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Kimono My House
''Kimono My House'' is the third studio album by American rock band Sparks, released on May 1, 1974 by Island Records. The album is considered to be their commercial breakthrough, and was met with widespread acclaim. Preceded by the single "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", ''Kimono My House'' peaked at No. 4 in the UK and No. 101 in the US. Retrospectively, ''Kimono My House'' is considered one of Sparks's best works and one of the best glam rock albums. History In 1973, prior to the recording of the album, the brothers Ron and Russell Mael had accepted an offer to relocate to the United Kingdom in order to participate in the glam rock scene. The previous lineup consisting of Earle Mankey, James Mankey and Harley Feinstein was replaced with British musicians: Martin Gordon, Adrian Fisher and Norman "Dinky" Diamond joined the band to play bass, guitar and drums respectively. The group signed a record contract with Island Records and recorded ''Kimono My House'' in 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sparks (band)
Sparks is an American pop and rock duo formed by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals) in Los Angeles. The duo is noted for their quirky approach to songwriting; their music is often accompanied by sophisticated and acerbic lyrics—often about women, and sometimes containing literary or cinematic references-- and an idiosyncratic, theatrical stage presence, typified by the contrast between Russell's animated, hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's deadpan scowling. Russell Mael has a distinctive wide-ranging voice, while Ron Mael plays keyboards in an intricate and rhythmic style. They have been much more successful in Europe than in their native U.S., though they maintain a loyal cult following in the States. Career highlights include "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 1974; the disco hit "The Number One Song in Heaven" in 1979, resulting from a collaboration with Giorgio Moroder and marking a stylistic shift ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Propaganda (Sparks Album)
''Propaganda'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Sparks, released on November 11, 1974. Following up their previous year's commercial breakthrough, Kimono My House, it was a moderate success in the United States and peaked at No. 9 in the U.K. in 1975. The album cover features an image of a tied-up and gagged Mael brothers, titled "Welcome on Board," which was taken by photographer Monty Coles. Release The album followed its predecessor ''Kimono My House'' by half a year and was a successful album in the UK and US. It peaked at No. 9 on the UK Album Chart(which would remain their second highest album chart position in the UK for nearly 43 years until pushed down into third place by ''Hippopotamus'' in 2017) and No. 63 on the ''Billboard'' 200 (and remains their highest peak in that country). The singles " Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" and "Something for the Girl with Everything", while not as successful as those from ''Kimono My House'' both reached the Top ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Come On-a My House
"Come On-a My House" is a song performed by Rosemary Clooney and originally released in 1951. It was written by Ross Bagdasarian and his cousin, Armenian-American Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Saroyan, while driving across New Mexico in the summer of 1939. The melody is based on an Armenian folk song. The lyrics reference traditional Armenian customs of inviting over relatives and friends and providing them with a generously overflowing table of fruits, nuts, seeds, and other foods. It was not performed until the 1950 off-Broadway production of ''The Son''. The song did not become a hit until the release of Clooney's recording. It was probably Saroyan's only effort at popular songwriting, and it was one of Bagdasarian's few well-known works that was not connected to his best-known creation, Alvin and the Chipmunks. Bagdasarian, as David Seville, went on to much fame with his Chipmunks recordings. Rosemary Clooney's original hit version The song was first performed duri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roy Wood
Roy Wood (born 8 November 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the Move, Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a number of hits to the repertoire of these bands. Altogether he had more than 20 singles in the UK Singles Chart under various guises, including three UK No. 1 hits. The BBC has described Wood as being "responsible for some of the most memorable sounds of the Seventies" and "credited as playing a major role in the glam rock, psychedelic and prog rock movements". In 2008, Wood was awarded an honorary doctorate for his contribution to rock and pop by the University of Derby. In 2015, his long and eclectic career was recognised with the "Outer Limits" award at the Progressive Music Awards in London. Wood was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 as a member of Electric Light Orchestra. Career Early years Roy Wood was born on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norman "Dinky" Diamond
Norman Victor "Dinky" Diamond (15 December 1950 – 10 September 2004) was a British drummer who played with the rock band Sparks at the height of their fame in the UK in the early 1970s, playing on the albums ''Kimono My House'' (1974), ''Propaganda'' (1974) and '' Indiscreet'' (1975). In 1975 Diamond was voted Drummer of the Year in a poll held by Premier Drums. He committed suicide by hanging in 2004 after a long-running dispute with noisy neighbours. Early years Born in Aldershot in Hampshire, the son of Isabella (née Copland) and Albert Victor Diamond, Norman Diamond gained the nickname "Dinky" as a child because of his small stature. He had three sisters, Maureen, Daphne and Margaret and a brother, David and attended St. Michael's Church of England Secondary School in Aldershot. A self-taught drummer, Diamond played in a variety of local bands including Sound of Time in his native town while working in electrical distribution. Sparks 1973-1975 Founding members of Spa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adrian Fisher (musician)
