''A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing'' is the second studio album by the

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rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Sparks Sparks may refer to: Places *Sparks, Georgia * Sparks, Kansas *Sparks, Kentucky *Sparks, Maryland * Sparks, Nebraska *Sparks, Nevada *Sparks, Oklahoma *Sparks, Texas * Sparks, Bell County, Texas * Sparks, West Virginia Books * ''Sparks'' (Raffi ...

. It was released in 1973 and includes the single "Girl from Germany". It was the last release by the original five-member incarnation of Sparks. The album was recorded and mixed at ID Sound at La Brea and Walley Heider Studios, and produced by Thaddeus James Lowe, then

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

's engineer and former lead singer of

The Electric Prunes The Electric Prunes are an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. Much of the band's music was, as music historian Richie Unterberger described it, possessed of "an eerie and sometimes anguished ambiance." T ...

. Receiving mixed to positive reviews, it was originally released as an LP in January 1973. The artwork was photographed by Larry DuPont and Ron Mael.

Release

''A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing'' was released in February 1972. It was not very successful and did not reach the ''Billboard'' 200 in the US. After the group's surprise success in the UK, "Girl from Germany" was belatedly released as a single there but did not chart. The album did, however, lead to a tour of the United Kingdom, including a residency at the Marquee in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, which, despite much heckling during performances, helped them to secure a significant cult following. An appearance on the

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

's ''

Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC Two, BBC2 from 1971 ...

'' led to wider interest, regardless of a cold reception from the show's host Bob Harris.

Re-issue

''A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing'' has been re-released numerous times since 1972. It is often packaged with its predecessor ''

''. One such re-issue was released in 1975 to capitalize on the group's success in the UK. This version was titled ''2 Originals of Sparks'' and was packaged as a double-LP in a gatefold sleeve with a 14-page booklet. In 1988, the album was first issued on CD, again in tandem with the first Sparks album, but in order to fit both programs within the constraints of a single disc, the last four tracks of the album were mastered at a higher speed than on the original LP, shortening the running time to 39:27. Though the album has subsequently been reissued in a standalone format, including the most recent reissue on Rhino Encore, released in 2008, the sped-up master has continued to be used.

Reception

''A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing'' received mixed to positive reviews by the majority of critics.

Track listing

Personnel

;Sparks *

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 fa ...

- vocals *

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 ...

- keyboards *

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 ...

- guitar *

Jim 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 alb ...

- bass * Harley Feinstein - drums

References

External links

Sparks – The "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing" album files
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woofer in Tweeters Clothing, A Sparks (band) albums 1973 albums Bearsville Records albums Repertoire Records albums Wounded Bird Records albums Victor Entertainment albums