Wednesday, May 6, 2009



Look, I’ll be the first one to admit that I am prone to exaggeration. For some, it is a part of my “charm” and for others it’s a minor annoyance they put up. But I assure you that I’m not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that this is the greatest thing I will ever post. Why? Let’s start with the fact that I first saw this clip THIRTY FOUR YEARS AGO on the long forgotten late night ABC TV show In Concert, and it’s not a stretch to say that it totally changed my life. I only saw it once, but it set off a life long… shall we say “obsession” with the band Sparks that continues to this day.

Before seeing this, I never knew that rock and roll could be so clever, both ingenious and totally ass-kicking at the same time. Even among the slew of so-called “glam rock” bands that Ron, Russell and the boys were inevitably lumped in with, they were entirely unique, and I don’t think that’s ever been better illustrated than in this footage. Clearly they had fans in high places, besides the mob of screaming teens, you see none other than Keith Moon and Ringo Starr teaming up to introduce them. In all seriousness, I remember this clip like I saw it only yesterday; no other musical performance ever made such an impact on me. Do yourself a favor and stick with it until the end, because after they do “Something for the Girl with Everything” they break into a killer version of “Talent is an Asset” that still has me jumping around like I did when I was nine years old. Enjoy.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

jeen - ee - yus

Anonymous said...

Ditto.
In the summer of '77, I willingly paid full-price admission for that box-office clunker "Rollercoaster" just because Sparks were in it. Reportedly, Johnny Black claimed it was the biggest mistake of their career.

toke!

Anonymous said...

RE: previous comment

"Johnny Black" should be "Sparks"

The quote is attributed to J.B.
Trying to do too many things at once, as usual.

toke!

Unknown said...

the first time i saw sparks or them doing talent is an asset was on don kirshner in 75

Anonymous said...

The first of many amazing shows in my life....The Sparks with a lesser known band at the time Depeche Mode. Circa 1983. I was 17 (I know!..My Mom was overly protective) and dressed like a spy in a black trench coat pulled tight around the waste with a pink belt wearing white high heeled pumps with pink socks. I pogo'd all night! I thought I was so punk. ;)

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