The Sparks Albums Ranked
Sparks is one of the most inventive and eclectic pop-rock acts of all time. The duo of brothers Ron (the older stoic one) and Russell (the younger flamboyant one) Mael, who have variably been joined by other bandmates in the many decades since their formation as Halfnelson in 1970, have made a name for themselves as purveyors of offbeat divergences from the kind of popular music that has ruled the airwaves. That hasn’t always worked out for them; the career of the Maels has had valleys and only relatively modest peaks. But that’s in terms of commercial performance. Sparks has been aptly described as “your favorite band’s favorite band” in THE SPARKS BROTHERS (2021), Edgar Wright’s documentary ode to the Maels.
The duo’s stature has only increased in recent years, now recognized as the elder statesmen who were ahead of the curve at various turning points in pop music. In fact, Wright’s devoted film was my full-fledged entry point to Sparks’ discography. And that discography is pretty vast, with 28 albums released in the nearly 54 years since 1971; two records not traditionally counted in the “studio album” canon are added on there. Sparks’ prolific body of work incisively comments on relationships and our world while celebrating an innate weirdness, an interesting dynamic considering the Maels, who have never been shy about interviews and public appearances, are otherwise very private individuals in revealing details of their personal lives. Perhaps that’s a healthy approach to an artistic life, one that has yielded incredible music to this very day.
EDIT 5/26/25: Added MAD!
#28 — BALLS (2000)
Favorite track: “More Than a Sex Machine”
It’s always funny to write an introduction praising an artist and then diving right into their worst work. But Sparks’ “worst” work is still better than much of its contemporaries, and indeed, the Maels have never made a bad album. However, BALLS’ techno-pop and dance-y clubbing beat don’t appeal to me much. They are indicative, however, of the duo’s ability to keep up with and ahead of the times, as they entered the 21st century in their 50s with a youthful energy. Can you sense a conflict here? BALLS is perhaps more interesting than it is immediately electrifying, but a song like “More Than a Sex Machine” does have a satisfying groove, while listening more closely to the orchestration of its layers reveals a clever songwriting mind. Ron is the understated one, but as the primary songwriter of Sparks, his ability to create the most over-the-top soundscapes is an awesome misdirect from his performing persona. To his credit, Russell’s voice is still able to modulate across ranges quite well, although it’s obviously aged from the glam rock days. BALLS may be at the bottom of this list, but it’s a fine album.
#27 — MUSIC THAT YOU CAN DANCE TO (1986)
Favorite track: “Let’s Get Funky”
There are only a couple of instances where it seems Sparks was chasing a modicum of commercial success instead of sticking by their weirdo guns, although those were definitely relative concessions. MUSIC THAT YOU CAN DANCE TO, in spite of its name and place in the nadir era of Sparks’ sales and critical reception, is only somewhat related to those instances. To some extent, its name and synthy dance sound seem like an acknowledgement of the mid-80s trends, but the album’s dissonant sounds, as on “Let’s Get Funky,” don’t make for the most mindless and easily listenable music. Nevertheless, MUSIC THAT YOU CAN DANCE TO does have a bizarre pull, just one not strong enough to launch it very far within Sparks’ own discography.
#26 — PULLING RABBITS OUT OF A HAT (1984)
Favorite track: “Pretending to Be Drunk”
PULLING RABBITS OUT OF A HAT falls squarely within Sparks’ light synth era. The jangle of a song like “Pretending to Be Drunk” is representative of the whole album, which swerves with a fun beat and catchy chorus. But there still seems to be something missing, an element that makes the album neither an unexpected collection of compositions nor bubblegum cheese. PULLING RABBITS OUT OF A HAT has its share of intriguing approaches, insofar that Sparks’ reckoning with the shallow American pop music of the day has a bit more of a heft to it, but it’s certainly a minor work for the duo.
