Mael Intuition: The Best Of Sparks 1974-1976 CD

Island Records filled a void in the early days of the CD by culling this 20 track collection of Sparks since an anthology of the group didn't exist at the time of this set's release in 1990. These tracks come from the band's three most popular albums in the UK. and include "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us", "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth", "Achoo", "Amateur Hour", "Thank G-d It's Not Christmas", "Hasta Manana Monsieur", "Looks Looks Looks" and many more.

The 20-track anthology MAEL INTUITION: THE BEST OF SPARKS 1974-'76 is a 20-track overview of the long-running band's most commercially successful period, when Ron and Russell Mael moved to the U.K. and formed a new lineup that immediately scored with the glam-rock hits "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both of Us" and "Amateur Hour."

A well-chosen, 20-track compilation derived from the group's three best albums (Kimono My House, Propaganda, and Indiscreet), released during their brief, productive tenure with Island Records. Producers Muff Winwood (for the first two, harder-rocking albums) and Tony Visconti (the more varied and elaborately arranged Indiscreet) both provide the Mael brothers with solid, sympathetic settings for their witty, rapid-fire lyrics and manic delivery. Songs range from the aggressive riff of "At Home, at Work, at Play" (a precursor to the heavier sound of the 1976 album, Big Beat) to the uncanny Andrews Sisters evocation "Looks, Looks, Looks." Russell Mael's quavery falsetto is an acquired taste, and his vocal affectations can try the listener's nerves on prolonged exposure. Also, their tendency to deliver a few hundred lyrics in as many seconds makes interpretation a challenge, but their perverse humor rewards the effort. This is probably all the Sparks the casual fan needs. ~ James A. Gardner