Sparks Kimono My House LP Island PInk Rim label South African pressing EXCELLENT
$
24
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Description
Kimono My House is the third album by American rock band Sparks. The record was released in May 1974 and is considered to be their commercial breakthrough.
In 1973, prior to the recording of the album, the brothers Ron and Russell Mael had accepted an offer to relocate to the United Kingdom in order to participate in the glam rock scene. The previous lineup consisting of Earle Mankey, Jim Mankey and Harley Feinstein were replaced with British musicians: Martin Gordon, Adrian Fisherand Norman "Dinky" Diamond joined the band to play bass, guitar and drums respectively. The group signed a record contract with Island Records and recorded Kimono My House in 1974.The album's title is a pun on the title of the song "Come On-a My House", made famous by Rosemary Clooney.
Musically, Kimono My House represented a shift in sound and a focusing of Ron Mael's songwriting (now the indisputable lead songwriter).
The new album embraced the more pop-oriented side of the Mael brothers' song-writing,Now, backed by the new British line-up and boosted by Winwood's simpler production, the songs were more focused. The album slotted in with the current popularity of glam rock—which was dominating the charts—in particular, the more experimental and electronic sound of Roxy Music and David Bowie. Lyrically, the songs remained unusual and humorous. The great number of words filled with pop-culture references, puns and peculiar sexual content sung often in falsetto by Russell Mael set Sparks apart from other groups.
The particularity of their sound, which matched pop songwriting with complex lyrics, defined the group to their UK audience. Integral to the sound was Adrian Fisher's guitar playing and Martin Gordon's sonorous Rickenbacker bass. This was aided and abetted by the physical presence of the group. Ron and Russell milked their peculiar image: Ron's toothbrush moustache, reserved wardrobe and usually silent demeanour sat in diametrical opposition to his younger brother's long curly hair and energetic and flamboyant stage persona. Taken together, the sound and look of the group caused a sensation, producing what seemed to the mass audience to be an "overnight success.
Track listing
All tracks written by Ron Mael, except where noted.
Side one No. Title Length 1. "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" 3:05 2. "Amateur Hour" 3:37 3. "Falling in Love with Myself Again" 3:03 4. "Here in Heaven" 2:48 5. "Thank God It's Not Christmas" 5:07 Side two No. Title Writer(s) Length 6. "Hasta Mañana, Monsieur" Russell Mael, Ron Mael 3:52 7. "Talent Is an Asset" 3:21 8. "Complaints" 2:50 9. "In My Family" Russell Mael, Ron Mael 3:48 10. "Equator" 4:42Sparks
- Russell Mael – vocals
- Ron Mael – keyboards
- Martin Gordon – bass
- Adrian Fisher – guitar
- Norman "Dinky" Diamond – drums, percussion, castanets
- Muff Winwood – producer
- Richard Digby-Smith – recording engineer
- Tony Platt – recording engineer
- Bill Price – mixdown engineer
- Nicholas de Ville – art direction, cover concept
- Ron Mael – cover concept
- Karl Stoeker – photography
- Bob Bowkett, CCS – artwork
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