Amateur Hour - Sparks | The Midnight Special
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- Опубліковано 19 жов 2024
- Sparks performed on The Midnight Special November 15, 1974
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They're like an '80s band in the '70s.
Great summation. They were ahead of their time no question about it
Yes, like Television. Forerunners.
Sort of forerunners to David Byrne and Talking Heads.
True ... but also I think, more than that: they kind of sit outside of normal timelines - always contributing something vital to each decade, even if you can't always map it out as simply in terms of 'in the '2010s they were like a band in the 2020s'. Their new album is among the best they've ever produced: totally vital, just as they were in the period Midnight Special was filmed. (It kind of defies: rational thinking / the logical order of things / entropy).
They're timeless 😊
50 years on and Russell still delivers with the same enthusiasm and energy. Ron had an old man's demeanor then, so he's got it easy now
Ron's dancing is superb
As a high school senior I saw Sparks live a few months before this in April 1974, at New York City's Academy of Music. My friends and I worshipped them . What a great performance this one is! May God bless the late Dinky Diamond.
Did not know Dinky commited suicide. I saw them in Santa Monica in 1974. Loved this band
@@mikeberg5003 Yes, He suffered from Depression in his later years, poor guy.
Dinky, Martin, Adrian and those out-there California guys... The American Invasion.
Thank you, again! Only one more song to go, "Here In Heaven". Seeing Sparks in Toronto this Monday for the second year in a row. I've been a fan ever since seeing them on this excellent TV show back in 1974.
Have fun!
I envy you! I go back a few years earlier with their debut, "Wonder Girl" in 1972 when I got the single as a kid. Because they were never huge in the states, they only tour in large metropolitan areas. Sadly, where crime is too high for me to comfortably visit. Can Russell still hit those high notes today?
@@shyman99 I just saw them a couple days ago in Washington DC- Russell sounds better than ever! I hope you get the chance to see them someday.
@@BlueMHart - Thanks so much for the follow-up as I was so disappointed I did not hear back from Canada. I'm afraid my somedays are quickly coming to an end as I don't know if the boys will ever venture through the States again. This may have been my final chance and I blew it. I would consider moving to a large city if I knew they would return. I would probably be like a screaming teenage if they sang "Wonder Girl" knowing how much that song meant to me when I was a kid. And then seeing them perform "This Town..." might send me into orbit.
@@shyman99 I hope I'm not rubbing salt into an open wound, but I got to see Sparks play last year as well, and they did play "Wonder Girl." Which was lovely. They really show no signs of wanting to slow down, so you never know- there may be another US tour in the future. I hope there is, seeing them twice is not enough for me!
Back in 1974, I made a point of watching this episode because Roy Wood’s Wizzard was scheduled to be on. Little did I know I would discover one of my all time favorite bands in the process.
"Girls grow tops to go topless in... our voices change at a rapid pace
I could start a song a tenor and then end as bass". Fantastic lyricism. It has the pop-friendly trope of rhyme in check, a friendly topic and yet it still delivers with wonderfully written words!
AWESOME!! Next bring us Mott the Hoople, Procul Harum!
These guys are so amazingly inventive. Seeing/hearing them is like going to the theater. They just have a certain style that's like high art to me. Ron always cracks me up with that stare and the stache, and Russ has such an a unique voice. I love them!😎
I totaly agree. I love both of them 😊
They're so weird. I love them!
Seeing Sparks tonight in Toronto! 🙂
Fantastic version….I wished this was included in the set of their last tour….Maybe the next one, if we’re lucky. It’s the 50th anniversary of the release of Kimono after all.❤
One of the first New Wave bands.
Fantastic! Can you post some Roxy Music soon?!
"It's a lot like playing the violin. You can not start off and be Yehudi Menuhin." No songwriter in the 70's could have come up with that line, but Ron. In 2023, no young fan can even understand its brilliance.
Thank you! More SPARKS YAY!
now possibly some Tubes????
WPOD...
Drummer is killing it
God bless, the late Dinky Diamond.
