Kimono My House

How does one assess an album by an act as idiosyncratic as Sparks? simple: you listen to Kimono My House, and you conclude that it's great. Job done. Kimono My House is the album that brought the brothers Mael to stardom, and placed them within the glam pantheon. Wonderfully, Sparks has never stopped, and indeed they're enjoying a deserved second flush of critical and commercial success. So how does the album that propelled them to fame affect the listener today? Sparks have one of the most well-developed sense of humour of any band (one aspect of this 1001 album exercise is that it made me realise how important it is for a band to have a sense of humour about them, rather than disappear up their own fundament mewling about how tortured they supposedly are). One must surely delight at the smutty erudition of the lines: You mentioned kant and I was shocked You know, where I come from, none of the girls have such foul tongues The album is festooned with such zingers. The music itself is highly stylised, baroque even, but that's authentically Sparks: Ron and Russell are educated, wry chaps steeped in the history of songwriting, so primitivism would just be an ill-fitting garb for Sparks. Be thankful that Sparks pursue such a singular muse, and that the made a singularly great album as this.

You know how George Costanza said he would drape himself in velvet if it were socially acceptable? This is how I feel about this album. I just want to luxuriate in it all day long. Oh my, yes I'm weird. I have a special fondness for glam-era Mael brothers. Their music is so over the top, exuberant and whimsical. It's the word "dandified" in musical form. Did I also mention it rocks? Of all the band's albums, I think Kimono My House might be my favorite. The quality is consistent throughout and thoroughly entertaining. It’s an album full of fun, campy musical confections, with lush, frolicking arrangements, and a delightful sense of humor. It’s not all for show either; Sparks has real musical chops to back up their showy tendencies. This is an album that’s a pleasure to listen to, on every level. This band loves what they're doing, and it shows. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Falling in Love with Myself Again, Equator, This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us, Barbecutie, Here in Heaven, Lost and Found, Thank God It's Not Christmas, In My Family, Amateur Hour, Talent is an Asset, Complaints, Hasta Manana Monsieur

It's a bad sign when you find yourself checking to see how many songs are left.

This one was incredibly weird for a whole number of reasons (most of which should be pretty obvious if you listen to the album). Another way in how it's weird is how good and interesting and varied the music is under all of the layers of weirdness and showmanship. Most glam rock just tends to be style over substance in my opinion. But these guys manage to do both. Not only does this album sound like it must have been hugely influential for a wide range of new wave, synth pop and rock bands, but it also still sounds really fun and good today on its own merits. I did need a few tracks until I could start to wrap my head around the style and I'm sure it will hit me differently when I listen to it a second time, but I am absolutely going to do just that.

Ah, Sparks. A band where you're aware of how influential they are, and maybe you know a couple of their songs. But then you think about it, or maybe do a bit of research, and suddenly they're everywhere, permeating through western music through the past fifty years. This album is good. Like, really good. But having This Town as the opening track is the icing. Like so many Sparks tracks, it sounds like it could be a novelty record. But it is not. There is lyricism, vocal excellence, tunefulness... It has so much going for it that it's almost impossible to play it down. Let's talk about Russell Mael's vocals. I put the album on while driving, and despite having this song in my life for, well, my whole life, I found myself thinking "Hang on, are Sparks women?". No. Russell Mael just has an absolutely incredible voice. Ron's keyboards are just as good, balancing tune and melody perfectly. I really don't think I can wax effusive about this track enough. The rest of the album doesn't reach the heights of This Town, but in literally any other context they're superb. The brothers Mael are showing off talent by the bucketload, creating a unique sound that endures. On the back of this album selection, I went off and watched The Sparks Brothers documentary, directed by Edgar Wright (my second reference to Wright in my reviews, but this time in an entirely positive way) and was blown away by literally a fifty year ouvre, including of course Johnny Delusional - a track from their 2015 supergroup team up in FFS - which might be one of the best tracks of the 21st century. I'd say listen to this album. Then go off and listen to more Sparks. Excellent.

