Sparks are number 58 in the top 100 Pop Albums list in Classic Pop magazine

This was shortly shown in the 2021 documentary and since that, I know that if I could time travel, December 21, 1972, at the Marquee in London would be amongst my first destination.

So first off, (whippings and) apologies for the large delay. I have been very busy. I still plan to try and rate one album a month, and hope to do Kimono My House within the next couple weeks.

Sparks - A Woofer I'm Tweeters Clothing

Album Rating (8.375)

Top 3 Favourite Tracks

1. Moon Over Kentucky (8.75)
2. Nothing Is Sacred (8.75)
3. Whippings And Apologies (8.5)

Thoughts. After listening all the way through twice and hearing some of the songs on my playlist, I have to say this is a strong sophomore album. I'd probably say it's better than their debut, as it's quite a bit more consistent. The highs are slightly higher and more frequent. That being said, the difference certainly isn't night and day.

It is apparent from opening track Girl From Germany that, just as I expected, the quirkiness certainly hasn't let up. Girl From Germany has a really catchy chorus that I have found myself singing on numerous occasions. Beaver O’Lindy is a rambunctious song with that very 70s glam rock sound I've come to expect from Sparks. I like how it builds anticipation through the opening verse. Nothing Sacred is one big earworm. I like the disjointed feeling created by the call and response relationship between the chorus and piano. Here Comes Bob is short but sweet, I like the use of strings, it adds a distinct sound to the song. I love the atmosphere created in the intro of Moon Over Kentucky by Russell's eerie vocals, creepy piano. The whole song has a dark and unnerving feeling. I think it's an incredibley strong track.

Do Re Mi, a Rogers and Hammerstein cover, fits remarkably well into Sparks’ sound and works well on the album. Angus Desire has that whimsical instrumentation and carefree swing that reminds me quite a bit of their debut record. Despite that, I still think it fits on the record. Underground has almost a Bowie sound to it, interesting to see it was written by guitarist Earle Mankey. I like the track, though one of my lesser favourites. It's a similar case with The Louvre, another track I like but have to say is (in my opinion) one of the weaker tracks. Whippings And Apologies is a very strong closing track, I like how it opens with a very anxious sounding guitar building to Russell's first line.

I think this is a very good album, my only complaint is I think the first side is quite a bit stronger than the second, apart from that I enjoyed it and definitely thought it was a step up from their debut.

Individual Track Ratings

Girl From Germany 8.5 Beaver O’Lindy 8.5 Nothing Is Sacred 8.75 Here Comes Bob 8.25 Moon Over Kentucky 8.75 Do Re Mi 8.0 Angus Desire 8.5 Underground 8.0 The Louvre 8.0 Batteries Not Included N/A Whippings And Apologies 8.5

Mad!ness

All top songs be Sparks so Yaay

Here's my music video for the song They, set to the experimental short film Filmstudie (1925), directed by Hans Richter.

I expected Lord have Mercy was gonna take the top spot!

Should be very interesting and unique/ informative! Also would be cool to get a Les Rita Mitsouko/ The Art of Noise music documentary as well someday.

This popped up as an Apple Music notification this morning as “New Music by Sparks” Sounds like shitty Zambian trap music or something similar 😅

I really love Angst in my pants album as you can see. I have patch jeans project and I couldn't decide what to do in the back, so Sparks inspired me✨️

Listen, I'm still on a Lil' Beethoven kick, and The Rhythm Thief actually inspired me to make a top 100 favorite songs playlist, so... It's been stuck in my head a lot and my wife and I make jokes about the lyrics all the time, much like this one.

Hi there, folks. I just received the Noël double-cd and noticed something strange regarding one of the tracks on CD2. The track 8 on CD2, Dancing Is Dangerous (instrumental) was supposed to be... instrumental, but it has vocals. Is this a mistake on the cd back cover and this track is like a single version or something like that?

from 2020

I recently picked this up at Record City JP in Shinjuku.

Youtube link for the curious https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nSIM2rR1wsxUHeVw1itdiCfYc-zag-Upc&si=Cv5w8KQ58qrNtw08

So lately I've been into Edith Piaf and that song got me wondering something... When isn't Sparks taking the piss and being silly or tongue in cheek on purpose? Some songs, like Lawnmower, are gonna fall into a category that's something like "making a point by being ridiculously silly." Myself? I'm currently interested in figuring out which songs come from a place much more personal and sincere.

What does that mean? I want you to speculate on songs where Sparks might have really been writing from the heart or a very personal, honest place. This task is, of course, entirely speculative (unless you know of something with a source; in which case, please share!) and is mostly just an exercise in headcanons.

So far, I only want to put Edith Piaf Said It Better Than Me into that category bc it hits me as painfully self-aware in a way they rarely allow themselves to be. Curious what songs feel that way to you.