Reflecting on Sparks at the Hollywood Bowl, July 16, 2023
Sparks at the Hollywood Bowl, July 16, 2023
Ron, Russell Mael of Sparks, and their mom saw The Beatles play at the Hollywood Bowl on August 23, 1964—two days before my tenth birthday and ground zero for my generation’s culture. For Los Angeles to attract this much attention by having these aliens from another world visit us had a significant effect on us all, who love and embrace music and all its traces to the cinema, books, and the spectacle that is life. Seeing Sparks headline their show at the Bowl on July 16, 2023, is undoubtedly a commentary on the powerfulness of the original show with the Fab Four, but also how life can go on, and something can be greater. For me, Sparks represent perfection as an art form and practice. Like the Fab Four, Sparks (or Halfnelson, the original name of their band) were unique and incredibly sophisticated. She Loves You is a work of brilliance, but so is Wonder Girl off the first album by Halfnelson (Sparks) 1971.
I can understand people who resent The Beatles, but to dislike their music is weird to me. I seriously think there is something mentally wrong with people who dislike the Fab Four’s music output, and the same goes for Sparks. For anyone who opposes Sparks, I question their worth on this sad planet. Beyond the historical narrative of these two bands/artists playing at a legendary venue, what makes Sparks great?
Sparks were influenced by the pre-punk and the British Invasion world, but I hear the strains of classical composers and writers like Cole Porter and Ira Gershwin/ George Gershwin. Their lyrics are unusual for a pop band, not in their subject matter but in the way they convey their skill and talent to make the lyric into a literal experience. The care and usage of the lyrics/words are equally important as their beautiful melodies. The classic songs from the American theater convey this marriage of lyric/music, and Sparks honor this relationship throughout their music career. There is no bad Sparks song, some are better than others, but lyrically they are all masterpieces of craft and genius. A few years ago, I published a lyrics book where Ron and Russell did the editing. In The Words of Sparks: Selected Lyrics, I wanted to expose their words and show them in a different context than a musical one. Some writers don’t like their lyrics separated by the music; for example, Jarvis Cocker requests that his albums not read his lyrics while listening to the music. As a lifetime practice, I do listen and read the lyrics at the same time. Not to see the differences but to absorb the textures that are both in the melody and words, separately, of course.
There is no name for what Sparks do in music. It’s pop music but taken on a deeper emotional level, as well as being a well-crafted short story. The lyrics can be the minimalism of a Raymond Carver short story or, even better yet, the short fiction by Lydia Davis. Each word fits in as if it’s a puzzle. One has to think of Serge Gainsbourg, who is a master of writing lyrics with respect to the textures and layers of meaning in even one sentence. Sparks’ lyrics are the same, but often observational and in a state of beautification; they transform the listener to another level.
Many good to great power pop bands rely on strong or catchy melodies, but none are in the league of what Ron and Russell do with their music. They take the pop medium and turn it into something genius-like. And again, if you don’t or can’t get into Sparks, then that listener has other issues brewing in their DNA because, without a doubt, Sparks’ music is way better than anyone else. This makes me sound arrogant (well, I’m), but there is such amazing craft-like work in what they do. They’re the Bauhaus of sound, using material from the past but making something new and functional. Their latest album, The Girl is Crying in Her Latte (Island), exemplifies their excellence. Sophistication never sounded so much fun, but the depth of sadness also added to the mix—a true masterpiece.
Overall, I believe all of Sparks’ music is in print as of this writing, which is unusual for an artist/band in the 21st century. There are some albums I like better than others, but even the worst Sparks album is better than others, and it is because they strive to do essential work. One can argue the compilations are products, but when they do an original album, it is done with passion, excitement, and of course, they’re very much set in an album medium. As much as possible, I prefer Sparks on vinyl, not for the sound quality alone, but the pacing of the albums/themes are important. The best Sparks albums are a loose narrative; therefore, all albums can become a possible musical or theater piece.
When I think of Sparks, I don’t necessarily think of the bands before them, such as The Beatles and The Move, but more of the strain of the American songbook. Cole Porter, Rogers & Hart, and Stephen Sondheim, who I feel, are the natural forefathers of Ron and Russell’s music. The music of Sparks is mostly set in a rock context, but their music could be orchestrated. Case in point when Sparks did a series of shows with a full orchestra, most rock bands that have done this use the orchestra as an ‘extra’ presence on the stage, but Sparks do a total re-arrangement so it’s fully part of the song as it is performed that night. The same goes for when they did their Two Hands, One Mouth tour, totally the opposite of their orchestrated concerts, where they performed their songs stripped down. Like the shows with the orchestra, they spent a great deal of time working on the arrangements in that format to make the songs work in that category.
As I sat under the sky watching and listening to Sparks at the Hollywood Bowl, I didn’t feel like I was at a rock show or even a pop show, although they are clearly pop music. I feel I was absorbing the greats in 20th-century classical music as well as the offshoots of the Pop World, but filtered through Ron and Russell’s approach to their art. One can shake, boogie, cha-cha-cha, or do the Swim, but when you sit down, one is in the presence of something so unique and brilliant, yet so human, I can’t imagine anything more beautiful. That, I think, is the definition of Ron Mael and Russell Mael, AKA Sparks.
Steven Nistor – drums (2009–present)
Evan Weiss – guitars, background vocals (2017–present)
Eli Pearl – guitars, background vocals (2018–present)
Max Whipple – bass, background vocals (2021–present)
Excellent points, Tosh. If that baby had heard The Beatles - or Sparks - as he careened into the world, he might have a more positive view?!