#25 — IN OUTER SPACE (1983)
Favorite track: “I Wish I Looked a Little Better”
The predecessor to PULLING RABBITS OUT OF A HAT, IN OUTER SPACE actually served as a brief career reviver for Sparks on the strength of its hit single “Cool Places,” a duet between Russell and the Go-Go’s’ Jane Wiedlin. It’s a decent pop song but slightly annoying in that ’80s way and that’s somewhat emblematic of its whole source album, although on the whole in a less intense way. The bouncy synths, when at their best as on “I Wish I Looked a Little Better,” have a kind of warped nature that plays into what I describe for a lot of Sparks’ work as a “deranged circus sound.” IN OUTER SPACE is a decent pop concession, but like a lot of the band’s mid-to-late ’80s work, it’s more dated and a bit too conventional…once again, by Sparks’ out-there standards.
#24 — PLAGIARISM (1997)
Favorite track: “Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat”
I struggled with where to put PLAGIARISM, a re-recording album of some of Sparks’ best songs. In general, I think the practice of returning to the well and re-interpreting old work is a bit silly. But because its Sparks, the endeavor is not without merit. I should have known it would be a cut above, say, The Beach Boys’ country-inflected rehash album STARS AND STRIPES VOL. 1 (1996) from PLAGIARISM’s self-deprecating title alone. For a number of songs, especially the early ones, a lot had changed for Sparks and their sound since their initial creation. The Maels bring those songs into line with their more electronic and complex synth sound while expanding others like “Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat,” my cited favorite not because it’s the best original song on the album, but because it’s the most improved. PLAGIARISM, in spite of its relative effort for a retrospective release, is still not able to rise above the power of its source material and is hard to recommend over most any other Sparks album.
#23 — MAD! (2025)
Favorite track: “My Devotion”
MAD! follows in the footsteps of Sparks’ 2010s and ’20s experimentation, albeit in diminished form. The eclectic mix of updated synth-y-ness, harder rock sounds (there are a few explicit hard rock or early metal evocations), and whimsical pop is very much the defining mode again. But there seems to be something a bit lacking in songwriting and catchiness. To be clear, MAD! is a fun listen. “My Devotion” ranks with any of Sparks’ best ballads and Ron still sounds stellar as either crooner or repetitive barker across the whole album. Perhaps the eclecticism goes just a bit too far, or not far enough, in failing to create a cohesively great (if not cohesively “samey”) record. MAD! is still a refreshing listen in a music landscape that could use more Sparkses (if such a thing is even possible).
#22 — INTERIOR DESIGN (1988)
Favorite track: “Love-O-Rama”
Despite spurring a lengthy hiatus for Sparks due to its critical and commercial failure, INTERIOR DESIGN is actually better than the three albums that preceded it in that difficult mid-80s period. The danciness of this record is much more palpable, best represented by “Love-O-Rama,” and the strange inclinations of the brothers is better fused with a pop sensibility. INTERIOR DESIGN isn’t the most thought-inspiring Sparks album, but its good fun and creatively crafted for all its seemingly mindless results.
#21 — A STEADY DRIP, DRIP, DRIP (2020)
Favorite track: “Lawnmower”
If I had to stratify this list into qualitative tiers, I would say the albums preceding A STEADY DRIP, DRIP, DRIP on this list fall into their own “lower” section, while this entry into the 2020s begins a middle pack of Sparks records, which is to say a bunch of great work. The Maels’ ability to stay current, operating within their sphere while integrating new ideas and sounds, is incredible in an era where peers are relying on tired models for their new work. A STEADY DRIP, DRIP, DRIP almost inspires whiplash, riding between aggression and etherealness (the latter best represented by “Lawnmower”) in equal measure. The color of the album is nevertheless generally bright and upbeat, although “Please Don’t Fuck Up My World” introduces the “F-word” into Sparks’ body of work, indicating a kind of fed up response from the often cynical Ron. In any event, A STEADY DRIP, DRIP, DRIP is a great album from two masters and the fact that it’s “only” 21 on this list is indicative of the Maels’ generally incredible abilities.
