www.billnelson.com

Listened to an interview with Ron & Russell Mael this afternoon.

To publicies their new album they're doing a 21 night run in London. The new album is their 21st and each night they doing a different album (plus any related single B sides) starting with their 1st album on night one and finishing on night 21 with their new one. Must have been quite a mission rehearsing about 250 songs.

Just thinking that Bill ought to try this approach sometime.

What? Covering each of the Sparks albums? Sounds like fun.

This town ain't big enough for the both of us

That's great. They deserved it. Unappreciated gems are what they are.

I was reading up a bit on Sparks' current backing band called Mother Superior, and as it turns out I use to run into their guitarist quite often in recent years. I think that he was working at Arons or Amoeba records here for a while.

WOW! First band I ever really got into whilst under 10! Big crush on Russell 2! First album as well - 'Kimono My House'!! Respect boys!

(copied and edited from another thread)
They are sending em out live as they happen. Okay it's kinda, one camera, pixelly and there was a little bandwidth choking but hell I'm half a world away and never had the pleasure of seeing them live. I was fortunate (wife and baby napping!) to catch Kimono my House Sunday and some Propoganda on Tuesday@4:00PM US EDST = 9:00PM London time. It was pretty impressive. Their backing band (mother superior) was tight yet organic. Russell cavorted around gesturing, voice pretty good and Ron was absolutely expressionless throughout as he played the album parts perfecto.
http://www.cdpulse.com/venue/page/Carli ... +Islington

regards to all,
Andy

One of my all time favs. So wish I could be there for all of those shows.

Hope they do a repeat in LA.

Just got back last night from 4 nights in London, taking in 3 Sparks' shows; 'Kimono My House', 'Propaganda' and 'Indiscreet'. Apparently the shiningly accomplished LA/Detroit-based backing band did 4 months' of solid rehearsals for the 256 songs featured across the 21 nights. These gigs were special, not just because they're such a fine band, but because they were the first-ever band I got to see play live - at Birmingham Odeon back in 1975. A year or so earlier, 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us' was the first pop single I ever fell in love with - and to - buts that's another story! But rather than simply this being a nostalgia trip, in a way that's perhaps hard to explain, these gigs were a kind of personal re-evaluation of where I've come from on my own musical adventure - something I'm sure the Mael Bros, are experiencing many, many times over via these performances. Russ and Ron are such genuinely warm and funny blokes, too.

Thanks also to Mr A. for both putting me up and putting up with me.

John

John, I bought 'Propaganda' 2, but don't really remember those albums now except, of course, 'This Town Ain't Big Enough' etc. I thought they were amazing, as a kid, and still do. I always remembered their drummer was called Dinky Diamond, strangely!!