A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing

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A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing
A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing - Sparks.jpg
Studio album by
Sparks
ReleasedFebruary 1973 [1]
Studio
  • ID Sound at La Brea
  • Walley Heider Studios [2]
Genre
Length39:56
Label Bearsville
Producer Thaddeus James Lowe
Sparks chronology
Halfnelson
(1971)		A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing
(1973)		 Kimono My House
(1974)
Singles from A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing
  1. "Girl from Germany"
    Released: June 1974

A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing is the second studio album by the American rock band Sparks. It was released in 1973 and includes the single "Girl from Germany". It was the last release by the original five-member incarnation of Sparks.

Contents

The album was recorded and mixed at ID Sound at La Brea and Walley Heider Studios, and produced by Thaddeus James Lowe, then Todd Rundgren's engineer and former lead singer of The Electric Prunes, receiving mixed to positive reviews. [5] The artwork was photographed by Larry DuPont and Ron Mael.

Release

A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing was released in February 1973. It was not very successful and did not reach the Billboard 200 in the US. After the group's surprise success in the UK, "Girl from Germany" was belatedly released as a single there but did not chart.

The album did, however, lead to a tour of the United Kingdom, including a residency at the Marquee in London, [6] which, despite much heckling during performances, helped them to secure a significant cult following. [7] An appearance on the BBC Television's Old Grey Whistle Test led to wider interest, regardless of a cold reception from the show's host Bob Harris. [8]

Re-issue

A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing has been re-released numerous times since 1972. It is often packaged with its predecessor Sparks . One such re-issue was released in 1975 to capitalize on the group's success in the UK. This version was titled 2 Originals of Sparks and was packaged as a double-LP in a gatefold sleeve with a 14-page booklet.

In 1988, the album was first issued on CD, again in tandem with the first Sparks album, but in order to fit both programs within the constraints of a single disc, the last four tracks of the album were mastered at a higher speed than on the original LP, shortening the running time to 39:27. Though the album has subsequently been reissued in a standalone format, including the most recent reissue on Rhino Encore, released in 2008, the sped-up master has continued to be used.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [9]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Girl from Germany" Russell Mael, Ron Mael 3:26
2."Beaver O'Lindy"Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Earle Mankey, Jim Mankey, Harley Feinstein3:44
3."Nothing Is Sacred"Ron Mael5:31
4."Here Comes Bob"Ron Mael, Russell Mael2:09
5."Moon Over Kentucky"Ron Mael, lyrics: Jim Mankey4:08
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Do Re Mi" Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II 3:38
7."Angus Desire"Ron Mael, Russell Mael3:25
8."Underground"Earle Mankey2:59
9."The Louvre"Ron Mael; French Translation by Josée Becker5:04
10."Batteries Not Included"Ron Mael0:47
11."Whippings and Apologies"Ron Mael5:05

Personnel

Sparks

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References

  1. ↑ "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing".
  2. ↑ Xavier Lorente-Darracq. "SPARKS "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing" second Lp album on Bearsville Records". graphikdesigns.free.fr. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  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. ↑ participant., Wright, Edgar, 1974- film director, film producer. Park, Nira, film producer. Hencken, George, film producer. Richardson, Laura (Producer), film producer. Mael, Ron, on-screen participant. Mael, Russell, on-screen participant. Beck, on-screen participant. Myers, Mike, 1963- on-screen, The Sparks brothers, OCLC   1266532116 , retrieved 2022-01-21{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)[ time needed ]
  6. ↑ Answer by Russell to "Had you had [...]" on p. 63 of: Easlea, Daryl (July 2003). "Record Collector Interview: Sparks". Record Collector . No. 287. pp. 60–72. ISSN   0261-250X.
  7. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). "Sparks". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4 ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195313734.001.0001. ISBN   9780199726363.
  8. ↑ "Sparkography on allsparks.com". Archived from the original on 16 April 2006. Retrieved 2006-04-15.
  9. ↑ "Allmusic review". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
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