When I'm With You, Sparks Fly

With the synth-laden ‘Number One In Heaven’, sparks had laid the foundations for the next phase of their career, and in the process provided an inspiring template for the burgeoning ‘New Romantic’ and synth-pop movements. The duo’s combination of moody, introverted keyboard player, and charismatic vocalist, was adopted as model by the likes of 80s synth-pop luminaries Soft Cell, Yazoo, and Pet Shop Boys. Though over the next decade, Sparks would often be limited to the margins of mainstream pop success, their body of work to date, continued to be hugely influential on up and coming artists - think Depeche Mode, New Order, and They Might Be Giants (see future post).

Building on the strong foundations of ‘Number One In Heaven’, Sparks partnered up with producer (and Moroder sidekick) Harold Faltermeyer for their follow up album ‘Terminal Jive’. Moroder maintained ties, but his involvement was less substantive than the previous set, co-writing only two of the album’s eight tracks, whilst the Mael brothers took up song writing reigns on the balance. The album acted as an effective conduit between the disco experiment of its predecessor and an all out engagement of new wave synth-pop. The lead out single ‘When I’m With You’, was a serenely infectious synth-pop track, with Russell Mael’s vocals proving an irresistible lure to compliment the song’s relentless melodic hook. I recall seeing a snippet of the promo clip for ‘When I’m With You’ in a segment of Molly Meldrum’s ‘Humdrum’ on the Countdown program. It was a typically eccentric effort, with Russell Mael mouthing the song’s lyrics as a ventriloquist’s dummy, sitting on Ron Mael’s lap. I loved the song on first listen, but in mid 1980 I wasn’t yet purchasing singles, though have picked up several mixes on CD since. ‘When I’m With You’ became Sparks’ biggest hit by far in Australia (#17), and shot to the top ten across Europe. But it was France that embraced the song to an almost feverish degree, sending it to #1 for six weeks, and playing a large part in pushing worldwide sales for ‘When I’m With You’ to over 750,000. The album ‘Terminal Jive’ (OZ#96) also reached the upper reaches of the charts across several European territories.

Rarely content with being becalmed in still musical waters, the Mael brothers charted a new stylistic course for Sparks on their next album, 1981’s ‘Whomp That Sucker’ (US#182), recorded in Munich, and the duo’s first outing for new label RCA. They put some of the crate loads of electronic gear to one side, and formed a new backing band to augment their sound in both studio, and on tour. Ex-Bates Motel members Bob Haag (guitar), Leslie Bohem (bass), and David Kendrick (drums), also continued to record as a separate trio under the moniker of Gleaming Spires. ‘Whomp That Sucker’s opening track, ‘Tips For Teens’, announced that this album packed a serious power-pop punch. It was produced by Mack, a close associate of Giorgio Moroder, and recording engineer with Queen, and he not only achieved a degree of continuity from their previous releases, but doubtless his experience with Queen added more rock clout to the mix. In the late 70s/early 80s power pop was all the rage, but somehow Sparks managed to imbue their slant on the style, more so through their quirky lyrics than anything. The disco style electronica was supplanted by a harder rock edge, harkening back to some of their glam-rock material, circa mid 70s. An L.A. radio station KROQ-FM fell in love with the album, and gave Sparks the first decent dose of airplay they had received on the U.S. West Coast, in…in, well ever.

The same personnel (+ synth player James Goodwin) and production team were on board for Sparks’ next album, 1982’s ‘Angst In My Pants’ (US#173), though in true label hopping tradition, the group was now attached to Atlantic Records. The band continued to enjoy solid sales across Europe, particularly France and Belgium, during this period, but their latest style failed to recapture interest in Britain. Meanwhile, the U.S. had finally caught on to the eccentric genius of Sparks, and their next single ‘I Predict’, lifted from ‘Angst In My Pants’, delivered the Mael brothers their first bona fide U.S. Hot 100 hit (#60). Suddenly Sparks were playing to packed houses, and even raised eyebrows with a memorable appearance on ‘Saturday Night Live’. Their naturally theatrical bent, lent itself to the visual medium of MTV, and Sparks’ oddball promo videos became regulars on the still fledgling cable network. If it wasn’t obvious from their latest album cover (which featured Russell and Ron Mael posing as newly weds) that these guys were out there, then nothing was going to do the trick. KROQ continued to be the champion of all things Sparks, and ‘Angst In My Pants’ was on regular rotation throughout ‘82. The power pop motif continued strong throughout the album, though the Maels couldn’t help but ham it up on tracks like the Beach Boys’ pastiche ‘Sextown U.S.A.’.

