful Sparks. Halfnelson was formed in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , the first incarnation also including friend and electro-whizz Earle Mankey .-History:In the late sixties,...
in 1968, they soon came to the attention of producer Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, at whose urging Albert Grossman
Albert Grossman
Albert Bernard Grossman was an American entrepreneur and manager in the American folk music scene and rock and roll. He was most famous as the manager of Bob Dylan between 1962 and 1970.-Biography:...
signed the band to his Bearsville
Bearsville Records
Bearsville Records was founded in 1970 by Albert Grossman. Artists included Todd Rundgren, Elizabeth Barraclough, Foghat, Halfnelson/Sparks, Bobby Charles, Randy VanWarmer, Paul Butterfield's Better Days, Lazarus, Jesse Winchester, and NRBQ. The label closed in 1984, two years before Grossman's...
record label. Their self-titled debut — with the line-up consisting of college friend Earle Mankey
Earle Mankey
Earle Mankey was a guitarist for the seminal band Halfnelson, later called Sparks...
on guitar, Mankey's brother James
James Mankey
James Andrew Mankey is an American rock guitarist, who has been the longtime guitarist in Concrete Blonde and also played with Sparks.Born 23 May 1952 in Washington, USA. Released J.A.M. - a solo work of instrumental music in 2003-External links:****...
on bass, Harley Feinstein now on drums and Rundgren producing — sold poorly, but after switching labels to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and renaming themselves Sparks, a play on the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
, 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
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which incidentally saw on one night Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
open for Sparks. These London appearances helped them to secure a significant cult following. An appearance on the BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's Old Grey Whistle Test
Old Grey Whistle Test
The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 to 1987. It took over the BBC2 late night slot from "Disco Two", which had been running since January 1970, while continuing to feature non-chart music. It was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers...
led to wider interest where host Bob Harris
Bob Harris (radio)
Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE , known as "Whispering" Bob Harris, is British radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music two nights a week...
compared the band to a cross between Zappa's Mother's of Invention and the Monkees.
Early Seventies
Relocating to England in 1973 with a new manager, John Hewlett, founder of John's ChildrenJohn's Children
John's Children were a 1960s pop art/mod rock band from Leatherhead, England that briefly featured future T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan. John's Children were known for their outrageous live performances and were booted off a tour with The Who in Germany in 1967 when they upstaged the headliners...
, and a deal from Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, thanks in part to the exposure garnered by their BBC2
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
Television Whistle Test
Old Grey Whistle Test
The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 to 1987. It took over the BBC2 late night slot from "Disco Two", which had been running since January 1970, while continuing to feature non-chart music. It was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers...
performance, they placed an ad in music weekly Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
("Wanted bass player for Sparks. Must be beard free and exciting") and through this hired Martin Gordon
Martin Gordon
Martin Gordon is an English musician, who plays bass guitar and piano.-Biography:Martin Gordon was born in Ipswich, and grew up Hitchin, Hertfordshire...
. With Adrian Fisher on guitar and Dinky Diamond on drums, in the midst of power strikes and a threatened vinyl shortage, they recorded their breakthrough Kimono My House
Kimono My House
-21st Century Edition:-Personnel:*Russell Mael, vocals*Ron Mael, keyboards*Martin Gordon, bass*Adrian Fisher, guitar*Norman "Dinky" Diamond, drums-Other credits:*Recording engineers - Richard Digby-Smith, Tony Platt*Mixdown engineer - Bill Price...
in 1974, scoring a number 2 hit with the single "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us
This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us
"This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" is a song written by Ron Mael of the American pop group Sparks. It is the opening track on their 1974 album Kimono My House, and was the lead single from the album, reaching number two in the UK singles chart....
", despite Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
betting producer Muff Winwood
Muff Winwood
Mervyn "Muff" Winwood is an English songwriter and record producer, and the older brother of Steve Winwood. Both were formerly members of the Spencer Davis Group in the 1960s, in which Muff Winwood played bass guitar...
that the song wouldn't break into the charts. This hit led to an appearance on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's flagship music show Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. Russell's hyperactive movements were in sharp contrast to the keyboard-bound, soberly-dressed Ron's expressionless squint. In 1975 the band returned to the states to tour supporting the Kimono & Propaganda albums which had gained strong cult attention in New York, Cleveland, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles primarily from FM radio play and a national TV appearance on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert is a television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations...