I refuse to believe that Sparks existed until that documentary came out, and then everyone *pretended* like they’ve just known about them for 40 years. I worked in a record store back home for 7 years with multiple other music snobs. Been surrounded by white hipster douchebag bandmates for 15 years. Nary a *word* of this band’s existence. Then, this documentary comes out, and all of sudden, every fucking jackass I know with a mustache is all, “Oh yeah, Sparks! OBVIOUSLY!” And before I know it, these paid fucking actors have created this elaborate hoax of a *50-year career* that everyone can point to and I DON’T BUY IT. 2.5/5

“Man, this lead singer sure is talented. I wonder what else she’s done…” *One Google search later* “Huh? She’s a DUDE?!” Funny diatribe aside, this album remains one of the most unique listens you’ll hear pertaining to Glam Rock. Specifically, this album is the product of fusing Glam with its similarly grandiose, posturing cousin: progressive rock. Side B may lose a bit of energy, but played together the whole album’s a real treat. A combination of technically skilled musicianship including rhythmic syncopation and cheeky wordplay about love, loss, and family never fail to crack a smile from even a rock. Sing along if you dare. It’s almost as hard as singing along to Peter Hammil. Standout Songs: “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us” “Amateur Hour” “Here in Heaven” “Hasta Mañana, Monsieur”

This sounded like nothing else on the radio in 1974 when I bought this album (they looked like no other band as well). Elements of glam Bowie and Roxy Music, while predating some of the theatricality of Kate Bush. I was all in hook, line and sinker. This is still one of their best. Great melodies (and lots of twists and turns along the way) and very witty lyrics. For me too many highlights to mention, although This Town Isn't Big Enough, Hasta Manana Mousier and Talent Is an Asset are standouts. Loved this in 1974, still do.

When I saw this album I had never heard of last night my first thought was "three star at best", but alas, instead this is probably my favorite album so far. Amazing how an album I've never heard of by a band I've never heard of suddenly becomes one of my favorite things I've listened to in recent memory. Just excellent. The falsetto was a joy to listen to and the energy the album had really scratched that "weird but catchy" itch stuff like Oingo Boingo, Jack Stauber, and even David Bowie hit for me. And the fact this is almost fifty years old makes it all the more impressive.

I honestly have no idea what the fuck is going on.

This is a whimsical, magical album that filled me with joy. I want to eat ice cream with sprinkles while listening to this.

Sparks. The only band that can claim to have been a defining influence on both Queen and the Pet Shop Boys and it not be a ludicrous statement. Since watching Edgar Wright's excellent documentary 'The Sparks Brothers' I've fallen a little bit in love with Russ and Ron Mael. Sparks were my most listened artist on Spotify in 2022. Their innovative, idiosyncratic songs are always unique and often genre creating. I don't love all of their output, but that's the cost of constantly pushing the envelope. When Sparks are good, they are genius and their new music remains fresh, interesting and fun even today, more than half a century after their debut record. This, their 1974 third album, sees Sparks in early career glam rock mode, achieving their objective of being a 'British band'. It opens with their biggest hit, 'This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us', a rousing powerhouse of a song that tells the tale of a series of ridiculous imagined worst case scenarios. The rest of the album is similarly fun, grandiose and quirky. It includes songs about: -falling in love with your doppelganger; -annoyance at having to spend time with your partner over Christmas because all the bars are shut; -Romeo speaking to Juliette from heaven after she broke their pact; -lusting over a tour guide but not being able to converse due to a language barrier; -Albert Einstein and his overly proud parents; and -going to the equator to meet a date but not being able to find her. The mind of Ron Mael is an extraordinary thing, as is the voice of Russ, who's powerful falsetto characterises the album. Overall, this album is weird, over the top and very, very charming. Rating: 5/5 Playlist track: This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us Date listened: 12/07/23

An incredible, fun, campy, glam rock sound. Nothing else like. Russel's performance is awesome!

Strange and unique, but man was this album full of life and exciting new things. Never having heard Sparks before, this was definitely the hook I needed to check out their other music.

