Reviews (page 2 of 8)
I love Sparks, and I love this album. Even though on paper it sounds like the kind of pompous pretentious theatre kid nonsense I would hate. This Town is a perfect opener - Amateur Hour, Thank God its Not Christmas. Hasta Mañana, Talent is an asset - all incredible, funny, groovy, perfect little glam rock pop songs. Immediate 5.
So ironically, having never heard of this record before, I found a used reissue at my local record shop saw the cover and decided to test it a bit. Through the first track onto Spotify. And was immediately hooked, listened to it for about 30-40 seconds. Decided I was going to go for it and moved on and put this record in my "BUY" pile. So I thought I was going to be adding to my indie contemporary section of my vinyl collection. I saw 2 Asian women in kimonos on the front. I heard Asian women singing in the first song. I figured I was picking up a lesser-known indie band from, say, 2009, 2010. Remember, this was a reissue, very new looking product. It wasn't until I got home that I noticed that the photos on the back and in the insert were very old photos of an all male band and what I was actually listening to was one of the greatest art rock additions to the seventies. What does album does is remain fun? And interesting, all the way through you never quite know what you're gonna get next. The lyrics are smart and catchy. The melodies go places that you don't quite expect, and overall.It's a great addition to a deep collection.
Heavy 70s glam with super interesting songs and one of the fairiest fairy boys produced by the USA. Fucking love these guys and this is one of their best albums, certainly the most classic. Must-listen #315.
Вы типа реально хотели скрыть от меня этот hidden gem? Вот чтоб он продолжал быть hidden? Вы охринели?!?!? Это щикарный глэм-альбом. Вся первая сторона - золото. Я вообще подумал что это исполняет какая-то женщина-вокалист с закосом (а может и реальным) японским акцентом. В ИТОГЕ Я УЗНАЮ ЧТО ЭТО МУЖЧИНА. я в восторге. обложка шикарная, альбом шикарный.
The band that sounds british but isn’t! Super creative, engaging, unique and timeless. I love it
Pretty weird, a LOT of fun. A little to one note but no the later I’m coming back impressed and going up to 5
I was basically a Sparks virgin...So many of the things that I like and the vocals are kind of wild. Maybe a tad overwhelming, but it's great.
Fucking great album. Glam rock at its best.
The Dog’s Bollocks this album is
Maybe one of the most singular records on this whole list. I knew This Town .. and Amateur Hour already but kept expecting the quality to drop off at some point in the tracklisting, it didn't. Two of the tracks were even on the original album but were b-sides were equally as enjoyable.
I really love the sparks. But I have to admit that I had a lot of help from the documentary to connect the dots. Not very easy to see how the same band could release such different tunes as This town aint big enough, No 1 song in heaven or When do I get to sing my way. I also love how they are still active and doesnt compromise about anything.
God, this was so weird. Loved it 5 ⭐️
This album is fantastic, and a fabulous, funny and so enjoyable musical experience, but so so interesting too. This album is such a crazy one, with so many layers and energy, and a very high quality. The first song is, for me, the best in here, but everything is so great! This album is such a delight, an insanely funny delight.
Wonderfully strange.
Beginning to realize a lot of people on this site just hate fun.
One of those hugely influential albums that most people have never heard of. Sparks were one of the best glam rock bands out there, largely because of how open and playful their music is. They have an amazing sense of humor, musical range and flare for theatrics. The frequent plays on words keep the songs are indefinitely fun and comical and the Sparks Brothers were never afraid to experiment. It's a breath of fresh air in a genre that got stale very quickly. Unlike the others who had to evolve or disappear, Sparks and their signature sound are still going strong.
Never quite heard anything like this and it was fucking awesome. This is why this generator and challenge is great, you discover great things you never would have heard otherwise. Amateur Hour was my song and first listen of the album with Here In Heaven and Hasta Manana, Monsieur being my other highlights
Hef aldrei heyrt þessa plötu áður. Hún er frábær. Elska þessa rödd og lögin eru svakalega hress. Við setjum fimm á netið og höldum áfram.
Easily one of the greatest rock albums of all time. It’s a no skip masterpiece. I don’t understand how Sparks just always manage to exude rock opera aura with everything they make. Like this is utter perfection start to finish. I don’t really love their debut album, and it made me think I didn’t like them as much as I thought. This album reassured me they are the greatest hidden gem in all of rock! I stand by that.
I mean, it's Sparks. 5/5.
Nothing but bangers
Ahh man Sparks are so good. Intelligent, funny, and extravagant. Maybe if the list had been published later their reappraisal by the zeitgeist may have seen more than one album on the list. I like many of their albums more than this one but it’s still 5 stars. Suggest Lil Beethoven, Exotic Creatures From the Deep and the Girl is Crying in her Latte. There can’t be many bands from the seventies who’ve peaked in the 2010’s and 2020’s
Honestly didn't think I would like this album so much, but it's a full banger.
SUCH A GOOD RECORD FROM A VERY IMPORTANT BAND
This came so out of left field for me and truly exemplifies what this project is all about. I had no idea this existed but ended up thinking it was absolutely brilliant. The vocal melodies alone are worth the price of admission, and there is just such a unique and quirky vibe to it while still fitting into the pantheon of glam rock. By the time Amateur Hour hit I was smiling ear to ear, just haven’t heard a lot like this from that era. Really really good and probably the best surprise so far.