. Flo and Eddie were the supporting act. Sparks also performed on American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
in 1975 with host Dick Clark mugging with Ron.
The follow-up albums, Propaganda and Indiscreet, the latter produced by Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, 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".
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 BeatBig Beat (album)
- 21st Century Edition :- Personnel :* Russell Mael - Vocals* Ron Mael - Keyboards* Sal Maida - Bass* Jeffrey Salen - Guitar* Hilly Boy Michaels - Drums* Rupert Holmes - Production* Jeffery Lesser - Production...
with Rupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes is an American-British composer, singer-songwriter, musician and author of plays, novels and stories. He is best known for his number one pop hit "Escape " and the song "Him", which reached the number 6 position on the Hot 100 U.S. pop chart in 1980...
on production, followed by Introducing Sparks
Introducing Sparks
-Credits:* All songs written by Ron Mael & Russell Mael* All lyrics ©1977 Ackee Music,Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.* Lead & Background Vocals: Russell Mael...
; both were mostly recorded with session musicians. This new "West Coast" sound yielded such songs as ""Nothing To Do", "Everybody's Stupid", and "Throw Her Away (and Get A New One)". In 1976, Sparks made one of their first forays into the movie business, making a cameo appearance in the thriller film Rollercoaster, after Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
turned down the roles. They performed the songs "Fill 'Er Up" and "Big Boy."
By 1979 the brothers found themselves at a crossroads. 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
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
, creator of the iconic disco anthem I Feel Love
I Feel Love
"I Feel Love" is a song by Donna Summer, taken from her 1977 concept album I Remember Yesterday.The song constituted the "future" segment of the album, which represented a stylistic progress through time...
performed by Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
, 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
No. 1 In Heaven
-Personnel:* Chris Bennett - Backing Vocals* Keith Forsey - Drums* Ron Mael - Keyboards, Synthesiser, Vocals* Russell Mael - Vocals* Jack Moran - Backing Vocals* Giorgio Moroder - Synthesiser, Vocoder, Producer* Dan Wyman - Synthesiser Programming...
, an album which would not only redefine the Sparks sound but would challenge the concept of what is meant by a band but also be a major influence on emerging electro pop artists. The follow-up in 1980, Terminal Jive
Terminal Jive
-Personnel:* Russell Mael, vocals* Ron Mael, keyboards* Giorgio Moroder, production* Harold Faltermeyer, production...
, scored a massive hit single in France, "When I'm With You", which led to the Maels' (of Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
descent themselves) staying in the country for a year promoting the album, Russell being sufficiently fluent in French. The single also hit the Top 20 in Australia, reaching #14.
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
Whomp That Sucker
-Personnel:* Russell Mael, vocals* Ron Mael, keyboards and synthesizers* Bob Haag, guitar and additional background vocals* Leslie Bohem, bass guitar and additional background vocals* David Kendrick, drums...
, Angst In My Pants
Angst in My Pants
- Personnel :* Russell Mael, Vocals* Ron Mael, Keyboards and synthesizers* Leslie Bohem, Bass guitar and additional background vocals* Bob Haag, Guitar and additional background vocals* David Kendrick, Drums* James Goodwin, Synthesizers...
(the title track of which appears in the 1983 movie "Valley Girl
Valley Girl (film)
Valley Girl is a 1983 romantic comedy film, starring Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, Elizabeth Daily, Cameron Dye, and Joyce Heiser. The film was the directorial debut of Martha Coolidge, and was the first film in which Nicolas Coppola was billed as Nicolas Cage.The American release of Valley Girl...
") and Sparks In Outer Space
In Outer Space
-Personnel:* Russell Mael, vocals* Ron Mael, keyboards* Bob Haag, guitars* Leslie Bohem, bass* David Kendrick, drums* James Goodwin, keyboards* Jane Wiedlin, guest vocals on "Cool Places" and "Lucky Me, Lucky You"* Dan Lacksman, engineer...
. They finally broke into the US singles charts with "Cool Places
Cool Places
"Cool Places" is a song recorded by American duo Sparks in collaboration with Go-Go's member Jane Wiedlin.The song was released as the lead single for Sparks’s 1983 album In Outer Space. At the time Sparks were at their most popular in US, their two previous albums had dented the lower reaches of...
