Ah, the curse of the innovator!Sparks(Ron & Russell Mael) are one of those bands that always seemed to be a few years ahead of their time.Their grandiose,opera-tinged epic-rock sound was a profound influence on Queen(who once opened for Sparks).Rock fans cried foul when the duo teamed up with Giorgio Moroder and future Billy Idol hitmaker Keith Forsey in 1977 for ‘No. 1 in Heaven’, the blueprint for Soft Cell and like-minded synth-and-vocal duos who clogged the charts a few years later​.Cheap Trick doubled Sparks’ hunky-rock guy /irritated boffin image to great success, and Morrissey,Siouxsie & the Banshees,Depeche Mode and countless others have covered their songs.Despite the odd chart hit ‚the band remain largely a cult item in their native America.
After two little-heard albums for Bearsville,the Todd Rundgren-produced “Sparks”* and the follow-up,“A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing”(Helmed by Electric Prunes singer James Thaddeus-Lowe!),the Los Angeles-bred Anglophiles headed for England and signed with Island Records,who would release what are considered by many to be the bands’ best three albums.
The first of these,‘Kimono My House’(geddit?) kicks off in high style with “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us”.A soothing piano fade-in and Russell’s sotto vocal are rudely interrupted by an alarming
pick-slide.Dive-bombing sideways gtr’n’bass riffs and dizzying turnarounds underscore a showdown between two rivals both intent on winning the same girl.Ron’s lyrics are hilarious,full of clever twists and bad puns-remarkable for such a young writer.
Next up is ‘Amateur Hour’, a sprightly number that uses a talent show as a metaphor for sexual awakening:
“Girls grow tops to go topless in
While we sit and count the hairs that blossom from our chins
Our voices change at a rapid pace
I could start a song a tenor and then end as bass”
Brilliant!
“Falling In Love With Myself Again” is a study in narcissism set to a bombastic waltz.Dinky Diamond(the best-named drummer ever!) excels.
‘Here in Heaven’ is a twist on the Romeo and Juliet theme,only here Juliet has broken her end of the bargain and poor Romeo is stuck in heaven without her.Once again,Russell astounds with his multi-octave vocal calisthenics.
‘Thank God It’s Not Christmas’ is up next and possibly the band’s finest moment.The oblique lyrics only add to the songs’ power.Dig the way the opening riff is re-cast in the songs’ third verse.
Side two kicks off with ‘Hasta Manana Monsieur’.Russell tries in vain to communicate with a non-English-speaking girl with predictably tragic results,buoyed by castanets and Leslied guitar.
A young Albert Einstein’s doting parents are portrayed in ‘Talent is an Asset’.The multi-layered vocals are truly astounding.It’s followed by ‘Complaints’ and ‘In My Family’, two of the albums’ less remarkable numbers, and finally ‘Equator’, a tale of a jilted lover left standing with hands full of wilted roses and melted chocolate.The song spirals ever downward,finally breaking down to just honking sax and Russell’s haunting falsetto.
‘Kimono My House’ has everything you’d ever want in a rock album-great songwriting,witty lyrics,stellar musicianship,and a ginchy cover to boot,Every home should have a copy.
*Sparks were originally called Halfnelson.Their debut was originally released under this name with a different cover.