This never gets old. Saw them again last month at Royal Albert Hall. Just as exciting as the day 13 year old me yelled, 'Mum, come here...Hitler's playing the piano!' Then hiding swiftly behind the sofa, because Jimmy Savile frightened me, even back then 🤮
Yikes ... so glad you got to see them at the RAH (I did too! 🙂) ... regarding Savile, no one will get the reference outside of the UK, but was that nasty, ******** 'n' ********* presenting Top of the Pops when they performed this? Ugh!
The golden age of glam rock! Sparks what an ultra-cool band!
The Mael bro with the slick hair has literally not changed his look in the 70's, 80's and beyond. He transcends all trends.
Yeah, it’s funny. Russell has always had a timely hairdo, while Ron’s is timeless and has been the same since (except for their disco era, when he changed it up slightly).
@@zachjohnson637 Of course, the Chaplin mustache had to go after they were blocked from performing on a French TV show...
He scared the be-jesus out of me when on TOP of The Pops......Everyone remembers the Sparks piano player. Top band, ace tunes and made legendary memories.
Dinky, what a great drummer.I seen them in Glasgow in May and they were fantastic..
Way too much fun! These guys really rock. I dismissed them as a bit strange when they first appeared on TV...like in 1974, but these days I can't get enough. Very talented, very tight band, and two cool brothers to boot! Love these guys!
Every posting you make is like a Christmas Day present! Hard to believe this is from almost 49 years ago. Thank you SO MUCH for providing such high quality video quality.
You're very welcome!
Thank god it's not Christmas
One of my favourite Sparks songs .
Agree, put this one even above This Town...
Fucking banger! Even 50 years later
I remember watching this episode live like it was yesterday ! Thank you for the memories !👏👏👏👏
I saw them last year and can comfortably say they are just as good.
So much Sparks love!
(:
Excellent rendition. Russel's singing is almost impeccable here. Hard to believe he pulls it all so at ease. Decided to keep silent during the Bridge though ;-) And rightly so 🙂 Very very good upload!
I was too busy listening to pop and disco in the 70s, and so I’m catching up on the good music that I missed while I was dancing ‘The Hustle’ !
I'm the opposite. I was the guy wearing the "Disco Sucks" shirt. Thanks to UA-cam, I've been checking out disco songs and finding some appreciation for some of them. 😂
I've been digging on Sparks since 1977. They are uniquely talented artists. Thank you for posting this video.
YES! Thank you! I've waited YEARS to see this! Seeing them live next week!
Have fun!
You won't be disappointed! Seeing them next week too, at the amazing Pabst Theater in Milwaukee!
@@thewurm9177 Well,,,how were they?
@@williambaxter4628 They were really great, just as good as the previous show the wife and I went to in Chicago. Suprised to learn that it was their first time at The Pabst, which really is an awesome place to see a show.
@@thewurm9177 thanks for the reply! Glad you enjoyed yourself.
Total glam rock stomper!
They were only glam because of Russell.
They rock shockingly hard.
They really do. Even on the less rocky "This Town...", especially at the bridge they really bang it out. Always crank the volume for that
By far the best band Ron and Russ had!
I don't know... I saw them this summer in Berlin and I gotta say, their current band members are hella talented.
@@joshpayne4015 I agree about the current incarnation but this was when the Maels were young and in their prime.
Respect to Dinky diamond..tragic waste RIP
💯! Loved Dinky. Rest in peace.
There's something familiar about them, but I don't really remember them. Now I'm going to have to look more into their music.
I adore this song !!!
That keyboard player actions remind me of "Lurch,"the butler on the original "Adams Family" show.
Truthfully, they were way ahead of their time!
Happy Friday 🥳 Thank you for sharing! 💖
Happy Friday...
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
As much as i love the bros Mael, they never rocked this hard after they disbanded this line up
My grandkids love the achoo song 😅😅😅
Me too!
Looooove this song - super catchy 🎸
Sparks was so incredibly unique that watching and listening to them was a little bit disorienting!
❤ a top of the line specimen of glam
Yehudi Menuhin in a song lyric. Just genial writing.
Genital writing as well ("Lawns grow plush in the hinterlands").