" from 1983's In Outer Space. The track was a collaboration with Go-Go
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
Jane Wiedlin
Jane Wiedlin
Jane Marie Genevieve Wiedlin is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and actress. She is best known as the rhythm guitarist of the all-female New Wave band The Go-Go's.-Early life:...
, who, at one time, ran her own Sparks fanclub, and its success was in part thanks to LA's KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
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 manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, Mai, The Psychic Girl, into a movie musical. Despite interest from Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
and six years' work on the project, the film has not yet gone into production. There currently is speculation that Tim Burton may once again take on the project and direct.
Return to music
1994 saw the Maels return with the release of Gratuitous Sax and Senseless ViolinsGratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins
-Personnel:* Russell Mael - Vocals, production* Ron Mael - Keyboards, production* Tsui Hark and Bill Kong - Guest vocals on "Tsui Hark"* John Thomas - Additional engineering and mixing* Steve Bates - Additional engineering and mixing...
, providing the hit singles "When Do I Get To Sing My Way?" and "When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
Playing)". 1997 saw the release of Plagiarism, an album of cover versions of their own songs featuring collaborations with Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
, Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
and Jimmy Somerville
Jimmy Somerville
James William Somerville is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He had considerable success in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards, and has also had a successful solo career. He is known in particular for his falsetto singing voice...
. 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
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. In 1998 they recorded the soundtrack for the movie Knock Off, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
, directed by the acclaimed Hong Kong based producer/director Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
(who had appeared on his own tribute song by the band on the album Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins).
Balls, released in 2000, again put the band in a context of electronic instrumentation with some of Ron Mael's most striking and perceptive lyrics. However, it was panned by critics who thought the band were 'treading water'.
The legacy continues
After Balls, the band resurfaced in 2002 with the release of the album which has been described as their "genre-defying opus". Lil' Beethoven, featuring quasi-classical arrangements of strings and choirs, led to renewed interest in the band, for instance Record Collector magazineRecord Collector
Record Collector is the United Kingdom's longest-running monthly music magazine. It distributes both within the UK and worldwide. It started in 1979.-The early years:...
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 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 former Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
guitarist Dean Menta
Dean Menta
Dean Menta served as the guitarist for the rock band Faith No More from 1995 to 1996. Menta had been a keyboard tech for the band and was recruited to handle guitar duties after Trey Spruance declined to tour for the album King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime. He appears in their videos for...
in addition to Tammy Glover on drums. Long-time fan Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
invited Sparks to perform at the 2004 Meltdown Festival
Meltdown (festival)
Meltdown is an annual, English festival, held in London, featuring a mix of music, art, performance and film. Meltdown is held in June at Southbank Centre, the arts complex covering and including the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and The Hayward...
, of which he was curator. They performed their breakthrough Kimono My House album, followed by Lil Beethoven, both in their entirety. Also in this period, the duo appeared in the video for Justin Hawkins
Justin Hawkins
Justin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
's cover of "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us", in which Ron and Russell play the referee and MC at a darts match between Hawkins and darts champion Phil Taylor. This version of "This Town" reached No. 6 in the UK charts.
February 2006 saw the release of Hello Young Lovers, their twentieth studio album. The album is regarded as carrying on where Lil Beethoven left off, being described as "... cynical, intelligent and very, very funny", it has met with considerable acclaim.
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
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
and Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
.
The pair appeared in the season 6 finale of the US TV show Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
, performing "Perfume" from the album Hello Young Lovers. 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
-Credits:* All songs written by Ron Mael & Russell Mael* All lyrics ©1977 Ackee Music,Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.* Lead & Background Vocals: Russell Mael...
. The track "Perfume" was featured in a Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana is an Italian luxury industry fashion house. The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was €597 million....
TV commercial in 2009.
On May 12, 2008, Sparks released the single "Good Morning", taken from the album Exotic Creatures Of The Deep
Exotic Creatures of the Deep
-Imperial Records edition DVD:- Personnel :* Russell Mael - all vocals, engineering, mixing* Ron Mael - keyboards, programming, orchestrations, mixing* Tammy Glover - drums* Dean Menta - guitars* John Thomas - mixing, engineering-Sparks Spectacular:...
.
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 premièred their new album on the twenty-first concert on June 13, 2008. 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 première of Exotic Creatures Of The Deep, though Russell Mael admitted that he and Ron would probably influence the poll a little.
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.