The Mael brothers based themselves in Belgium for the recording of their next album, 1983’s ‘Sparks In Outer Space’ (US#88). The album delivered Sparks their biggest U.S. hit single in the form of the breezy pop track ‘Cool Places’ (#49), co-credited to the Go-Gos’ Jane Wiedlin (see June 08 post). Wiedlin, who was a huge Sparks devotee and had even run her own Sparks fan club back in the 70s, also contributed vocals to the lush album track ‘Lucky Me, Lucky You’. The follow up single ‘All You Ever Think About Is Sex’, though hilarious in its lyrics, didn’t do enough to tickle enough funny bones to make the charts. ‘Sparks In Outer Space’ may not have launched the Mael brothers into orbit as pop superstars, but it delivered the third in a trio of early 80s albums, which reinvigorated the band’s fortunes Stateside - unfortunately the surge of interest in Sparks was about to hit a snag in the form of 1984’s critical lampooned ‘Pulling Rabbits Out Of A Hat’. Any momentum Stateside, that had been established over the previous three albums, dissipated quickly. It may well have been in part due to Giorgio Moroder having withdrawn from the scene, to focus his production talents on Phil Oakey (of Human League - see future post). The synthesizer pop that had returned to the surface on ‘Outer Space’ shifted further to the frontline of the mix for this album, but what was missing were the quirky, caustic lyrical twists.

Enough of the banality of mainstream pop and rock - how about shaking up the musical mix, and seeing what floats to the surface. Now with MCA, Sparks resurfaced in 1986 with the, in part, experimental album ‘Music That You Can Dance To’. No prizes for guessing the style of music involved - dance. Sparks delivered a jolting music-scape of sonic extremes on tracks like ‘Changes’, featuring thought provoking lyrics on the really, really big issues, like the meaning of life. Some reviews I’ve read refer to ‘Music That You Can Dance To’ as underrated, and a hidden gem, whilst others dismiss it as patchy, and misdirected in places - I’ve not heard it in full, so can’t offer any more light on the subject. The Maels built themselves a professional standard, home recording studio in L.A. soon after, and used it as the base to record 1988’s ‘Interior Design’, released on the brothers own Fine Art label. Sparks had now been pruned back once more to the core duo of Russell and Ron Mael, who also acted as producers. Perhaps it was the lack of outside influence, but the ‘Interior Design’ album failed to reignite Sparks’ flagging fortunes. For once, the duo didn’t manage to preface the mood of cutting edge music, or push themselves into new and interesting territory, either musically or lyrically - it was the least Sparks like album to date, though it may have just been a case of returning to the same well of creative inspiration one too many times. Aside from a collaboration with French husband and wife duo Les Rita Mitsouko on the August ‘88 single release ‘Singing In The Shower’, Russell and Ron Mael retreated from the music business for a time, to focus creative energies on a proposed film project.

Their cinematic sojourn centred on a proposed film project, to adapt the Japanese ‘manga’ comic strip ‘Mai, The Psychic Girl’ into a motion picture. It’s not surprising that the Mael brothers were lured into a fully fledged cinematic enterprise, given both had flirted with the medium in their college days, and clearly imbued much of their music with a pungent cinematic aroma. Despite dedicating six years of time and effort to the project, which at one stage promised the involvement of maverick film maker Tim Burton (now that would have been a collaboration to savour), the ‘Mai’ project didn’t come to fruition. During this period the Maels did compose the music to a martial arts film by acclaimed Hong Kong director Tsui Hark.

