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.

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

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.

The Best Album of All Time Okay, admittedly I'm exaggerating a little, as the best of all time is yet to come from this very band, but if anyone ever said this was it, I wouldn't only believe them, I'd shake their hand for such a magnificent take. This album was my introduction to Sparks, as it was for many people, and I remember getting it via a random album generator and thinking I wasn't going to think much of the album. The album cover reminded me of one those more out there post punk, new wave albums like Germfree Adolescence, which would've been fine, but nothing to write home about. But instead, I put on the first track, and instantly fell in love. I thought Russell was a girl the first time I heard him sing, and only learned otherwise once the first two songs had sold me and I was already looking at the band's discography. He's a very attractive man, I'll tell you that much. His brother, Ron, is no slouch either, as not only is that persona of his to die for, but the man can WRTIE. These are some of the funny, most clever lyrics of all time, and most if not all the riffs coming from the keyboard are instantly iconic. That isn't to downplay any of the other band members here, who are new recruits, and while as not quite as iconic to the canon as the original line-up, all of them are magnificent. I mean, listen to that guitar, bass, and who can forget Dinky Diamond. Album cover is now to me as eye catching and beautiful, something that Sparks is very good at doing with their art, and it perfectly shows their charm to the world. While I won't do a track-by-track review, just know every single song here is a five star, and all stand out on their own. Sparks is the only band I know where they consistently do whatever is the most satisfying melodically and lyrically, and also knows the perfect lengths for their songs. Thank God It's Not Christmas is, ironically, the perfect Christmas song, Talent Is an Asset is a lyrical powerhouse, and Equator is equally funny and haunting that no other band has ever balanced. I love this album so much, and even if this was Sparks' only good album, I would still sing their praises evermore, it's that good. Luckily, this is not the case, as Sparks not only stayed on this high point with their next album, but their best (IMO) is yet to come still. Just know that my life would be completely different were it not for this band, and I'm eternally grateful. Thank you Ron, Russell, anyone who has ever performed for them, and thank God it's not Christmas!

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!

Annoying

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

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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

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

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

WHOA i love all of these

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.

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

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!

10/10

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.

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!

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.

Pretty cool kind of art rock, starts sounding the same after a little bit though

Not a single woman OR. Japanese person

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

I appreciated that this was different but I had to apologize to Emma for having it on in the car

Not awful but sounded like their balls were in a vice

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

Weird because I was looking at this album a day before it was randomized to me. I was looking at the Edgar Wright documentary on this band and this is the album with their biggest hit. From the listen, did not fall in love with this band and found it a bit of a bore compared to the other albums in the book. There were a few highlights in there.

What the fuck is this? Is this really good or really bad? progressive glam rock? Musically this kind of rules. The more I listen the more I don't really love it. It just kind of exists? This is for someone, it's probably not me. Did I need to hear this before I died? All these songs are the same. I'm out.

so glam rock is a thing??? does this album just get included on this list because it's so bizarre? is it a parody album?

Kind of like ABBA, but worse?

Music by and for weird people.

Hate this band so much. It's like Yoko had a love child with Abba and the writer for Cats the Musical.

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.

Randomly watching that documentary about these guys one night is one of the best music discovery decisions I have ever made. They have so many great songs and albums over a very long and prolific career and this is probably the best place to start

Ça en fait 2 en peu de temps mais je suggère l'écoute du docu The Sparks Brothers (2021) de Edgar Wright. Ron Mael est un génie musical. Sparks a sorti MAD! dernièrement et pour l'instant il fait parti de mes meilleurs albums de l'année.

I discovered this band through the generator and saw them live twice now. They are awesome and so sweet in person. One of the best discoveries I made.

Brilliant album, brilliant duo, loved it

Awesome album from Sparks!!

I wasn’t expecting to like it but it turns out I FUCKING LOVE IT

Heck yeah! I've been a fan of Sparks since seeing their documentary in the movie theatre in 2021. I believe this was their most commercially successful album although it's not my favourite of theirs. I haven't been listening to them lately so it was nice to be reminded of how much I do really like them.

>> the Beatles I only in recent years came across Sparks. Been loving the journey as they are so very much my vibe. This is the best album I've heard by them yet.

Yup, great album this. There are no fillers here just wall to wall bangers. Probably the finest example of glam rock at its finest. A pleasure to listen to!