In 2009 the band played two consecutive nights at the London Forum
London Forum
The London Forum, or sometimes Kentish Town Forum is a well-known venue for concerts in Kentish Town, London, United Kingdom owned by the MAMA Group. The venue was built in 1934 and was originally used as an art deco cinema. After the closure of the cinema, The Town & Country Club was established...
on 20 and 21 March. They played Exotic Creatures of the Deep in its entirety at both gigs, followed by Kimono My House in its entirety on the first night and No. 1 In Heaven in its entirety on the second night.
Valentine's Day evening 2009 saw Sparks perform the same show featuring their Exotic Creatures of the Deep and Kimono My House albums played in their entirety before a sold-out hometown crowd at the Mael Bros. alma mater in Los Angeles, UCLA.
On August 14, 2009, the band premièred the radio musical The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman
The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman
The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman is the 22nd album by American rock/pop group Sparks, released in August 2009. The duo's first pop musical, Seduction is built around an imaginary visit to Hollywood by Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman in the mid-1950s. Its storyline focuses on the divides between...
, commissioned by the Swedish public radio (SR) and featuring the Mael brothers themselves and Swedish actors Elin Klinga
Elin Klinga
Elin Klinga is a Swedish actress who took part in several of Ingmar Bergman's late stage productions. One of Bergman's favourite actresses, she starred in such productions as The Image Makers , The Ghost Sonata and Ghosts .-External links:...
and Jonas Malmsjö
Jonas Malmsjö
Carl Jonas Love Malmsjö is a Swedish actor who has worked in theatre, TV and radio; he is the son of Swedish actor Jan Malmsjö and the Swedish actress Marie Göranzon...
, both of whom worked with Bergman in his lifetime. The musical, partly in English, partly in Swedish, tells the story of Bergman's supposed relocation to Hollywood after his breakthrough with Smiles of a Summer Night
Smiles of a Summer Night
Smiles of a Summer Night a.k.a. Smiles on a Summer Night is a 1955 Swedish comedy film directed by Ingmar Bergman. It was the first of Bergman's films to bring the director international success, due to its exposure at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival...
(1956), and the surreal and discomforting encounter with the movie capital. On October 28, 2009, the UK's BBC 6 Music held a similar event in London whereby the musical was played in its entirety before a live audience at BBC Broadcasting House in London and later to be broadcast with a Q&A with the Maels. In interviews for Swedish newspapers, the band said they hoped to be able to theatrically stage the musical as well as turn the musical into a feature film. Amongst the filmmakers cited as undertaking "The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman" with the Mael Brothers is Canadian avant-garde director Guy Maddin
Guy Maddin
Guy Maddin, OM is a Canadian screenwriter, director, cinematographer and film editor of both features and short films from Winnipeg, Manitoba...
.
Ron and Russell Mael appear as interview subjects in the 2009 documentary The Magnificent Tati, discussing their proposed involvement during the early 1980s in a Jacques Tati
Jacques Tati
Jacques Tati was a French filmmaker, working as a comedic actor, writer and director. In a poll conducted by Entertainment Weekly of the Greatest Movie Directors Tati was voted the 46th greatest of all time...
movie titled Confusion, for which a screenplay was written but never shot due to Tati's death.
In 2010, Sparks remixed Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
's song "Give Me Something
Give Me Something
"Give Me Something" is a song by Yoko Ono, originally released in 1980 on John Lennon and Ono's duet album Double Fantasy. The song appeared in Ono's off-Broadway musical New York Rock and her compilation albums Walking on Thin Ice and Onobox...
". September 2, 2010 marks the debut of the new theme songs that Ron and Russell have composed and recorded for NPR radio's Bookworm show, broadcast in Los Angeles on station KCRW. The two songs mark the first time in 21 years that the Bookworm show has used a new theme song, these being commissioned by show host and Sparks fan Michael Silverblatt. The compositions are entitled, "Where Would We Be Without Books?" and "I Am A Bookworm."
For the encore of what may have been the final live date ever in America for Faith No More on December 1, 2010 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, Ron and Russell Mael were invited by Mike Patton and Co. to perform the Sparks' classic hit "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us." To a surprised and ecstatic sold-out crowd, the brothers reprised the song that also appears as a collaboration with Faith No More on Sparks' 1997 album Plagiarism. The original Sparks' version is from their 1974 classic LP, "Kimono My House."
