Sparks

Sparks is an American rock and pop music band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals), initially under the name Halfnelson. They soon came to the attention of producer Todd Rundgren, who got them signed. Their debut sold poorly, but after switching labels 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, despite much heckling during performances, helped them to secure a significant cult following. An appearance on the BBC Television’s Old Grey Whistle Test led to wider interest regardless of a cold reception from the show’s host Bob Harris. Relocating to England in 1973 with a new manager, John Hewlett, founder of John’s Children, they placed an ad in music weekly Melody Maker (”Wanted bass player for Sparks. Must be beard free and exciting”). They hired Martin Gordon, 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” which led to an appearance on the BBC’s flagship music show Top of the Pops. They recorded 3 albums while in England. ”Indiscreet” was prduced by Tony Visconti. In ‘76 they returned to LA and made one of their first forays into the movie business, making a cameo appearance in the disaster film Rollercoaster, after Kiss turned down the roles.

Sparks “Mickey Mouse” live (on SNL?)

By 1979, tired of the rock band format and determined to take their music in a more electronic direction, Sparks teamed up with Giorgio Moroder, and created No. 1 In Heaven, an album which would not only redefine the Sparks sound but would challenge the concept of what it means to be a “band” (heavily influencing Depeche Mode, New Order, and Pet Shop Dicks. Still, they soon found the electronic equipment they had adopted for their new sound too cumbersome to tour with, and they returned to the more traditional band format for their next three releases, Whomp That Sucker, Angst In My Pants and Sparks in Outer Space. They finally broke into the US singles charts with “Cool Places” from 1983’s …Outer Space. The track was a collaboration with Go-Go Jane Wiedlin, who, at one time, ran her own Sparks fanclub.

“Tips For Teens”

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

July 15th, 2008 - Posted in Music Time, Uncategorized | | 0 Comments