1970年就成立的老乐队了，成立于美国LA，主要人物是Ron和Russel Maels两兄弟，其中换过很多团员，乐队主要人物是Ron Maels和Russel Maels两兄弟，组建于加州大学LA分校，起初名叫Halfnelson，由Ron担任主要词曲创作和键盘，Russel担任主唱，之后Earle和Jim Mankey两兄弟分别作为吉他手和贝斯手进入乐队，最后是鼓手Harley Fein.整张专辑感觉可听性极强，大量运用了键盘和弦乐，和声极有特色，时不时的还来两段带有流行金属特色的吉他RIFF，感觉有点新前卫的样子。
by Jason Ankeny
Sparks were a vehicle for the skewed pop smarts and wise-guy wordplay of brothers Ron and Russell Mael, Los Angeles natives who spent their childhood modeling young mens apparel for mail-order catalogs. While attending UCLA in 1970, the Maels formed their first group, Halfnelson, which featured songwriter Ron on keyboards and Russell as lead vocalist; the band was rounded out by another pair of brothers, guitarist Earle and bassist Jim Mankey, and drummer Harley Feinstein.
Halfnelson soon came to the attention of Todd Rundgren, who helped land the group a contract with Bearsville and produced their self-titled 1971 debut. Their quirky, tongue-in-cheek art pop failed to find an audience, however, and their manager successfully convinced the Maels to change the groups name. After becoming Sparks, they almost reached the Hot 100 with the single Wonder Girl, and 1972s sublimely bizarre A Woofer in Tweeters Clothing cemented the bands cult status, scoring another near-hit with Girl from Germany.
While touring the U.K., Sparks were warmly received by the British music press, and ultimately, the Mael brothers relocated to London, leaving the rest of the band behind; Earle Mankey subsequently became a noted producer, while Jim later joined Concrete Blonde. In need of a new support unit, the Maels placed an advertisement in Melody Maker, and with guitarist Adrian Fisher, bassist Martin Gordon, and drummer Norman Dinky Diamond firmly in place, they recorded 1974s glam-bubblegum opus Kimono My House, which reached the Top Five of the U.K. album charts and spawned two major British hits, This Town Aint Big Enough for the Both of Us and Amateur Hour.
With new guitarist Trevor White and bassist Ian Hampton, Sparks returned later that year with Propaganda, another U.K. smash that scored with the hits Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth and Something for the Girl with Everything. Overblown production from Tony Visconti derailed 1975s Indiscreet, however, and when the record fared less successfully than its predecessors, the Maels returned to the U.S., where they recruited Tuff Darts guitarist Jeff Salen, former Milk & Cookies bassist Sal Maida, and drummer Hilly Michaels for 1976s Big Beat.
By 1977s ironic Introducing Sparks, recorded with a series of Los Angeles session players, the Mael brothers were treading water, so they enlisted disco producer Giorgio Moroder to helm 1979s synth-powered dance-pop confection No. 1 in Heaven, which spurred the group to renewed success in England on the strength of the hit singles The Number One Song in Heaven, Beat the Clock, and Tryouts for the Human Race. Moroders sidekick Harold Faltermeyer took the production reins for the immediate follow-up, Terminal Jive, which scored a massive French hit with When Im with You.
Sparks left disco in the dust with 1981s Whomp That Sucker, recorded in Munich with a new supporting band comprised of guitarist Bob Haag, bassist Leslie Bohem, and drummer David Kendrick (who also played together as the Gleaming Spires). After 1982s Angst in My Pants, they recorded 1983s Sparks in Outer Space; the wonderful Cool Places, a duet with the Go-Gos Jane Wiedlin, nearly reached the U.S. Top 40, and was the bands biggest hit.
The disastrous 1984 LP Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat derailed any chart momentum the band had gathered at home, however, and after 1986s self-explanatory Music That You Can Dance To, Sparks — again reduced to the core duo of Ron and Russell — recorded 1988s Interior Design, which was followed by a long hiatus. Outside of composing the music for a film by Hong Kong action maestro Tsui Hark, Sparks remained silent until Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins, released in 1994. Plagiarism followed four years later. With 2000s Balls, the band ushered in a more productive era, releasing Lil Beethoven in 2002 and Hello Young Lovers in 2006.