On June 25, 2011 as part of the Los Angeles Film Festival, Sparks presented the World Premiere live performance of The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman. Film maker Guy Maddin provided directions based on the screenplay, with Ron and Russell reprising their recorded roles on stage. The role of Ingmar Bergman was performed by Finnish movie actor Peter Franzén
Peter Franzen
Peter Franzen is a retired English journalist, who was the editor of the Norwich-based regional newspaper the Eastern Daily Press, a position he occupied from 1993 until his retirement in 2009...
. Ann Magnuson
Ann Magnuson
Ann Magnuson is an American actress, performance artist, and nightclub performer who first gained prominence in the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan...
portrayed the role of Greta Garbo, and Rebecca Sjöwall
Rebecca Sjöwall
Rebecca Sjöwall is an American opera singer. She has a B.A. in Political Science from Luther College, a Master's Degree in Vocal Performance from UCLA and is a two-time District Winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions....
did the role she performed on the original album as the Starlet.
Tammy Glover reprised her role that she originated on the original album as The Hollywood Starlet. The show was held at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
The John Anson Ford Amphitheatre is a 1421-seat performing arts theatre in Los Angeles, California. The theatre is owned and operated by the County of Los Angeles, and run through a three-way partnership between the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the...
in Hollywood, a fitting place to enact the premiere performance live. The group showcased at the film festival in their quest for funding for the feature film version. The performance garnered glowing reviews from journals such as The Huffington Post, the LA Times, the LA Weekly, and LA Record.
Style
Sparks' musical style has changed dramatically over their forty-year career. In the beginning they attempted to emulate the sound of their English heroes, such as The WhoThe Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
-era Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, sometimes even pretending to be an English band while on the LA club circuit. They relocated to England during the Glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
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
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
" sound. 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 because of the reliance on session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s. This led to the most dramatic change of style the band would attempt, when they teamed up with Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
, dropped the band format altogether and produced No. 1 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. 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, other than a spoken interlude. 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.
Other musicians
Many musicians have contributed to Sparks music, both on record and live. In addition to the Maels, Sparks currently consists of Steven NistorSteven Nistor
Steven Nistor is an American touring and studio drummer, best known for his work with Daniel Lanois and Danger Mouse. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
, Jim Wilson
Jim Wilson (guitar player)
Jim Wilson is an American guitarist in the band Mother Superior, and previously in the Rollins Band. He is a professional musician known for his soulful vocals and powerful blues-rock guitar work. He also plays guitar and bass with Daniel Lanois...
, Marcus Blake, Steven McDonald
Steven Shane McDonald
Steven Shane McDonald is the bass player in the Los Angeles alternative rock/power pop band Redd Kross. He is also a member of the hardcore punk band OFF!, which formed in late 2009. Other projects included The SMG and Green and Yellow TV - both were Los Angeles-based groups from the 2000s...
, Dean Menta
Dean Menta
Dean Menta served as the guitarist for the rock band Faith No More from 1995 to 1996. Menta had been a keyboard tech for the band and was recruited to handle guitar duties after Trey Spruance declined to tour for the album King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime. He appears in their videos for...
and Tammy Glover.
Previous musicians who have played in Sparks include Ben Benay, Leslie Bohem
Leslie Bohem
-Biography:Les Bohem's writing credits include the miniseries Taken, Dante's Peak, Twenty Bucks, Daylight, and The Alamo. Bohem also played bass in the 1980s with the pop groups Sparks and Gleaming Spires. He also wrote the storybook of the Steven Spielberg produced mini-series Nine Lives.-External...
, Alan Broadbent
Alan Broadbent
Alan Broadbent, MNZM , is a jazz pianist, arranger and composer best known for his work with artists such as Woody Herman, Diane Schuur, Chet Baker, Irene Kral, Sheila Jordan, Charlie Haden, Warne Marsh, Bud Shank, and many others.Broadbent studied piano and music theory in his own country, but in...
, the late Norman "Dinky" Diamond, Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, keyboardist, composer and record producer.He is recognized as one of the composers/producers who best captured the zeitgeist of 1980s synth-pop in film scores...
, Harley Feinstein, the late Adrian Fisher, Keith Forsey
Keith Forsey
Keith Forsey is an English soundtrack composer, drummer, songwriter and record producer.-Biography:Forsey's first recordings were as the younger member of the group The Spectrum, better known for the end title theme for Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet, but hit makers across Europe in their own...