*Kimono* is a visionary pop record stuffed full of catchy melodies, countermelodies and hooks. Russell Mael's high-pitched vocals are meshed perfectly with rockin' backing tracks that are alternately guitar- and keyboard-driven. In addition, Ron Mael's ability to write interesting lyrics about basically any subject is on full display here.
Incredible album. I fell into a Sparks rabbit hole a few years ago and watched the documentary on them and was blown away. Their longevity and creativity never ceases. This album seems to be their most widely acclaimed album. I love the fun and sense of humour you can see throughout. It's weird and highly influential to many genres and artists. A joy to get this morning, an album I return to regularly. Really love the opening 3 songs especially.
From my hometown! How have I never heard of them? They’re cool and funky and weird. I like it!
pleasantly surprised
Dope in every way. Enjoyed this one a lot!
For anyone who grew up in the UK in the 1970s it’s impossible to overstate just how exciting it was to tune into Top of the Pops every week and be genuinely blown away by something new and exciting, and for the playground to be buzzing with it the next day. There’s a story that John Lennon was watching the show one night and called Ringo on the phone to tell him that he was watching Marc Bolan singing a song with Adolf Hitler on keyboards. Of course, that was the first appearance on TV of Sparks singing This Town Ain’t Big Enough For the Both of Us. Russel Mael was impossibly beautiful with a mop of curls and a flawless falsetto, accompanied by brother Ron with slicked back hair, laser beam eyes and (let’s agree to call it) a toothbrush moustache. The song more than lived up to their appearance, with stonking drums, blistering guitars, keyboards to die for and gunshot sound effects on top for good measure. The rest of the album is of similar quality, with plenty of memorable songs that still get included in their live set more than 50 years on. They could easily have been one hit wonders, but they have reinvented themselves multiple times over the years, whilst being consistently inventive and engaging. Geisha-tastic!
Album #21: Kimono My House - Sparks Genre (W): Glam rock, art rock Singles: This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both of Us, Amateur Hour, Hasta Mañana, Monsieur, Talent Is An Asset I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: I love the first track and how it served as a killer intro. The whole album has Japanese influences, and I love how tightly composed it all was! Favorite songs: All of it!!
The first song 🎵 had me hooked ! I am through my first listen 🎧. And enjoying my second listen. I would've listened to it during my braces 🦷 appointment but my phone 📱. So I listened to it on my home.
i..... like this? i'm bewildered. on my first listen i had no clue how to feel about ANY of this because this singing style is baffling but i noticed i was tapping my foot to "talent is an asset" and "in my family" towards the end of the album. there is a LOT that is happening. once i got attuned to the energy, the second listen really grew on me a lot. it's fucking *weird*. incredibly forward looking for this to be a 1974 album in its whole construction. it's like the album itself has a learning curve. not every track hits and i think that's what holds me back from loving this more but this is perplexingly good. EDIT: fuck it well ball this is a 5
Glam Rock was truly home to the first weebs. This sounds so wild I don't know how to rate it or what to think of it, but I er... I think I like it? The issue with an album every day is it doesn't give a lot of time to digest it and this is a whole lot to digest. This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us is a suprising earworm to me and each listen through the album seems to make me like it more so that's a good thing? Yeah this is the first album in a long while that just has me completely stumped. I don't know get back to me in like a year and I might've formed a concrete opinion on this... Maybe. Uh... 4 stars I think? Update: This album has stuck in my brain since listening to it and is definitely a 5. That's my more concrete opinion
Great
10/10 Sparks are amazing. The fact they only have one album in the list is insane. 12-12-2025
i fell in love with this album a few years ago. it's a little bit off kilter, but still very fun and super rockin'. this is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but songs like 'this town ain't big enough for the both of us,' 'amateur hour,' and 'talent is an asset' are so fun and really unique for the time period. to me, it's like if power pop went slightly off. it's got that pop-rock sensibility, but mixed with a level of artsyness that keeps you on your toes.
This was shockingly good!
Was unfamiliar, Rockin’ good time!
Fun, creative, fabulous. Love it. Love them. Scotland are going to the world cup! Five stars
Super album! Masterpiece! It is one of my favorite albums.
5 out of 5. The energy from this is incredible, what a good time.
så jävla fett
I think sparks are the ultimate "i need to be in the mood for this" type group. In my head, Angst is the album is enjoy the most, but i think Kimono is likely better overall. Everything on it is good, but Falling In Love With Myself Again is not only the best song on the album, its probably one of the best songs in their catalogue The voice can be grating at times, but its also the thing that makes everything more instant and different that other stuff. I am probably gonna go full 5
THIS is what I've been wanting from this project. Never heard it before (that I know of), but such a unique sound. Fun, a little dramatic, sparkling madness in sunshine.
I guess I'm a glam rock fan now, because this album slaps.
This was sick. Incredible opening track. Whacky but intricately put together tunes. I'm Sparks-pilled
went in expecting a 2 or 3, boy am I foolish
I JUST saw Sparks in concert last week! I love them and their entire very strange career. But this is definitely my favourite album! Glam rock perfection, especially This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us. I wish they had been bigger in North America. The reviews comparing them to Queen (unfavourably) are a bit laughable considering Queen, and especially Killer Queen, owe a huge debt to Sparks.
