The Smiley Smile Message Board

It's hard to believe Ron Mael turns 70 years old today. Ron and his younger brother, Russell, have been recording - how would you describe it? - unique, interesting, cutting edge, smart, funny, and just plain great music with their band, Sparks, for 44 years! Ron, in addition to being Sparks' main songwriter, is also an unbelievable keyboard player, and what can you say about that wild stage persona he created. Thanks for the music, Ron, and I look forward to many more years of Sparks!

Maybe Sparks' best song: https://youtu.be/x29_lhRjuuw

Wow! 70? My, I feel old. Happy B'Day to a Rock original. I was a big time fan during the glam years. The trifecta of Kimono My House, Propaganda, and Indiscreet is just about as good as it gets.

(http://40.media.tumblr.com/302fd8fe51a6f6e0b6765ae23e036334/tumblr_n3oe69psa31qagxv6o1_400.jpg)

Happy birthday, sir.  May FFS go from strength to strength. :=)

Yes, krabklaw... Ron and Russ were on quite a roll with Kimono My House, Propaganda, and Indiscreet, all released in the span of about a year and a half, in 1974-75. While those albums did fairly well commercially and critically back in the day, they remain mostly unknown among general music fans today. It's a shame because there is some great, great music there.

In 2008, Sparks did a 21 date tour, performing each of their 21 albums in full, in chronological order. Think about that, having to remember/re-learn all of those songs again, some more than 40 years old, especially the complex ones they are known for!

john k...Thanks for mentioning FFS. That would be the new group Sparks formed with Franz Ferdinand. They released their new album in June. I've heard some tracks from the album and they are quite good. FFS also played a few shows...

Sparks show off their love of the BBs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qv5JvEmSoc

*edit - link didn't work before, should now.

Yes, almost from day one, Sparks have employed Beach Boys-like harmonies in many of their songs. And then there's their homage to The Beach Boys - "Over The Summer" from the Introducing Sparks album. Ron and Russ grew up in Southern California in the 1960's, so... :)

They also wrote a song taking the piss out of Morrissey, so by default they should be AGD's second favourite band.

Obviously you're a Sparks fan! :-D

Yes, Sparks recorded a song called "Lighten Up, Morrissey" from their 2008 album, Exotic Creatures Of The Deep, an excellent later-period album from the Mael brothers.

Here's a live version of the song: https://youtu.be/5gHk66SrUzo

If you've ever wondered what Ron would look like without the 'stache, fast forward to 4:40 here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QM9wSyn8BY

...and original band member Earle Mankey has a very direct Beach Boys connection, working on some 70s stuff for them.

Yes, Earle Mankey was the guitarist on Sparks' first two albums, Sparks (originally known as Halfnelson) in 1971 and A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing in 1972. After leaving Sparks, Earle went on to be an engineer at Brother Studios. Earle's brother, Jim Mankey, was the bass player on the same above albums. And, the drummer on those two albums was Harley Feinstein, who lists his early influences as The Ventures and Dick Dale & The Deltones. Harley is now an attorney!

The ironic thing is, despite those Southern California musicians, those first two Sparks' albums don't have as many Beach Boys' harmonies/influences as their later ones, some with British musicians, which have their share of stack-of-Russells.

A quick question for krabklaw, rn57, Mike's Beard, or any other Sparks fans...When you see those Top 100 lists like the one currently on this board, do you think that Sparks belongs on any of them - as a group, Ron as a songwriter, Ron as a keyboard player, or even Russell as a singer? I realize I am extremely biased - I love Sparks - but, damn, at least Ron Mael should now be getting some recognition. Any recognition!

Well they certainly deserve to be there if the likes of Taylor Swift, Biggie Smalls, Jay Z, Kayne West etc... do!

Well I sure think they deserve to be a top 100 group, but I understand that their period of success was pretty limited and their US following is strictly cult. Hey! If you haven't listened to the Mini Mansions  (they did the song with BW) new album, there are are some cuts with a distinct Sparks influence. They even do a  cover of Sherlock Holmes on one of their singles, so they;re obviously fans of the group.

But, what do you guys think specifically about Ron Mael as a songwriter and arranger? krabklaw, you nailed it with the Big 3 - Kimono My House, Propaganda, and Indiscreet. Doesn't someone who wrote the bulk of those albums, in this case, Ron, deserve to be in a special category, with the greats?

Yes, Sparks' period of commercial success was limited, and they've always been a cult group, but, critically, they've extended that over decades. While I'm not as big a fan of their later work as their earlier period, there are still moments of brilliance spread out over their later albums. It's funny but I guess their later work could be considered 1976 - present. ;D

I know I'm beating a dead horse and preaching to a small choir here, but honestly, Ron Mael has a quality in his songwriting and arranging where I often say to myself, "How in the world did he come up with that?" And I don't say that very often.

Morrissey, take note.... :lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwIrFTo495E

AGD will love this homage to his favourite artist ONLY if it was called 'FCUK OFF MORRISSEY'  :lol

PS I love Sparks (Great great band) and FFS is superb

Sparks are awesome. I saw them a couple of times in the last few years (twice in 2009, twice in 2012, once in 2013, twice in 2014 and once in 2015) in various configurations (rockband, duo, FFS, with an orchestra) and they keep blowing me away. Almost every album has its own highlights (even though some of the 80's stuff is pretty weak). I'm especially a big fan of the 'classic' era (Kimono-Indiscreet) and the 'later' period (Lil' Beethoven-Exotic Creatures), but albums like No. 1 In Heaven are brilliant as well. FFS finally saw a return to 'songs' instead of the stylistic approach of the last couple of albums, which was great to hear.

Thanks for the post, Pim! As big of a Sparks fan that I am, I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never seen them live. If you have time, could you share some of your thoughts on what a Sparks' show is like? The band? Ron's stage presence? Russell's vocals? The fans?

Currently touring with Franz Ferdinand.

It depends on the format they're presenting the band in. When I saw them do Kimono/Heaven/Exotic live in a 'basic' rockband format the show was a pretty normal (if you can call Sparks normal!) set-up. No extravagant video-screens or anything, just some basic lights. The shows where they performed as an acoustic (piano + vocals only) duo were even simpler, with very minimal lightning. The shows with an orchestra of course were on a grander scale, being that there was a 30+ piece orchestra on stage - but still no videoscreens or anything. The show I saw them do with Franz Ferdinand a couple of weeks ago was also a pretty basic rock show. Sparks don't need fancy videoscreens and effects - their music is moooore than enough to keep you occupied :D

I've no idea whether this is representative of "minimal" live Sparks but it's certainly very entertaining:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk1ymMmybI