#20 — FFS (2015)
Favorite track: “Police Encounters”
One of the two albums on this list that is not traditionally counted in the Sparks album chronology, FFS is technically the self-titled debut (and so far, only album) from the supergroup formed by the Maels and Franz Ferdinand. FFS was actually my introduction to Sparks back when it was new, as I was already a confirmed FF fan, even though it didn’t serve as the spark (ha) to check out Ron and Russell’s back catalog. That’s not necessarily indicative of the record’s quality, however. The somewhat surprising collaboration yields some of the weirdest work in Franz Ferdinand’s increasingly off-kilter discography, while it stands as a bit of a detour into the Scottish band’s brand of millennial pop-dance-rock for the two veterans. In spite of the sentiments expressed on “Collaborations Don’t Work” (a great song that is second only to “Police Encounters,” a track that feels like it is constantly on the verge of falling apart), this is a supergroup record from likeminded yet different artists that doesn’t subsume one band into the other. That impressive achievement is helped along by the fact that the tunes on FFS are frequently catchy and rich in composition.
#19 — THE SEDUCTION OF INGMAR BERGMAN (2009)
Favorite track: “Here He Is Now”
One of the strangest albums in Sparks’ discography, which is saying something, THE SEDUCTION OF INGMAR BERGMAN is a radio drama-comedy-musical. And I really mean radio. Commissioned by Sweden’s public radio service, the production follows the legendary titular Swedish director on a fictional visit to Hollywood. There, he is sucked into a vortex of surreal episodes. THE SEDUCTION OF INGMAR BERGMAN is certainly most successful as a complete work, as opposed to a collection of distinct pop songs like most of Sparks’ work. Its place on this list is based on that assumption because many of its tracks aren’t exactly standalone songs, but instead linking moments to the bigger musical numbers that nevertheless cement the dreamlike state of the whole work. Those numbers, however, are indeed great as songs, and they run the gamut stylistically. Ron makes his first, and I believe only so far, vocal appearance on THE SEDUCTION OF INGMAR BERGMAN, albeit in a speaking not singing role as a limo driver and Hollywood tour guide. But he sounds good! And he and Russell are joined by a whole cast that really do provide an imaginative flair to an entirely aural project. THE SEDUCTION OF INGMAR BERGMAN is a strange yet brilliant idea executed in a strange yet brilliant way, a way that only Sparks could have pulled off.
#18 — LIL’ BEETHOVEN (2002)
Favorite track: “My Baby’s Taking Me Home”
A quality that runs throughout Sparks’ work that I haven’t yet described is their fascination with repetition. It’s a factor that can render their work kind of annoying for less dedicated listeners, but what lies behind the apparent simplicity is a genius in warping the exact feeling of each revived moment within a song. I explain this because LIL’ BEETHOVEN’s best song, “My Baby’s Taking Me Home,” almost exclusively uses those title words for its lyrics. And yet Russell is able to sing them in such a way that he’s communicating different ideas while Ron’s piano-based backing swirls the song from ethereal quietness to expansive derangement. These inspired choices are reflected across all of LIL’ BEETHOVEN, an album that initiated a critical reevaluation of Sparks due to its classical and orchestral approach to pop structures. Although it is clearly not one of my favorite albums from the duo, it does strangely feel like a work of genius, a meticulously crafted and confident dismantling of expectations. The record’s shortcomings, then, are only reflected in relation to Sparks’ other innovations at various points, and their ability to craft more catchy songs elsewhere. Make no mistake, though: LIL’ BEETHOVEN is a special album and a key one to understanding and appreciating Sparks.
#17 — HIPPOPOTAMUS (2017)
Favorite track: “Giddy Giddy”
Of a kind with Sparks’ most recent ’20s albums, HIPPOPOTAMUS is an elaborate take on pop music that fuses electronic sounds and a rocking guitar-and-drums base. The wit displayed across the album is of special note, as it usually is on Sparks’ records, but another element that defines the record is Russell’s continuing ability to hit his trademark falsetto as well as an aged lower register that he never could quite do before. I think I often focus on Ron’s contributions because I am struck by his on-stage persona, but of course as the vocalist, Russell sells the strangeness with aplomb. In any event, HIPPOPOTAMUS is indeed an entertaining entry that, like A STEADY DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, astounds with its creativity at such a late period in a career, especially considering its peers from young and old artists alike.
