Quote:
Originally Posted by ladyislingering
I wish I could have experienced that. All I have to make up for a past life I missed out on are a few picture discs/records (Beat the Clock/long version yellow 12"'; Tryouts for the Human Race/long version orange 12"; 2 copies of No. 1 in Heaven (somehow)). The worst thing about collecting Sparks' records is that a bunch of them from the later portion of the 70s were released (even 7" singles) on coloured vinyl.
I actually have two copies of "Introducing Sparks" because one is red, but I know that the singles from No. 1 in Heaven were released on a plethora of lovely colours (red, orange, yellow, blue, pink, transparent/white(?)). Later on there was the vinyl release of Hello Young Lovers (2006) and I managed to grab one in pink.
Still wishing there would have been a vinyl release of Exotic Creatures of the Deep. Still looking for a vinyl copy of Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins. I know it exists. I could just never justify spending more than $40 for it.
Sorry to hear about what happened to your record. That must have been terrible, especially considering that the price of a record was a killer on the young wallet. I have a few records in my collection that have somehow grown concave, so my needle sails over them and it plays in a grotesque warped fashion. Really upsetting.
I have always wondered how it is that Sparks have such a huge fanbase over there, but they're essentially ignored over here. I used to have some vintage pinback badges (c.1974-76 - auctioned off last year) that I'd wear every so often a few years ago and had a few customers on the job that discussed Sparks with me (a very cool happening when you live in the midwest, where everyone is eerily normal) but there's no denying that Europe loves Sparks more than America.
|
I've still got quite of bit of vinyl from 1970s and 1980s bands, the only band that I've got that consistently went in for coloured vinyl are Devo, I've got a number of coloured Devo vinyl records.
Sparks have always been known here, in 1974 and 1975 they were a big act in the UK with
Kimono, Propaganda and Indiscreet all top 40 charting along with a string of hit singles. They then decided to concentrate on the US market with the less than successful
Big Beat and Introducing Sparks, the former was more like a rock album and their popularity faded. It was thanks to their collaboration with Moroder that they made a big return to the UK in 1979 and their change of sound helped to usher in a whole wave of synth pop bands. When I was at school, nearly everybody knew who Sparks were, they were basically the curly haired guy that lept around and the other one that looked like Charlie Chaplin or Hitler who would shift his eyes now and again
I imagine thats how your average music listener would view them here today in the UK.
I bought that Sparks album (Rabbits) the same day I bought the Doors Greatest Hits (that was the first time I bought a Doors album) so I remember that day quite well.