I remember seeing them on Friday Night Concert too. Channel 18 WCCB in Charlotte.
I had never seen this group at the time. When I finally did it answered a mystery from part of Paul McCartney' video Coming Up.
I saw this back in '74 and loved it, thinking they could be the next big thing because they were so unique-sounding. Thanks Midnight Special for bringing back these fantastic classic performances on UA-cam 👍🏻
The first few seconds of this video is a nice little game of One Of These Band Members Is Not Like The Others.
Thanks for the upload!
Midnight Special did not really capture the brilliance of this band. 3 camera angles used over and over again? Check out the German TV of "This Town Isn't Big Enough For the Both of Us" . shown on a show called "Disco' (nothing to do with that genre. In 1974 it just referred to a vinyl disc). That is something to see!
Wow! Excellent version
The way the Lead Vocalist keeps looking at him as if he's expecting him to do something eventful.
He's just looking at his big brother is all!
Tremendo!
Amazing ❤🎉
Thank you! Cheers!
A lot of early 70's and early 80's Sparks songs had a real punk sound to them . They broke so many genres
Classic Sparks ! So good , great days !
Wow! I suddenly see daisy dukes and pink doobies✌
I was 8 when this first aired back in '74 and I just hated it. Now, 50 years later and I can't get enough SPARKS✨
After a few bars I thought this must be playback it's that good. Then it's obvious after another few bars that it's not playback - just a bloody excellent live performance. Bravo!!
Its nice to find the great bands you missed. That way great new rock never dies. Even though rock has.
Just a few songs and I am now a fan. This song is incredible in every way. It is as operatic as Queen. The vocals are complex and interesting. But at the same time catchy and fun. And the instrumentalists were all fantastic and tight and really drove and rocked it.
Great, Great band for the more artistic astute rock audience.
The brilliance of Russell and Ron aside, the whole band is as tight as hell….obviously fantastic musicians!
Safe journey to Toronto. Enjoy the gig on Monday with Mollie. 👍
Thanks Christophe!
Very interesting... They have supreme dictator on keyboards...
o/
No absolutely not Ron Mael is the Composer and Keyboarder of Sparks and he is a very Big Passion for Silent Films like Charlie Chaplin or Oliver Hardy because He is growing up in LA with this whole Era of Hollywood I'm a very Passionate Loving Fan of them and I really don't like the Comparison with such so an Extraordinary Terrible Person like Hitler as was!!!! Listen Please to their Song Moustache from their 80s Album Angst in my pants and you will understand one lyric of this Song called But when I trimmed it very small my jewish Friends Will NEVER call!!
@@bettywit2160 so he trimmed it small to avoid bill collectors..?
Quite possibly the filthiest opening line in the history of pop music, and no one ever gets it !
El führer tocando el teclado???
Jajaja!
Your favorite band's favorite band.
Flames.
Reminds me of Cheap Trick
His mustache looks like a bow tie 🎀 😮
Saw them at Irvine Amphitheater
hitla moustaching it all the way to the top of the chart
Wizards!!
They sound a lot like MOTT did back in the 70’s which is Way Cool.
Pity the folk who dnt appreciate
❤SPARKS❤
They had a bit of a Cheap Trick vibe about them.
Keyboardist Ron needed to turn down the wild antics a few notches . . .
He really needs to calm down.😂
Supposedly when they first appeared on the BBC, one rock star called another and yelled” turn on yer Telly! It’s Marc Bolan backed by Adolf Hitler!”
Yeah. John Lennon to Ringo Starr apparently.
Where is Martin Gordon?
They are still going strong, but I remember back then I could not get into them. I think they play the music too loud and overwhelm the singer's voice. I have checked out the lyrics of their songs and they are very clever but it just sounds like noise to me. Still there is something very intriguing there.
I think there's something there too. I just can't find it.
The audio mix here is not very good, so the wittiness of the lyrics does not come across. When I first saw Sparks on TV in the 1970s, I could not understand what they were doing. I wasn't sure whether they were a real band, or some kind of comedy act. Fifty years later, and after listening to their music more intently, I am still not sure that I understand what Sparks is doing, but I more greatly appreciate the cleverness and catchiness of their songs. Their longevity just goes to show that they were always ahead of their audience.
