Prepare yourself for a treat. As mentioned in my previous post Sparks are releasing a musical. Not oneof those shite and cynical pieces of shit like 'We Will Rock You' but an original radio musical about Ingmar Bergman.
This is worth getting reasonably excited about as it follows an impressive run of albums, that began with Lil' Beethoven, which in my eyes threw them into genius territory.
This is worth getting reasonably excited about as it follows an impressive run of albums, that began with Lil' Beethoven, which in my eyes threw them into genius territory.
Now this proclaimation isn't to be taken lightly. In this age where every band and album the NME promotes claims to speak to their generation, where they just so happen to be the best thing since Joy Division, Sex Pistols and the discovery of fire, this proclaimation does have more credibility.
But I have the evidence. I haven't been able to get the evidence out of my head. I have objectivity. I don't have an agenda to go down in history as the beneficiary of popular music. Hello Young Lovers is a masterpiece, a feat, made only ever more remarkable by the fact that their last album Lil' Beethoven was also a masterpiece and so is 'Exotic Creatures of the Deep', albeit it not quite as focused as their new opus. Their 1980 album, Number 1 Song In Heaven, produced with Giorgio Moroder, is probably the world's best disco album.
The music of Sparks, their approach, their attitude, their sense of irony carries everything that the ultra-conservative bands of today lack. The music of Sparks is beautiful, it's romantic, it's lyrical, and tragic, cheeky. It's dark, atmospheric, concerned, and disillusioned. Lil' Beethoven , it's string arrangments and multi-layered repitative vocal excursions, contained in a pop forumula, was very much the blueprint for Hello Young Lovers which adds to this mix drums, rock guitars, and more of Russell's operatic flourishes. Standout tracks such as 'Dick Around, 'Metaphor', 'Perfume', 'Waterproof', 'Rock Rock Rock', bring together the classical and the classic rock of early Spark albums to bring you a stylish, polished disc, not afraid to subtley take on the themes and re-evaluate society, popular culture, infidelity, religion and politics. Of course all deleivered in the grandiose style. This was continued in 'Exotic Creatures of the Deep' and no doubt has progressed in the genre of the musical with 'The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman.' The results of an experiment between Gilbert and George and Beethoven may well achieve similar results. But I doubt it.
But I have the evidence. I haven't been able to get the evidence out of my head. I have objectivity. I don't have an agenda to go down in history as the beneficiary of popular music. Hello Young Lovers is a masterpiece, a feat, made only ever more remarkable by the fact that their last album Lil' Beethoven was also a masterpiece and so is 'Exotic Creatures of the Deep', albeit it not quite as focused as their new opus. Their 1980 album, Number 1 Song In Heaven, produced with Giorgio Moroder, is probably the world's best disco album.
The music of Sparks, their approach, their attitude, their sense of irony carries everything that the ultra-conservative bands of today lack. The music of Sparks is beautiful, it's romantic, it's lyrical, and tragic, cheeky. It's dark, atmospheric, concerned, and disillusioned. Lil' Beethoven , it's string arrangments and multi-layered repitative vocal excursions, contained in a pop forumula, was very much the blueprint for Hello Young Lovers which adds to this mix drums, rock guitars, and more of Russell's operatic flourishes. Standout tracks such as 'Dick Around, 'Metaphor', 'Perfume', 'Waterproof', 'Rock Rock Rock', bring together the classical and the classic rock of early Spark albums to bring you a stylish, polished disc, not afraid to subtley take on the themes and re-evaluate society, popular culture, infidelity, religion and politics. Of course all deleivered in the grandiose style. This was continued in 'Exotic Creatures of the Deep' and no doubt has progressed in the genre of the musical with 'The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman.' The results of an experiment between Gilbert and George and Beethoven may well achieve similar results. But I doubt it.
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