, David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
, James Goodwin, Martin Gordon
Martin Gordon
Martin Gordon is an English musician, who plays bass guitar and piano.-Biography:Martin Gordon was born in Ipswich, and grew up Hitchin, Hertfordshire...
, Ed Greene
Ed Greene (musician)
Ed Greene is an American drummer and session musician.An early recording in 1971 has him as a member of the Donald Byrd Group, together with Thurman Green Harold Land Bobby Hutcherson Joe Sample and Wilton Felder , among others....
, Bob Haag, Ian Hampton, Christie Haydon, David Kendrick, Josh Klinghoffer
Josh Klinghoffer
Joshua Adam "Josh" Klinghoffer is an American multi-instrumentalist, who is best known as the current guitarist for the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Klinghoffer replaced his friend and frequent collaborator John Frusciante, who left the band in 2009.Klinghoffer also fronts Dot Hacker, and was...
, Sal Maida, Robert Mache, Earle Mankey
Earle Mankey
Earle Mankey was a guitarist for the seminal band Halfnelson, later called Sparks...
, Jim Mankey, John Mendelsohn, Hilly Boy Michaels
Hilly Michaels
Hilly Michaels, also known as Hilly Boy Michaels is an American drummer and musician, best known for playing drums with Sparks in the 70's and his two solo albums from the early 80's, Calling All Girls and Lumia .- History :His first music experience came with playing in a band called Joy,...
, Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
, David Paich
David Paich
David Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
, Mike Porcaro
Mike Porcaro
Mike Porcaro is best noted as the bass player in the Grammy Award winning band, Toto.He is the middle brother of Toto members Jeff Porcaro and Steve Porcaro...
, Reinie Press, Hans Reumschüssel, Lee Ritenour
Lee Ritenour
Lee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...
, Thom Rotella, Jeffrey Salen, Spencer Sercombe, John Thomas, Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
, Thomas White
Tom White (musician)
Thomas White is a Brighton, England-based musician, producer and visual artist. Educated at Davigdor Infants, Somerhill Juniors and Hove Park schools, he began learning the piano at the age of 5, picking up the violin a year later and teaching himself guitar, drums and clarinet in his early teens...
, Trevor White and Richie Zito
Richie Zito
Richie Zito is a session guitarist and record producer from Los Angeles.He has worked with Poison, Neil Sedaka, Yvonne Elliman, Eric Carmen, Art Garfunkel, Leo Sayer, Diana Ross, Marc Tanner, Elton John, the Motels, as well as The Cult, White Lion, Eddie Money, Heart, and Bad English...
.
Discography
- Sparks / HalfnelsonHalfnelson (album)-Personnel:* Russell Mael: Vocals* Ron Mael: Keyboards* Earle Mankey: Guitar, Lead Vocal on 'Biology 2'* Jim Mankey, Bass, Guitar* Harley Feinstein, Drums-External links:*...
(1971) - A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing (1972)
- Kimono My HouseKimono My House-21st Century Edition:-Personnel:*Russell Mael, vocals*Ron Mael, keyboards*Martin Gordon, bass*Adrian Fisher, guitar*Norman "Dinky" Diamond, drums-Other credits:*Recording engineers - Richard Digby-Smith, Tony Platt*Mixdown engineer - Bill Price...
(1974) - Propaganda (1974)
- Indiscreet (1975)
- Big BeatBig Beat (album)- 21st Century Edition :- Personnel :* Russell Mael - Vocals* Ron Mael - Keyboards* Sal Maida - Bass* Jeffrey Salen - Guitar* Hilly Boy Michaels - Drums* Rupert Holmes - Production* Jeffery Lesser - Production...
(1976) - Introducing SparksIntroducing Sparks-Credits:* All songs written by Ron Mael & Russell Mael* All lyrics ©1977 Ackee Music,Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.* Lead & Background Vocals: Russell Mael...
(1977) - No. 1 In HeavenNo. 1 In Heaven-Personnel:* Chris Bennett - Backing Vocals* Keith Forsey - Drums* Ron Mael - Keyboards, Synthesiser, Vocals* Russell Mael - Vocals* Jack Moran - Backing Vocals* Giorgio Moroder - Synthesiser, Vocoder, Producer* Dan Wyman - Synthesiser Programming...
