Sparks
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1968-71) (as Halfnelson) - Ron Mael - vocals, keyboards - Russell Mael - vocals - John Mendelsohn -- drums, percussion - Ralph Oswald -- bass
line up 2 (1971-73) (as Sparks) NEW - Harley Feinstein -- drums, percussion (replaced John Mendelsohn) NEW - Earle Mankey -- lead guitar NEW - Jim Mankey -- bass (replaced Ralph Oswald) - Ron Mael - vocals, keyboards - Russell Mael - vocals
line up 3 (1973-75) NEW - Norman Dinky Diamond (RIP) -- drums, percussion (replaced Harley Feinstein) NEW - Martin Gordon -- bass (replaced Jim Mankey) NEW - Adrian Fisher (RIP) -- lead guitar (replaced Earle Mankey) - Ron Mael -- vocals, keyboards - Russell Mael -- vocals
line up 4 (1975-76) - Dinky Diamond (aka Norman Diamond) (RIP 2004) -- drums, percussion (replaced Harley Feinstein) NEW - Ian Hampton -- bass (replaced Martin Gordon) - Ron Mael -- vocals, keyboards - Russell Mael -- vocals NEW - Trevor White -- lead guitar (replaced Adrian Fisher)
line up 5 (1976) NEW - Sal Maida -- bass (replaced Ian Hampton) NEW - Hilly Micahel -- drums, percussion (replaced Dinky Diamond) - Ron Mael -- vocals, keyboards - Russell Mael -- vocals NEW - Jeff Salen -- lead guitar (replaced Trevor White)
line up 6 (1980-82) NEW - Leslie Bohem -- bass NEW - James Goodwin -- keyboards NEW - Bob Haag - lead guitar NEW - David Kendrick -- drums, percussion - Ron Mael -- vocals, keyboards - Russell Mael -- vocals
line up 7 (1982-84) - Leslie Bohem -- bass - Bob Haag - lead guitar - David Kendrick -- drums, percussion - Ron Mael -- vocals, keyboards - Russell Mael -- vocals
line up 8 (1988) - Ron Mael -- vocals, keyboards - Russell Mael -- vocals NEW - Spencer Sircombe -- guitar NEW - John Thomas -- keyboards
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- Boxer (Adrian Fisher) - Concrete Blonde (Jim Mankey) - Devo - Dream 6 - The Gleaming Spires (Leslie Bohem, Bob Haag and David Kendrick) - Halfnelson - Jet - Jook - Milk & Cookies (Sal Maida) - Noel - Radio Stars - Telex - Tuff Darts (Jeff Salen)
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Sparks Company: Bearsville Catalog: BV 2048 Year: 1972 Country/State: Los Angeles, California Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: no poster Available: 1 Catalog ID: 260 Price: $40.00
Best time to play: When friends are over and you need to show of your rock and roll credentials |
Sparks have a hardcore following and as a result there's literally a ton of material out there on the group's roots. As such, I'm not going to spend a lot of time going over history that's better documented elsewhere.
Los Angeles natives, in the late-'60s brothers Ron and Russell Mael were attending UCLA and making money modeling clothing for sales catalogs. Bitten by the music bug, the pair decided to form a band, recruiting drummer John Mendelsohn and bassist Ralph Oswald for the band Halfnelson. Within a short time Mendelsohn and Oswald had been replaced by drummer Harley Feinstein and brothers Earle and Jim Mankey (guitar and bass respective). The band's unique sound brought them to the attention of Todd Rundgren, who quickly signed them to his Warner Brothers affiliated Bearsville label.
Produced by Rundgren (who thought they were strange), some forty five years after it was released, 1971's "Halfnelson" still sounds bizarre. I want to be careful here because the adjective bizarre has some negative connotations and that's not want to imply. Oh, there was no doubt that Ron and Russ were different. Way different. And so was this album. Even if you were hearing impaired, you would have been able to see that The Maels were way ahead of their time, managing to introduce all sorts of cutting edge concepts into their musical mix. There were touches of punk aggression, new wave angst, cabaret-styled excursions (wonder where Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music got some of their ideas), 10cc. styled humor, and even Queen-styled excess ('Simple Ballet') scattered throughout the collection. Coupled with some of the weirdest lyrics you've ever come across (anyone want to take a guess as to what 'Fletcher Honorama' was about), it doesn't necessarily equate to easy listening, but it's still worth a go.
Even though they'd released and album and were actively touring in support of the set, the band's manager subsequently convinced them to change their name to Sparks. In the forlorn hope of scoring some sales as a result of the name change, in 1972 Bearsville reissued the Halfnelson album under the title "Sparks". The track listing remained unchanged, but the package included new cover art - a rather bland photo of the band that gave you the impression they weren't sure what their image was..
