SPARKS

flamingkitties · Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 6:13 pm Post subject:

Right here's my videos and photos, sorry to use up all your space!

Videos (bits)

Number One In Heaven (note the audience SING the space drum!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SGHyHpwyCA&fmt=18

My Other Hair - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb1EI0eAd5k&fmt=18

Beat the Clock - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZyPRmDbjws&fmt=18

Dancing Is Dangerous - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_08dUOgjcbg&fmt=18

Now images, there's a lot. If admin would rather I edited this down and added a link instead, please let me know and I'll edit.

To see at full size - http://www.flickr.com/photos/theuntrainedeye/sets/72157605271873161/

Thanking you.
_________________
I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.

Kermit · Guest

Well this is where Sparks really upped the anti and went in to territories that only others dared to look on from the sidelines. Donna Summer & Giorgio Moroders "I Feel Love" reinvented dance as we know it today and Sparks came along for the ride as well. Britain was riding a wave of electronica dance from the then emerging Jean Michell Jarre with "Oxygene" and the French band Space hitting high with "Magic Fly" in the music charts at No 2. Everyone was going electronic. The future was definately spacebound. The resulting mix suited me well fine being a teenager just hitting the dancefloors of London to this electronic wonderfullness of Moroder and my fave band Sparks. And boy did they do it in style! The only shame being only 6 tracks were on the album but still everyone a gem.
Such a groundbreaking album to finally get to hear the whole thing in a live environment is more than a boy could wish for. The Carling Academy was heaving. I only caught the end of the support act but they actually sounded quite good to me. Managed to get a bit further in in time to get a good placing for the albums start. When Ron came on with that hairdo from the album we knew we were in for something special. Then the eerie synths and syndrums of "Tryouts For The Human Race" welcomed Russell storming on to the stage like he's just come in from space on a parachute. Red braces 'n all!! A belting starter had everyone in my corner going absolutely mental. A few raised tempers in the crowd were tempered down with a few nice words with everyone jumping around. But enjoyment followed and the soundmix to me was perfect from the hot and sweaty crowd to where I was. I guess I was lucky if others were hearing it differently. The video to this one is just hilarious by the way. Ron & Russ turning in to werewolves 3 or 4 years before Michael Jackson came along and done his one with "Thriller". MJ must have been inspired by that Sparks video to have gone on and done all that later.
Then to the manic "Acadamy Award Performance". I've got it down as 153bpm on my old green vinyl album cover. This was most certainly an award perfmance if there was one. Hi energy at it's most frantic. I do doo doo doo hope they get an award of some kind after all this as a recoginition of their effect on English music over the years. The real "Queen" are you listening? Is there such a thing as an honoury OBE , CBE or whatever to those from other countries? I'd love to see Sparks finally recognised at Buckingham Palace with the Queen. Wouldn't that just be the icing on the cake? With Russell still hitting those notes like it's 1979 again he certainly deserves one!
"La Dolce Vita" continued the Hi Energy vibe but the throbbing "Beat The Clock" had the place jumping like rabbits to those thundering drums n rhythmns. Live drums to that pounding disco beat and the crowd were cheering back at "You gotta beat the clock". We had Sparks back in the top 10 and on Top Of The Pops once again to this one and what a comeback de force!
I always loved the sheering cymbals entry of "My Other Voice" when it came out cos it echoed so much of Giorgios other great work on the glorious "Midnight Express" & "Cat People" soundtracks. So when you get Rusells voice coming in all ghostly in, it's a mix supreme. I loved it tonight with the vocodered effect at the end, I wondered how they were gonna do that one. It sounded great! I loved the extended version we got tonight as well as it was always one of my favourites. Thanks for not sticking to every note on this one and giving us some extra pleasures of your other voice Russell!
But then the one that everyone was waiting for. "Number One Song In Heaven" had us all booooing syndrums before Russell came on and the crowd went mental! We even had an Angel in the crowd tonight complete with wings and all, I hope Russell got to see him. Well done Sir whoever you were! The anticipation into part II was thundering again and had everyone bouncing around again! God did Gabriel play it tonight!! It must have been rumbling up there in heaven tonight!! Incidentally, the Telex remix of "No 1" on their album "How Do You Dance?"(shame they weren't supporting tonight) is a great track. It keeps the slow beat of Part 1 but has the Giorgio electronics of "I Feel Love" with a spoken male vocal. It's really rather nice.
The obvious encore of "Dancing Is Dangerous", the track they produced for Noel went down a storm! Russell was very apolgetic about it being a bit boring, which it was at the time, Noel didn't have quite the voice to suit the music but with Russells voice on the track it really lifted it to be quite a worthy accompanyment to the album. A lot of people are re- investigating this one. Maybe the Noel album should be re-recorded with Russell singing...add a few bits here and there....could be interesting. Well dreaming again I guess.
But another great night. I really am getting to feel quite sad when I see the album go up in flames at the end of each concert because it's like they are saying bye bye to all of these albums. With these shows they are breathing new life into all of them and reaching so many new audiences or rekindling others. That's the point of it all I guess and thank God for that!! Amen!!!

