SPARKS - INDISCREET
[Cardboard Sleeve] [SHM-CD] [Limited Release]
Mini LP Replica (Just Released)
Catalog No.: UICY-94100
Label/Distributor: Universal Music
Format: CD
Number of discs (or other units): 1
Release Date: 2009/6/10
Originally Released 1975
Recorded 1975
Genre Rock
Length 43:06
Label Island Records
Mini LP Replica (Just Released)
Catalog No.: UICY-94100
Label/Distributor: Universal Music
Format: CD
Number of discs (or other units): 1
Release Date: 2009/6/10
Originally Released 1975
Recorded 1975
Genre Rock
Length 43:06
Label Island Records
1. "Hospitality On Parade" – 4:00
2. "Happy Hunting Ground" – 3:44
3. "Without Using Hands" – 3:20
4. "Get In The Swing" – 4:08
5. "Under The Table With Her" – 2:20
6. "How Are You Getting Home?" – 2:57
7. "Pineapple" (Russell Mael) – 2:45
8. "Tits" – 4:57
9. "It Ain't 1918" – 2:08
10. "The Lady Is Lingering" – 3:40
11. "In The Future" – 2:12
12. "Looks, Looks, Looks" – 2:35
13. "Miss The Start, Miss The End" – 2:46
14. "Profile" – 3:30
15. "The Wedding Of Jacqueline Kennedy to Russell Mael" (Russell Mael) – 1:36
16. "Looks, Looks, Looks (live)" – 4:02
2. "Happy Hunting Ground" – 3:44
3. "Without Using Hands" – 3:20
4. "Get In The Swing" – 4:08
5. "Under The Table With Her" – 2:20
6. "How Are You Getting Home?" – 2:57
7. "Pineapple" (Russell Mael) – 2:45
8. "Tits" – 4:57
9. "It Ain't 1918" – 2:08
10. "The Lady Is Lingering" – 3:40
11. "In The Future" – 2:12
12. "Looks, Looks, Looks" – 2:35
13. "Miss The Start, Miss The End" – 2:46
14. "Profile" – 3:30
15. "The Wedding Of Jacqueline Kennedy to Russell Mael" (Russell Mael) – 1:36
16. "Looks, Looks, Looks (live)" – 4:02
Personnel
* Russell Mael – vocals
* Ron Mael – keyboards
* Ian Hampton – bass
* Trevor White – guitar
* Norman "Dinky" Diamond – drums
with
* Mike Piggot – fiddle on "It Ain't 1918"
* Tony Visconti – orchestral arrangements
* Russell Mael – vocals
* Ron Mael – keyboards
* Ian Hampton – bass
* Trevor White – guitar
* Norman "Dinky" Diamond – drums
with
* Mike Piggot – fiddle on "It Ain't 1918"
* Tony Visconti – orchestral arrangements
Sparks is an American rock and pop music band formed in Los Angeles in 1970 by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals), initially under the name Halfnelson. Best known for their quirky approach to song writing, Sparks' music is often accompanied by cutting and acerbic lyrics, and an idiosyncratic stage presence, typified in the contrast between Russell's wide-eyed hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's sedentary scowling.
The band's long career has seen them successfully adopt many different musical genres; including glam pop, power pop, electronic dance music, mainstream pop and most recently chamber pop. And they have enjoyed a cult following since their first releases. Sparks have been highly influential on the development of popular music, in particular on the late 1970s scene, when in collaboration with Giorgio Moroder (and Telex subsequently), they reinvented themselves as an electronic pop duo, and abandoned the traditional rock band line up. In contrast to the esteem in which they are held by such peers as Depeche Mode, New Order, Morrissey, Mark Burgess of the Chameleons UK and They Might Be Giants, who all cite Sparks as a major influence, their almost constantly changing styles and visual presentations have sometimes seen them dismissed as a novelty act.