#16 — ANNETTE (2021)
Favorite track: “So May We Start”
The Maels have been trying to make a movie for decades. From Jacques Tati to Tsui Hark, the cinephile brothers, who often include references to films and their makers in their songs, were foiled time and again in getting something off the ground. But in Leos Carax, Sparks found a collaborator who was able to create a musical that perfectly represents the duo’s offbeat inclinations. ANNETTE (2021) is a great movie, and as a mostly sung-through musical, its scriptwriters and composers are owed thanks for that. Because it’s Sparks, the movie’s numbers are not rote show tunes but instead reinventions of the expansive and emotional tropes we as viewers are used to. The ANNETTE album is able to communicate a strange and surreal story all on its own, whether it is the abridged “Cannes Edition” or the full “Unlimited Edition,” both of which are considered here, with upbeat energy, somewhat off-putting aggression, and quiet heartache. “So May We Start” is one of the greatest songs in Sparks’ career and the visual component that serves as the introduction to the film is breathtaking. Like THE SEDUCTION OF INGMAR BERGMAN, ANNETTE is meant to be taken in whole, making it a bit more difficult to embrace as something that yields a great number of standalone tracks. Even still, the ones that do stand out, like “So May We Start,” make the case that it isn’t truly weakened by existing outside the visual space of the movie. ANNETTE is a special record and film and I think they are beautifully challenging.
#15 — THE GIRL IS CRYING IN HER LATTE (2023)
Favorite track: “Escalator”
THE GIRL IS CRYING IN HER LATTE’s “Escalator” feels like a spiritual sequel to “Lawnmower” from A STEADY DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, which is perhaps a relationship that explains my love for this album. Recency bias may be at work here, but I believe that this latest album from Sparks at the time of this writing, which is the impetus for this piece, is a triumph, more than 50 years since the group’s debut. I feel like a broken record, but what other group can claim the same kind of consistently great yet increasingly varied artistic evolution over such a massive span of time? THE GIRL IS CRYING IN HER LATTE, befitting its title, often feels like a semi-sweet reflection, with sounds and lyrics that contribute to a sensation of extradimensional longing. But it’s not a somber work. THE GIRL IS CRYING IN HER LATTE is a beautiful expression of pop reinvention, challenging at first listen like many Sparks records, but full of treasures on revisits.
#14 — GRATUITOUS SAX & SENSELESS VIOLINS (1994)
Favorite track: “The Ghost of Liberace”
For Sparks fans, the hiatus before the release of GRATUITOUS SAX & SENSELESS VIOLINS is somewhat infamous. After a decade mostly marked by critical and commercial difficulties, the Maels retreated from the music industry to focus on other work, like movies, that also never materialized. But just over six years after the release of INTERIOR DESIGN, Sparks came back in a big way with GRATUITOUS SAX & SENSELESS VIOLINS, which was also the start of their own home studio. Influenced by European techno and dance music, GRATUITOUS SAX fittingly found popularity in Germany, echoing the duo’s early pond-hopping success and reflecting the ability of our friends on the other side of the Atlantic to show some taste every once in a while. The album doesn’t devolve into mindless excess like some of the club music at the time, however, as the whimsy and lyricism of a song like “The Ghost of Liberace” (a general Sparks favorite of mine) demonstrates. GRATUITIOUS SAX is equal parts fun, thoughtful, and somewhat grimy, with darker sonics fleshing out a wonderfully eclectic album.