(1979) - Terminal JiveTerminal Jive-Personnel:* Russell Mael, vocals* Ron Mael, keyboards* Giorgio Moroder, production* Harold Faltermeyer, production...
(1980) - Whomp That SuckerWhomp That Sucker-Personnel:* Russell Mael, vocals* Ron Mael, keyboards and synthesizers* Bob Haag, guitar and additional background vocals* Leslie Bohem, bass guitar and additional background vocals* David Kendrick, drums...
(1981) - Angst in My PantsAngst in My Pants- Personnel :* Russell Mael, Vocals* Ron Mael, Keyboards and synthesizers* Leslie Bohem, Bass guitar and additional background vocals* Bob Haag, Guitar and additional background vocals* David Kendrick, Drums* James Goodwin, Synthesizers...
(1982) - In Outer SpaceIn Outer Space-Personnel:* Russell Mael, vocals* Ron Mael, keyboards* Bob Haag, guitars* Leslie Bohem, bass* David Kendrick, drums* James Goodwin, keyboards* Jane Wiedlin, guest vocals on "Cool Places" and "Lucky Me, Lucky You"* Dan Lacksman, engineer...
(1983) - Pulling Rabbits Out of a HatPulling Rabbits Out of a Hat-Personnel:*Ron Mael - Synthesizers *Russell Mael - Vocals*Leslie Bohem - Bass, Backing Vocals*Bob Haag - Guitar, Synthesizer, Backing Vocals*David Kendrick - Drums*John Thomas - Keyboards*Producer - Ian Little...
(1984) - Music That You Can Dance ToMusic That You Can Dance To- Personnel :* Russell Mael - vocals* Ron Mael - all synthesizers * Bob Haag - Endodyne guitars, Roland synthesizers, backing vocals* Leslie Bohem - bass guitar, backing vocals* David Kendrick - drums...
(1986) - Interior DesignInterior Design (album)-CD Edition:-Personnel:* Russell Mael, Vocals, production* Ron Mael, Keyboards, production* Spencer Sircombe, Guitar* Pamela Stonebrooke, Background vocals* John Thomas, Keyboards, engineering...
(1988) - Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins (1994)
- PlagiarismPlagiarism (album)-Personnel:* Russell Mael - Vocals, production, mixing* Ron Mael - Keyboards, production* Tony Visconti, Orchestral, choral arrangements and conducting on "Pulling Rabbits Out Of A Hat", "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", "When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'", "Change", "Something For The Girl...
(1997) - Balls (2000)
- Lil' BeethovenLil' Beethoven-Deluxe edition:-Personnel:* Russell Mael – Vocals, programming, production, arrangements* Ron Mael – Keyboards, orchestrations, programming, production, arrangements* Tammy Glover – Drums* Dean Menta – Guitar* John Thomas - Mixing, additional engineering...
(2002) - Hello Young LoversHello Young Lovers (album)Hello Young Lovers is the twentieth album by Sparks. It is a concept album which addresses aspects of modern love.-Release:Hello Young Lovers was commercially more popular than any Sparks album since the nineteen-seventies, and it reached #66 on the UK Album Chart. The album did not chart in the US...
(2006) - Exotic Creatures Of The DeepExotic Creatures of the Deep-Imperial Records edition DVD:- Personnel :* Russell Mael - all vocals, engineering, mixing* Ron Mael - keyboards, programming, orchestrations, mixing* Tammy Glover - drums* Dean Menta - guitars* John Thomas - mixing, engineering-Sparks Spectacular:...
(2008) - The Seduction of Ingmar BergmanThe Seduction of Ingmar BergmanThe Seduction of Ingmar Bergman is the 22nd album by American rock/pop group Sparks, released in August 2009. The duo's first pop musical, Seduction is built around an imaginary visit to Hollywood by Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman in the mid-1950s. Its storyline focuses on the divides between...
(2009)
External links
- Video interview at Hydro Connect Festival, August 2008
- "Here’s 21 they did earlier: Ron and Russell Mael create Sparks", interview in The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 2008-05-02 - Interview with Kittenpants.orgKittenpantsKittenpants was an online humor magazine published monthly from 2000 to 2005 on Kittenpants.org. Kittenpants was founded by Darci Ratliff, who also wrote under the name Kittenpants for other publications, including the Comedy Central Insider...