Well damn. That's a hell of an album. I only knew the opening track but the rest blew me away, too. Not sure why no one turned me on to these guys given my love for Roxy Music, as there is definitely a similarity in terms of sound and sophistication. (Although these guys are much more bombastic.) Will definitely have to check out more from them.
This SLAPPED. So fun and interesting, I never felt bored listening to this and wished it would keep going. This is 100% the kind of thing that I signed up to this to be listening to. EDIT: Coming back to this review maybe 1-2 months later. I’ve listened to this NON-STOP since and it’s launched itself to my fave albums of all time. My project got paused for ages because I had to do a Sparks deep dive of their entire discography and I couldn’t commit to listening to anything else. Absolutely obsessed.
It’s just… amazing. The theatricality and energy is unmatched. No misses - and a more complete effort than Queen ever put together.
Probably my favorite Sparks album.
Ah now you're talking. This is the album (with a famous appearance on the TV show Top of the Pops) that blasted Sparks off into the pop stratosphere and 50 years later the Maels are still making top notch albums.
Super 80’s fave
I feel you man, thank God it's not Christmas.
Love this smarty pants weirdos! All time great album covers that genuinely reflects the playfulness found within. I find no faults here. 5/ 5
This is an exquisite and unique glam rock. Sparks is a great ensemble. Sorry I’m out of words now, but cannot think of a right way to describe this. 4.5/5
Adoro a Sparks; es una de esas bandas que jamás me cansaré de escuchar porque incluso a día de hoy siguen haciendo música increíble. No podría quedarme solo con una canción de este disco, hay que escucharlo de principio a fin. Además, es la banda que más influyó a Queen. 5/5
So good and still so damn good!!
So glad to find this through the 1001. Not a chance I would have ever found this otherwise. Absolutely love it
Gets better each time!
Absolutely loved this, all the best bits of early Roxy Music stretched into full songs. Will be listening to more of Sparks!
Ayo this one kinda slaps fr. Really fun sound. Best song: This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us Notable(s): Falling In Love With Myself Again, Here In Heaven, Equator, Barbecutie
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
Until about 6 months ago, the only thing I knew about Sparks was this Town Ain’t Big Enough… and that they are bit quirky. Then I listened to this album for the first time time. I love this album. It’s punchy, it’s upbeat and it’s ever so slightly deranged. Such a vibe! Some of the songs are similar in sound but, for me, that doesn’t detract from its off kilter charm. I really like it a lot and listen to it often.
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
Strange, colourful, arch, clever, and absolutely irresistible. My copy has a couple of bonus tracks that are better than almost anything any other band puts out. There's not a weak link here, not a wasted note - nothing. It's as close to perfect as any glam rock or art rock ever got. "It's a lot like playing the violin / You can't start off and be Yehudi Menhuin" - possibly my favourite couplet on the album. Go find your own!
4.5
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. (ntm.)
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
So fun. A classic
Absolute classic. Own it on Vinyl and proud to call it the first one I owned.
Very unique vocals. Sick riffs on a variety of instruments. This album was very entertaining. I felt the music very deeply.
Love this music, sounds like Roxy Music from the same time period.
This album blew my mind for one big reason. Just about everything they do sounds like Rush married with David Bowie. It's not as good as either's peak, but it's just SO much like them. So much so that I immediately thought "huh I wonder which Rush album influenced them", only to find out this came out before Rush's first album even released. I love how theatrical and dramatic this album comes across. It adds to the overall immersion of it. Each song feels like it's own little adventure that I can't help but get swept away by. Glam Rock isn't my favorite genre. Hell, it isn't even in my top 5, but this album is just so good at what it does it now just might be up there. Favorites were This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us, Here In Heaven, Thank God It's Not Christmas, and Equator.
so cool
What a fun album! I obviously knew This Town, but the whole thing is a treat. It does get a little repetitive and I know I'll need a few more listens to fully unpack everything, but honestly, I'm looking forward to listening to this again. It was a great time. I loved the live track at the end. I'd love to see these guys in concert even now way past their prime.
I'm not sure I've ever heard any album with this much energy before. Riding the glam wave but very much in their own way.
Campy, glammy art rock - brilliant album by Sparks. Having first heard them in their more new wave phase in the early 80s, this was a fascinating contrast to the more new wave/synth angle they had in later work. It's interesting chord progressions, quirky melodies, and wacky lyrics -- all very catchy, with solid lead guitar work from Adrian Fisher. So many good songs but Falling In Love With Myself, Thank God it's Not Christmas and Hasta Manana Monsieur are my favorites.
Fuck yes this was non-stop awesome
perhaps one of my favourite albums. incredibly unique, incorporates my favourite genres, fantastic instrumentals, interesting vocals, and enjoyable all around. not a single complaint. favourite track: i couldn't choose they're all bangers
The kind of album that gets me rethinking all my previous 5s. This shit slaps so hard!!
Your favourite band's favourite band! Man Sparks are weird in a good way. This album is just a wild ride all the way through. Sparks really have a knack for good riffs, weird, funny lyrics and reinventing them selves (just listen to "Hello young lovers" or "Little Beethoven" to see where they would go later). "This Town Ain' Big Enough For The Both Of Us" might be their biggest and glammiest hit. "Amateur Hour" is such a teenage song about a very teenage problem. I mean who else would write a song about a suicide pack from the perspective of the only one who went through with it in "Here In Heaven"?! My dad introduced me to the sparks with "Little Beethoven" which is such a weird album and I fell in love with the band. "Kimono in my house" is probably my favorite until their stuff from early 2000s. Was going to give this one a four but the more I think about it, the more I think it deserves (maybe a slightly weak) 5. I really need to watch the Edgar Wright documentary about the Sparks.