Having been absent from the pop scene for almost five years, Sparks returned to active duty in 1993. The dance/house music scene of the late 80s and early 90s had drawn substantial inspiration from Sparks’ earlier mastery of electronica music, and that was a contributing factor in the duo being requested by Scottish label Finiflex to release the single ‘National Crime Awareness Week’. The song reflected Sparks’ interest in cutting edge music style, incorporating rap style vocals over an electronic backing, that no doubt received a workout at numerous rave parties. The track brought renewed interest to the extensive inventory of innovative Sparks’ music, and doubtless provided inspiration for the Maels to serve up their most critically acclaimed album in more than a decade. Dance label Logic combined with BMG to back the release of 1994’s album ‘Gratuitous Sax And Senseless Violins’ (UK#60), the best Sparks’ album title since ‘A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing’. The album’s November ‘94 release had been presaged by the lead out single ‘When Do I Get To Sing “My Way”’, which returned Sparks to the British singles charts for the first time in fifteen years (#38/Ge#7). The track was reissued a few months later and peaked at #32 at its second attempt. All of the infectious melodic structure, and bitingly witty lyrical ruminations were present in abundance, but Sparks had once again successfully married cutting edge musical styles to the mix, this time in the form of the prevailing explosion of techno/house styles, resulting in a musical layer cake of sublime lavishness. Two further singles were released from the album, with both ‘When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing)’ (UK#36), and ‘Now That I Own The BBC’ (UK#60) cracking the charts.

In 1997 Sparks built on their new found momentum with the cheekily titled ‘Plagiarism’, an album of cover versions of their own material, featuring contributions from Sparks’ devotees like Erasure, Jimmy Somerville, and Faith No More. Tony Visconti came on board to produce half the album, which in essence was a self produced tribute album. ‘The Number One Song In Heaven’ returned to the British charts (#70) in late ‘97, and was followed by a collaborative revamp of the classic ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us’, credited to Sparks Vs. Faith No More (UK#40). Sell out shows in London and L.A. confirmed that the creative juggernaut of Sparks, was well and truly back in vogue.

2000’s ‘Balls’ album, was backed with a live DVD release, providing a visual showcase of the band’s best work. The ‘Balls’ album also ushered in a prolific period of creative output from Sparks, continued with the ‘Lil’ Beethoven’ album in 2002, described by the band themselves, and many music writers, as the bands “genre-defying opus”. Essentially the album featured nine mini-operettas, resplendent with lush orchestral arrangements. Critics lauded it as one of the best album releases of the year, and a defining moment in the resurgence of Sparks as a creative tour de force. Russell and Ron Mael delivered once more on 2006’s ‘Hello Young Lovers’, which delighted in the absurd, the grand, and the theatrical, and made a point of turning contemporary musical convention on its head. Sparks continue to march to their own unique, and inspiring beat, and their enduring career, which now spans over forty years, shows no signs of waning, with their latest album ‘Exotic Creatures Of The Deep’, continuing to intrigue and delight fans, old and new.

Thanks to the definitive Sparks website for some of the photos used in this post. Check out more great pics and info on the history of Sparks at the following - http://graphikdesigns.free.fr/halfnelson.html

Maverick Mael Brothers Set Out To Conquer Heaven And Earth

Popular music has thrown up its share of maverick artists of the years, those fringe dwellers of the mainstream, whose eccentric, quirky, eclectic styles and approach, position them at the cutting edge of largely uncharted territories. A pioneering artist such as Frank Zappa established a genre virtually all his own, through combining an innovative, daring, even provocative methodology, in taking conventional styles and fusing them in unconventional ways. Similarly, brothers Ronald and Russell Mael were creative entities, inhabiting pops periphery, not often listed on the mainstream pop music menu, but rather a special order item for clientele in the know. Yet, like Zappa (though not to the same degree obviously), the Mael brothers, through their group identity Sparks, were hugely influential, in an almost subversive way. They helped shape the look and feel of popular music, as part of that loosely aligned underground movement of artists, removed in large part from the pressures of adhering to a commercially ‘safe’ formula, yet paradoxically influencing that formula.