Perfect. Absolutely perfect. I love every second and every lyric and every riff. An all time fav for me

Discovered these guys through a doco on streaming service and gotten total addicted. Best unknown band around.

I love Sparks so much, and there’s still so much of their back catelogue I havent gotten to yet. They’re so consistently prolific and excellent. And it’s also testament to them how different this record sounds compared to Number 1 in Heaven, and how different that is to Lil Beethoven or Hippopotamus, all while sounding unique to Sparks. Sparks are the most unique band, and this shows a lot of that. Poppy, glam rocky, weird, OTT and understated at the same time. It’s a superb example of how weird and creative people can be. Chat GPT could never, ever be as creative and interesting as the likes of Sparks. I love pretty much every song on this.

Only really knew Sparks through the darkness cover but happened to watch their set at Glastonbury recently. Big respect to the moustache in various forms for 50 odd years. This was surprisingly good, didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. Doesn't take itself too seriously, but equally it's coherent. Highlights: This town ain't big enough for the both of us Amateur hour Hasta manana Monsieur Family tree Barbecutie Lost and found I think 4.5, so close to giving it a 5.... I'm doing it, 5 it is, the album ends really strongly too

Come on over my house, and listen to this banger of an album. Admittedly, I thought the vocals of this album were from two X Chromosomes, until I Google showed me Russell Mael. His hauntingly beautiful voice, and the other brother's instrumental use gives me Queen vibes. Every song on here is a mini-opera, and takes me back to a decade I never lived in. Favorite Track: "Equator".

Sorpresa agradable

It's energetic and dumb fun, just a joy to listen to this. Especially side 1 of this record is really captivating and full of hits. This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us is one of the best singles of the 70's. Sparks is an all around bizarre band and I'm glad they are included on this list. The newspaper article that was included with my Sparks record says they are addicted to candy, which explains why the entire album sounds like a sugar rush.

I’ve heard about Sparks for the last few years but I still didn’t think I was going to fall head over heels in love with them. There’s an ironic detachment they have. But the music is great. 5/5

Yes! Sparks is a really fantastic and influential band. Well worth a deep dive into their body of work. For a good start, watch the Apple TV Doc. This is a band with both talent and quirks that actually work well together. A fav.

meni je ovo genijalno

very fun and catch i have almost no problems with this album 9/10 Favourite: Falling In Love With Myself Again Least Favourite: None

Never heard of these guys before, and wasn't expecting much going by the cover. This had my attention from the start. Proggy, theatrical, glam rock. It's weird and goes right up to line of being annoying or stupid, but never crosses it. I got curious and googled only to find out that it's a male singer, which I can hear now that I know.

Sparks, the 🐐

Hi book, I'ma judge you by your cover... Oops! totally wrong there. Have a good day... This is why we don't judge things by their outward appearances.. This album dances right up to the edge of ridiculous and then winks. Big piano/synths/organ, glam guitar, and punchy drums. It’s super theatrical, but never trips into parody. There's a sort of velvet rhythm engine running underneath all the eccentricity, and it works. I didn’t expect to like this (based strictly on cover art), but here we are. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions: - This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us - Amateur Hour - Falling In Love With Myself Again - Here In Heaven - Thank God It's Not Christmas - Talent Is An Asset

Now THAT was cool and fun!

Harte ABBA-Vibes, Ohrwurmpotential, solide Bassarbeit. Favoriten: Falling In Love With Myself Again Here In Heaven (dat Bass) Equator Fetzt, kommt auf die Flohmarkt-Vinyl-Liste

Sparks are one of my all-time favorite bands that I discovered while going trhough this very book back in the day. Initially, I enjoyed this album well enough but I didn't place it among my favorites, but it had a strange allure that kept me coming back a few times. It was only in 2015 when Sparks released their collaborative album with Franz Ferdinand, FFS, that this album truly clicked with me, and so I went on deep dive and also ended up loving almost all of their discography. Truly unlike anything else out there, though it is possible to draw some stylistcs comparisons to other glam rock artists of the era. However, Sparks' sound is a tab bit weirder, a bit wittier, with wilder melodic choices and musical theater aspirations. Too bad there's only one of their albums on the list because they have released many great ones in various different styles, including New Wave, Disco, Synthpop, Euro-dance(?), and whatever Lil' Beethoven is. If you enjoy this, go on deep dive like I did, it's well worth your time. Key tracks: This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us Amateur Hour Falling in Love With Myself Again Talent Is an Asset In My Family

I absolutely love this album! I'm so glad I got it here today. I discovered them about 3 years ago. I was driving and on the radio it was "This Town...". It was so weird but fascinating that I had to find out Who this "girl band" was lol. I though the girls on the cover were the band members and I remember thinking how much I liked her voice. Soon I found out the band was actually 2 guys lol. And as Roger Taylor from Queen said "the band with the guy that has a Hitler moustache" haha. Since then, I listened to this album non stop for a couple of months. and now, it's still on my top list of albums I play regularly.

