Playlouder - Music is the Network

The third of their hit seventies trio, Indiscreet is fundamentally different from Sparks’s previous albums because it gave them the space for greater experimentation. They now had the money to afford session backing and the services of producer Tony Visconti and set about incorporating cabaret and music hall styles into their already eccentric mix.

Unfortunately it didn’t go down well with either the public or their backing band. Both had come to expect a particular style, which was still there, but the release of camp-as-hell lead single Get in the Swing followed by the Cole Porter-esque Look, Looks, Looks would result in commercial disappointment and to two dull follow ups as they tried to recapture their audience.

But Indiscreet saw Sparks at their creative best. Kimono My House delights as pure entertainment from start to finish, but Indiscreet is a fully fledged album. It’s not track after track, but a carefully thought out work with beginning, middle and end, complete with a beguiling blend of styles created by razor sharp writing.

Would the fans be any less exited to see this one live?  The opposite, they seemed even more excited tonight, an excitement developed by the four nights previous.

It also helped that Indiscreet begins with Hospitality on Parade, one of their cleverest and best songs, one which really comes alive live. But how would they cope with the orchestrated numbers? Simple, they had their own small brass and strings sections with them, a feat not attempted since the albums release.

The changes of personnel meant that this one was a slightly rougher performance than before. During Under the Table with Her, Ron stood like a statue waiting to deliver his one line, only for him to take centre stage and fluff it. The humour was prevalent as always, with the song Tits being accompanied by a montage of photographs of the pair back in the 70s.

Their efforts were greeted with pure rapture, there was no back chatter during the quiet numbers, there was too much noise from the sing-a-long. As Ron stepped forward to heap praise on the enraptured audience someone screamed “You sound fucking awesome”. The Mael brothers were going to milk this one for everything it was worth, the inferior Big Beat and Introducing albums were unlikely to go down this well. But for tonight, they were just untouchable.