Fun album with interesting lyrics
I aspire to be this exuberantly maximalist one day.
Kind of Queenesque, I really dig this.
Easy 5 stars
Finally a Sparks album! I was introduced to this band about 12 years ago by ex & took a deep dive a few years after. Sparks sounds like theater nerds who didn't make it in acting but killed it at making quirky music. I didn't realize how influential they were until I watched the Edgar Wright documentary. I was wowed at how many of my favorite bands were influenced by them. This album sounds like the older cousin to Kate Bush's The Dreaming but funnier. It's astounding that the Mael brothers have made decades of music and no two records sound the same. Kimono My House is one of three of my favorite Sparks albums with the big opener, The Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us. It's over the top glam with oddball lyrics...and that voice! I honestly love the entire album with a soft spot for Amateur Hour, Falling In Love With Myself Again & Equator. This album is in my usual rotation along with Angst In My Pants & The Number One Song In Heaven. I absolutely love this band & have seen them live twice. These guys are almost 80 and they're doing world tours with a new album that dropped this spring. This band brings me such joy that I cried at their show. They feel like the dorky older brokers I wish I had. I adore this band & this album.
"Kimono My House" is the third studio album by American rock band Sparks. Glam rock, art rock, progressive rock, pop rock and avant-pop. Yep, you could probaly throw in a few more too. The band relocated to the UK to record and take advantage of the glam scene. It work as it was their commercial breakthrough hitting #4 in the UK (#101 in the US). Sparks is essentially a duo with founding members and brothers Russell Mael (vocals) and Ron Mael (keyboards). The album was a shift in their sound being more pop and focused and had a new sound with a new band. It is considered one of Sparks' best work and best glam rock albums. The album opens with the first single "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us." A keyboard sounds like a piano, a glam rock sounding guitar and Russell's falsetto. A great guitar solo (there's a lot of these throughout). The beat changes. The protagonist keeps trying to ask women out but can't. A hypnotic guitar opens "Amateur Hour." A prominent bass comes in. The pace is fast and keeping getting faster. I think about growing up. We're off to a very good start. "Hasta Mañana, Monsieur" comes on hard. Pouncing piano keys. A very Bowie-esque glam guitar in the background. Nice melodies. These lyrics are hilarious; the guy is tangled up with talking to girls and foreign languages. A playful piano and bass open "Talent is an Asset." I think the rhythm section of Cheap Trick must have been here cause it sounds a lot like late 70's Cheap Trick. The album closer "Equator" is sultry with a mellotron sound like a sax. This is jazzy cabaret mixed with rock. Russell in his highest falsetto singing how horrid it is waiting for a girl to show up for a date. An interesting end with cross-criss lyrics/vocals with Russell and a girl. That girl might have been Russell? This album is unique, theatrical, dramatic and very good. Yeah, it's firmly in the glam rock genre but there's elements of cabaret, show tunes, rock, pop and prog. Of course, experimental. The pace is fast and charging. The musicianship is top notch. Everyone. The lyrics are interesting and at times very humorous. I heard Queen, Roxy Music, David Bowie, Cheap Trick and, yes, Rush in their music. I don't know if they influenced and were influenced by...doesn't matter. A high recommendation.
Wait till you see them perform it live.
Every time I hear it I fall more in love with this bizarre and beautiful album. The opening three tracks are possibly the greatest statement of intent in music history. Any one song contains multitudes. When you realise the pushy parent of Talent is an Asset might be Einstein's patent, it's both a great joke, and changes the whole song. I love it.
This one is just brazy song after song is a classic and that one two intro punch is unfathmobauly good
This album fits perfectly in the upper echelons of the British glam rock scene. Funnily enough, Sparks are American, though at the time had relocated to England. The theatrical and campy nature of this album are undergirded by interesting often highly literate lyrics (it’s not often that you’ll hear Kant name dropped in popular music). I found this album to be so intriguing that I listened to it immediately after finishing it.
Let’s go full Monty on this It’s never not surprising You can stop this record at almost any point and it would be almost impossible to predict what it would sound like 30 seconds later
I love this, its weird but great
Loud and bombastic, as much a thrill-ride now than when it was released 49 years ago!
A gem in this book. I fell in love with them partly to do with this album being here.
Way, way better than I expected it to be. Most glam rock is appearance over substance, but this album showcases both and its weirdness is something that I believe influenced many other artists.
This is wonderfully weird, over the top, and so much fun.
What an album! Takes me back to 74 when I played this to death. Saw them on tour at the time too, supported by Pilot. Not played it for awhile, but this will be remedied immediately!
A fucking great album
After hearing about Edgar Wright's movie on Sparks, I kept meaning to check them out and never got to it. Boy, this blew me away in a bizarrely delightful way. Happy to hand out my first 5-star review that isn't to one my tried-and-true classics.
holy shit this was great
De openingstrack is geniaal! Dat sfeertje blijft ook eigenlijk wel gedurende het album!! Voelt eigenlijk als een soundtrack van een pop-musical of zo. *****
Talent is an asset Prefs: TOUT Moins pref: RIEN
I liked this WAY more than I was expecting!