#13 — BIG BEAT (1976)
Favorite track: “Big Boy”
Sparks has almost always been known as a duo, but that wasn’t always so. Although the lineup changed quite a bit within the first few years of the band’s life, there were official members beyond the Maels. But after returning from an England-based operation and shedding a more permanent group, Ron and Russell picked up some session musicians to make BIG BEAT. Although still considered by some to be a work of glam rock, BIG BEAT marked Sparks’ departure from that bright and airy sound. Certain elements of the album carry a previous whimsy, but it is also defined by a harder guitar sound and aggression, as heard on “Big Boy.” But the pop instinct is never truly abandoned, and Russell’s voice is too distinctly soaring, for the album to truly feel like a proto-metal work or something like that. Nevertheless, BIG BEAT’s unique instrumentation amid the Sparks discography and a truly unhinged set of song titles and lyrics make it a thrilling listen.
#12 — INDISCREET (1975)
Favorite track: “Happy Hunting Ground”
INDISCREET, Sparks’ last England record, evolved their glam rock sound with supplementary jazz and orchestral influences. The result is an album that feels a bit more scattered and less cohesively great than their early ’70s work, but it still serves up an incredible array of songs. “Happy Hunting Ground” is one of my favorite Sparks songs and it reflects the best qualities of the record well, from its swerving and repetitive chorus to its slow and epic breakdown. INDISCREET is a joyfully strange ride embodying that deranged circus sound I described earlier.
#11 — NO. 1 IN HEAVEN (1979)
Favorite track: “The Number One Song in Heaven”
I suspect that NO. 1 IN HEAVEN and its semi-titular track “The Number One Song in Heaven” are among many’s favorite Sparks’ works. This total departure from what Sparks was previously known for, as a collaboration with producer Giorgio Moroder, was ahead of its time in the development of electronic and synth sounds for lengthy dance and “vibey” songs. With just six tracks, Sparks makes a crackling and futuristic album that concludes with the heights of the fittingly angelic “The Number One Song in Heaven.” The way the song just builds and builds as a spacey tune before transitioning into an upbeat variation demonstrates a real genius, which actually stems from the combined talents of Ron, Russell, and Moroder as the credited songwriters. The final track alone has a lot to do with NO. 1 IN HEAVEN’s placement on this list, but the songs that lead up to it are no misfires and serve as enveloping warmups to the denouement.
#10 — EXOTIC CREATURES OF THE DEEP (2008)
Favorite track: “Strange Animal”
I am fascinated with a big part of how EXOTIC CREATURES OF THE DEEP was promoted. Sparks performed in full each of their 20 previous albums over as many dates in London, the process of which was documented in THE SPARKS BROTHERS. Of course, it was a huge and ambitious undertaking, and one that I would love to see other bands do. In any event, those shows surrounded the release of the 21st Sparks album, which is incredible in its own right. Hitting more of a rock tone than some of the albums that directly preceded and followed it, EXOTIC CREATURES OF THE DEEP is a great distillation of what makes later career Sparks great. The Maels often fuse discordant tones with powerful melodies, deliver witty and strange lyrics through Russell’s falsetto and deeper range, and generally cultivate a sense of existence in a truly unique soundscape. EXOTIC CREATURES OF THE DEEP is also one of the funniest Sparks albums, which is saying something, from “Let the Monkey Drive” to “Lighten Up, Morrissey.” But my favorite track, “Strange Animal,” is an epic and alternately scratchy and soaring song, just one part of a wide experience. EXOTIC CREATURES OF THE DEEP throws a lot at its listeners, but it all congeals into something incredibly stimulating.
#9 — HELLO YOUNG LOVERS (2006)
Favorite track: “(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country”
HELLO YOUNG LOVERS makes sense as the filling between the LIL’ BEETHOVEN/EXOTIC CREATURES OF THE DEEP sandwich. Working with an expansive orchestral sound as well as a guitar-and-drums rock paradigm, Sparks make one of their best albums through overlapping, almost messy layers of instrumentation and influences. The track list of the record is almost without filler, serving great later career Sparks wackiness with a refined hand. HELLO YOUNG LOVERS is a great example of the duo’s ability to wield repetition as a sharp weapon cutting into pop structure and it’s a tremendous joy to listen to.