9/10. This is a wonderfully original album, and it is filled with fun. It is quite unique.

You can't begin to understand how biased I am in favor of this album. Hell, of Sparks as a whole — legitimately, they're one of my favorite bands of all time, and I don't know how much hearing only this one album does them justice. Like, in a career that featured swerves like the Moroder produced NO. 1 IN HEAVEN and the minimalist chamber music of LIL' BEETHOVEN... They're your favorite band's favorite band, and not without good reason. Heck, they're one of Weird Al's favorites, and that's good enough for me. I mean, to me, their appeal is pretty simple: there's a strong English cleverness and theatrically to them. The kind of wit and quirkiness you'd get from a They Might Be Giants record, but with a harder, more bitter edge to it. Look at... Gosh, I wanted to name only a few songs, but I could name pretty much all of them except "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us" and "Amateur Hour". Like, the cruel twist surrounding "Here In Heaven"; the double-negative think of "Thank God It's Not Christmas"; the familial clinginess and exploitation of "Talent Is An Asset"; the bleak scope of "Equator"; the black comedy in the final verse of "Complaints"... Just the imagery that "In My Family" evokes with the line "Gonna hang myself from my family tree." And of course what makes how English this all is even more impressive is the fact that Sparks is actually from California. Yeah, they're American. Even well knowing that you'd never guess they were. But, seriously, as someone who loves the bizarre places They Might Be Giants goes, the sophisticated but bitter wit of Sparks is incredibly up my damn alley. It helps, too, that the actual music is great across the board. Like, behind only ZIGGY STARDUST and HONKY CHÂTEAU, this is my favorite glam rock album. "Amateur Hour" might not be as literary as the rest of the songs here (it's about people who're new to having sex), but if there ain't a damn good reason why it ended up being one of the biggest hits from the album, only behind "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us". And **that** song — **gawd**. It's **track one**, and it's maybe the most impressive thing here for its progressiveness? Like, for real, how dare The Rubettes keep it from being a UK number one. I've never even heard their song, but I know for dang sure it ain't half as good as "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us". And to point this briefly: yeah, Russel Mael sounds like that. I absolutely get why people wouldn't be into it, but, hey, to me, it wouldn't be Sparks without it. I **like it**, dang it. If I can dig Claudio Sanchez sounding like a woman, Russel's no problem — as if there's a problem with sounding like a woman, either way, goodness. This has to be one of the easiest 5's I'll ever give, up there with ABBEY ROAD, WISH YOU WERE HERE and, I'unno, MY AIM IS TRUE. Sparks isn't for everyone, but if you can find an appeal in them, they're absolutely worth your time. They're one of the greatest cult bands of all time, and this is the album that kicked it off for them. If somehow you found this review without having heard the album first, go ahead and listen to it, and then the rest of their discography. You won't regret it. You can't begin to understand how biased I am in favor of this album. Hell, of Sparks as a whole — legitimately, they're one of my favorite bands of all time, and I don't know how much hearing only this one album does them justice. Like, in a career that featured swerves like the Moroder produced NO. 1 IN HEAVEN and the minimalist chamber music of LIL' BEETHOVEN... They're your favorite band's favorite band, and not without good reason. Heck, they're one of Weird Al's favorites, and that's good enough for me. I mean, to me, their appeal is pretty simple: there's a strong English cleverness and theatrically to them. The kind of wit and quirkiness you'd get from a They Might Be Giants record, but with a harder, more bitter edge to it. Look at... Gosh, I wanted to name only a few songs, but I could name pretty much all of them except "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us" and "Amateur Hour". Like, the cruel twist surrounding "Here In Heaven"; the double-negative think of "Thank God It's Not Christmas"; the familial clinginess and exploitation of "Talent Is An Asset"; the bleak scope of "Equator"; the black comedy in the final verse of "Complaints"... Just the imagery that "In My Family" evokes with the line "Gonna hang myself from my family tree." And of course what makes how English this all is even more impressive is the fact that Sparks is actually from California. Yeah, they're American. Even well knowing that you'd never guess they were. But, seriously, as someone who loves the bizarre places They Might Be Giants goes, the sophisticated but bitter wit of Sparks is incredibly up my damn alley. It helps, too, that the actual music is great across the board. Like, behind only ZIGGY STARDUST and HONKY CHÂTEAU, this is my favorite glam rock album. "Amateur Hour" might not be as literary as the rest of the songs here (it's about people who're new to having sex), but if there ain't a damn good reason why it ended up being one of the biggest hits from the album, only behind "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us". And **that** song — **gawd**. It's **track one**, and it's maybe the most impressive thing here for its progressiveness? Like, for real, how dare The Rubettes keep it from being a UK number one. I've never even heard their song, but I know for dang sure it ain't half as good as "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us". And to point this briefly: yeah, Russel Mael sounds like that. I absolutely get why people wouldn't be into it, but, hey, to me, it wouldn't be Sparks without it. I **like it**, dang it. If I can dig Claudio Sanchez sounding like a woman, Russel's no problem — as if there's a problem with sounding like a woman, either way, goodness. This has to be one of the easiest 5's I'll ever give, up there with ABBEY ROAD, WISH YOU WERE HERE and, I'unno, MY AIM IS TRUE. Sparks isn't for everyone, but if you can find an appeal in them, they're absolutely worth your time. They're one of the greatest cult bands of all time, and this is the album that kicked it off for them. If somehow you found this review without having heard the album first, go ahead and listen to it, and then the rest of their discography. You won't regret it.