I've always heard of Sparks and have wanted to listen to their music since they just had a documentary come out about them but never got around to it. This was a good introduction though because I loved this album. It was so unique sounding and energetic and all the songs were catchy. The first two on the album were my favorite though
If you haven't already seen the Edgar Wright documentary on Sparks make that your immediate priority. Impossible to overstate their immense diversity influence on tonnes of genres
Not my favorite Sparks album, but still great. Their style is truly unique.
Cinco. Ascendo aos céus num cocktail de hipérboles, destinado a falhar algures na estação de serviço. São só palavras. São tudo. MotA: Amateur Hour "Zoo time is she and you time"
Never heard of them before but enjoyed
Some of the guitar solos here are absolutely fierce! It's odd, nerdy, sometimes feels like Mothers of Invention, and wonderful!
I had never heard of this band before and this album honestly blew me away. Pure fun with so much energy, creativity, and catchy hooks and melodies.
Wow. I like it a lot. How have I never heard it before? Better late than never. This s album 641 for me, and I have now found 3 albums i was unaware of and want to hear again.
это что-то правда интригующее, особенно первая песня.
This was exactly the weird, out there stuff I never would have found without this list. It's Roxy Music meets Abba!
Listened sober. The band made a track with gorillaz! First song is upbeat but in a minor key, I fw it, a little experimental Third has a great intro Feels a little art rock/glam rock, words are sometimes underenunciated
I love the idea of "Your favourite band's favourite band", as it feels like listening to Sparks brings you, the fan, just a little bit closer to the tastes of the geniuses. Kimono My House might sound like a novelty record, but underneath that facade is some pretty intricate lyricism and composition, telling stories that are simultaneously surreal and human. These guys might not be to everybody's liking, but I honestly cannot get enough of them. Love the Mael brothers! Favourite track: Talent is an Asset Least favourite track: Barbacutie
Quirky and weird.
This was interesting, a little jarring at first but I ended up being okay with it
This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us - 4.5/5 Amateur Hour - 4.5/5 Falling in Love With Myself Again - 4/5 Here in Heaven - 4/5 Thank God It's Not Christmas - 4/5 Hasta Mañana, Monsieur - 4/5 Talent is an Asset - 3.5/5 Complaints - 4/5 In My Family - 3.5/5 Equator - 3/5 Some over-the-top glam rock never hurt anyone, right? The first two tracks hook you in and prepare your for the manic and interesting rest of the album. It gets a bit weaker towards the end but it still remains its same quirky self throughout. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us, Amateur Hour
Glam-rock with really interesting melodies and instrumentation, and more on the pop music side of things than other bands of the same genre. I enjoyed it.
Excellent album. Would give 4 & a half stars if I could.
It really put a smile on my face when the opening moments of track one came on...
Bloody great, I'd never have guessed it was from 1974. it was so much like the last dinner party or similar.
I listened to this like 4 times in a row on the plane but I was half asleep so by the end it was like 1 time awake id say. All the songs do the same thing p much but I dont mind it. upbeat and fun.
Weird
Do I like these guys? I'm still not sure after listening to them on and off for maybe 8 months. Do I like the albums? Yes. Does that make sense? I dunno.
It's fun hearing this the day after an Arcade Fire album. Lots of connective tissue there. Sparks was one of the major blind spots I was looking to rectify through this project, and it didn't disappoint. Such a blast.
Bizarre brilliance.
un album colorido y divertido. los sparks son una banda adelantada a su tiempo aunque claramente se pueden poner como glamrock este album tiene sonidos que no se serian populares hasta una década después. una buena introduccion a la banda de culto que son los sparks
begint natuurlijk met een kanon van een hit... wat volgt is even goed maar zakt stilletjes wat in... toch blijft geheel overeind
It really hit the right mix of Roxy Music style glam-rock for me, enjoyable throughout.
Never heard of them before this experience. The whole thing works for me. Bit genre melding. Sounds like the Jezabels were heavily influenced by Sparks so maybe in retrospect that influenced my enjoyment of this album. Would totally turn this on again.
very cool!
Pleasantly surprised with this. Definitely see it on par with 70s Queen stylistically. I’m convinced this is the only album Foxy Shazam ever listened to. One or two songs keep it from a five for me but definitely would rate it higher than four if I could. Will definitely revisit this group and explore what else they have.
Crazy fun album, honestly. It's so quirky. I cannot imagine not liking it.
Fabulous, haven't heard this stuff for such a long time.
This is some serious glam pop rock! Way over the top, tight and relentlessly kinetic energy, catchy hooks, soaring guitars, the whole nine yards! I'll be coming back to this one a few times when I need a pick-me-up
This one surprised me.
Love it 👍
This was fun front to back. Loved the vocals and the piano. I can see why they have had such a long career and are still relevant after 50+ years.
Very silly. Very dramatic. Very fun. What the hell, 4
Second half is weaker, but my what a fun, energetic album.
Another day of wonderful music. This Town is a 70s classic and the whole album is full of quirky art rock.