Production: 13/20 Songwriting: 15/20 Innovation: 16/20 Bangers: 5/20 Emotional response: 16/20 =65 This was belting fun

Blondie crudites and only on the raw end because I don't think the full new wave repertoire of whizz bangs was available at the time. On this evidence they played a big part in creating them. Glam, camp and archly European in the sense that it made me want to throw on some make up and goose step around the house in a tutu. Like the rest of new wave (though I only have a basic understanding) the formula is that that everything can be a hook.

This try-hard, bad-falsetto, weird-for-the-sake-of-being-weird album full of cut-rate Elton John and Freddie Mercury impressions and discount-bin creeper-ballads for some reason just didn't manage to impress me. It's not even an also-ran with its contemporaries, it's just a bad knock-off.

this album is one i was completely fuckign shocked on. I LOVED it, the music, the lyrics, the feel of it, all of it. it marries some of my top bands like The Darkness, Queen, and even a bit of Plastic Bertrand for good measure. i bought this album immediately, and it's easily top 100 albums

Music not too bad. Vocals suck more than my shop vac

Annoying

Perfect and really fucking unique 5/5.

Oh my gosh, what a perfect (albeit late) Christmas gift! My significant other got assigned this album a few months ago, and we've both been in love with Sparks every since! I adore Russell's voice, so much so that he's one of my favourite vocalists, and Ron's songwriting is amazing and witty, which really shines through on this record. The instrumentation on this is perfect to me. I'm sad that this doesn't have a higher rating, but I do understand that this might not sound good to some people. To me, however, this is a flawless album. It is banger after banger. It might even be my new favourite album, I love it so much. I'm also sad that Sparks doesn't have any more albums on here, but at least they have this one It's incredibly difficult to pick favourites on this album when every song is so amazing, but I'd say my favourite songs were Hasta Manana, Monsieur, Falling In Love With Myself Again, and Equator.

Weird fun vocals awesome guitars. I only knew one track before hearing this “this town ain’t big enough for the both of us” really enjoyed hearing this for the first time

I mean it was alright. Very theatrical. Every song sort of felt like an intro that never went anywhere. It’s was like Rush but without the excellent musicality that makes Rush so good.

Ik heb een nieuwe trend gespot in deze lijst: albums die op mijn zenuwen werken. Dit is daar ook weer een mooi voorbeeld van. Het eerste (bekende) nummer is nog wel geinig maar wat er daarna allemaal langskomt....😬

enjoyed this one quite a bit, pretty vibey.

I have listened to this album a couple of times before and liked it a lot. It's fun, it's powerful, it's creative.

Rollicking good fun, and weird enough to keep my interest the whole time. Fave track - "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both of Us" is an absolute tune. I really liked "Equator" on my last couple of listens, but not sure if it might not get irritating with more listens? Or, it could grown on me further, who knows!

Holy wow- I had never heard of this band before and I'm so glad they popped up!!! Definitely will listen to them more.

this was so awesome <3 felt so creative and fun. catchy as hell. really enjoy this arty/prog/pop rock. felt very 70s. ‘Barbecutie’ COME ON

10/10

WHOA i love all of these

I enjoy Sparks’ manic, frantic, over the top glam rock and this is my favorite record of theirs, but they can be a bit much sometimes.

I'd heard of Sparks from time to time and with that documentary the past year, I saw the name a lot and yet I never checked them out since I always got the impression they were very art rocky and a band that would be tough to get into. I have to say, if the rest of their catalogue is like this album, I was completely wrong. This was absolutely right in my wheelhouse. The melodies were super catchy and I loved the instrumentation, especially those guitars. I will definitely be looking further into their back catalogue.

I remember my older cousins owning this and probably playing it for me when I was a kid. I (re)discovered Sparks in 1997 when they teamed up with Faith No More for This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us, the original of which is on this album. While never a die hard fan, I was aware of what and influence their sound has had on so many other artists. Like many others, my passion for Sparks has been increased in the lead up to the Edgar Wright doco (which I am yet to see) This album is one of their best. Uncomfortable in places it straddles a fine line towards being too wierd. It is weirdness done well, which makes this album so good.

