I've been reading that Franz Ferdinand have been collaborating with the Mael brothers with a view to touring and releasing a record under the superbly titled name of FFS.
A few years ago I realized that there were no Sparks records on the shelves.It was a straight choice between Kimono My House and a Best of. I chose the Best of. Wrong move.Their later stuff is not in the same league as the stuff from the Kimono era.
Also, I consider much of it to be pretty sleazy no doubt trading on their slightly creepy image.One song in particular Young Girls I find particularly disturbing and offensive.
Perhaps Franz Ferdinand should think on.
Here is some of their brilliant early non-sleazy stuff
Sparks -This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us
Sparks - Amateur Hour
Some of Sparks' later stuff is extraordinarily good. You should give it another chance. Their tongues are planted even more firmly in their cheeks than they ever have before. I suspect that's where they're coming from a lot of the time, not intending to be creepy or offensive.
ReplyDeleteNot overly impressed by the FFS stuff I've heard though.
Like you, I think the name FFS is superb... inspired. But I caught a bit of them on Later and I wasn't impressed, although if I may say so I think Alex Kapranos is ageing beautifully and looking wonderful. Maybe I'm just not in the right mode but I'd be happy to leave Sparks at This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us. At the time it first came out, though, I was only 10 or 11 and extremely creeped out! (Probably just as well I never heard Young Girls...)
ReplyDeleteMrs CC found herself sitting at the next table to him in a Glasgow West End coffee shop recently
DeleteSinging Bear and I were recently comparing notes and discovered that we could both remember where we were and what we were doing when we first heard 'This Town...'. The song is simultaneously of the time and completely timeless and though we were 130 miles apart and 38 years from bumping into each other online, the two of us remember the vivid impact it had on our young minds to this day.
ReplyDeleteStrangely, though being no Franz Ferdinand fan, so not holding out much hope, I really enjoyed the FFS performance on Later.
A couple of bands that have never done much for me, not sure why.
ReplyDeleteKimono My House is on the wall in my record cave (er,, I mean our dining room), Back in 1974 I saw Sparks at Bristol's Victoria Rooms (backed by Strange Fruit, a useless fact I always remember). I always thought the The Vic Rooms was a great venue and is sadly missed as such.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me I must watch FFS on catch up. I will do it now!
Must be living under a rock. I didn't know anything about this FFS business. Will investigate.
ReplyDeleteStory goes... John Lennon in NY shouts "Fuck me! its Hitler on Top Of The Pops"
ReplyDelete