Adrian Fisher (2 September 1952 – 31 March 2000) was an English guitarist and member of the band Toby (a spin off from the band Free), Sparks and Boxer. Fisher played on Sparks' first two albums under Island Records, ''Kimono My House'' and ''Propaganda''. Prior to joining Sparks, Fisher was a member of Free bassist Andy Fraser's band Toby (with drummer Stan Speake), and briefly joined (former Skid Row) bassist Brush Shiels in the short-lived Brush. Fisher joined Sparks in 1973 and recorded the ''Kimono My House'' album in that year, along with Martin Gordon (bass) and Dinky Diamond (drums). He performed live with Sparks during the ''Kimono My House'' tour of the UK in 1974. Following his dismissal from Sparks, Fisher joined Mike Patto's band Boxer in 1977, recording the album '' Absolutely'' for Epic Records. Other members of the band were ex- Grease Band keyboard player Chris Stainton, ex-Vanilla Fudge/Cactus bassist Tim Bogert, and drummer Eddie Tuduri. Fisher also join ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Gordon
Martin Gordon (born 3 May 1954) is an English musician who plays bass guitar, double bass, and piano. After a long period as band member and session musician, he embarked on a solo career in 2004. His most recent album release was in 2021. Biography Martin Gordon was born in Ipswich, and grew up Hitchin, Hertfordshire. He studied piano and classical guitar as a child, attended summer schools hosted by the British National Jazz Youth Orchestra, where he took lessons from Nucleus bassist Jeff Clyne and later studied harmony and counterpoint. Gordon began his musical career in the 1970s with the Californian pop brothers Ron Mael and Russell Mael in Sparks, who were seeking a bassist after their relocation to the UK. Gordon played with Sparks on the album ''Kimono My House'', which featured his trademark Rickenbacker 4001 bass. " This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us" and "Amateur Hour" were UK hits from that album. "This Town..." made No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Mankey
James Andrew Mankey (born May 23, 1952 in Washington) is an American rock guitarist, most widely known as the co-founder and longtime guitarist of the band Concrete Blonde. Mankey was also the bassist with the band Sparks for their first two albums. He is the brother of musician and record producer Earle Mankey Earle Mankey (sometimes misspelled "Earl" in credits) (born March 8, 1947, in Washington, United States) is an American musician, record producer and audio engineer. He was a founding member and guitarist for the band Halfnelson, later called Sp .... In 2003, Mankey released ''J.A.M.'', a solo instrumental album. References External linksOfficial Concrete Blonde website 1952 births Living people American rock guitarists Sparks (band) members Concrete Blonde members {{US-guitarist-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earle Mankey
Earle Mankey (sometimes misspelled "Earl" in credits) (born March 8, 1947, in Washington, United States) is an American musician, record producer and audio engineer. He was a founding member and guitarist for the band Halfnelson, later called Sparks. He became a record producer, predominantly for Los Angeles area bands like The Pop, 20/20, The Runaways, Concrete Blonde, Jumpin' Jimes, The Long Ryders, The Three O'Clock, The Tearaways, The Conditionz, Adicts, Durango 95,Leslie Pereira and The Lazy Heroes, and Kristian Hoffman. He is the brother of Concrete Blonde guitarist James Mankey. Mankey's route into studio work began formally with the demo recordings he engineered for Halfnelson. Using two stereo reel-to-reel tape recorders (a Sony quarter-inch and a Panasonic quarter-inch) he painstakingly built up the tracks by recording onto the first recorder then playing the results back into the second recorder along with a simultaneous performance either by himself on guitar or Ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glam Rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diverse sources across music and throwaway pop culture, ranging from bubblegum pop and 1950s rock and roll to cabaret, science fiction, and complex art rock.P. Auslander, ''Performing Glam Rock: Gender and Theatricality in Popular Music'' (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2006), , pp. 57, 63, 87 and 141. The flamboyant clothing and visual styles of performers were often camp or androgynous, and have been described as playing with other gender roles. Glitter rock was a more extreme version of glam rock. The UK charts were inundated with glam rock acts from 1971 to 1975. The March 1971 appearance of T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan on the BBC's music show ''Top of the Pops'', wearing glitter and satins, is often cited as the beginning of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russell Mael
Russell Craig Mael (born October 5, 1948) is an American singer best known as the lead singer for the band Sparks which he formed in 1971 with his elder brother Ron Mael. Mael is known for his wide vocal range, in particular his far-reaching falsetto. He has a flamboyant and hyperactive stage presence which contrasts sharply with Ron Mael's deadpan scowling. The band released an album with British rock band Franz Ferdinand, as the supergroup FFS, titled '' FFS'', released in 2015. The Mael brothers are the founders of Lil' Beethoven Records. Early life Russell Craig Mael was born on October 5, 1948, in Los Angeles, California. The Mael brothers grew up in Pacific Palisades – a relatively affluent suburb of Los Angeles – with their father Meyer, who was a graphic designer and caricaturist for the ''Hollywood Citizen-News'', and their mother, Miriam (''née'' Moskowitz), a librarian. Both Meyer and Miriam were the children of Jewish immigrants, Meyer of Austrian and Russia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ron Mael
Ronald David Mael (born August 12, 1945) is an American musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is the keyboard player and principal songwriter in the band Sparks which he founded with vocalist, occasional songwriter and younger brother Russell Mael in 1971. Mael is known for his quirky and idiosyncratic approach to songwriting, his intricate and rhythmic keyboard playing style and for his deadpan and low key, scowling demeanour onstage often remaining motionless over his keyboard in sharp contrast to Russell's animated and hyperactive frontman antics. Ron Mael is also noted for his conservative clothes and unfashionable moustache. The Mael brothers are the founders of Lil' Beethoven Records. Early life Ronald David Mael was born on August 12, 1945, in Culver City, California. The Mael brothers grew up in Pacific Palisades – an affluent beach neighborhood of Los Angeles – with their father, Meyer Mael, who was a graphic designer and caricaturist for the ''Hol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
