KIMONO MY HOUSE

"Kimono My House" is the third studio album by SPARKS, and the first of three to be recorded in the UK. Brothers Ron(keyboards) and Russell(vocals) Mael are SPARKS, but when they moved to the UK they had to get a new backing band. So the tryouts began and included Warren Cann later of ULTRAVOX who made a brief appearance, and PINK FAIRIES guitarist Paul Rudolph, before deciding on their new drummer, bassist and guitarist.

The Maels were huge MOVE fans and tried to get Roy Wood to produce "Kimono My House" but he wasn't available so they settled on Muff Winwood brother of Steve Winwood. The main reason they moved to the UK was the reaction from fans during their tour over there. American music fans didn't "get" them, usually looking bewildered at their music or responding with apathy. Whereas in Britain they were adored. Their parents had just moved there, and the brothers loved everything related to the UK, so they abandoned their LA house and moved in 1973.

Their Top Of The Pops appearance in April of 1974 caused a sensation in the UK. This show was on once a week from 1964 to 2006, the world's longest running music show. And their appearance was one of those water cooler moments the next day. Everyone was talking about them! Even John Lennon. The music is poppy with Russell's very high pitched vocals. When asked by a British reporter what their sound was like, Ron replied that he plays the piano with his right hand only, disregarding the left side, while Russell sings in a very high pitch. Morrissey described Russell's voice as "sounding like he's singing in French italics."

So while bands like 10CC, QUEEN, ROXY MUSIC, STEELY DAN and the like get mentioned as comparisons, this band has such an original sound. And those lyrics! So humerous and witty with Russell doing vocal gymnastics at a fast pace. And the cover? So funny. And it's not the brothers either as some have suggested. I mean they are on most of their album covers and often in disguise but not here. They have the best covers. These two ladies are actually from Japan's Red Budha Theatre band led by Stomu Yamashta. To quote the liner notes on "Kimono My House"... "Critics were enraptured by it's heady blend of glam oomph, music hall humour, prog texture, rock power, Germanic cabaret, bubblegum pop and showtune infectiousness."

There are some outrageous lyrics on here. Russell by the way says that that "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" and "Equator" were the hardest to sing live. "Talent Is An Asset" is about Albert Einstein's parents and them bragging about their son being a smart kid. Funny. Or a suicide pact gone wrong called "Here In Heaven", or how husbands did not look forward to Christmas and having to spend more time with their wives in "Thank God It's Not Christmas". The first seven tracks make this a four star album in my world. The last three are good, in particular the STEELY DAN sounding closer.

The three SPARKS albums that I would highly recommend are "Kimono My House" and "Propaganda" both released in 1974, plus "Hippopotamus" from 2017 showing that this duo has not lost their edge or wit one bit.

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