SPARKS "INTRODUCING SPARKS" 1977 COLUMBIA RARE RED VINYL PROMO NM/NM- LP

$

20

THREE YEARS AGO I LOST ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS TO CANCER, HE WAS A COOL MUSICIAN A DRUMMER BY TRADE, ORIGINALLY FROM SEATTLE, BUT RELOCATED TO L.A. IN 1985, HE AMASSED A VERY LARGE MUSIC COLLECTION, AND HAD KILLER TASTE FOR ROCK & ROLL, SADLY I AM SELLING OFF A LOT OF HIS COLLECTION ON BEHALF OF HIS WIDOW TO HELP PAY OFF DEBTS INCLUDING BILLS, TAXES AND STORAGE UNIT FEES. I AM NOT TAKING ANYTHING FOR THIS SERVICE, DOING IT FOR MY FRIEND (MISS YOU DAVE!). THIS ITEM IS FROM HIS COLLECTION.

THE PHOTO'S MAY BE A LITTLE BLURRY, HAVE A LITTLE GLARE, SOME REFLECTIONS OR IN SOME CASES YOU MAY SEE SPECKS OF DUST. BUT THE PHOTO'S ARE OF THE ACTUAL ITEM YOU ARE BIDDING ON. I DO COMBINE SHIPPING. BUT I DO NOT ACCEPT “BEST OFFERS”, THE MONIES GO TO MY FRIENDS WIDOW.

THESE ARE VISUALLY & PLAY GRADED. LET ME REITERATE I DO NOT TAKE “BEST OFFERS”. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS!!

ARTISTS: SPARKS

TITLE: “INTRODUCING SPARKS” WHITE LABEL PROMO, RED VINYL.

TRACK LISTING (SEE PHOTOS & BELOW):

A1

A Big Surprise

3:42

A2

Occupation

5:17

A3

Ladies

3:06

A4

I'm Not

3:26

A5

Forever Young

3:27

B1

Goofing Off

4:26

B2

Girls On The Brain

3:41

B3

Over The Summer

3:50

B4

Those Mysteries

5:03

Companies, etc.

• Licensed From – Island Records Ltd.

• Manufactured By – Columbia Records

• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Island Records Ltd.

• Copyright (c) – CBS Inc.

• Copyright (c) – Ackee Music, Inc.

• Published By – Ackee Music, Inc.

• Recorded At – Larrabee Sound Studios

• Mastered At – Allen Zentz Mastering

Credits

• Arranged By, Backing Vocals – Al Capps

• Backing Vocals – Jimmy Haas*, Mark Piscitelli, Nick Uhrig, Ron Hicklin, Stan Farber, Tom Bahler

• Design – John Kehe, Tom Steele*

• Engineer – Lenny Roberts

• Engineer [Assistant] – Betsy Banghart, Randy Tomanaga*

• Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Russell Mael

• Management – John Hewlett

• Musician – Alan Broadbent, Ben Benay, David Foster, David Paich, Ed Greene (2), Lee Ritenour, Mike Porcaro, Reinie Press, Thom Rotella

• Photography By – Bob Seidemann

• Producer – Terry Powell

• Producer, Written-By – Russell Mael

• Producer, Written-By, Arranged By, Musician – Ron Mael

Notes

Issued with full-colour lyrics/credits inner-sleeve.

Gold promo stamp on rear cover.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

• Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout - Etched : Variant 1): S PAL-34901 1B AZ A7

• Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout - Etched : Variant 1): e S PBL-34901 1B AZ A8

• Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout - Etched : Variant 2): S PAL-34901-1B AZ A7

• Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout - Etched : Variant 2): e S PBL-34901-1B AZ A7

• Rights Society: ASCAP

LABEL: COLUMBIA RECORDS

CAT. #: PC 34901

YEAR: 1977

RECORD CONDITION:THE RECORD IS IN NM/NM-CONDITION. NO VISIBLE WEAR,SCRATCHES, LINES ETC. NICE SHINEY LUSTER TO THE VINYL. THE LABELS ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. NO BACKGROUND AUDIO BETWEEN THE TRACKS.THE SONGS SOUND & PLAY SUPER CLEAN.