Todo que ver este álbum. Voces que van muy bien con los instrumentos y tienen un rollo japo
Like a glam rock version of early XTC, these guys bring a great energy and clever wordplay to every song on here. This was my introduction to them and I want to hear more. The band, especially the guitarist, rocks too. None of it should work but all of it does, spectacularly.
Never heard this before. Really great barrage of oddball rock that kind of assaults the senses in a good way. Must have inspired Devo because they're the only other band I've heard with a vaguely similar sound.
another classic album I bought when it came out love it 😀
70s new wave, glam. Bonkers, theatrical opener. Lively, fun pop. Loads of falsetto and weird synths. Camp.
Dope
is this problematic? idk but lowkey a fun album
I love Sparks and I grew up on Sparks music on my local radio station but I really do not know this record because Sparks music spans several decades. From what I heard it is great.
Grand, flamboyant, fabulous, weird.
Sparks are awesome and I will accept no other opinions. Amateur Hour is like the catchiest song ever made.
Sounds very much like the Cocteau Twins
Ok... Si je dois dire un mot.. WTF ?? C'est quoi cette folie ? Franchement, l'album explose ! Il est vraiment bien travaillé. Déjà, nous avons cet éléphant dans la pièce, le choix de la part de Sparks de faire un album entièrement tourné vers le Japon sortant... Littéralement de nul part est extrêmement surprenant mais vient apporter un punch absolument unique pour du glam rock, mêlant énormément de sonorités différentes entre la guitare électrique qui prend énormément de place, les voix en echo à très haut pitch qui viennent apporter une dimension à la fois très lyrique ou énergiques et vindicatives. De plus, le travail d'égalisation, tant au niveau de la répartition de la place des instruments dans le morceaux que de la contenance de ses sonorités explosives, alternant aussi avec des parties de basses très lourdes et marquées comme sur "Here In Heaven", ou des coupures nettes sur certains morceaux comme "Falling in Love With Myself Again". L'ensemble créer alors une topologie musicale extrêmement singulière à l'album, proposant une approche à mon sens vraiment intéressante du glam rock. Très bon album, vraiment propre
I'm not gonna be one of those guys that pretended they knew Sparks all along, but I can say for sure I can dig it. They sound like a more interesting Supertramp with fun, clever lyrics and song subjects. Didn't love every song, but there was a lot to like here.
This is what Queen could have sounded like if they had any taste or style. Strong four stars
Already listened to this; banger. 4.5
I found this to be quite fun. At first, the vocals were a bit much, but the over the top singing finally grew on me and I had a great time with it.
This album is really difficult for me. On one hand, there are moments where I think, “wow, that’s a fantastic idea,” but then I feel like it’s quite noisy and heavy. But after thinking it over, I guess it’s closer to a masterpiece than to just noise. 7/10
Quirky friggin prog-pop arty glam rock kinda thing. Man, it’s bombastic, weird, and quite theatrical. A good deal of fun. Totally original. Definitely need to spend more time with it, but I think I dig it.
Weird artsy glam pop rock? Sure. I've seen this album around, can't say I'm not excited. Having now listened to it, I must say that I was incredibly spot-on. "Weird Artsy Glam Pop Rock." The only way that I could possibly make it more accurate is if I added "Prog" in front of "Pop." "Weird Artsy Glam Prog Pop Rock." Yeah. The falsettos are nice, even if they're not my thing personally, and the songs are VERY good. Very colorful, glammy, layered, and not infrequently revelatory, especially in the case of the opener. My personal problems are just that maybe... it's TOO consistent? Nothing especially stands out, it all sounds the same. Also, I'm just not the biggest fan of this specific strain of music, even if I'll still champion the merit I find in it. Some general standouts are as follows: "This Town Isn't Big Enough..." is a masterful song, as is "Talent Is an Asset" (weird-ass capitalization on that song, by the way). Even when it gets to the end and I can't quite tell every song apart from each other, I still come out of this listen liking it a lot! 8.9/10
Well, that was...I don't know what that was. Eccentric! That's what it was. Sometimes it sounded like Queen, sometimes it sounded like Fiona Apple, sometimes it sounded like its own damn thing. Not really my jam in the end, but I'm glad to have heard it and I appreciate the creativity on display. 3.8
This is so wild and fun I honestly kinda like the vibe. Its a good album to play while you're outside working on your car or something
Ok
Wow I actually thought it was an asian lady singing the whole time. 7/10
Super weird but I liked it. It sounded strangely familiar like a combination of a few well known things.
Turns out the 10 most catchy songs of the 70's are all on the same album, what a coincidence! A true monument in the field of oddball pop music.
Very silly. Very dramatic. Very fun. What the hell, 4
Decent album this tbf
Love the quirkiness of this record. This town ain't big enough is a hell of an opener, and probably the best song on the album, but I enjoyed a lot of this. A sound that reminded me of a cross between Queen and Bowie (after inhaling helium). The vocal range is impressive and lyrics are brilliant. A very good 3.5/5.
Good clean fun. This town aint big enough is my new karaoke song. Amateur hour is also great Love sparks me
Baroque, chamber pop genius. Innovative and stylistic. New to me but still vitally relevant.
I watched the documentary having never heard of Sparks. I was absolutely fascinated by the idea that there was such an influential and prolific band that never gets recognition. I enjoyed the documentary but I never actually took the time to listen to an album until this list. With every single track I had an almost immediate feeling like, “Oh no, this song is gonna be terrible.” But every single time a song would end I’d think, “Goddamn that song was awesome.” Every time.