Like a Queen had a breakdown, watched the Rocky horror picture show and wrote some interesting music afterward. Not always to my taste but a unique interesting listen. 3/5

Little compares to the sound of Sparks, mainly due to their constant reinvention. Kimono My House is a fantastic album, perhaps with one of the best openings

Fantastic! Helped me grind out a paper in h2 hours!!

Cool and silly at the same time

Weird as hell but very fun and sonically refreshing

Does it get any more 70's than this? A very ambitious blend of prog, glam and art pop (is art prog a thing?) results in an album that doesn't even sound like it's from earth. It gets a bit too flimsy on the art waltz 'Falling In Love With Myself Again' and 'Talent Is An Asset', but the highlights make this a very enjoyable listen. 'Thank God It's Not Christmas' is one of the greatest titles ever (mostly due a certain Queen song it predated quite a bit), 'Complaints' has some great Supertramp vibes and the catchy 'Equator' lives rent free in my mind, and I don't mind.

Just some good clean fun from beginning to end. How did this manage to sound so exactly like a 70s album while also sounding unlike anything I've ever heard? Chaotic and melodic and anarchic and fun.

Love a bit of glam and enjoyed this madness.

Very theatrical and idiosyncratic. Seems like they inspired a lot of bands to follow.

Word is that this is a big band I should definitely give a shit about, and I don't know what to think! At first I thought it was just completely bonkers, a strange mix of ABBA and like Queen - I don't know! Also, huge plot twist when I found out it wasn't two Japanese women singer and just some bloke. I found some of it quite irritating but it did grow on me. That latter songs were OK. And I guess it was quite fun!

Un album correct de la part d'un groupe composé exclusivement de gros débiles.

Sparks are pioneers. Excited to see the Sparks Documentary directed by Edgar Wright this year.

There’s a lot to unpack here and I can understand how it’s not for everyone but I appreciate the variety and willingness to try something new

Kind of like ABBA, but worse?

Sounds like a mixture between circus music and Queen. Way too sprawling for my taste. I don't think this is objectively bad, it just doesn't suit me the slightest.

Pants

i respect sparks for being fucking mental. however this music is everything shit about the 70s. Falsetto never sounds good but the 70s was fucking dripping in it.

This album is part of a very small exclusive club of albums I just couldn’t bring myself to finish.

Strongly disliked

How does this silly shit make it into a list of the greatest albums of all time? It's an entire album of songs that should have been a jokey hidden track or something. fuck this. 1/5.

Whatever this is, I love it!! 5

Jeg kan vagt huske at have hørt navnet Sparks før, og jeg har helt sikkert hørt This Town Ain’t Big Enough før, men jeg tæller det stadig som en ny opdagelse og nok den bedste, jeg har haft indtil videre. Jeg ville have gættet på, at det her album kom ud i midt-80’erne, lyder virkelig forud for sin tid

Lå og vuppede mellem 4 og 5 men der er jo ingen dårlige sange og det er bare pissekreativt og sjovt. Fremragende plade. Gav mig lyst til at høre hele deres diskografi og se den der Edgar Wright film om dem.

Your favourite bands favourite band. It's insane that this is 50 years old.

- okaaaay, was haben wir denn hier!? - Habe vorher noch nie von Sparks gehört und war skeptisch, als ich Millions Bewertung gesehen hatte.. Aber Holy Shit, was ein geiles Teil! - "This Town Isn't Big Enough For Both Of Us" hat mich direkt richtig abgeholt. - Alles vollkommen schräg, kreativ, progressiv und gleichzeitig sehr schön melodiös. Mit anderen Worten nicht nur artsy der crazy Progressionen wegen, sondern auch interessiert an Melodie. Mag sowas sehr gern. - Vieles hat auch so leichte Varieté Musical Vibes. Das fand ich auch toll. - Ich finde die klingen ein bisschen so, als ob man Rush ein bisschen zu lange allein auf dem Jahrmarkt gelassen hätte. (Als großer Rush Fan ist das ein großes Kompliment). - Ein bisschen hab ich mich auch an ELO erinnert gefühlt (die ich auch liebe). - Fand irgendwie fast jeden Song richtig geil, habe ich gar nicht erwartet und bin schockiert, dass ich vorher nie von denen gehört habe. Mit dem einen David Ackles Album zusammen ist Kimono My House hier wahrscheinlich der größte Überraschungserfolg bei mir. Rating: 4,5/5