JACKET CONDITION: THE JACKET IS IN NM/NM- CONDITION. STRAIGHT EDGES, NO TEARS, WRINKLES, NO WRITING OR MARKS, OR SEAM SPLITS, ETC.ETC...

MORE INFO: I TRY AND MATCH WHAT I AM SELLING WITH DISCOGS LISTINGS. THIS RECORD IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT. THIS RECORD WASN'T SOLD TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. INCLUDES ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVE W/LYRICS+PIX. HAS A GOLD INK EMBOSSED PROMO STAMP (SEE PHOTO). PRINTED ON BOTH LABELS IS “DEMONSTRATION-NOT FOR SALE”.

MORE ON THE ARTIST & RELEASE:

Sparks are an American pop and rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1967 by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals). Known for their quirky approach to songwriting, Sparks' music is often accompanied by intelligent, sophisticated, and acerbic lyrics, and an idiosyncratic, theatrical stage presence, typified in the contrast between Russell's animated, hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's deadpan scowling. They are also noted for Russell Mael's distinctive wide-ranging voice and Ron Mael's intricate and rhythmic keyboard playing style.

While achieving chart success in various countries around the world including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and the United States, they have enjoyed a cult following since their first releases.During the late 1970s, when in collaboration with Giorgio Moroder (and Telex subsequently), Sparks reinvented themselves as a new wave/synth-pop band, and abandoned the traditional rock band line-up.Their frequently changing styles and visual presentations have kept the band at the forefront of modern, artful pop music.

The 2002 release of Lil' Beethoven, their "genre-defying opus", as well as the more recent albums Hello Young Lovers (2006, their 20th studio album), Exotic Creatures of the Deep (2008), and their latest fantasy musical The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman (2009–2010) have brought Sparks renewed critical and commercial success, and seen them continue to "steer clear of pop conventions."The band also released an album with Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, as the supergroup FFS, titled FFS, released in 2015.

Sparks are best known for the songs "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 1974; the disco hit "The Number One Song in Heaven" in 1979; "When I'm With You" which topped the French Singles Chart in 1980; the single "I Predict", which provided Sparks' first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 60 in May 1982; the 1983 single "Cool Places" with the Go-Go's rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Jane Wiedlin, and "When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'", which was the top airplay record in Germany for 1994. In 2017 Sparks released Hippopotamus, which entered the UK Albums Chart at no. 7, marking Sparks' first UK top-ten appearance in over 40 years.

Introducing Sparks is the seventh album by the American rock band Sparks, released in 1977 by Columbia Records.

Release

At the time of its release, Pete Makowski in Sounds suggested that the album was probably the most adventurous musical outing yet from Sparks, suggesting that Ron Mael is one of the most underrated and original lyricists in the galaxy. However, the album proved to be a commercial failure, and many other very negative reviews claimed that the band had adopted a new East Coast "American sound" despite the fact that the Mael brothers are indeed Americans. The title is also rather ironic -- Introducing Sparks was not only not their first album, it wasn't even the first for their label, Columbia (it was their second, and last).

Introducing Sparks was no more a success in terms of chart performance than their previous album Big Beat. It did not chart in the UK or US. The singles "Over the Summer" and "A Big Surprise" each backed with "Forever Young" were released singles but failed to gain any significant sales or radio play. For decades the album remained obscure, in part because it remained unavailable on CD until 2007.However, in recent years the album has enjoyed a certain critical reassessment leading to a very belated appreciation of Introducing Sparks as a much overlooked album.

The Mael brothers next would team-up successfully with Giorgio Moroder in 1978 to record a very different album from Introducing Sparks. 

I DO COMBINE SHIPPING! THE $4 FLAT RATE ALSO INCLUDES THE MAILER WHICH COST AROUND $1 EACH. THANKS! NOTE: INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING INCREASED IN JAN. OF 2020.

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