| Sex | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1981 | |||
| Recorded | Telex Sound Studio | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label |
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| Producer | Telex | |||
| Telex chronology | ||||
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Sex (alternately released as Birds & Bees) is the third album by Belgian electronic group Telex, released in 1981. The album is notable for being the first collaboration between Telex and American pop group Sparks. [1] [2]
Marc Moulin and Dan Lacksman were introduced to Ron Mael and Russell Mael of Sparks by their mutual friend, Lio. [3] Facing pressures to release an album in English, Moulin extended an offer to the Maels to contribute lyrics to their upcoming LP. This prompted a long-term friendship between the two bands, and led directly to Lacksman's assistance with production of the 1983 album In Outer Space and 1986's Music That You Can Dance To. [4]
Due to concerns about censors and the album's title, the album was released in the UK as Birds & Bees (the phrase "the birds and the bees" is often used as a euphemism for "sex", especially by parents explaining to their children what it is). In 1982, a version of Birds & Bees was released which included all nine original tracks plus ten new songs, including "L'amour toujours" (French for "Forever Love"), which would be recreated on Telex's 1984 LP Wonderful World with a quicker tempo. [5] [6]
All lyrics are written by Ron Mael; all music is composed by Michel Moers
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Brainwash" | 4:23 |
| 2. | "Drama, Drama" | 3:58 |
| 3. | "Haven't We Met Somewhere Before" | 3:37 |
| 4. | "Long Holiday" | 2:13 |
| 5. | "The Man With the Answer" | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Carbon Copy" | 6:33 |
| 7. | "Exercise Is Good for You" | 3:36 |
| 8. | "Dream-O-Mat" | 4:15 |
| 9. | "Sigmund Freud's Party" | 2:54 |
The 2023 Mute Records reissue inserts "Dummy" between tracks 8 and 9. [7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Brainwash" | 4:23 |
| 2. | "Drama, Drama" | 3:58 |
| 3. | "Haven't We Met Somewhere Before" | 3:37 |
| 4. | "Long Holiday" | 2:13 |
| 5. | "The Man With the Answer" | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Carbon Copy" | 6:33 |
| 7. | "Exercise Is Good for You" | 3:36 |
| 8. | "Dream-O-Mat" | 4:15 |
| 9. | "Sigmund Freud's Party" | 2:54 |
| 10. | "Mati Hari" | 3:44 |
| 11. | "Dummy" | 3:47 |
| 12. | "L'Amour Tojours" | 3:50 |
| 13. | "Loops" | 3:26 |
| 14. | "Cloches et Sifflets" | 3:02 |
| 15. | "Don't Put All Your Dreams in One Basket" | 2:23 |
| 16. | "I Can't Turn You Loose" | 3:15 |
| 17. | "Brainwash (Long Version)" | 5:14 |
| 18. | "The Look of Love" | 3:37 |
| 19. | "Basta" | 2:45 |
Telex was a Belgian synth-pop group formed in 1978 by Marc Moulin, Dan Lacksman and Michel Moers, with the intention of "making something really European, different from rock, without guitar—and the idea was electronic music".
Ronald David Mael is an American musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is the keyboard player and principal songwriter in the band Sparks which he founded with vocalist, occasional songwriter and younger brother Russell Mael in 1971. Mael is known for his quirky and idiosyncratic approach to songwriting, his intricate and rhythmic keyboard playing style and for his deadpan and low key, scowling demeanour onstage often remaining motionless over his keyboard in sharp contrast to Russell's animated and hyperactive frontman antics. Ron Mael is also noted for his conservative clothes and distinctive moustache. 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.
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.
Marc Moulin was a Belgian musician and journalist. In the early-mid seventies, he was the leader of the jazz-rock group Placebo. He went on to become a member of the avant-rock band Aksak Maboul in 1977 and also formed the pop group Telex in 1978. Moulin was one of Belgium's jazz legends, making jazz-influenced records for over 30 years.
Sparks, originally titled Halfnelson, is the debut album by the Los Angeles rock band Sparks. The album was first released as Halfnelson, the band's original name, and reissued a year later under the group’s new name.
A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing is the second studio album by the American rock band Sparks. It was released in 1972 and includes the single "Girl from Germany". It was the last release by the original five-member incarnation of Sparks.
Angst in My Pants is the eleventh studio album by American pop and rock band Sparks. The album was released in 1982 by Atlantic Records in both the US and UK, and this was the sixth overall label that the band was signed to in the US, and, for the first time since the mid-1970s, the band would be signed to the same label in both the US and UK for three consecutive studio albums.
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).
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.
Vanda Maria Ribeiro Furtado Tavares de Vasconcelos, known professionally as Lio, is a Portuguese-Belgian singer and actress who was a pop icon in France and Belgium during the 1980s.
Gleaming Spires was an American new wave pop group in the 1980s.
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.
Exotic Creatures of the Deep is the 21st album by the American rock band Sparks.
"I Predict" is a song by the Los Angeles new wave band Sparks. It was released in 1982 as the first single from Angst in My Pants, although an effort was made to release "Eaten by the Monster of Love" as a second single. The group promoted the single with an eclectic performance on Saturday Night Live. They also performed "Mickey Mouse", another Angst in My Pants track. It was their first single to ever enter the Billboard Hot 100 charts in America.
Dan Lacksman is a Belgian composer and sound engineer, artist and member of Telex, director of numerous acoustic albums, pop or jazz.
Neurovision is the second album by Belgian electronic pop band Telex, released in 1980. The album notably features "Euro-Vision", the band's tongue-in-cheek entry to Eurovision 1980, representing their home country of Belgium, featuring "deliberately banal lyrics" about the contest itself. Reportedly, they aspired to finish last, but ended up placing 17th out of 19.
Songs of the Spires is the debut album by American new wave pop group Gleaming Spires. It features the single "Are You Ready for the Sex Girls?" and was produced by Stephen Hague.
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