Liked most of this. Generous 4
Didn't expect these guys to be so old. Side A is amazing but side B falls off a bit. Yet another pleasant surprise of an album
Completely new to me. It was quick, fun and super good. Would add to my collection
this was interesting
Is glam rock/musical theatre/weimar era cabaret fever dream a musical genre because this is exactly what this is…. There’s an awful lot going on in every song, but that’s a good thing. Russell Maels bonkers falsetto and his brothers baroque keyboards are at the heart of this mad ride. A journey that is well worth taking
This was new for me, and I don't even know what kind of music to call this. Once again, I love this theatrical, eccentric weird shit. Catch me on a different day and maybe I'll feel differently about it, but it's definitely fun and unique and I can appreciate that.
Their masterpiece4
It was certainly different when it was released, not a favourite at the time, but can see how it influenced a lot of artists who followed on
I love this album, it’s so quirky and different while still being really enjoyable. I don’t even think I have a song I really love as much as a love how it works as a whole.
8/10 Band reassessment - Sparks are actually pretty great. Yes, weird, but never boring and always underpinned with some great tunes and a touch of rock sensibility
I liked the few Sparks songs I knew but had never listened to an album in full. I expected to like it and did. Still unique at nearly 50 years old.
Energetic. There's a lot going on but it generally works pretty well. I like the bass tone. Fun listen.
Interesting. Needs further listens.
I’d heard of Sparks only within the last 5 years or so. They seemed weird, so I was interested. Today’s mainstream music has no weirdos anymore and therefore has nothing to offer me. Sparks are hard to explain. They're new wave, but rock, they can sound like Queen, but also like carnival music. They are a band that needs to be heard. Plus, they’re hilarious, which can be figured out by reading the title of their album, Kimono My House. If you don’t get the joke, maybe you shouldn't try this one out. The band is made up of two brothers, Ron and Russell Mael. One, Russell, a dashing leadsinger/frontman in the same vein as Robin Zander from Cheap Trick. A true rock and roll frontman. While his brother Ron…..He’s hard to explain. Ron wears glasses, has a Charlie Chaplin mustache, slick-backed hair, and glowers from behind the keyboards. He almost acts as if he's surprised there is a concert going on around him. He just constantly looks around like a serial killer for his next victim. Weird, but brilliant. Their music is so good and is hard to pin down to any genre or decade, really. It sounds like something Foxy Shazam might put out today. This album was the brothers' first stab at writing a more pop album. I mean, they succeeded, but it’s a weird pop album. Track 1, "This Town Isn’t Big Enough For the Both of Us," is incredible and maybe their most well-known song. It gives me Queen vibes and is a real rocker. Track 2, Amateur Hour, is about sex and puberty. It’s hilarious. Until you actually have sex and become good at it, it’s Amateur Hour. For guys, “Amateur hour goes on and on When you turn pro, you know She'll let you know.” That’s hilarious. I assume the reason this isn’t a huge classic band is that they were too weird in the end to crossover. Devo did, they’re weird. Not that Sparks didn’t have a great career. They're having a big revival these days. They’re so original to not be huge that it seems a bit of a disappointment, maybe not for them. Track 4, Here In Heavan, starts out on fire. It paints a very boring picture of what heaven is like. People are sleeping all day, talking about how they died, and wondering if their loved ones remember them. Just very heady lyrics. Track 5, Thank God It’s Not Christmas, seems to be about a guy who loves doing the same old things everyday, going the same places, seeing the same people, just being on the go all the time. Then Christmas comes, and he’s stuck at home with his loved ones, how boring. Though maybe it’s what he actually loves the most. Very clever song. The songwriting on this album is incredible. I am already in love. Great guitar playing in this song. Most of the songs are piano-driven, which makes sense as Ron Mael is a keyboard player and songwriter. This band is fun and great at writing fun pop songs. They remind me of a more piano-based pop music version of Cheap Trick. Cheap Trick’s songs are great musically, but their lyrics are filled with sarcasm and some pretty shocking stuff if you look into them. It’s amazing they were able to get away with some of the stuff they wrote about. Though most of those tracks were album tracks. I’m digressing again. Listen to this album immediately. Each song is a banger, and even though it’s not your usual pop album from 1974, it’s still a very good time. I’m adding it to my regular rotation and look forward to hearing more Sparks either from the 1,001 Albums list or just on my own time.
Fun very 70s glam rock. Crazy that this is a US band seems like the most British thing ever.
Super fun album that never flags. 4.0/5.0: Great
What a funky, quirky, fun collection! Kinda spooky too, so the entire time I wasn't sure whay kind of experience I was going to get :)
This was so wild and unexpected…
Some really fun stuff happening here. Great album cover
Very weird but kinda into it
Very interesting album, reminded me Very much of queen and supertramp with the vocal harmonies and certain vocal inflections. If you’re not into the glam theatrical rock elements this record will not appeal to you, but I found it quite enjoyable
Never heard of this band or this album, but a surprise! Energetic and weird, in the best way. One of those that makes this list worthwhile.