Californian brothers Ron Mael (b.1950) and Russell Mael (1955) spent part of their respective childhoods modelling for children’s clothing catalogues, which may, or may not, have informed some of the more oddball elements of the Sparks image. By their teen years both had turned to music, and whilst attending U.C.L.A. campus during the late 60s, they played in a few different bands separately, before coming together in a band called Moonbaker Abbey. By 1971 the Mael brothers had formed their first band called Halfnelson (which had evolved out of the Urban Renewal Project). Russell (vocals), and Ron (keyboards), were joined in the initial line-up by college friends Earle Mankey (guitar), Ralph Oswald (bass), and John Henderson (drums). Over the next couple of years Halfnelson attracted a solid following at live gigs, and by 1971 had recorded a number of demo tapes. One of those demo tapes attracted the interest of Todd Rundgren, who at the time was an in-house producer with Albert Grossman’s ‘Bearsville’ label. Rundgren pushed for, and got, Halfnelson a recording deal, and helmed production for their eponymous debut album, released in February 1972. It appeared the world was not yet ready for the Mael brothers, and the ‘Halfnelson’ album tanked. Over the next few months the band recruited a new rhythm section, with Jim Mankey (Earl’s brother) on bass, and Harley Feinstein on drums, replacing Oswald and Henderson respectively. The band’s manager at the time, also encouraged them to change their name, perhaps out of concern that they may be confused with a popular move from professional wrestling. And so it was during the second half of ‘72 that Sparks were ignited. Their debut album was re-released under the new moniker, and a track from the set, ‘Wonder Girl’, actually flirted with the outer reaches of the U.S. charts (#112).

In February ‘73, Sparks released their sophomore album ‘A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing’ (with James Lowe producing), the clever title giving a further indication, if it was needed, that the Mael brothers had a bent for quirky and curious lyrical games. Whilst musically they favoured challenging art rock elements with psychedelic overtones, which maybe proved a little too challenging for U.S. audiences at that time. With the mammoth success of art rock powerhouses like Roxy Music, and the flamboyant excesses of glam-rock, perhaps the U.K. would be more receptive to what Sparks had to offer. During 1972 the band had enjoyed a successful tour across Britain, where it seemed their curious pop tendencies were less perplexing, and more enticing to live audiences. The album ‘A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing’ started to notch up slow but steady sales, and before the end of ‘73 the Mael brothers made the decision to relocate to London on a fulltime basis. The rest of the original Sparks’ line-up remained behind in the States, with Earl Mankey going on to a successful career as both producer and recording artist, and brother Jim playing a key role in the formation of Concrete Blonde.

It’s probably fair to say that Sparks were just a little too ‘dangerous’ for the U.S. music scene of the mid 70s, where ‘middle of the road’ and ‘album oriented rock’ proved safer, and more commercially palatable. Russell Mael’s at times piercing, near manic falsetto vocal stylings, combined with his gregarious and strongly androgynous image, proved an effective juxtaposition to songwriter Ron Mael’s quirky arrangements, mischievously acerbic wordplay, and unnerving stage presence (Mael sported a Hitler style moustache - or maybe it was Chaplin, and maintained a relentlessly stiff and moody demeanour - which was later parodied by Paul McCartney in the brilliant promo-video for his 1980 #1 ‘Coming Up’). The combination delivered a strikingly eccentric package, that no doubt lent itself to the more innovative, and audacious British music scene of that era. Upon settling into their new London base, the Mael brothers recruited a new backing unit, featuring Adrian Fisher (guitar), Martin Gordon (bass/vocals), Dinky Diamond (drums), and Peter Oxendale (keyboards), for both touring and recording duties. Soon after Chris Blackwell’s Island Records signed Sparks to a deal, and in-house producer Muff Winwood (ex-Spencer Davis Group), whose brother Steve would soon return to Island, helmed production on Sparks’ May ‘74 album release ‘Kimono My House’. The immaculately conceived album captured Sparks’ arch combination of intelligent, witty lyrics and glam edged art rock, and the lead out single, ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us’, made an immediate impact on the British charts. The track was defined by Russell Mael’s quavering, pseudo-operatic vocals delivering Ron Mael’s oddball lyrical twists, and soon shot wild-west style to #2 on the British charts (OZ#69). It was kept out of top spot on the British charts by the Rubettes’ ‘Sugar Baby Love’, the Rubettes having benefited greatly from an appearance on the BBC’s ‘Top Of The Pops’, as a replacement act for the scheduled Sparks, who were pulled from the show at the last minute, when they weren’t able to flash their music union credentials. As the album ‘Kimono House’ set up residence inside the British top five (#4/OZ#22/US#101), the follow up single ‘Amateur Hour’ scored a welcome gong at #7, establishing these pop ‘fringe dwellers’ firmly within the British mainstream - at least for a time. During this period Sparks even had the honour of playing on the same bill as Queen, at London’s famed Marquee Club (that would have been some double bill).