#8 — ANGST IN MY PANTS (1982)
Favorite track: “Sherlock Holmes”
ANGST IN MY PANTS is one of the all-time greatest album/song titles, right? I mean, it just sums up the Sparks approach so perfectly. But as great as the title song is, “Sherlock Holmes” is the standout track. It’s such a delightfully moody and strange deviation from the energy of the whole of ANGST IN MY PANTS and it is perhaps one of the most emotional Sparks songs. The Maels get a lot of credit for their wackiness and satirical/cynical humor, but the guys can also perform love, heartache, and confusion quite well. ANGST IN MY PANTS proceeds with reckless abandon into additional topics such as Mickey Mouse, moustaches, and Tarzan, creating a portrait of a colorful, pop-culture-obsessed bizarro world. The range of emotional experiences to be found on the record is palpable. And that makes ANGST IN MY PANTS one of Sparks’ best albums, in addition to the fact that many of the songs are just plain catchy.
#7 — INTRODUCING SPARKS (1977)
Favorite track: “Those Mysteries”
INTRODUCING SPARKS was one of the duo’s few concessions to commercial pressures, I believe. Its name is a kind of tongue-in-cheek thing, as Sparks’ seventh album, but I think it also meant to serve as a refreshed approach for potential new fans. In tandem, the music to be found past the title and the handsome Russell’s face and curls is light, airy, and overtly poppy with less of the distorting factors that define Sparks’ work. For example, there’s some Beach Boys’ emulation and, in the form of closing track “Those Mysteries,” a ballad. The strength of the latter lies in the incredible harmonies cooked up for Russell to sing with himself, including his central low crooning. And while I don’t love “Over the Summer,” it’s the perfectly enjoyable low point of an album that otherwise delivers great divertive fun. INTRODUCING SPARKS is deceptively shallow and an indication that the Maels could be writing feel-good hits of the summer if they wanted to (forget that this wasn’t a big hit), but they use their powers for good and the right to warp preconceived musical notions.
#6 — SPARKS (1971)
Favorite track: “Wonder Girl”
Originally released in 1971 as HALFNELSON in a self-titled reflection of their original name, Sparks reissued their debut album and titled it after their new moniker in 1972. SPARKS was produced by Todd Rundgren, and I’d like to think his great instincts allowed for these weirdos from LA (plus a stable band lineup in this early phase of their career) to really flourish. The record has that great early ’70s sound that leads into the glam rock thing, but right away, Sparks proved themselves to be different than those other bands. “Wonder Girl” was a perhaps less than modest “hit” (or would it be “more than modest?”) and it is in fact the best song on SPARKS, but it starts off a wonderful dive into a rabbit hole of somewhat obtuse pop rock. As weird as Sparks would stay, they did develop greater songwriting chops and were able to deceptively rein in the looseness of the songs to be found on their debut, so there is a slight punch missing on the record. Ultimately, though, the catchiest elements and the strangeness of SPARKS last.
#5 — A WOOFER IN TWEETER’S CLOTHING (1973)
Favorite track: “Girl from Germany”
Sparks’ sophomore release is even better than their seductively strange debut. A WOOFER IN TWEETER’S CLOTHING would also lead to the end of the initial five-man band incarnation of the group, but before that disbandment, they put together a hell of a record. Standout track “Girl from Germany” was a little bit more of a hit than “Wonder Girl” (“girl” being in a Sparks song title is kind of common in the early days), and like its predecessor, it kicks off a truly strange sonic experience. Closing track “Whippings and Apologies” is a close second favorite as it ascends into a manic energy and the two songs perfectly bookend a glam rock work of art. A WOOFER IN TWEETER’S CLOTHING warbles and rambles about in beautifully controlled chaos, bringing it into the upper echelon of Sparks albums.