I am just completely baffled as to how I have never even heard OF this. I feel like I’m in a weird alternate universe and I’m questioning everything I think I know. I get that this isn’t for everyone, but shouldn’t it be one of the most frequently mentioned albums of all time? I think I’m in shock.

Honestly one of my most pleasant surprises on here. Very theatrical, very glam, very hooky, with some lovely proggy influences sprinkled in there.

Didn’t know what to expect from the album cover, but this is really good. Russell’s range is incredible. Very fun listen.

A masterpiece!

Exuberant silly fun. Opens super strongly with "This Town" and "Amateur Hour". The rest is great, but not quite at that level. Still, into five star territory, I think.

My what a discovery - a favourite band I didn’t know existed - a hint of B-52s, Kate Bush, Devo and Adam and the Ants. The opener is perfect but the rest of the record keeps up the momentum and it’s a lovely discovery for me.

Brilliant album

Enjoyed it a lot. Fun 70s rock

Daring, ambitious, surprising and delightful. Up there with Bowie and Queen imho 4.85

The band that should've been as big as Bowie and Queen

Unhinged maximalist brilliance.

Practically a 5 for Side A alone. I loved that for how gaudy and eccentric the glam rock style is, it's still very well structured and well made. I was worried after hearing the first track on my discover and enjoying it back then that it would be a bit of a one trick/style over substance album. I was pleasantly surprised to find it exceeding my expectations. I loved the guitar and keyboard in this album. In fact they would be the highlight for me if it weren't for the ridiculous vocals from singer Russel Mael. I was shocked to realize that not only were all of the vocals, both lead and backing lines performed by one person. But that it was a dude? This guy has incredible vocal range. Side B was perhaps not as good as A in my opinion but was still pretty great, with standouts there for me being Hasta Manana, Monisuer and Complaints. I think this will definitely be a very love it or hate it album for most though. In my case however, this was a great find from this list and something I have already included a lot of in my likes/playlists on Spotify Highlights: Amateur Hour, Complaints, Thank God It's not Christmas, This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us, Hasta Manana Monisuer.

A perfect pop record, and a truly unique experience in music.

Unforgettable tracks, no skips. Years ago this was my first exposure to Sparks and I loved it - the bombast and catchy hooks got me at first, but I also like the tongue and cheek lyrics, incessant weirdness and willingness to try something new that comes with each song. This is why they outlasted the trappings of glam in the 70s

kimono my house mon amour

Just fun to listen to

This album was not new to me. I first came across Sparks because of the 2021 Leos Carax bizarre baby doll superstar movie. I was mesmerized by the synthetic sound, so I needed to know more about the guys who composed “So May We Start”. After scrolling a bit through the internet, I came across two women wearing kimonos: one looking at something with surprise—maybe even amazement—and the other directly winking at you, as if inviting you to join her. Upon starting the opening song, the frenetic succession of rhinos, elephants, and tacky tigers, and the sound of something flashy as if a character in a B-sci-fi-movie just fired a gun hypnotized me. I found myself wandering around the limits of my room dans la cité universitaire trying to understand the emotions my body was emanating. I was dancing. At this very moment, under the 30-degree heat of a beautiful Marseille, as each song played, I felt like I was meeting an old friend whose existence I had forgotten, but whose mere sight exponentially improved my life.

I thought this was a woman singing until I looked up the album. Nevertheless, this album is amazing and I can’t believe I went this long without finding out about it.

crlh mt bom

weird, i like it

Very high society feel, like they probably wore powdered wigs while recording this album. The music reminds of Arcade fire even though this album came out 30 years prior to Arcade Fire forming. Good album.