"Sparks" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Wonder Girl (Ron Mael) - 2:15 'Wonder Girl' has always epitomized what I like and what I dislike about the band. Musically it was a pretty decent slice of pop/glam rock with an okay melody and Russell managing to keep his excesses in check. Imagine Marc Bolan and Freddie Mercury hanging out together and trying to out-camp one another and you'd get a weird idea of what this one actually sounded like. For some reason Bearsville tapped it as a single. YouTube has a clip of the band lip synching the song for German television. Watching the German kids trying to figure out to dance to the track is almost as funny as Ron's heavy eye liner. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzzAuOohadU rating: *** stars 2.) Fa La Fa Lee (Ron Mael) - 2:54 Ron's cheesy-sounding keyboards were a wonderful way to start the song, but the 'Fa La Fa Lee' turned decidedly bizarre (I know, hard to believe for a Sparks song) thereafter. With a proto-new wave feel, after all these years I still don't have a clue what it's about, though I've seen it explained as about virtually every subject matter know to man, including incest. rating: *** stars 3.) Roger (Russell Mael) - 2:30 'Roger' is one of those tracks that you literally have to listen to on a good set of headphones in order to capture all the truly strange studio effects. n I've heard the song dozens of times and each time I spin it I pick up on something different. The disjointed ending is a trip. rating: *** stars -4.) High C (Ron Mael) - 2:03 In the world of Sparks, the pounding, martial-beat propelled 'High C' could almost have been mistaken for one of those massive selling '70s English pop-rock bands like Slade, or The Sweet. Well, the comparison was fair until you got to the odd mid-song vocal gyrations where the song took a decidedly operatic change in direction. rating: *** stars 5.) Fletcher Honorama (Ron Mael) - 4:01 'Fletcher Honorama' managed to cobble together one of their prettiest melodies with a completely ominous and disconcerting lyric. I'd love to know what it was about. Ron explained it as a "tune about a celebration being thrown for an old man named Fletcher just before his death. His friends didn't want to wait until he died to get together." rating: *** stars 6.) Simple Ballet (Russell Mael) - 3:50 Built on what sounded like a waltz structure, 'Simple Ballet' was recorded years before Queen got around to 'Bohemian Rhapsody', but the two seem to share the same roots. In some ways, the song may even be better that 'Rhapsody'. Kudos to Mankey for the killer guitar solo. rating: *** stars
(side 2) 1.) Slowboat (Ron Mael - Russell Mael) - 3:50 No matter how damn weird the Maels could be, nobody could deny they had the ability to craft a pretty melody and that was certainly the case of the sweet ballad 'Slowboat'. Rejection my never have sounded as pretty as this one. It's also worth hearing for the weird "Twilight Zone" zone sound effect slapped on Earle Mankey's guitar. Towards the end of the song Mankey got a chance to cut loose with the real thing. rating: **** stars 2.) Biology 2 (Earle Mankey) - 3:00 Geez, how do you go from a fairly commercial composition like 'Slowboat' to the totally bizarre do-chromosomes-dance themed 'Biology 2'. Penned by Earle Mankey, with lyrics like "Unless you've got your dominance down in your genes you'll have a kid, invalid just like Mendel's beans" this one was either creative beyond description, or seriously disturbed. rating: *** stars 3.) Saccharin and the War (Russell Mael) - 3:57 Even with the lyrics in front of you 'Saccharin and the War' remains eclectic ... A comment on society's infatuation with weight ? Beats the crap out of me. The song itself was a fairly bouncy piece of power-pop with some nice pounding Ron Mael keyboards. rating: *** stars 4.) Big Bands (Ron Mael - Russell Mael) - 4:15 With a pretty, flowing melody and catchy hook, 'Big
Bands' was one of those songs that left me scratching my head trying to
figure out what the Maels were thinkin' about. Maybe due to the
vinylholic theme ("See
my large collection, some on loan; of every big band record ever made;
I had to sell my heater, so don't shake")
the song struck me as being pretty funny, but maybe it was meant as social
commentary ? Who knows ... Kudos to the Mankey
brothers who turned in a crushing performance on this one; especially at the
point where the song abruptly morphed from pop song to pseudo-punk
diatribe.
rating: **** stars Earle Mankey's opening guitar gave you a momentary hope '(No More) Mr. Nice Guys' might be fairly commercial rock track and (for a Sparks song) it was. That's too say the song was as strange as you'd expect (but with the album's most rock oriented arrangement and one of the catchiest hooks). rating: **** stars
As mentioned, the album dropped a single in the form of:
-- 1972's "Wonder Girl' b/w '(No More) Mr. Nice Guys' (Bearsville catalog number BSV 0006)
I hesitate to use the word groundbreaking for an album I don't love, but yeah, this one was groundbreaking. Well worth looking for, if only to say that you've heard it. That said, some of you are going to love this one.