As a They Might Be Giants fan who's always heard great things about Sparks, it's pretty cool to finally listen to this group. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 5. I don’t know if it’s a 5 necessarily because of the music itself being a big bombastic knockout set of tracks – there are certainly standouts like “Thank God It's Not Christmas”, “Hasta Mañana, Monsieur” & “Equator”, but all in all, at a pure musical level, I wouldn’t classify this into the big top tier of any particular genre it’s going for. This is at a 5 because it’s a consistently great set of tracks, that does a fantastic job of blending a lot of musical genres (i.e. pop, glam rock, prog rock, blues, etc) & artists (i.e., Queen, Elton John, Pet Shop Boys, The Beatles, Green Day somehow, Genesis, etc) into a coherent sound that feels unlike anything else in 1974 that I’ve heard, one that vaguely transcends genres to be its own, totally unique thing, full of elements easy to pick out, but hard to put together. It fully succeeds even though it could totally have crumbled under the pressure to make it all fit together. If I have any knocks, it’s oddly in the mixing – I could be wrong about this, but I think there’s a really subtle wall of sound effect in the mix that stopped the clarity of everything from feeling as clean as it could, and it rubbed me the wrong way throughout. It added a bit of depth, and gave the percussion a really cool feel, but it comes at the expense of… something. My best guess is that the extra “space” in the mix feels emptier, and adds a slightly cavernous feel that’s present, but never acknowledged. I can’t exactly place it, but it just bit at me that nothing felt quite as clean as it could. Perhaps that’s an intentional choice? It would certainly add to the avant-garde feel of it all – this album constantly feels like it’s one bad note away from having a track fall apart, but it balances itself throughout, and acts as a sort of triumph for complete experimentation. So, yeah, I’m at a 5. It’s a really fun album, and perhaps with enough time, I can really appreciate these tracks more for just how technically sound they all are – this has to be a complex album to write sheet music for, and performing it is a different story, especially if they did any of these live. They all have good stories, they keep the band on their toes with all the tempo changes and pauses, and as a listener, I think the layering tricks in the mix, even with that “cavernous space”, is still pretty unique for the time. It’s a divisive album – I can totally hear how this might be a 3 for “average, weird rock that doesn’t know what genre it wants to be & nasally annoying vocals” or something, but I’m at a 5 because I admire how big of a swing it took and how well it stuck the landing. May joy and whimsy live on, I guess.

Love this one. Thank God It's Not Christmas is so, so good!

Way ahead of its time

I knew this was iconic and yet I’d never listened to it. It seemed that ABBA, Rush, and Morrissey definitely did. I am in love.

I enjoy quite a bit of Sparks, but it's tended to be a selection of songs rather that whole albums. This was really enjoyable. Bombastic, witty, almost circus like music at times. Loved it.

9/10