This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.
Nº 1 in Heaven is the eighth studio album by American rock band Sparks. Recorded with Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder, the album marked a change of musical direction for the group and became influential on later synth-pop bands. Released in March 1979 by Virgin Records (with initial copies on colored vinyl) and later licensed to Elektra Records in the US, Nº 1 in Heaven renewed interest in the band after disappointing sales of the preceding albums Big Beat (1976) and Introducing Sparks (1977). It is the band's only album on Elektra, the fourth label that the band was signed to in the US. Nº 1 in Heaven had a dramatically different sound from that of Sparks' previous seven albums. The group dropped the standard guitar, bass and piano from its musical palette and the new sound was dominated by layered sequencers and synthesizers, underpinned by the drums and percussion of Keith Forsey. Russell Mael's distinctive falsetto was overlaid in a number of overdubs and complemented by backing vocalists. Joy Division cited "Number One Song in Heaven" as a primary influence during the recording of "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Joy Division's drummer Stephen Morris stated: "When we were doing 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', there were two records we were into: Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits and 'Number One Song in Heaven' by Sparks. That was the beginning of getting interested in Giorgio Moroder".
Well this was just way too much gosh darn fun. Oodles of fun, even. Scrumptious.
While I admit I've never been a fan of Sparks, their image, their album covers, and their strange way of being cool have always attracted me, let alone the project 'Annette', what a masterpiece. It's a shame that their songs haven't done it for me as much. Of what I had heard from them, their first album had always occupied the top spot in my favorites... until now. Thanks for suggesting it
This album should have been on the list. The production by Giorgio Moroder was fantastic and it represents a transition towards synth pop.
Electro Sparks. I'll take it. I'm a sucker for sequencers.
What if The Killers and ELO formed a supergroup? This sounds SO 70s and also SO 80s and SO 2000s. Really a fun ride and a RARE instance of me wishing it was a longer album!
This was produced by the legendary Giorgio Moroder and it influenced (arguably) the greatest single of all time - Joy Division's Love will tear us apart, so what could go wrong? Well its corny and dated as hell, but I'll give it an extra point for being highly influential.
Sparks are always a fun listen. 7/10
8/10. I like that you can read the title as No One in Heaven if you want to. Also the music was pretty cool.
Music from the future
No. 1's a particularly immaculate showing by sparks, with gargantuan songs on the same old basis. Their best I've heard was curled around loops; Tempo is the pit on this record. The characteristic attitude shines through more than a flow per se, hands pulling you back onto the dance floor again and again.
Kind of interesting electro… dance? I could see this definitely growing on me a bit more.
Super silly 3
jesus christ.
Electrónica
Pensais pas avoir autant de fun a ecouter quand je suis tomber sur cet album, 3.5 cest explosif .
I enjoyed this while it was on, but I feel like it covers a part of music that was already covered in the list.
Solid entry in the electronica/disco vein, very much of its era. The more theatrical presentations aren't really my thing but I can appreciate it.
Sort of like if Freddie Mercury and Kraftwerk got together and decided to make a disco album. Not really my thing, but not boring! 3 stars.
Not bad
The music from the 80's for me itsn't by definition a lost era. There's still a lot of really cool stuff that originated in the 80's. It might border on guilty pleasure or pure nostaliga, but still it can have its charm. Sparks is a difficult one though. This album has its moments, but also some cringeworthy bits and pieces. In the end it balances out to the positive: 3/5
It's dumb, but nowhere near as dumb as the Sparks album in the book...and after half an hour of this, that's saying something. I guess in the 7 years since _Kimono my House_ (uurrgh) they had time to experiment with disco beats? Everything is dripping in that annoying new wave production I don't like, but... that was just the time, I guess. La Dolce Vita is an alright song. but it's just too SILLY for me.
Don't want to say its a generic 80's record... but its a generic 80's record (coming from someone who loves 80's music). Aside from that, there is already a Sparks album in the list.
