As a great admirer of the Sparks I can only recommend this to all Roxy/Ferry fans:

Do Things My Own Way (Official Video)

(Unfortunately the YouTube link doesn't work).

Russell Mael is 76 now, Ron 80. They never stopped working together or disbanded. Just as a counter proof that brothers can't be partners in music (Davies, Gallagher, Knopfler, Fogerty etc.).

The song reminds me a little bit of Ferry's You Can Dance. And the video is funny as always. Enjoy it!

- p -

Thanks for sharing Peter. This is great and possesses an energy that belies their age. As with BF, the autumn of an artist's years is clearly no barrier to creativity.

I'm a bit out if touch with Sparks so will investigate further. Just watched and listened to 'When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way", from a few years ago - brilliant concept for a song and the promo video.

You're welcome, Richard.

Just another gem from The Sparks: The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte feat. Cate Blanchett (from 2023 or so)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTAxPhxADo0

Not everything of what we think and feel is shared at this site. However, it couldn´t hurt to say that I´ve always regarded this band as uncool, without ever having checked them out. One neighbour back in the early 70s had BOTH George Harrison´s solo triple album from 1970 AND an album by this band. I judged it by the cover; -not cool according to my values. It makes me think of 10CC. -Sterile! -A 70s band! (-in a bad way).

10cc - a great British band. Wonderful pedigree of musicians, often with clever lyrics, worthy of BF himself. Proof - were it needed - that the VRM forum is indeed a broad church!

Of course you don't have to listen to the Sparks, if you never wanted to, le freak. But their creative genius seems to be unbreakable, even at almost 80 years. Doesn't that give us hope for our own growing old(er)?

10cc were a fantastic British band, Richard. Gouldman, Stewart, Godley + Creme wrote clever lyrics as you wrote and left us many sophisticated songs like 'I'm Not In Love', 'Life Is A Minestrone', 'Wall Street Shuffle' etc. pp. Unfortunately their heritage is cared for even less than Roxy Music's (yes, I hope for FYP SDE and Avalon SDE ... somewhere in the future ...).

Peter - you're so right in your assessment of 10cc. Lyrics like 'Wall Street Shuffle' were so clever, but as with Roxy, their later, more mature writing, was beautiful - 'The Things We Do For Love' being a perfect example.

Their members' contribution to - and influence of - British music, both prior to, during, and subsequent to 10cc, is immense and, like Roxy, risks being consigned to a footnote in music history, appreciated by a relative minority, largely by being an act that never really cracked the US market by which so much success is (inordinately) measured.