#4 — WHOMP THAT SUCKER (1981)
Favorite track: “Where’s My Girl”
Although the ’80s would end up yielding some of Sparks’ most disappointing work, they started the decade out quite strong. Mostly moving away from the synth sound inaugurated by NO. 1 IN HEAVEN, WHOMP THAT SUCKER rocks as much as it sparkles and moves with a deranged verve. It’s also an album I didn’t expect to place this high on the list. Initially reflecting on its track list, I didn’t quite recall the pleasures to be found within the record. But re-listening to WHOMP THAT SUCKER, I found that the whole experience from start to finish was incredibly moving and fun. It’s not that WHOMP THAT SUCKER has to be experienced in full like THE SEDUCTION OF INGMAR BERGMAN or ANNETTE to really appreciate it, but I just became clued in to the fact that the record carries a great run of electrifying songs.
#3 — TERMINAL JIVE (1980)
Favorite track: “When I’m with You”
Recorded just after the synth-driven NO. 1 IN HEAVEN and amid the disco and new wave movements, TERMINAL JIVE understandably carries all that energy. You can hear it right away on my favorite track, “When I’m with You,” which bloops like a new wave track while carrying a beat and blaring synths like top disco hits. It’s groovy goodness. And the song is just the peak of TERMINAL JIVE’s pleasures. As with WHOMP THAT SUCKER, I didn’t quite remember just how good this album is, and a full listen to its movement-inducing sounds was illuminating. But each of the songs on TERMINAL JIVE stand on their own, operating as cleverly layered fusions of those aforementioned elements. The record also often operates in a more earnest lyrical mode, as in “When I’m with You,” in addition to the Sparks humor for which the duo is known. Besides putting a lot of similar music of the era to shame, TERMINAL JIVE also rides high within the Maels’ body of work because of its deceptively simple synthy pleasures.
#2–PROPAGANDA (1974)
Favorite track: “Achoo”
PROPAGANDA exists in the shadow of its much more famous and acclaimed album of the same year (more on that in a second), but it clearly rivals it. PROPAGANDA is alive with the power of weird and jingles, jangles, bounces, jumps, and floats in the glam rock mode. There are some delightfully breezy songs like “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth,” but the record succeeds in the power and drive of its incessant pop, repeating over and over in a foreshadowing of Sparks’ soon-to-be favorite musical device. The best example of this is the upbeat “Achoo,” one of my favorite Sparks songs in spite of the way it ends with a maddening overlap of the title word/sound. But that’s what makes the Maels so good: the marriage of perhaps off-putting sounds and instincts and clearly well-informed and -created instances of pop structures. PROPAGANDA is nearly the best distillation of Sparks’ tenets, even as its particular paradigm now lies in the distinct minority of years in the duo’s long and distinguished career.
#1 — KIMONO MY HOUSE (1974)
Favorite track: “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us”
It’s no surprise that KIMONO MY HOUSE comes in at #1. Almost universally regarded as Sparks’ best album and acknowledged as a cult classic record in the wide span of the incredible innovations of 1970s rock, the Maels’ England-incubated work is baroque in the truest sense of the world. Elaborate, ornamental, luxurious, often “too much,” manic, and glittering with a mad energy, KIMONO MY HOUSE simultaneously fits in with the glam rock of T. Rex and David Bowie and totally one-ups them in the weird department. “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us” is to this day Sparks’ best-known song, by my guess, but it’s an incredible hit in that it doesn’t totally conform to a chorus as one might expect it. In fact, there’s something somewhat off about it and that sensation is replicated across the entirety of KIMONO MY HOUSE. Sparks has always succeeded by putting rock and pop music into the sonic equivalent of a funhouse mirror, enlarging it, distorting it, and for many, rendering it unappealing. But that “deranged circus” feel, that everything big and buoyant and colorful and a little bit grimy is going to fall apart through the sheer exertion of a darkly comic energy, fits right in with my sensibilities. Sparks may be “your favorite band’s favorite band” for their ability to de-then-reconstruct musical tropes and mechanics, but they’re also one of my favorite bands for their almost indescribable ability to tap into a bizarre vitality not many other artists have. KIMONO MY HOUSE may be an early peak for Sparks, but even as their best album to date, it doesn’t overshadow the beautiful experiments that led to and followed its creation.