There is a lot of short echo or doubling on the vocals also along with the rapid delivery that makes them harder to understand for me, but I'm usually more about the music itself, or in this case the stage presence.
R0y w00d ist geil😊
And on the keyboards, Adolf!
The greatest British band from the USA!!
Thanks for posting this. I couldn't remember who was the Band that had the Pianist with the Hitler Stash.
He was an LA lad, copying Charlie Chaplin. Nothing to do with Hitler.
2:03
Severe malnutrition. ? Stimulant ?
There's one person that stands out in this video, and it isn't the singer. LOL
I always thought it was I'm A Chihuahua.
is that a dancing coat rack?
No. It's Russell Mael of Sparks. 😃 Russell and his brother Ron have been creating amazing original music for over 50 years and they just played two nights at the Royal Albert Hall and in July they are playing at the Hollywood Bowl. Edgar Wright did a superb documentary on them two years ago called "The Sparks Brothers".
@@canadianstudmuffin Did that farm girl ever show up at your house? You know, the one with the cow...Just curious.
@@williamj1813 Nope!
@@canadianstudmuffin 🙃
What a cracking number! Why weren't they more popular? I can tell you: can't understand a word he's saying. +1 for Hitler.
Actually based on Charlie Chaplin... and they are popular. Two sold out shows at the Royal Albert Hall, a documentary by Edgar Wright and they are playing at the Hollywood Bowl in July.
@@canadianstudmuffin "Actually based on Charlie Chaplin... " You may be right, although I've never heard Charlie Chaplin sing. It can't be very good, based on this clip. "...playing at the Hollywood Bowl in July." So are Village People.
I'm a really Passionate Loving Fan of them and it makes me really Angry to Read still the Commentaries about the Comparison with Hitler It's really NOT TRUE and UNFAIR to Ron too he's NEVER has this Idea in Mind and honestly especially in these Difficult Dark Times in a World I find it so Disgraceful still to Call him Hitler plays on the Keyboards LISTEN to their Moustache Song one Quote of the Text means " But when I trimmed it very Small my Jewish Friends Will NEVER Call " !!!
@@bettywit2160 It was mentioned in the very first review I read of them, back in 1974. I'm sure he's well aware of it, and the reaction it has invited for 50 years.
The guy with the Hitler mustache is freaking me out.
He's the brain of Sparks, songwriter and genius, Ron Mael, lead vocalist Russell is his lil' brother 😊
@omituinenotus9651 That's cool but he still scares me.
@@Boudica234 yeah, thats like part of the thing, besides humour :D
I think it’s more of a Charlie Chaplin mustache
@@pacosquire8968 yeah, he was the REAL inspiration for that
rock n radolf? 😂
The most unAmerican….American band!
Totally American. Unmistakeable lyrically.
@@Hexon66 Well that’s your opinion, but I think you will find that their music garnered more interest and following in Europe than in the US, which is why they relocated to England in 1973 where they had their first major chart success, returning to the US in 77 and then growing tired of traditional rock they favored the more European synth pop electronic style of making music!
I remember this band very well. I just don't get that Hitler moustash.
I guess you don't remember them well enough to recall the song Moustache.
He looks more like Charlie Chaplin
Chaplin moustache.
@@thetragicyouth Hitler stole it from him. Ron stole it back.
@@kevhead1525 Well said. Hitler stole quite a bit.
I didn't know Hitler played keyboards.
o/
Eva taught him in her spare time.
Damn, so this is what happened to Austrian Painters son, William H*tler
Adolf Hitler on the keyboard?
Can we talk about the Hitlerphant in the room?
Can we talk about the influence of Charlie Chaplin for the moustache?
Yeah, so, I have never understood this band. I guess I am not intellectual enough to grasp the incoherence and thoroughly bizarre presentation. They are just "too cool for school." On the other hand, they could just be too weird for the mainstream. Enjoy your tiny niche.
Awful…