I have a friend who really likes Sparks. I'd always thought they were too quirky for me. In the intervening years (ie since we were at school together in the 80s) I've come to understand their influence better, and I'm glad they're around... but, truthfully, they're still too quirky for me. It's the eccentric vocal and subject matter; the stop-start songs that veer into cabaret. I did like In My Family, which grew into quite a banger. In fact, they sounded like Roxy Music (who I love) now and again; I enjoyed those bits (the last two tracks were pretty good). And, as I say, I'm glad artists like this are around, and, therefore, can't give them a low score. But the overall package isn't quite for me. Sorry.
I got really strong Florence and the Machine vibes from this, just decades earlier. Really strong and quirky vocals with a very strong backing band. Its hard to pin down their direction but it kept me interested till the end.
I actually loved this Kinda weird Is it racist? Idk
One of my favorite Sparks albums but it does feel a little repetitive. It was the first album where they really found their sound.
A bit weird but fun. worst: "Equator"
Another band I'd never heard of, but reading a little bit ahead of time I was excited to listen. It seemed they were likely one I'd enjoy. Overall I did. I got into the vibe right away, but only some of the songs stood out from the pack. Quite a few felt very similar so that didn't help. Also I would have loved listening with the lyrics in front of me, as I think that might've helped me to enjoy it more, but I was driving to work so that wasn't possible. The songs I really liked were Amateur Hour, Talent Is An Asset, and In My Family (loved the line "Gonna hang myself, from my family tree"). I will pay more attention to this band moving forward, as I know I'll like more of their stuff.
4/5 - Super unique, I enjoyed most if not every song, some did go on too long though.
This is weird and awesome. Took a couple of listens to really get a feel for it, but it grew on me each time and I can tell will continue to...
Great album, wonder why I've never listened to it before.
I'll be honest and say I got to know Sparks through FFS That's a good record
theres that grin oh
Not as good as Propaganda but quirky melodic and fun.
I know that Sparks is held in high esteem by many of the artists I love (e.g., Weird Al) but they're a little too frantic for me.
Weird but fun.
The third Sparks album, kicks off with their most famous song. Sparks are a band I don't listen to often, even though I've got a few of their albums, maybe I should pay them a bit more attention. I'll do that today at least.
Esta bueno, si vale la pena volver a escucharlo
Fun! 4.
Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list; 5/5.
Now this is my vibe. This is very early for new wave and there were multiple points in this album I could hear bits of Talking Heads and Supertramp and I loved every minute of it. While it's not quite as expansive in sound as the above two mentioned bands get for 1974 this is excellent, extremely playful and full of heart with a great sense of humour. Genuinely jealous of anyone that heart this at the time and caught the wave early. Best songs: This Town Ain't Big Enough For the Both of Us Worst songs: N/A Rank compared to everything else so far: 28/48 (below Automatic For the People, above If I should Fall from Grace with God)
Een vrij theatraal album en toch beklijft dit in eerste instantie niet echt ondanks twee maal luisteren. Dat is toch frappant. Toch nog maar een keer erdoor zappen. Het heeft iets van A Night at the Opera van Queen, wat wel mij volledige aandacht naar zich toe trok. Als ik het vergelijk huppelt de muziek van de Sparks veel meer. Het is vaak vrij staccato. De meer interessante elementen worden hier wat door weggedrukt. Maar die zijn er weldegelijk. The Sparks stoppen daarvoor zelfs geregeld met hun gehuppel. Complaints is vrij exemplarisch. Niets mis mee. Maar het grootste gedeelte is heel toegankelijk en zakt daardoor wat weg. Tot ergens aan het einde ineens het huppelen stopt en de gitaar eventjes de volle aandacht krijgt. Nee, een vergeetbare drie is toch echt te weinig voor dit album.
If fun was an album, this is it.
Opent met het bekendste nummer. Ik heb toch sterk het idee dat er een hoop albums zijn waarbij de criteria was; heeft het een bekend nummer? Niet dat ik dit nummer kende hoor, zo bekend is het allemaal ook weer niet, maar opvallend is het wel. Zoveel middelmatige rockalbums met dan 1 hitje die dan toch op deze lijst staan. Dit is geen middelmatig rockalbum, wat dit wel is? Opera avantgarde pop ofzo? Geen idee, het is wel geinig, zeg maar een beetje vreemd maar wel grappig. Heel vreemd rock album, helemaal als je kijkt en ziet dat dit blijkbaar 2 gasten zijn? Maar hoe dan? Is de zanger al die tijd een man? Ik begrijp he-le-maal niets van dit album maar ik vind het toch wel ergens heel grappig. Instrumentaal zijn ze volledig de Kimono/Japan achtige tour opgegaan. Dit word benoemd als een essentieel glam rock album en ik kan dat wel zien, maar zelf vind ik dit echt de blauwdruk voor latere Björk albums bijvoorbeeld. Die zijn weliswaar meer experimenteel en vooral meer poppy, maar het zou mij niet verbazen als ze dit album grijs gedraait heeft. Dit album is bizar, theatraal en veel te overdreven, maar om de een of andere reden kan ik niet anders dan grotendeels glimlachen tijdens het luisteren van deze muziek. FAVO: Amateur Hour, Hasta manana monsieur, Talent is an asset, Equator
Fun, tuneful and intelligent.
Helevetin hyvä! Ihan varma että näitä biisejä on soinut elokuvissa tai mainoksissa ympäri vuosikymmeniä. Ei voi tietää… tämä on niinku näytelmää, oopperaa mutta hyvällä maulla.