Perfection from beginning to end. Gonna have to really listen to the other 20+ albums now :-)

SUCH a joy to listen to fave: maybe equator?? but its hard to pick

Relentlessly energetic and fun. It really doesn't sound like anything else, except maybe Of Montreal 30 years later.

Ron Mael is a genius. Russel is a strange bundle of charisma. Together they pushed the boundaries on music by just being themselves. Brilliant work.

Huge glam notes, maybe a little splash of Cars-style power pop, all lead by a peacocking falsetto strutting through the speakers. I may sound like I dislike it, but it works. It's just fun music to listen to. Favorite tracks: "This Town Ain't Big Enough For the Both Of Us", "Amateur Hour", "Equator", "Talent Is an Asset"

another band i hold dear to my heart. these guys have been making music for 50 years!! 50!! can you imagine that? they still make stuff today! an incredibly bonkers and theatrical rock album. it's very demented, it's very over the top, and it's right up my alley. these guy's voices are very operatic and i feel like you don't hear that very often in art rock from this era? it's great. it's giving kimonos with powdered wigs.

A really enjoyable Glam album, I’m glad I got the opportunity to listen to beyond This Town Ain’t Big Enough. This is absolutely the sort of album that I’m likely to fall in love with on multiple listens, so I’m gonna jump the gun and give it a five on the knowledge that I will definitely be listening again.

Wow, hadn't heard this one before. I think I love it though. Theatrical and tongue-in-cheek feeling while still being actually really great and not just silly. It's certainly much more interesting than most of the stuff I've never heard of, it gets a tentative 5 for now because I wanna go right back and listen again.

I give everything 5 but this deserves it

Need to watch the Sparks Brothers documentary now

<3

I love weirdo music

Fresh, fun, and an amazing vocal range

really fun sound! fun and upbeat album to listen to. i enjoyed this one a lot

Do a google and find some photos of Sparks. They’re such an interesting band with many unusual photos! I know one song from this album, albeit not very well, and I’m excited to hear everything following it. Let’s listen! Songs I already knew: This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us Favourites: all of it This was a wild ride, and I loved every second of it. It started off with me loving the vocals, and thinking it is a rarity to hear a female fronted prog band. Turns out the singer is simply a guy with a very androgynous voice (perfect for the glam era). The music is super wacky, but never goes too far off the rails to become messy. I’m so glad to have heard this today. It’s one of the best albums I’ve had through this project.

Lots of great songs on this Sparks album, in particular the album closer Equator. Not as good as later work like No1 in Heaven but still a 5 star album (9/10) obviously

Wow - 1974? I would have guessed late 80’s based on the sound. And I would have guessed the singer was a woman, but alas, I was wrong. Oh, my, this is just great. I’m a new-wave fan, and I really, really enjoyed this album. It’s fun, it’s glam, and it’s wild. I just like everything about it.

Had no idea what to expect and ended up blown away. Did I just hear a glam rock opera? This was awesome. Considered taking off one point for Ron Mael's Hitler mustache, but this album's just too good. You can hear how this band influenced subsequent bands like Queen and Cheap Trick (re: Queen, I think Freddie Mercury even stole some of Russell Mael's moves). Edgar Wright made a movie about the Mael brothers with the tag-line "your favorite band's favorite band." Unlike the Velvet Underground who also influenced a ton of bands, I can actually say I dig this one. Clever music, clever lyrics, outstanding musicianship. Favorite tracks - This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us ("As 20 cannibals have hold of you, they need their protein just like you" - lol), Amateur Hour (award for best use of "Yehudi Menuhin" in a lyric), Here in Heaven (love the dark humor of a suicide pact between Romeo and Juliet where only Romeo follows through), Thank God It's Not Christmas (a song with this title has no right being so cool)...ah, just put the name of every single song here (and add the lyric "Gonna hang myself from my family tree"). Great album!

it took well over 800 albums before it finally generated one of my all-time favorite albums, Kimono My House by Sparks I can not recommend this album enough it’s too good to rate, but I guess five stars will have to suffice