- Hardcover: 336 pages
- Publisher: Omnibus Press (5 April 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1847727816
- ISBN-13: 978-1847727817
- Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 16.8 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 379,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Talent Is An Asset: The Story Of Sparks
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Review
Expert unofficial biog of the talented Mael brothers. --Mojo
...that rare kind of page-turning biography that nips along like any bestselling novel. --Record Collector
...admirably candid... --Q Magazine
...that rare kind of page-turning biography that nips along like any bestselling novel. --Record Collector
...admirably candid... --Q Magazine
Product Description
When LA musicians Russell and Ron Mael moved to Britain in 1973, they hit the pop world as Sparks and looked like Oddballs, even in the context of the Glam Rock movement that made them welcome. Soon defined by their weird and wonderful 1974 single "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us" from the Kimono My House album, Sparks went on to release 21 albums over four decades, each record inhabiting a bizarre world of it's own. Their songs were peppered with puns and pop culture nods, as well as nostalgia and jokey images, all mixed up in a kaleidoscope of musical references ranging from rock to glam to disco. The Sparks story is now celebrated in this book, Daryl Easlea's exploration of their extraordinary career drawing on hours of new interviews and research. "Talent is an Asset" comes as close as possible to pinning down the quicksilver nature of two gifted musicians who have gone out of their way to remain unpredictable and elusive, forever entrenched behind a dazzling gallery of jokes, impersonations and musical eccentricities.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
There's a description of Sparks in this book which sums them up perfectly: a Marmite band, in that you either love them or hate them. I fall into the former category - my girlfriend into the second, so I have to listen to their albums on headphones! - and absolutely adore almost everything they've done, so when I heard about this book I had to buy it.
The book looks great, a chunky hardback with three sets of black & white photos between within its pages, and the writing style is clear and easy to read (the author is a music journalist and a fan of the band). However, it must be stressed that this is an unauthorised biography and the Mael brothers did not participate in any way, so there are no new interviews with Ron & Russell, any quotes from them coming from old interviews. There are plenty of contributions from other band members past and present though, and support staff such as managers and record company executives. As with Sparks themselves, it is always entertaining, and I personally found it became more interesting as it went on, especially when their 1970s heyday had passed and they fell out of the limelight in the UK, releasing a string of cultishly popular albums in the USA for a decade or so, before they eventually returned to critical acclaim with the likes of "Li'l Beethoven". The book brings us right to the present too, also covering their most recent album, the radio musical "The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman", and at the end there is a discography, and a nice "what happened next?" where the current activities of many of the people mentioned in the book are detailed.
Any faults? After the detailed early chapters it does appear to become a little rushed, and rather than each chapter covering a single album as is the case in the earlier stages, towards the end there are some which cover up to three albums in a few pages. In addition, many of the chapters seem to mainly consist of a glorified review, where an album is mentioned, its critical reaction is outlined, and then the author delivers his own opinion where he picks his favourite tracks. These parts did feel slightly rushed, sketchy, and a little disappointing. I also found it surprising that there isn't an index.
On the whole it's a very worthwhile read for any serious Sparks fan, and I personally felt I learned a lot about them and their music. If you're not a fan this won't change your opinion, but if you are you'll find this a treat.
The book looks great, a chunky hardback with three sets of black & white photos between within its pages, and the writing style is clear and easy to read (the author is a music journalist and a fan of the band). However, it must be stressed that this is an unauthorised biography and the Mael brothers did not participate in any way, so there are no new interviews with Ron & Russell, any quotes from them coming from old interviews. There are plenty of contributions from other band members past and present though, and support staff such as managers and record company executives. As with Sparks themselves, it is always entertaining, and I personally found it became more interesting as it went on, especially when their 1970s heyday had passed and they fell out of the limelight in the UK, releasing a string of cultishly popular albums in the USA for a decade or so, before they eventually returned to critical acclaim with the likes of "Li'l Beethoven". The book brings us right to the present too, also covering their most recent album, the radio musical "The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman", and at the end there is a discography, and a nice "what happened next?" where the current activities of many of the people mentioned in the book are detailed.
Any faults? After the detailed early chapters it does appear to become a little rushed, and rather than each chapter covering a single album as is the case in the earlier stages, towards the end there are some which cover up to three albums in a few pages. In addition, many of the chapters seem to mainly consist of a glorified review, where an album is mentioned, its critical reaction is outlined, and then the author delivers his own opinion where he picks his favourite tracks. These parts did feel slightly rushed, sketchy, and a little disappointing. I also found it surprising that there isn't an index.
On the whole it's a very worthwhile read for any serious Sparks fan, and I personally felt I learned a lot about them and their music. If you're not a fan this won't change your opinion, but if you are you'll find this a treat.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the second book about Sparks to have been published in the past year - and an excellent one it is too!
