Really one of the most clever and unique rock songs ever recorded, IMO. A song about Albert Einstein as told from the POV of his family. Not only are the lyrics clever but melodically and structurally it's so very interesting. Just genius.

Loved this band since seeing this in 1974, and they are still going stronger than ever. Highly recommend their documentary by Edgar Wright, The Sparks Brothers.

Best band in the world. Today and always.

Please tell me another band that has ever sounded like Sparks. Unique. There is no other. Awesome

Sparks, your favorite band's favorite band.

Ron’s deadpan scowling is hilarious, What I wouldn’t give to have Russell’s hair.

I remember watching this as a kid. So exciting to see one of my favorite bands (and the best iteration of Sparks) on TV!

@tonystevenson26

Жыл бұрын

I know right ?! When I saw this, the next day I bought Indiscreet and KIMONO.....like Roxy Music...theyre just, Different ....

Sparks on TV in the early 1970s left millions of American viewers (myself included) scratching our heads and wondering, "What the heck was *that*?" Fifty years later, we are just starting to get it. Talk about a band that is always ahead of its audience...

@ladistar

Жыл бұрын

Bahahaha right so true

Happy to discover some folks who saw this from years ago.

Thank you for more early Sparks!!

@themidnightspecialtvshow

Жыл бұрын

You bet!

Thank You very much . R.I.P. Dinkey Diamond🙏

Thank you. This was my introduction to what is still one of my all time favorite groups.

@themidnightspecialtvshow

Жыл бұрын

Our pleasure!

I remember this broadcast! Guitarist plays a Guild S-100, same as I play! Bravo!!

To think, Sparks was B52s type new wave before it was new wave❤cooool I love Sparks!

@SOALNightLive

Жыл бұрын

indeed! They were a lot of things before they were cool.

This performance blew a lot of minds back in 1974! Mine's still messed up... Thank you,Bros!

I vividly remember watching this on its original broadcast. I was 11 & it freaked me right out.

The entire Kimono My House album is great...every song.

@jackal59

2 ай бұрын

This song's from _Propaganda_ .

@CheaplaffsJohnson

2 ай бұрын

@@jackal59 I have it on Kimono My House

Found this channel because of Sparks, stayed because I saw the Focus 'Hocus Pocus' performance. Amazing stuff here and hope there's more from Sparks.

@themidnightspecialtvshow

Жыл бұрын

still a couple more down the line, a few more from Focus also

@michalvrajik

Жыл бұрын

@@themidnightspecialtvshow Thank you also for the magnificent King Crimson videos.

Just catching up with Sparks again after seeing them doing the do at Glastonbury....what a treasure they are...this track is just mind boggling....the lyrics,the voice and delivery...not to mention the great band they had at that time...Albert Einsteins moustache and beard would have surely twitched along to this.A genius song about a genius...

Thanks for uploading this, I can't wait to see any others you have.

@LarryGravesCanadianStudmuffin

Жыл бұрын

The other two songs they performed are "Amatuer Hour" and "Here In Heaven". 🙂

Continuing brilliance from Sparks. New 2023 tracks are as fresh and innovative as the early stuff.

OK I went down a rabbit hole learning about this band - VERY FUN AND INTERESTING - they were very talented. Thanks, @themidnightspecialtvshow !

@SOALNightLive

Жыл бұрын

I did too. What a fun rabbit hole to spend a few years on.

@lynnwatson2140

Жыл бұрын

'Were'? Still are! They're playing at Glastonbury tonight...

@bartwaggoner2000

Жыл бұрын

@@lynnwatson2140 Amazing!

I love, and also use this guitar tone alot...Great crunchy punky tone...if only this was used on BIG BEAT !! wow

@chasbodaniels1744

Жыл бұрын

BB was very different wasn’t it? A lot cleaner and less crunchy, thanks to new producer Rupert Holmes (the Pina Colada Song).

THANK YOU, Midnight Special, for uploading this second clip of Sparks 😍❤️😭🙏, highly appreciated! 😊

Looking forward to the next Sparks songs.

What a great band, with a super-tight performance. Stunning stuff! You can also hear why the band never had mainstream US success: too out there (but great for all the pop/rock connoisseurs) 😀

Guild through a Marshall. Great sounds!

@tonystevenson26

Жыл бұрын

CRUNCH !

I remember thinking what the heck is this? A catchy song about Albert Einstein? I was hooked.

I saw this way back when, didn't really know what to make of it but absolutely loved it. Still do, everything of theirs I've ever heard. Love the creativity! (And Ron has always been my favorite.)

