Nöel (Sparks) - "Is There More To Life Than Dancing?" Vinyl, LP, Picture Disc, UK, 1979 (Virgin)

I only heard about Nöel's "Is There More To Life Than Dancing?" in whispers.  Recorded sometime between Sparks' "No. 1 in Heaven" and "Terminal Jive" during their exploration of the electronic dance medium, the Nöel album is an enticing part of the trilogy.   Perhaps Giorgio Moroder inspired, during, or after working on "No. 1 in Heaven, Ron Mael and Russell Mael had put together their own project where they wrote and produced songs for another artist.  I know nothing about the mysterious Nöel, and to be frank, it is not her that is of interest, but of course, Sparks.  

In a time of countless 12" remixes and the interesting aspect of the Disco era, this album exists only in that framework.  I wasn't aware of the album until the 1990s, and even that, I only heard about it, and not heard one note of it.  On my recent trip to Tokyo, I found a copy at Vinyl Records in Shinjuku, and I couldn't pass it up.  For a Sparks' fan, this Nöel album is a must, but beyond that, this is a very good album.   As a friend once noted to me "there is no such thing as a bad Sparks' album or song."  Which is a strong statement to make, but also perfectly true.   The picture-disc release (did it ever come out as just black vinyl?) is non-stop music, and there is technically five songs, yet, it builds up as a work of one piece.  What comes through is Sparks' brilliance or trademark sound whatever they do.   They can't help themselves being Sparks, and even when they're writing songs for another, it is still a Sparks record.  And that includes them remixing/re-recording other's records, such as Morrissey's "Suedehead."  

There is not a bad moment on this album, but the masterpiece is "I Want a Man" which I think is up there in Sparks' melodic genius work.  The one thing that strikes me as odd, is that they use a real saxophone in the mix, due that the rest of the album is electronic.  At the moment, I can't think of them ever using a solo saxophone in their songs or arrangements.  Although the album yells out 1980 Disco, there are textures here that can only belong or made by Sparks.  Which makes this an essential listening experience.