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Kimono My House Company: Island Catalog: ILPS-9272 Year: 1974 Country/State: Los Angeles, California Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: original lyric inner sleeve; minor ring wear Available: 1 Catalig ID: 1508 Price: $20.00
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When you think of quirky, or eccentric musicians, there's a tendency to think of British artists, That's not to say England has a monopoly on the odd - witness the Mael brothers ... If you've poked around my website you'll quickly see that I like quirky, but no matter how hard I try, the Maels remain an acquired taste that's largely alluded my ears. Every couple of years I pull this one out to see if I can puzzle out the charm so many folks find in it. After four plus years I'm still at a loss ....
Having toured the UK in support of 1972's "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing" the warm reception they received in the country was enough to convince the Mael brothers to relocate to London. The rest of their band wasn't particularly happy with the decision, leading the Maels to go out and hire a new British backing band in the form of drummer Norman Diamond, bassist Martin Gordon, and lead guitarist Adrian Fisher. Produced by Muff Winwood, 1974's "Kimono My House" wasn't a major departure from their earlier releases, but there were some subtle differences including a distinct Brit-pop edge to their glam sound. Inexplicably the end result was actually one of their better ventures. Largely written by Ron, material such as 'Falling In Love with Myself Again', 'Hasta Manana, Monsieur' and 'Complaints' offered up a weird blend of glam, lyrically sophisticated and occasionally funny UK pop, with an odd show tune move added in for the hell of it. Propelled by Russell's shrill falsetto (check out the stratospheric notes he hit on 'Equator'), these guys were simply unlike anything else around ... imagine 10cc at their weirdest following a weeklong bender on helium whippets and you'd get close. The LP proved a big seller in the UK, where 'This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us' and 'Amateur Hour' were both big radio hits., but in the States it was just too strange to be a major seller (it peaked at # 101 on the US charts).
"Kimono My House" track listing: (side 1) 1.) This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us (Ron Mael) - 3:00 Wow, where to even start with 'This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us' .... Imagine Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' sung by a guy with his balls in a vice while wild west sound effects are splashed in the background (yeah, I know the Queen song came out after this one) ... Nah that doesn't even come close to describing how weird this one was. Frankly I have no idea how to even begin to describe this one. Wikipedia actually has an entry for the song and here's a bit of the write-up: "The original idea for the song was that after each verse Russell would sing a movie dialogue chiche, one of which was "This town ain't big enough for the both of us". They dropped the idea of having different phrases and instead used only the one in the title." As for the strained vocal, Russell's quoted as saying "When he wrote [the song], Ron could only play it in that key [A]. It was so much work to transpose the song and one of us had to budge, so I made the adjustment to fit in. My voice ain't a "rock" voice. It's not soulful, in the traditional rock way; It's not about "guts". It's untrained, unschooled, I never questioned why I was singing high. It just happened, dictated by the songs. Ron has always written Sparks' lyrics and never transposed them into a rock key for me to sing. He always packed each line with words and I had to sing them as they were." So after all of that you're still left wondering what it was about, let alone how the song hit # 2 on the British charts (impossible to imagine that in the States) ... And thanks to YouTube which has a 1974 Beat Club television performance of the track, you can judge it yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBtj2ShktAU rating: *** stars 2.) Amateur Hour (Ron Mael) - 3:24 Musically 'Amateur Hour' was certainly more accessible than the opener with a pounding beat that was perfect for mid-1970s AM radio, though lyrically it was as dense and enigmatic as anything else in their catalog - I'm guessing it was about 1.) frustrations associated with first love, or. 2.) frustrations associated with a strip club ... Gordon turned in some great bass on this one. Again, courtesy of YouTube you can judge it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSOgxD1kgl0 rating: *** stars 3,) Falling In Love with Myself Again (Ron Mael) - 2:59 Hum, imagine Sparks playing um pa pa (complete with a tuba) at a Octoberfest bier garten and you'll get a feel for what this one sounded like ... The self-pleasure lyric was funny and catchy too boot ! rating: **** stars 4.) Here In Heaven (Ron Mael) - 2:40 I remember hearing this one and thinking it sounded a bit like Geddy Lee having decided to abandon progressive rock in favor of British glam. rating: ** stars 5.) Thank God It's Not Christmas (Ron Mael) - 5:00 Wow, 'Thank God It's Not Christmas' may simultaneously be the most anit-Christmas song and the most fey glam song ever recorded. Not that there's anything wrong with fey ... and it had one of those melodies that snuck into your head and simply would not leave. rating: *** stars
