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 towards new wave/synth-pop; "When I'm With You", which made the Australian and French Singles Charts in 1980; the single " I Predict", which provided Sparks' first appearance on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching No. 60 in May 1982; the 1983 single " Cool Places" with the Go-Go's rhythm guitarist and vocalist Jane Wiedlin, and "When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way', which was the top airplay record in Germany for 1994.

Their frequently changing styles and visual presentations have kept the band at the forefront of modern, artful pop music. The 2002 release of '' Lil' Beethoven'', the duo's self-proclaimed "genre-defining opus", fused repetitive song structures with orchestral arrangements, and brought them renewed critical success. In 2015, the band released an album with Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, as the supergroup FFS, titled '' FFS''. In 2017, returning to a rock-group format, Sparks released ''Hippopotamus'', which entered the UK Albums Chart at no. 7, as did their next album, '' A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip'', released in 2020, bringing their tally of UK Top 10 albums to four. In 2021, Sparks were involved in two films: the Leos Carax musical film ''Annette'' for which they wrote all songs (winning the César Award for Best Original Music), and the Edgar Wright documentary ''The Sparks Brothers'' recounting the history of the band.

History

Inception

Brothers Ron and Russell Mael grew up in Pacific Palisades, in west Los Angeles County, California,
*
*
*
during the "Golden Age" of the LA club scene, when the Doors, the Standells, and Love played the Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Strip and the Beach Boys played in the late afternoon at '' Teen-Age Fair'' at ''Pickwick Recreation Center'' in Burbank, California.

Both Ron and Russell Mael are seen in the audience during the Ronettes' section of the concert film '' The Big T.N.T. Show'', filmed in 1966. Both attended UCLA, Ron studying cinema and graphic art and Russell, theatre arts and filmmaking. Detesting the folk music scene, which they considered "cerebral and sedate and we had no time for that", they developed a particular taste in English bands of the time such as the Who, Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd, the Kinks and the Move, which led to their description of themselves as "Anglophiles".

Their very first recordings were made under the name of "Urban Renewal Project", on January 14, 1967, at the Fidelity Recording Studios in Hollywood. Four tracks were recorded with married couple Fred and Ronna Frank, who were close friends of the Maels at the time. Other members of the band were 16-year old drummer Raymond Clayton and 22-year old Harold Zellman on bass guitar. Ron was considered the lead guitarist and Russell was the singer. He also played the tambourine and harmonica. The songs were pressed on two acetates and have never been released, apart from the track "Computer Girl", which was featured on a CD included with the Japanese semi-biography from 2006 and more widely released on the ''Past Tense'' greatest hits album in 2019. The other three tracks were entitled "The Windmill", "A Quick Thought" and "As You Like It". Of all four songs, "Computer Girl" was the least traditional. Russell plays pan flute on "A Quick Thought".

1968-1973: ''Halfnelson''

After the breakup of Urban Renewal Project, the Maels put out a call for a guitar player on their university's (UCLA) bulletin board and one Earle Mankey responds. Although Mankey is not a great musician, he turns out to be a real talent in recording techniques and they start writing and recording avant-garde-like songs. A demo album is recorded in 1969, with the help of Surly Ralph Oswald on bass and John Mendelssohn on drums. Due to Oswald's frequent absence, Russell Mael plays bass on most of the 12 tracks. In the absence of a decent drum kit, cardboard boxes are used and Earle Mankey can indulge in all kinds of strange recording techniques that give the album a very interesting and striking sound.https://www.fanmael.nl/halfnelson-demo-album

The recording is financed by manager Michael Berns and a few copies are pressed on vinyl and in a cover designed by Ron Mael, the album is sent to all known American record companies with an enclosed contract and the request to sign on the dotted line. There is no positive response whatsoever and Oswald and Mendelssohn are thanked for their services. They will later form the band Christopher Milk and the latter will also release an EP under the name John Mendelsohn's The Pitt. He is still active as a musician and lives in England.

Meanwhile, Russell gets to know one of the members of the GTOs: Miss Christine. They become friends and she is very impressed by the song "Roger" on the demo album. She advises Russell to send a copy of the album to her friend Todd Rundgren and he, along with his friend Thaddeus James Lowe, decides to fly to Los Angeles to meet Halfnelson. After this meeting, he wants to produce their first album, which is called "Halfnelson" for short. Through his contacts with Bearsville Records, he manages to get a record deal for the eccentric trio. Earle's brother, Jim Mankey, is recruited on bass and Harley Feinstein, who also studies at UCLA, is the drummer. Halfnelson appears in January 1971 and sells only a few hundred copies.

After renaming themselves Sparks in 1972, a play on the Marx Brothers, the album was then re-released by Bearsville Records in 1972 as Sparks. 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 Club in London, These London appearances helped them to secure a significant cult following.

1973-1976: The Island Record Years

Relocating to England in 1973 with a new manager, John Hewlett, founder of John's Children, and a deal from Island Records, thanks in part to the exposure garnered by their BBC Two ''Whistle Test'' performance, they placed an ad in music weekly ''Melody Maker'' ("Wanted bass player for Sparks. Must be beard free and exciting") and through this hired Martin Gordon. With Adrian Fisher on guitar and Norman "Dinky" Diamond on drums, in the midst of power cuts and a threatened vinyl shortage, they recorded their breakthrough ''Kimono My House'' in 1974, scoring a No. 2 hit with the single "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us".

Sparks became a UK teen sensation appearing on the cover of ''Melody Maker'', ''Record Mirror'' and countless other pop magazines in the UK and Europe. Hits such as "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", "Amateur Hour" and " Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" led to many appearances on the BBC
...