Top 102 Albums⁺ No 30 Hello Young Lovers

Top 102 Albums⁺ No 30 
Hello Young Lovers - Sparks

"The olefactory sense is the sense
That most strongly evokes memories of the past
Well screw the past"

This album has been flagged by me in a post from a number of years back. Although in terms of this list of my favourite albums this is dangerously recent it dates to 2006 which is seven years ago, a stretch of time I once thought long. Although their early album Kimono My House contains Sparks most famous song - This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us - and is generally considered (by Morrissey at least) their best I find that this is now my go to Sparks album.

This is the Renaissance

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Until a few years ago my personal image of Sparks was in aspic - drollery, gunshots and Hitler mustaches in a Town not big enough for both of them. I owned none of their music bar the memories. Every so often I would see a review and note that they were still productive and think that I should check them out. Eventually I bought Kimono My House which I enjoyed and still enjoy (particularly the aforementioned '...Town..."

Then, A few (five, I checked) years ago I bought the Uncut compilation White Riot - A Tribute to The Clash. It was the usual mishmash of earnest and throwaway covers and some of interest apart from one standout track culled from the oft derided 'Cut The Crap' This was the chant like 'We Are The Clash' re imagined by Sparks as an ironic anthem. Most fans wouldn't consider the original to be by The Clash and two ageing Californians masquerading as German electro pop wizards certainly weren't. As well as irony however there was a genuine love of the song and a wash of sadness and celebration makes this a moving experience and one of the most played songs on my ipod.