There has long been a solid fanbase for Sparks. First unveiled back in the late sixties, the band featured the sly comical writing of the Mael brothers embedded within great music. Their first album, was released via Bearsville Records and was produced by Todd Rundgren , although at the time, they were not known as Sparks, but as Halfnelson. The debut was released later using the newly adopted name of Sparks. From there, they released five more albums, one more for Bearsville and the next three for Island Records. Their 1974 Island debut, Kimono My House is credited with being their breakthrough album. Over the years, and with multiple labels (Big Beat on Columbia, released in 1976, is my favorite of theirs), Sparks gained a foothold in the history of Rock and Roll. Their last release was The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman in 2009, and was more a high-brow opera than an expected standard from them. Their last album to produce that kind of expected music was Exotic Creatures of the Deep (2008). It performed well in the UK market, and was critically well-received. Sparks even played a set on SNL during the show’s 7th season. That’s a feat!
On September 8, Sparks will release their awaited 23rd! album, Hippopotomus. The single for that album is the title track released on Friday on Britain’s BBC Radio 6 (see video below of that new track). The new album will contain fifteen new Sparks compositions, some of which are available on YouTube as live videos from recent shows. Sparks will tour the album beginning in the UK during he third quarter of 2017 with US dates expected for announcement later, likely within the fourth quarter of 2017, perhaps into 2018.
Hippopotamus will be released on CD, in DD, cassette, and on black vinyl 2LP, and a limited edition 2LP picture discs set. If you go to the band’s site (here), there are bundle packages that include tees and a Super Deluxe all-inclusive package.
Enjoy the new Sparks ride!
A prime example of great Sparks writing!