I was living in Japan in 1989/1990, and I purchased a lot of CDs at the time. I bought the Sparks compilation of their first three Island releases "Mael Intuition" because I didn't bring any Sparks' music from Los Angeles with me on this particular visit. At the time, I didn't even know if I was going back to Los Angeles, due to visa issues and finances. Nevertheless, due to my budget, this was one of the great buys in Japan. Released in the UK and Europe, "Mael Intuition" focused on the albums, "Kimono My House," Propaganda," and "Indiscreet." Interestingly enough, there are no b-side songs on this collection, which is a mystery to me, because all were excellent.
For a lot of long-term fans of Sparks, or those of that generation, this is probably the best introduction to their work, especially focused on when they were on Island Records. First of all, there is no such thing as a bad Sparks' song or album. So, with four decades of music, there is a lot to choose from, and most are in print, or not that difficult to find used or new. Still, I would disagree with the subtitle saying this collection is the best of Sparks 1974-76, because there are essential Sparks' songs that were released as b-sides at the height of the Island years, and for all purposes, it should have been included in this compilation. On the other hand, it's a great snapshot of what makes Sparks so fantastic. Also, if I wasn't thousands of miles away from my Sparks' albums back in Los Angeles, I would never buy this CD. It's the distance from home, and I wanted a memory, or at the very least, have some excellent music in my new world.
Within two years or less, Sparks made huge jumps from "Kimono" to "Indiscreet." A band that never gave the listener the same thing twice, yet their sound was always Sparks because that is within their DNA. Ron Mael and Russell Mael (and their band) worked in an environment that had no outside influences, at least nothing obvious. There are traces of music hall music, or bands like Move, that one can hear within their world, but Sparks manages to twist their songs into something that is not only unique but with incredible original melodies. I'm sure one can find 'another song' in Ron's songwriting, but I personally can't find it. It seems that their originality is always based somewhere inside their (Ron and Russell's) collective mind.
Sparks to this day make perfect music, and yet, for history sake, one looks back to the Island years as of one of great importance. It's interesting to note, that there are no songs from "Big Beat" on this compilation because in the UK there were four Island albums, not three. Whatever it's record business mishaps or a creative choice, the three original albums make sense in a stand-alone 'greatest hits' album. The changes between the albums are not great, but it's the joy of its subtle differences between the three albums that make this collection a perfect joy. For me, I run into people who don't know Sparks' music at all, which of course, is a sin. On the other hand, I find "Mael Intuition" a very good welcome mat to the Sparks' world for these new listeners. There are quite a few compilations of Sparks music out there in the world, but they may be too large for a new listener. This, of course, is a subjective choice, but if one can't pass this collection, then I have no hope for them.
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