50 years later they are still touring sold out locations and music festivals, like Albert Hall and Glastonbury this year alone. Well done SPARKS!

@chasbodaniels1744

Жыл бұрын

Yep, they just played Chicago after hitting East Coast US cities.

@slyasleep

7 ай бұрын

Albert Hall‘s an asset.

I’ve been pushing them for the R&R HOF for ten years or more. They’ve been active for over 50 years and more than 25 albums. They deserve it.

Brilliant, love the first albums!!

This freaked me out when I was 11...THANK YOU

That keyboard player is spooky! Happy Father's Day! ❤️💜💙 Happy Sunday 🕊 Thank you for sharing! 💖

@kennixox262

Жыл бұрын

They are still at it in 2023. Both brothers well into their 70's. A lot of Americans have never heard of them and think that they are from the UK, rather than the Southern California natives that they are. Very talented and rather underrated unfortunately. There is a recent documentary on Sparks.

@themidnightspecialtvshow

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching

@that70sgirl90

Жыл бұрын

@kennixox262 That's fantastic! When I went to see ELO in 2019, Jeff Lynne was 72. Still sounded great and looked good. Thank you for sharing! 💖

Now THAT is a Marshall sound, IMO. I remember seeing this when it aired and that sound is what hooked me. And Ron's antics of course.

Ron should of kept the old early Halfnelson hairstyle , Was even more scary then IMO.

Sparks,a rocked up Edith Piaf,if it works it works,happy Fathers day Larry. Bob

love this

Sparks influenced many bands / artist from Queen to Faith No More and more.

@ladistar

Жыл бұрын

Damn for real dude

Sparks played Glastonbury just, 2023, A much underappreciated act, loved this. Cate Blanchett a big fan came on for one song too. They are identical twins.

@canadianstudmuffin

Жыл бұрын

They are not twins... Ron is 3 years older than Russell.

I brought a recording of this into school when it was new (I was 10) to play for the class. My teacher wouldn’t let me because she couldn’t catch the words Russell Mael was singing! And Ron Mael - mysteriously, the only person appearing in the video for “Coming Up” other than Paul & Linda McCartney.

@caryheuchert

Жыл бұрын

It was Paul playing Ron in that video. John Lennon also was a Sparks fan.

@M_C79

Жыл бұрын

The album's liner notes had the lyrics!

These guys are 👍🏾 awesome. Music is unique and bright. Incredible

Kimono My House - one of my top 5 albums of the 70s.

more please how about Amateur Hour

@LarryGravesCanadianStudmuffin

Жыл бұрын

...and Here In Heaven. 😃

Ron Mael has the best stage presence I've ever seen. Charlie Chaplain on keyboards.

THANK YOU! Moment of truth - I can see why some of the current generation wouldn't like them - it's strident and uncompromising. It's what a real band actually sounds like - I doubt much was done on the recording other than level matching and some slap-back echo. It's sort of like when I first heard early XTC - I just wasn't attuned to it. Attitude is missing a lot these days and appealing to an audience before you even start is a death knell for bands - you won't last.

@chasbodaniels1744

Жыл бұрын

Nice analysis! XTC is a good example of a band not meant for every ear. It’s impossible for unique artists to make it really big, unless they sell out and make themselves bland enough for the masses.

@squishmallowfan025

Жыл бұрын

@@chasbodaniels1744 still...listen to the applause though - there was clearly an appreciative audience here (and on every other Midnight Special performance that's been posted recently). There is still TONS of material out there that will floor an audience - it's the marketers who have no idea what to do with it and who can't (or won't) steer an audience. It's just a shame that those who promote often hinder.

One of the best pop songs ever written about Einstein. Er, sorry, I mean the only pop song ever written about Einstein. Someday he will reassess the world And he'll still have time for lots of girls

STRANGE. ALMOST DIDNT KNOW ABOUT THIS BAND. REMINDING ME ABIT OF QUEEN, AND THE DARKNESS.

Must have been a big influence on Kate Bush. 1930s Berlin is big in both this and her first two albums.

@M_C79

Жыл бұрын

They were hugely influential. Queen would never have become Queen without Sparks breathing down their necks.

@_RZ____

Жыл бұрын

@@M_C79 I remember watching the SNL show that night that Joe Cocker was on and John Belushi came out to be him right next to him. Everyone was wearing SPARKS shirts. Maybe 77?

@M_C79

Жыл бұрын

@@_RZ____ The glory years of SNL!

☮ 1974 ☮

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻😀

Anyone else hearing a high pitched sine wave tone throughout?

