| Plagiarism | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Studio | Sparks Studio, Los Angeles CTS Studios, London Coast Recorders, San Francisco RAK Studios, London | |||
| Length | 74:17 | |||
| Label | Oglio | |||
| Producer | Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Faith No More, Erasure | |||
| Sparks chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Plagiarism | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Plagiarism is the 17th album by American rock band Sparks. It is a tribute album of sorts featuring new alternate versions of some of their best known songs.
Plagiarism was not successful across Europe like its predecessor Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins , and did not chart significantly in any territory. The two singles performed well enough to register in the lower regions of the UK Singles Chart. The first single from the album, "The Number One Song in Heaven", included the vocals of Jimmy Somerville and reached #70 in October 1997. [2] Remixes of the single reached the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (and currently their final entry) in 1999 at #28. [3] The second single; "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" did better, and was buoyed by the presence of Faith No More, it peaked at #40 (and remains Sparks last UK top 40 entry) in December 1997. [2]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat" | Ron Mael, Russell Mael | 3:36 |
| 2. | "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" | Ron Mael | 4:03 |
| 3. | "No 1 Song in Heaven (Part Two)" | Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Giorgio Moroder | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Funny Face" | Ron Mael, Russell Mael | 5:11 |
| 5. | "When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" | Ron Mael, Russell Mael | 5:44 |
| 6. | "Angst in My Pants" | Ron Mael, Russell Mael | 5:19 |
| 7. | "Change" | Ron Mael, Russell Mael | 5:26 |
| 8. | "Popularity" | Ron Mael, Russell Mael | 4:21 |
| 9. | "Something for the Girl with Everything" | Ron Mael | 2:52 |
| 10. | "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" (with Faith No More) | Ron Mael | 3:00 |
| 11. | "Beat the Clock" | Ron Mael, Russell Mael | 4:30 |
| 12. | "Big Brass Ring" | Ron Mael, Russell Mael | 4:20 |
| 13. | "Amateur Hour" (with Erasure) | Ron Mael | 3:35 |
| 14. | "Propaganda" | Ron Mael | 2:35 |
| 15. | "When I'm with You" | 4:06 | |
| 16. | "Something for the Girl with Everything" (with Faith No More) | Ron Mael | 3:15 |
| 17. | "Orchestral Collage" | Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Giorgio Moroder | 0:24 |
| 18. | "The Number One Song in Heaven" (with Jimmy Somerville) | Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Giorgio Moroder | 5:19 |
| 19. | "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" | Ron Mael | 2:35 |
Russell Craig Mael is an American singer best known as the lead singer for the band Sparks which he formed in 1971 with his elder brother Ron Mael. Mael is known for his wide vocal range, in particular his far-reaching falsetto. He has a flamboyant and hyperactive stage presence which contrasts sharply with Ron Mael's inexpressive demeanour. The band released an album with British rock band Franz Ferdinand, as the supergroup FFS, titled FFS, released in 2015. The Mael brothers are the founders of Lil' Beethoven Records.
Sparks is an American pop and rock duo formed by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals) in Los Angeles. The duo is noted for their quirky approach to songwriting; their music is often accompanied by sophisticated and acerbic lyrics—often about women, and sometimes containing literary or cinematic references—and an idiosyncratic, theatrical stage presence, typified by the contrast between Russell's animated, hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's deadpan scowling. Russell Mael has a distinctive wide-ranging voice, while Ron Mael plays keyboards in an intricate and rhythmic style. Their frequently changing styles and visual presentations have kept the band at the forefront of modern, artful pop music.
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla label, a division of Motown. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and became a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes frontwoman Diana Ross. The song became Ross's first solo number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Kimono My House is the third studio album by American rock band Sparks, released on May 1, 1974, by Island Records. The album is considered to be their commercial breakthrough, and was met with widespread acclaim.