Innovative synth pop with crashing drums and Russ Mael's powerful falsetto. The sound of Queen covering the Pet Shop Boys. Typically idiosyncratic, heaps of fun and well ahead of it's time in 1979. Rating: 5 Playlist track: The Number One Song In Heaven Date listened: 07/08/24
Do I save myself time and just give this five stars straight away? I didn't. It's half an hour and six songs long. And three of them are all time greats. The rest are merely good songs, but you can't argue with an album this charming.
I loved this from the jump, and there was something familiar about it… looking further I wasn’t surprised to discover Giorgio Morodor was the producer. When “Beat the Clock” came on I knew the song, but can’t remember from where. Great addition to the list. “Tryouts for the Human Race” and “The Number One Song in Heaven” were particular standouts!
Fantastic!
Great!
I enjoyed the Sparks album in the 1001 list, Kimono My House, but this is somewhat different with its disco Moroder beat. I love it, too! Bonus points for hearing some sorely missing disco from this project. Thank you!
High energy (high kick! high kick!). I'll admit, I hadn't listened to too much Sparks until watching their documentary (I'm a sucker for Edgar Wright), but I can see why they're one of those bands that is favored by music nerds: these songs aren't "radio friendly", but from the first sequence on "Tryouts For the Human Race", I was hooked. A rare album where I restart it shortly after finishing it. Very fun. I have a minor gripe that the final track doesn't particularly feel "final", it just kind of fades, but it's not enough to keep from really enjoying the record. Favorite tracks: "Tryouts For The Human Race", "Beat The Clock"
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Academy award performance, La dolce vita
Fun
Gott!
Oh my heart, it's Sparks. This was such a delight after Bon Iver's lifeless attempt at an electronic album from yesterday. Now *this* is how you do electronic music, thank you very much. Of course Giorgio Moroder's fingerprints are all over this collaboration, with some truly gorgeous arrangements. This album is a seminal work for electronic music, deftly straddling the line between disco and new wave/electro-pop in all the best ways. It's fresh and fizzy and built for the dance floor. But it's also charmingly quirky and artful as all Mael brothers albums are. The lyrics are clever and campy, both embracing and slyly satirizing the shallowness and silliness of dance music. I mean, who else could get away with a dance anthem devoted to the life cycle of sperm? Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): The Number One Song in Heaven, Beat the Clock, La Dolce Vita, Tryouts for the Human Race, My Other Voice, Academy Award Performance
Quite a change from their earlier 70s output. I like the Moroder disco synth, but the songs are a little too similar. However, two of the big singles are great: Beat The Clock and The Number One Song…
If you play this during the orgy scene of Eyes Wide Shut, it makes both the movie and album better. After listening to this album, Spotify immediately played "Angst in my Pants" by this very band, which is better than any song on this album.
Been a while since a synth-heavy album has come through on the project. This was balanced just well enough to keep me interested all the way through without veering into cheese territory, though I could definitely feel my attention waning by the end. A fun listen and a good add.
A slight overdose of 80's vibe (although the album is from 1979, yes).
Pretty fun, doesn't stand out 3.4
Disco, rock, electronica, synth-pop, hi-NRG. Ni fu ni fa.
Not bad. I could see how this would be influential to other artists. A 3 for my personal enjoyment of the album.
Not bad at all, some '80s new wave pop. Never heard of this group but they seem good enough. I like the concept here, and the sort-of title track. It's fun. Favorite tracks: Number One Song in Heaven, La Dolce Vita, Tryouts for the Human Race. Album art: Looks to be a nurse standing in a white room. Heavenly perhaps? Is she upside down? 3/5
This was a pretty good album! I saw it was one of the first synth albums and that makes it a cool piece of history. I really liked the first song on here, there was a sound that I think was sampled or used on Chris Brown's Look at Me Now.
Well, the eighties. What shall I say. Nothing really spectacular came out of this era. At least in my humble opinion. And this certainly falls under that umbrella. That high pitch vocal really gets on my nerves.
Nothing special
This just wasn’t for me. The hyper pop and synth sound of the 80s was heavy in this and it didn’t resonate with me. I found the upbeat music and fast paced lyricism to be dated. Even though this was 79 it listens like 80s and the 80s have always been hit or miss with me. This one was a miss. 4.5/10