The 2002 release of Lil' Beethoven, their self-described "genre-defying opus", as well as the more recent albums Hello Young Lovers (2006, their 20th studio album) and Exotic Creatures Of The Deep (2008) have brought Sparks renewed critical and commercial success, and seen them continue to "steer clear of pop conventions."
The band's long career has seen them successfully adopt many different musical genres; including glam pop, power pop, electronic dance music, mainstream pop and most recently chamber pop. And they have enjoyed a cult following since their first releases. Sparks have been highly influential on the development of popular music, in particular on the late 1970s scene, when in collaboration with Giorgio Moroder (and Telex subsequently), they reinvented themselves as an electronic pop duo, and abandoned the traditional rock band line up. In contrast to the esteem in which they are held by such peers as Depeche Mode, New Order, Morrissey, Mark Burgess of the Chameleons UK and They Might Be Giants, who all cite Sparks as a major influence, their almost constantly changing styles and visual presentations have sometimes seen them dismissed as a novelty act.
The 2002 release of Lil' Beethoven, their self-described "genre-defying opus", as well as the more recent albums Hello Young Lovers (2006, their 20th studio album) and Exotic Creatures Of The Deep (2008) have brought Sparks renewed critical and commercial success, and seen them continue to "steer clear of pop conventions."
AllMusic Review: by Alex Henderson
In the '70s and '80s, Sparks' American fans couldn't understand why the Mael Brothers weren't as big in the United States as they were in England. "Why don't more of our fellow Americans realize just how great these guys are?" was the question that Sparks addicts in the U.S. often found themselves asking. Whatever the reason, British audiences really connected with Sparks' goofy, insanely clever lyrics -- and the fact that Russell Mael sings like he could be an eccentric upper-class Englishman (although he was born and raised in Los Angeles) probably didn't hurt. Indiscreet, which was the Mael Brothers' third album for Island and their fifth album overall, is state-of-the-art Sparks. The power pop melodies are consistently infectious, and the lyrics are as humorous as one expects Sparks lyrics to be -- nutty gems like "Pineapple," "Happy Hunting Ground," "Tits," and "Get in the Swing" will easily appeal to those who like to think of Russell and Ron Mael as the pop/rock equivalent of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Like other Sparks releases of the '70s, Indiscreet did much better in England than it did on the North American side of the Atlantic. In the U.S., this 1975 LP appealed to a small but enthusiastic cult following -- in Great Britain, Indiscreet was a big seller and appealed to a much larger and broader audience. Over the years, Sparks has experimented with everything from hard rock to Euro-disco. But power pop is the primary focus of Indiscreet, which went down in history as one of the band's best '70s albums.
In the '70s and '80s, Sparks' American fans couldn't understand why the Mael Brothers weren't as big in the United States as they were in England. "Why don't more of our fellow Americans realize just how great these guys are?" was the question that Sparks addicts in the U.S. often found themselves asking. Whatever the reason, British audiences really connected with Sparks' goofy, insanely clever lyrics -- and the fact that Russell Mael sings like he could be an eccentric upper-class Englishman (although he was born and raised in Los Angeles) probably didn't hurt. Indiscreet, which was the Mael Brothers' third album for Island and their fifth album overall, is state-of-the-art Sparks. The power pop melodies are consistently infectious, and the lyrics are as humorous as one expects Sparks lyrics to be -- nutty gems like "Pineapple," "Happy Hunting Ground," "Tits," and "Get in the Swing" will easily appeal to those who like to think of Russell and Ron Mael as the pop/rock equivalent of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Like other Sparks releases of the '70s, Indiscreet did much better in England than it did on the North American side of the Atlantic. In the U.S., this 1975 LP appealed to a small but enthusiastic cult following -- in Great Britain, Indiscreet was a big seller and appealed to a much larger and broader audience. Over the years, Sparks has experimented with everything from hard rock to Euro-disco. But power pop is the primary focus of Indiscreet, which went down in history as one of the band's best '70s albums.