At the time of writing, it is bang up to date and includes their recent Swedish Radio musical "The Seduction of Inmar Bergmann".
If you are expecting to the the minutae of Ron and Russell Mael's daily lives, then you will be sorely disappointed. Both are private individuals and let the music speak for itself - and what music!
With a 22 album career (so far!) that takes in glam rock, disco, techno, operatic-pop and much more, you are in for an interesting ride as Sparks consistently surprise.
Previous bands members and other associates have been interviewed for this tome, but there are no new interviews with R&R themselves. The fact that Sparks have managed to retain their otherworly mystique for all these years is rare in the music industry.
A great read for anyone who has enough taste to consider themself a Sparks fan.
At the time of writing, it is bang up to date and includes their recent Swedish Radio musical "The Seduction of Inmar Bergmann".
If you are expecting to the the minutae of Ron and Russell Mael's daily lives, then you will be sorely disappointed. Both are private individuals and let the music speak for itself - and what music!
With a 22 album career (so far!) that takes in glam rock, disco, techno, operatic-pop and much more, you are in for an interesting ride as Sparks consistently surprise.
Previous bands members and other associates have been interviewed for this tome, but there are no new interviews with R&R themselves. The fact that Sparks have managed to retain their otherworly mystique for all these years is rare in the music industry.
A great read for anyone who has enough taste to consider themself a Sparks fan.
Format:Hardcover
This study of one of the weirdest musical acts around is a bit of a mixed bag. In its favour, the writer (and he certainly can write) has done a lot of sterling work digging into the band's earliest days, and catching up with their current and former collaborators to paint a picture of them as others who know them have seen them. The brothers themselves weren't interviewed for the book but this isn't really a shortcoming because they are incorrigible, inventive and very funny liars (Doris Day's sons, indeed), so almost wholly unreliable.
What is missing is anything other than the band's recording career. We get every detail of which studio they recorded this or that album in, and who they were signed to, and so on. We hear absolutely nothing about the obvious questions about the Maels. They're both well into their sixties, unmarried and have spent their entire working lives together scratching a living by relocating intercontinentally to wherever their records were selling - what's that about? Don't they want any settlement or security in their lives? What do they do to amuse themselves? Not one girlfriend, boyfriend, or hobby is mentioned unless you count Russell's '57 Thunderbird and Ron's collection of collections. Who were their friends? Whose music do they listen to? Ron's lyrics are hilarious but why write those and why are they so hilarious? What's with the Hitler moustache? Apparently, with only one exception, every album they've made has sold worse than its predecessor. How do they feel about that, and is that the real reason behind the constant self-reinvention?
If you read a biography of Errol Flynn or someone like that, the performance always turns out to be only part of the performance; the really entertaining stuff is what happens offstage. One would love to hear about this from Sparks, but it isn't there, and it's not here. Either they are deeply boring or someone's holding back....and I just wish they wouldn't.
In summary, the book is well-written, well-researched and engaging. It is, though, very strictly an account of the music, not of the personalities in it. These emerge only reluctantly, which is our loss because personality as much as talent has always been Sparks' best asset.
What is missing is anything other than the band's recording career. We get every detail of which studio they recorded this or that album in, and who they were signed to, and so on. We hear absolutely nothing about the obvious questions about the Maels. They're both well into their sixties, unmarried and have spent their entire working lives together scratching a living by relocating intercontinentally to wherever their records were selling - what's that about? Don't they want any settlement or security in their lives? What do they do to amuse themselves? Not one girlfriend, boyfriend, or hobby is mentioned unless you count Russell's '57 Thunderbird and Ron's collection of collections. Who were their friends? Whose music do they listen to? Ron's lyrics are hilarious but why write those and why are they so hilarious? What's with the Hitler moustache? Apparently, with only one exception, every album they've made has sold worse than its predecessor. How do they feel about that, and is that the real reason behind the constant self-reinvention?
If you read a biography of Errol Flynn or someone like that, the performance always turns out to be only part of the performance; the really entertaining stuff is what happens offstage. One would love to hear about this from Sparks, but it isn't there, and it's not here. Either they are deeply boring or someone's holding back....and I just wish they wouldn't.
In summary, the book is well-written, well-researched and engaging. It is, though, very strictly an account of the music, not of the personalities in it. These emerge only reluctantly, which is our loss because personality as much as talent has always been Sparks' best asset.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Talent is an asset Sparks
The seduction of ingmar bergman Sparks latest musical creation relays to the title of this book "Talent is an asset" as its obvious the meal brothers are realy [from the song... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. W. Langford
If you are a Sparks fan, you will love this book.
I have been a Sparks fan since 1974. I was very satisfied with this book (actually, still reading it... Read more
Published on 18 April 2010 by Larry Graves
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