MissmissyTannenbaum · Groupie Joined: 29 Sep 2007 Posts: 164

Thanks to Flamingkittens for the uploads. My camera hated me that day so I didn't get much photos.

_________________
Don't blame that on me I ain't no Tony Perkins, I'm saner than you are, I know that for a fact

sjadey · Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 7:55 pm Post subject:

I just thought I'd mention that apart from the camcorder right at the back, and the two webcams on the bar ceiling, at this show I notice a guy on the stage at the right hand side, with a camcorder pointed at Russell.

Let's hope for a DVD or several.

_________________
Gonna hang myself from my family tree.

MissmissyTannenbaum · Groupie Joined: 29 Sep 2007 Posts: 164

I'm hoping with all my might

_________________
Don't blame that on me I ain't no Tony Perkins, I'm saner than you are, I know that for a fact

lilywearsmoschino · Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 8:32 pm Post subject:

Fantastic photos, flamingkitties. Thanks for sharing. MiniPop

_________________
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=678905447

veryoldfan · Groupie Joined: 22 Mar 2002 Posts: 197

Great pics flamingkitties, thanks for putting those up.

I had a fabulous night - was lucky enough to get at the front on the balcony, where things were much more civilised, and I was singing along and dancing about. Can't possibly stand still to that album.

Does anybody know who the person was who was standing at the front (right-hand side) drawing a picture? I'd be fascinated to see the end result.

Deano · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 9:53 am Post subject:

Can't get that stunningly haunting sound with Russell singing Dancing is Dangerous out of my head-not that i want to though.This was the highlight of a very special show for me.A strange almost surreal day that started on a tube to St Pauls Cathederal in the absolute pouring rain.Sitting down inside this jaw droppingly wonderful building,and listening to the beautiful Sunday service .Then deciding to go to Wembley Stadium and watch my favourite Football team loose in the final of the play-offs.Seeing young children sobbing their hearts out over their favourite football teams failure to gain promotion.Stroking a young kids head on the way out of the ground and choking,not been able to get any words out to console him,and welling up myself because of the state the poor kid was in. To ending the day on a fabulous high at a memorable Sparks show.Highs and lows all rolled up in one day.

E-Clect-Eddy · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 10:47 am Post subject:

Liam · Certified Fan Joined: 20 Oct 2002 Posts: 87

What a great night out.

I realise how much I had under-rated Tryouts for the Human Race!
And Dancing is Dangerous was an inspired encore.

Followed it up with a trip to Bodhi on Monday. Really good exhibition.

We tied it in with the Heineken cup final in Cardiff which we won so that's a really memorable weekend!

Noisy Boy · Power Groupie Joined: 20 Feb 2006 Posts: 292

Who's been buying up all the Dancing Is Dangerous 12"s on ebay then? I look on Sunday night, there's about five of them. Today, all gone!

webby · Newbie Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 6

I've put a few photos here

www.flickr.com/photos/26645611@N06/

Annika · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 2:10 pm Post subject: Re: photos

webby · Newbie Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 6

She is the singer with the support band, Gamine

TommyGun · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 5:02 pm Post subject:

please dont be bothered with this post but i wanted to do this for so long but sadly i missed the golden opportunity.

_________________

Liam · Certified Fan Joined: 20 Oct 2002 Posts: 87

Nice photos!

So, when were you in Monument Valley?!! I was there last August.

webby · Newbie Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 6