"This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" is a song by American pop band Sparks. Written by Ron Mael, it is the opening track on their third studio album Kimono My House (1974), and was the lead single from the album. Although it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" achieved major success in Europe, peaking within the top ten of the charts in the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, the song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for two consecutive weeks. The song has become the highest-charting for Sparks on the UK Singles Chart, held off from the top spot by The Rubettes' bubblegum pop song "Sugar Baby Love".
Indiscreet is the fifth album by Sparks. It was released in 1975 and later re-released with three bonus tracks. 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.
Nº 1 in Heaven is the eighth studio album by American rock band Sparks. Recorded with Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder, the album marked a change of musical direction for the group and became influential on later synth-pop bands.
Whomp That Sucker is the tenth album by the American rock band Sparks, released in 1981.
In Outer Space is the twelfth studio album by American pop band Sparks, released in April 1983 by Atlantic Records. Brothers Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks self-produced the album.
Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat is the thirteenth studio album by American pop and rock band Sparks, released in June 1984 by Atlantic Records. It was not very well received and failed to capitalise on the commercial success of their previous studio album In Outer Space (1983). The album developed the light synth-pop sound of In Outer Space but with slightly darker lyrics revolving around Ron Mael's favourite subject matter: relationships.
Music That You Can Dance To is the fourteenth studio album by American pop band Sparks, released in September 1986 by MCA Records in the US and Consolidated Allied Records in the UK, two years after their previous studio album, Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984).
Interior Design is the fifteenth studio album by the American rock band Sparks, released in August 1988 by Fine Art Records.
Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins is the 16th album by American rock band Sparks. It was released in 1994, after an absence from the music industry of 6 years, and marked the duo's transition into a more techno/Eurobeat-influenced sound, which earned them popularity in Germany.
Lil' Beethoven is the 19th album by the American rock band Sparks, released on November 26, 2002. The album was a radical musical departure compared to their previous works. The band only used strings, piano, and voices but sporadic drums: the result was both classical and pop music.
The following is a comprehensive discography of Sparks, an American rock and pop music band formed in Los Angeles in 1970 by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals), initially under the name Halfnelson. Best known for their quirky approach to songwriting, Sparks' music is often accompanied by cutting and acerbic lyrics, and an idiosyncratic stage presence, typified in the contrast between Russell's wide-eyed hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's sedentary scowling.
"Beat the Clock" is a disco single by the American rock duo Sparks, which was released in 1979. It is named after the game show, Beat the Clock.
"The Number One Song in Heaven" is a disco song by the American rock duo Sparks. Released as a single in 1979, the song was produced and co-written by electro-disco producer Giorgio Moroder. It became a top 20 hit in the UK, where it peaked at number 14. In addition to the standard black vinyl, both the 7" and 12" versions of the single were issued in a variety of coloured vinyl releases.
Scottish recording artist Jimmy Somerville has entered the music industry as the frontman of the synth-pop act, known as Bronski Beat. Alongside, he would score an early international success with a series of top-ten hits, such as "Smalltown Boy", "Why?" and "I Feel Love Medley"; all taken from the trio's debut album, The Age of Consent (1984), as well the remix equivalent, Hundreds & Thousands (1985). A similar status enjoyed the follow-up hit singles: "Don't Leave Me This Way", "So Cold the Night" and "Never Can Say Goodbye"; these though, were recorded for the eponymous set of his later duo Communards (1986), or its Red successor (1987) yet. The singer's own full-length debut would see its eventual results at the very end of the 1980s, marking the ending of his former bands' years, or rather the beginning of his solo era since.
"When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" is a song by American rock band Sparks, released in October 1994 by Logic Records as the first single from their 16th album, Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins (1994). It makes reference to the Frank Sinatra signature-tune "My Way" and was a top-40 hit in the United Kingdom, while peaking at number seven in Germany. In the US, it reached number nine on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. In 1995, the song was re-released, this time peaking at number 32 in the UK. Its accompanying music video was directed by Sophie Muller.
"With All My Might" is a song by American pop and rock duo Sparks, which was released in 1984 as the lead single from their thirteenth studio album Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984). The song was written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael, and produced by Ian Little. "With All My Might" failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 but reached No. 4 on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart.
