Indiscreet is the fifth studio album by Sparks, released in October 1975 by Island Records. The album was a departure from the glam rock sound of Kimono My House and Propaganda, and emphasised the theatrical elements of their work, with greater use of orchestral arrangements and drawing from non-rock orientated styles such as jazz, big band, swing, vaudeville, and classical music. The album was produced by Tony Visconti, with whom the group reunited in 1997 to produce several tracks for their retrospective album Plagiarism. The song "How Are You Getting Home?" was used in Leos Carax's film Holy Motors.

Release

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Classic Rock[6]

Indiscreet was released in October 1975, nearly a year after Sparks' previous album and would be the third album recorded with a British-based line-up. It was not as successful as Kimono My House or Propaganda; reaching #18 on the UK Album Chart[7] The group's next two albums were even less successful in Europe and the US. They would not garner significant attention until 1979's No. 1 In Heaven.

"Get in the Swing" and "Looks, Looks, Looks" were released as singles. Like the parent album they were only moderately successful, reaching #27 and #26 respectively in the UK,[7] which resulted in the Mael brothers splitting up the British-based version of Sparks and returning home to America.[8][9]

Re-releases

Indiscreet was re-issued and remastered by Island in 1994 and 2006. The first issue by the Island Masters subsidiary added the B-side "Profile" and the non-album single "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", and its B-side "England". The 21st Century Edition did not include either "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" or "England"; in their stead it included the rare "The Wedding of Jacqueline Kennedy to Russell Mael" and a live recording of "Looks, Looks, Looks".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ron Mael, except where indicated.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Hospitality on Parade"4:00
2."Happy Hunting Ground"3:44
3."Without Using Hands"3:20
4."Get in the Swing"4:08
5."Under the Table with Her"2:20
6."How Are You Getting Home?"2:57
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Pineapple"Russell Mael2:45
8."Tits" 4:57
9."It Ain't 1918" 2:08
10."The Lady Is Lingering" 3:40
11."In the Future" 2:12
12."Looks, Looks, Looks" 2:35
13."Miss the Start, Miss the End" 2:46
Total length:41:32
Island Masters bonus tracks (1994)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Profile" 3:30
15."I Wanna Hold Your Hand"
  • John Lennon
  • Paul McCartney
2:54
16."England" 3:16
Total length:51:12
21st Century Edition bonus tracks (2006)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Profile" 3:30
15."The Wedding of Jacqueline Kennedy to Russell Mael"Russell Mael1:36
16."Looks, Looks, Looks" (live at Fairfield Halls, 09/11/75) 4:02
Total length:50:40

Personnel

Sparks

Additional

  • Mike Piggott – fiddle on "It Ain't 1918"
  • Tony Visconti – orchestral arrangements

Charts

Album

Chart (1975/6) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[10] 86
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] 19
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[12] 18
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] 6
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 18
US Billboard 200[14] 169

Singles

Notes

  1. ^ "Looks, Looks, Looks" peaked at no. 19 on the Dutch Top 40 Tipparade, which measures songs that fall below the threshold of a top 40 hit.

References

  1. ^ "The Quietus - Reviews - Sparks". The Quietus. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  2. ^ "No. 1 in Heaven | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.
  3. ^ "Sparks biography". AllMusic.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 13, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. ^ AllMusic review
  6. ^ Makowski, Peter (December 2006). "Still able to start a fire: Sparks Reissues". Classic Rock. p. 101.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Sparks | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  8. ^ "Everything You Need to Know About Sparks". March 30, 2015.
  9. ^ "Profile: Sparks | the Guardian | guardian.co.uk". TheGuardian.com.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4059b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  11. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sparks – Indiscreet" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  12. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Sparks – Indiscreet". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  13. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Sparks – Indiscreet". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  14. ^ "Sparks Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  15. ^ "Sparks – Get in the Swing" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Sparks" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 14, 2025.

Indiscreet at Discogs (list of releases)


Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiscreet_(Sparks_album)
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