Sparks—Sparks Live On The Moon

Sparks are Ron and Russell Mael, and they've been one of those bands that were very much part of my childhood. They then fell off my radar, only for me to rediscover them again in the 90s. After that, from my perspective at least, all was quiet. That's not to say they were dormant, which very much wasn't the case, just that my musical tastes, and life, veered off in a different direction.

Which makes this live album a particularly enjoyable reintroduction.

Spanning 20 tracks, it takes in a considerable chunk of Sparks' career. Some songs are like old friends, others are familiar acquaintances, while quite a few are tracks I've never heard before. That's probably not surprising when you consider that Sparks have released an astonishing 27 albums over the course of their career, a feat that is even more impressive when you consider how many times they have seemingly reinvented themselves along the way.

For me, there are three particularly distinct phases to Sparks, at least when looking at the songs that made the biggest impression. There's the early to mid-70s, when they first exploded onto the scene, followed by their late-70s period, and then their rather unexpected return to the pop spotlight in the mid to late 90s. What happened in between, and what happened afterwards, is a much bigger story, but those are the periods that most immediately resonate with me.

The album opens with the highly appropriate "So May We Start". It's not a song I'm overly familiar with, but there's no mistaking the Sparks sound, nor the instantly recognisable vocals of Russell Mael. It's a suitably theatrical way to begin what feels like a celebration of an extraordinarily long career.

I suspect many people will know the Sparks name, even if they only know a handful of the hits. Normally, that might lead me to focus on the less familiar tracks, but in this case I'm going to indulge myself and spend more time with the songs I remember, because hearing them performed live is where this album really comes alive for me.

Many will be familiar with "Beat the Clock" from 1979. I seem to remember part of it being used on a TV show, although that could simply be my mind playing tricks on me, as I can't remember which one. Regardless, hearing it here, it still manages to sound energetic and remarkably fresh. That's one of the great pleasures of a good live album, hearing something you remember from decades ago and discovering that it hasn't lost any of its spark.

I have a particularly strong connection to "When Do I Get to Sing ‘My Way’". This was a song for which I bought the extended mix on 12-inch vinyl and absolutely played to death. I always thought it was a much bigger hit than it actually was, reaching only number 32 in the UK charts. That's a crime in my book. Hearing it again here brings back exactly why I loved it in the first place.

Then there's "The Number One Song in Heaven", with that wonderful, almost ethereal introduction before it settles into its electro groove. This is one of those songs I'd completely forgotten about, only for the memories to come flooding back as soon as I heard it. It's also quite the workout for Russell Mael's falsetto, which remains every bit as remarkable as I remember.

Oourse, there's "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" from 1974, the song that really broke Sparks into the mainstream. Released at a time when glam rock was everywhere, it somehow managed to sound completely different from everything around it. There's a pop sensibility that occasionally reminds me of Queen, but with an added layer of pure theatricality. Not that Queen were lacking, but this had a very much different flavour, a band that definitely didn't particularly care about fitting in.

The album closes with "All That", a fitting way to lower the curtain on proceedings, although I'm sure this won't be the last time Sparks will take the stage.

There are some interesting omissions. "Amateur Hour", "Something for the Girl with Everything" and "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth", among others, aren't here. But that's the inevitable problem with trying to condense a career spanning 27 albums into 20 live tracks. At some point, something has to give, and perhaps the omissions are what encourage you to go back and explore the catalogue beyond the songs you already know.

And that's probably what I've enjoyed most about this album.

It's been a really enjoyable reintroduction to a band that was such a part of my musical upbringing. There are the songs that immediately transport me back, alongside others that have given me a reason to explore what Sparks were doing while I wasn't paying attention.

The fact that it's a live album makes it even more enjoyable. There's something wonderfully theatrical about Sparks, and that quality has clearly survived all these years. Ron and Russell Mael aren't simply revisiting their past, they seem to be having fun with it, giving these songs a new life while reminding me of why they were so distinctive in the first place.

Sometimes you don't rediscover an old favourite so much as realise that they were there all along.

And after all these years, it's rather nice to have Sparks back on my radar.