The Sparks story is now celebrated in this book, Daryl Easlea's
exploration of their extraordinary career drawing on hours of new
interviews and research.
When LA musicians Russell and Ron Mael moved to Britain in 1973, they
hit the pop world as Sparks and looked like Oddballs, even in the
context of the Glam Rock movement that made them welcome.
Soon defined by their weird and wonderful 1974 single This Town Ain't
Big Enough for the Both of Us from the Kimono My House album, Sparks
went on to release 21 albums over four decades, each record inhabiting a
bizarre world of it's own. Their songs were peppered with puns and pop
culture nods, as well as nostalgia and jokey images, all mixed up in a
kaleidoscope of musical references ranging from rock to glam to disco.
Talent is an Asset comes as close as possible to pinning down the
quicksilver nature of two gifted musicians who have gone out of their
way to remain unpredictable and elusive, forever entrenched behind a
dazzling gallery of jokes, impersonations and musical eccentricities.