The new single ‘Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth’ (UK#13) preceded the November ‘74 release of the album ‘Propaganda’, which delivered more of the same edgy pop-rock formula, whilst gave Sparks their second consecutive British top ten album (#9/OZ#75/US#63). The Mael brothers seemed to delight in unleashing organised chaos, confronting listeners with a myriad of musical styles fused together, in a disconcerting, yet paradoxically, engaging manner. This time around they were backed by Trevor White (guitar), Ian Hampton (bass), and Dinky Diamond (drums), a support group that would be in place for the next eighteen months or so. In January ‘75, the single ‘Something For The Girl With Everything’ (UK#17) continued Sparks’ solid run of chart success. Producer Tony Visconti (of Bolan/Bowie association) was brought on board for Sparks’ next album ‘Indiscreet’ (UK#18/US#169), released in October of ‘75, featuring less than discreet cover art, and a downright over the top musical melange, with a clear power pop flavour evident. By now the oddball formula wasn’t so oddball anymore, or perhaps by its very nature, oddball has a short shelf life, before it grows wearisome. Though it wouldn’t be fare to define Sparks’ as a novelty act, in the context of their work during this period - the ‘novelty’ was wearing thin. That said, ‘Indiscreet’ spawned two top thirty singles with ‘Get In The Swing’ (UK#27), and ‘Looks, Looks, Looks’ (UK#26), but Sparks’ consistent run of chart success was about to stumble and fall into a hole.

By 1976 the Mael Brothers had dispensed with a regular support roster for Sparks, and instead employed session players on an as needs basis. After the stand alone single ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ (yes, a cover of The Beatles’ classic), the support cast for Sparks’ next album included bassist Sal Maida, drummer Hilly Michaels, and Tuff Darts guitarist Jeff Salen. Having lost impetus back in Britain, the Mael’s had also shifted operations back to the U.S., but their next project, ‘Big Beat’, produced by Rupert Holmes (see previous post), proved to be a serious miscalculation. It was an expensively produced attempt at stripped down, hard edge power-rock, but aside from Sparks performing two of the album’s tracks in the disaster flick ‘Rollercoaster’, the Mael’s attempt to finally crack the U.S. market once more proved to be a mini-disaster of its own. The ‘Big Beat’ album marked the final outing for Sparks on the Island label, and the (now) duo signed with CBS/Columbia for their next project. There was a deliberate irony to the title of 1977’s ‘Introducing Sparks’, the band’s seventh album, which did little to redress their anonymity Stateside. Co-produced by the Mael brothers and Terry Powell, it was recorded with a slew of L.A. session players, but its contrived studio slickness was arguably its undoing.

Sparks soon parted company with CBS/Columbia and set up camp with Virgin Records (Elektra in the U.S.), for their next album ‘Number One In Heaven’ (UK#73/OZ#63), released in March of ‘79, which contained only a half dozen tracks (though all quite lengthy). A year previous, the Mael’s had met up with Euro-disco producing guru Giorgio Moroder, whilst on tour in Germany. Virtually no one was above having a tilt at disco during that period, and Sparks, addicted to stylistic metamorphosis, once more threw away their established recipe to embrace a disco-funk meets electronica formula. The single ‘The Number One Song In Heaven’, co-written by Ron Mael and Moroder, sparked a renaissance in Sparks’ fortunes, and returned the Mael brothers to the British top twenty (#14/OZ#85) for the first time in over four years, albeit with a style a world away from their mid 70s fare. Some critics unleashed derision upon Sparks for selling out to disco, but it’s likely the duo didn’t care, especially given the manic funk-disco follow up single, ‘Beat The Clock’, released in a slew of different mixes, bolted all the way to #10 in Britain during mid ‘79. On the 12” mix, a bonus track titled ‘Untitled’, featured comedian Peter Cook in a mock advertisement for the album ‘Number One In Heaven’. A third chart hit, ‘Tryouts For The Human Race’ (UK#45), confirmed that Sparks’ potentially risky strategy, in entering a creative marriage with Moroder, had paid off, commercially if not critically. Russell and Ron Mael would continue to defy expectations (and convention) into the 1980s, though as had been the case throughout the 70s, mainstream commercial appeal would remain sporadic at best.

Thanks to the definitive Sparks website for some of the photos used in this post. Check out more great pics and info on the history of Sparks at the following - http://graphikdesigns.free.fr/halfnelson.html