@impalaSS65

7 ай бұрын

What frequency? The ride cymbal rings at around 2000Hz. Most of the the, though not truly continuous. Quiet during the frequent breaks of course.

The closest I can get to another band in the sphere of this band is They Might Be Giants. They influenced everything but sounded like nothing else.

The funny part is that every new band that has music that's come out in the last 15 years or so has sounded like Sparks- and they try to push themselves off as "indie" or the latest thing in music, haha. Nice try kids- these boys invented it, haha.

665 likes. Me: nope. I still like the Sparks though.

A lot longer than the album version.

Still sad that American ears weren't attuned to Sparks. They were obviously brilliant, but they just weren't heavy enough or masculine enough. They didn't fit neatly into Prog, Hard Rock or Metal. Maybe I'm wrong?

@impalaSS65

7 ай бұрын

It is sad that the "gimmicks" you list, might really matter in such extent. I am a hard core metal fan since a toddler. Tattoos to prove it since early teens. I would not deny myself good music just because it doesn't come off like Motörhead in every aspect.

spare those superlatives!

What’s wrong with the keyboard player?

@mrjimi

Жыл бұрын

It's part of the act...

@johnegli1308

4 ай бұрын

Not a thing. He’s great in persona

It would appear that performing in a live setting was not really where Sparks excelled.

I didn't know Hitler was in a band. I thought he died in Germany in 1945.

@alanphair7094

Жыл бұрын

This was recorded before he died

@gregoryduncan3067

Жыл бұрын

Oh, that clears that up. You learn something new everyday.

@alanphair7094

Жыл бұрын

@@gregoryduncan3067 every day’s a school day Greg

@gregoryduncan3067

Жыл бұрын

That's the truth.

@parasite674

Жыл бұрын

😂😂. This reminds me of when I saw a man who looks like Santa Claus play bass guitar in a video.

This is why I never heard of them 🙂

@Rich-iz3jf

Жыл бұрын

I never understand why people post comments bragging about how ignorant they are.

@mariaaguadoball3407

Жыл бұрын

Says more about your lack of popular music knowledge than it does about the band. They've been having success for 50 years now.

@brad6268

Жыл бұрын

"Sparks: The greatest band you've never heard of" That would explain it.

@garydavis9361

Жыл бұрын

It's a little out in left field, sure, and not for everyone's taste, but that's what made The Midnight Special what it was. It had something for almost everybody.

@unabhangigkeitfurschottlan1370

Жыл бұрын

Go back to listening to David Cassidy then.

I swear I was born in 1967 and I love music and all kinds from bowie to skynyrd and lots throughout the 80s , I've never heard of this band sparks, so I see why, I think they suck

when i subscribed it was because there were full hour long videos of the show i remember watching from under the covers as a kid on my older brothers tv not some single song from a band that never had a top 40 hit. so i'm unsubscribing

@canadianstudmuffin

Жыл бұрын

They've had a few top 40 songs, and just played 2 sold out shows at the Royal Albert Hall...

@themidnightspecialtvshow

Жыл бұрын

We released a full episode on Friday and have released 9 so far ( 1 every week ). Here is the playlist. Have a blessed day. kzread.info/head/PLdQ3g_i8Nrs48a4TcCDU01Zw-7Qh4kukm

@johnwalsh128

Жыл бұрын

They've had plenty of top 40 singles, and their last 3 albums have all been top 10 here in the UK. As Larry said, they've just played 2 sold out shows at the royal Albert hall, and they're playing the Hollywood bowl next month. Plus they're one of the most influential and innovative bands of all time.

@janicetrimmell6897

Жыл бұрын

@@themidnightspecialtvshow We appreciate all the work you have put in. The full episodes and clips are both treasures. Friday night watch parties are great fun.

@Rich-iz3jf

Жыл бұрын

The exits are clearly marked. Thought you should know.

Thanks for sharing but wow! that was an awful song!

@canadianstudmuffin

Жыл бұрын

Not as awful as your comment. This band has been making great albums for over 50 years. You're loss...

@williamj1813

Жыл бұрын

@@canadianstudmuffinTo each their own, the lady said as she kissed the cow.

@tonystevenson26

Жыл бұрын

Just keep right on walking, just keep right on walking 🚶‍♀️ 🎶 🎵....

@tonystevenson26

Жыл бұрын

@@williamj1813 Don't leave me alone with HER !

@williamj1813

Жыл бұрын

@@tonystevenson26 Sorry Tony, It's too late...she left the farm about a half hour ago and should be at your house in a few minutes.