(side 2) 1.) Hasta Manana, Monsieur (Russell Mael - Ron Mael) - 3:23 Kind of funny hearing 'Hasta Manana, Monsieu' again since our seven year old starts Spanish class tomorrow ... hopefully he'll be more proficient than the Maels. Another quirky pop track that should appeal to 10cc fans out there. Great one to hear Russell using his best British accent ... you'd never have guessed he was originally from LA. rating: **** stars 2.) Talent Is An Asset (Ron Mael) - Musically 'Talent Is An Asset' started out with the album's most conventional melody, though it quickly turned typically Mael quirky. Once again Gordon's inventive bass carried the day. rating: **** stars 3.) Complaints (Ron Mael) - 2:45 Everything I said about the previous song applies to 'Complaints' ... Actually, this one had a better chorus which for some reason has always reminded me of something The Sweet might have recorded. Adrian Fisher also used the song to turn in his best solo. rating: **** stars 4.) In My Family (Russell Mael - Ron Mael) - 3:11 The first couple of times I heard it 'In My Family' irritated me beyond description. Still not my favorite, but it's better than 'Equator'. rating: ** stars 5.) Equator (Ron Mael) - 4:38 'Equator' has always struck me as the album's weal link - I can deal with the pseudo-cabaret feel, but this time around Russell's falsetto was outright painful and the a cappella chant at the end of the song seems endless, almost like there's a skip in the vinyl .... How could anyone sing that high ??? rating: * star
In the UK the album spun off two big radio hits:
- 1974's 'This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us' b/w 'Barbecutie' (Island catalog number WIP 6193) - 1974's 'Amateur Hour' b/w 'Lost and Found' (Island catalog number WIP 6203)
Yeah, there's no way this one's going to appeal to everyone, but if you're willing to try something a little bit different ... this is definitely a good place to start checking out Sparks.
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Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Propaganda Company: Island Catalog: ILPS-9312 Year: 1974 Country/State: Los Angeles, California Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: original lyric inner sleeve; minor ring wear Available: 2 Catalig ID: 1509 Price: $15.00
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As challenging as "Kimono My House" was to my ears, 1974's follow-up "Propaganda" was an even bigger challenge. The funny thing is the two albums weren't all that different; sharing Muff Winwood in the producers seat and featuring pretty much the same band line-up (guitarist Trevor White overlapping with Adrian Fisher) . Still, given how many folks adore 'Kimono', even more seem consider this one of their "desert island" picks ... while I can now at least sit through the whole collection, the thought of being stuck with it on a desert island play list is ... well., not something I would look forward to. S, I'll readily admit these guys were incredibly clever, out-10cc-ing Eric Stewart and company in the lyrics department with tunes about topics like catching a cold, Noah's Ark, pedophilia, and gawd knows what else. Having the lyrics printed on the inner sleeve helped, but only so much. Who wanted to feel like they were taking a final exam while listening to a pop record ? Musically this one was also a challenge. Opening up with a brief snippet of Gilbert and Sullivan-styled opera, much of this collection struck me as blending the worst aspects of glam, Queen, and light opera. Yes, I actually enjoyed a couple of the tunes - 'BC' was a blast, but most of the set left me lukewarm. The Maels almost sounded like they were trying too hard to be clever. 'Course the alternative is that I'm simply too dense to know a good thing.
"Propaganda" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Propaganda (Ron Mael) - 0:20 So starting out the album with a twenty second segment of what sounded like a lost section from Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance (recorded under the influence of a helium overdose), left me totally befuddled. Anyone interested can find the full two and a half minute segment on line. Oh, did I mention Russell sang the whole thing in a cappella ? I have no idea why, but Island decided to release this a French single:
- 1974's 'Propaganda / At Home, at Work, at Play' b/w 'Marry Me' (Island catalog number 6138 061) YouTube has a clip of the band performing the song and 'At Home, at Work, at Play': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m7pHAF86dU rating: ** stars 2.) At Home, at Work, at Play (Ron Mael) - 3:07 So
if you ever wondered where Freddy Mercury and company came up with the
inspiration for 'A Night At the Opera' and all of the copycat follow-ons,
I'd suggest taking a listen to
'At Home, at Work, at Play'.
