I suppose we all come back periodically to listen to our favourite albums. Kimono My House has rarely been off my player since 1974 and I maintained an interest in Sparks up to the release of Big Beat, in 1979. Recently I heard "Suburban Homeboy" being played on BBC Radio 2 and was curious. Searching for "Lil' Beethoven" on Amazon and seeing the amazing comments being made for this album, I was intrigued but ready to be disappointed. I wasn't. This is astonishing stuff: here the Maels have produced a truly amazing, ground-breaking album which deserves all the superlatives: masterpiece, classic - what you will. Why hasn't it reached a larger audience? There isn't a bad track here, but for me the highlights were "Your Call's Very Important To Us. Please Hold" and "Ugly Guys with Beautiful Girls". All the wit, satire, bravery and downright fun that was present in "Kimono My House" is in abundance here - and yet in a radically different album which is quite unlike anything else you will hear. Magnificent.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This record is very important to you. Please buy., 27 Dec 2005

By	Elliott Markham (Dun Laoghaire, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This album shows that not only can they still cut it after 30 years, but they can be boldly experimental to boot. These songs are structured in a way so unusual that, as one reviewer already pointed out, it can seem a bit underwhelming first time around, but oh! how it gets under the skin and stays there. The songs...unspool, and mesmerisingly. Verse-chorus-verse is decidedly not the template on Lil Beethoven.
Sparks have always dared to be humorous and satirical too, parlaying the mundane into the joyously surreal and dramatic. In a music business choked by the conformity of melancholy-lite (absolutely the easiest and safest emotion to work up) this is even more refreshing and necessary, and Ride 'Em Cowboy and Your Call is Very Important To Us. Please Hold are prime examples of how they can turn up high pop drama in the everyday comings and goings of life.
But really the album doesn't flag for a second, and its songs' unique structures allow for multiple listens.
Bring on 2006, and Hello Young Lovers!

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite simply - One of THE GREATEST albums of all time!!!!, 11 Jul 2004

By	Mr. S. Fraser "needanewnickname" (Glasgow Scotland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a real grower- the first time I listened to it I was a little disappointed -- it didn't seem to be a step forward from the previous album "Balls" which was, unfortunately, rather poor by Sparks' standards. However, listen to this album a few times and you will appreciate the simple brilliance of many of these fantastic tracks. As mentioned in earlier reviews, many simply build (albeit brilliantly) on their titles over a number of minutes, but to fantastic effect. The old Sparks humour is there in abundance; ther are guitars on a couiple of tracks, and there are some excellent bonuses on this version. The album proper is the fist nine tracks, and is undoubtedly Sparks' best ever - and I own all 19 of them! This album has woken me up on my CD alarm clock every morning since I bought it, and I see no reason for that to change. Do yourself a favour and buy this now!!!!!!!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mael brothers have written a page in contemporary music's history...
..., and this is due to this excellent album. "Kimono my house" or "Propaganda" are little masterpieces, but "'Lil Beethoven" is THE Sparks album without a doubt. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Trebla777

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure class
In my opinion this is Sparks' finest hour to date. It is certainly the one that is always near the top of my cd pile by the computer. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Chunky Wilberforce

5.0 out of 5 stars Best old band ever
I remember when I was a younger version of myself,old bands that had been around for years generally seemed to sound like a second rate facsimile of their old selves. Read more

Published 19 months ago by D. L. Wilkinson

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic
everybody should have this album, it is a genuine masterpiece. The only problem is that you have to restrict the amount of times you listen to it, otherwise it starts messing with... Read more

Published on 17 Nov 2004 by d p batty

5.0 out of 5 stars Still cutting edge after 30 years
A band like Sparks are a truly rare commodity and this album sounds as fresh now as Kimono My House did on it's release. Read more

Published on 28 Oct 2004 by Freddie Valentine

5.0 out of 5 stars A lil' bit of pure magic
The Maels are a class act. Returning to the fray with the incredible Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins in '94, they reconnected me with the feelings I'd had about them when I... Read more

Published on 30 Jun 2004 by sonik57

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	57% buy the item featured on this page: Lil' Beethoven Deluxe Edition 5.0 out of 5 stars (9)
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