You're liable to quickly recognize the similarities - though the Maels
recorded this some two years before Queen got around to
"borrowing" it. How to describe it? A continuation of the
opener with the band kicking in ? Operatic rock ? With
a lyric that seemed to have something to do with almost irrational
infatuation for a woman, you almost had to wonder if Ron did this just to
see if Russell could actually get all those words out with collapsing from
exhaustion. Easy
to see why the band didn't want to perform it live for a long
time. rating:
*** stars Musically
'Reinforcements' was about as straightforward and commercial as Sparks got -
which wasn't really saying a great deal. Actually it had a
surprisingly radio-friendly pop melody, though after all these years the
lyrics remain an enigma to me. rating:
*** stars This
is one of those songs that's always drive me crazy. On the surface
it's an annoying slice of English musical hall-meets Gilbert and Sullivan
opera, with some Queen thrown in the mix. The lyric seemingly having to do
with a husband trying to keep his family together (Aaron, Betty, and
Charlie) was annoying, annoying, annoying. And then you realize the
stupid thing has penetrated your frontal lobe and won't leave. I don't
know who to blame - Russell's insidious simplistic keyboard riff, or Ron's
goofball glam-overdose delivery. To this day 'BC' remains in
Sparks' concert repertoire and as a result there are dozens of live
performances of the tune on YouTube. In spite of Russell's Christmas
sweater, gloves and scarf, this link takes you to what is probably the best
of the lot. The performance was filmed for German Musik Laden
television show. Judging by Russell's hair and Ron's mustache, I'm
guessing it was amid-'70s performance. Love it when the German
audience starts to applaud at the end of the first verse and Russell tells
them it isn't the end of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoA1oQZyjUI
rating: **** stars Alvin
and the Chipmunks decide they want to have a mid-'70s glam hit ?
One of their best radio-friendly melodies, though I will say that as a
parent the lyrics (apparently about child predators), were truly
disturbing. YouTube has a brief clip of the band lip-synching
the song for what appears to be a television show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrJWkm-RjXM
rating *** stars Another tune where the mash-up of operetta and glam rock motifs sounds like it might have influenced Freddy Mercury and company. Nice tune to hear what a talented guitarist Trevor White was. rating: **** stars
(side 2) 1.) Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth (Ron Mael) - 2:28 My goodness they were so weird ... Who knew they had an ecological tune in their repertoire ? Russell reaching into the falsetto range with Rom pawing away at synthesizers. At least White turned in a decent guitar solo. The tune was tapped as a British single:
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1974's 'Never Turn
Your Back on Mother Earth'' b/w 'Alabamy
Right' (Island catalog
number WIP 6211) YouTube has another clip of the band
performing the tune for German television. Wonder what the audience
thought of Ron's Hitler mustache ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y4W9yVA00c
. rating: ***
stars It was bouncy and pseudo-operatic, but hearing Russell pull out his whippet-powered falsetto will either fascinate you, or send you funning for the stop button. At least White turned in a decent guitar solo. Maybe because it was such a strange tune, it was tapped as the second British single: - 1975's 'Something for the Girl With Everything b/w 'Marry Me' (Island catalog number WIP 6221) YouTube
has a clip of the band lip-synching the tune for the Dutch TopPop television
show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F46B4d1j28c
rating: *** stars Funny how 'Achoo' sounded like it might actually be a normal pop song, and I guess a song seemingly about catching a cold was fairly mainstream for the Maels. It certainly had a bouncy melody; the 'achoo' refrain was funny, and Russell kept his vocal gymnastics to a minimal. With respect to what the song was about ... beats the crap out of me. Gawd only knows why, but this was the song Island decided to release as a US single: - 1975's 'Achoo' b/w 'Something For The Girl With Everything' (Island catalog number IS 023) The
sound and video quality aren't great, but YouTube has a September, 1975
performance of the tune at Fairfield Halls, Croydon.
Surprisingly young crowd, though that didn't stop Russell from pulling out
his best Jagger stage moves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx3vSmP7Qq8
rating: *** stars Bouncy,
English pop-glam tune. Wonder how many of their fans realized they
were actually from Los Angeles. Not sure what the screeching
kids chorus was about. rating:
*** stars Noah gathering up animal life and ditching the rest of humanity ? Well it was a pretty melody and if you could overlook the fact the title was repeated about a zillion times, it sounded a bit like 10cc on a whippet bender. rating: **** stars
Given how non-mainstream the Maels were, the collection actually proved a decent seller in the States, eventually hitting # 63 on the album charts. It went top-10 in the UK.
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