I suppose it's time to bring up a couple special stories from Sparks' history.
One involves a sledgehammer and Russell Mael's skull.
From a
fansite:
Quote:
The far more impressive Russell Mael's performance was the sledgehammer accident : During a show in Houston, Texas, Russell Mael went on stage with a sledgehammer. Sparks' singer threw the hammer up, the mallet came down on his head and there was blood everywhere. People though it was part of the act and thought it was fake blood but Russell Mael went to hospital... When Sparks appeared on "American Bandstand" Russell Mael still wielded his huge wooden sledgehammer.
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Here's a clipping I spotted via tumblr:
The other involves a papier-mache boat for our next track: Slowboat.
Quote:
Sparks got a miniature ocean liner made out of papier-mache, and Russell Mael had burst out of it wearing a dark sailor suit to begin the show. In the name of props Russell Mael had a roadie who pushed him accross the stage in the boat on wheels during the song "Slowboat". Then the singer showered the audience with confetti ! The idea of the miniature ocean liner made out of papier-mache was inspired by Lucchino Visconti's "Death In Venice" movie (from the Thomas Mann's novella).
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"Slowboat" is sort of a special song for me, personally, as it had a soothing quality when I was coming out of a deep addiction to sedatives (which eventually led to a long bout of alcoholism) and trying to deal with several losses that occurred in my life at the time when I bought this LP (about 2009/10ish). It's a very pretty, somewhat emotional song that still brings tears to my eyes
just because of what it means to me.
No matter how many substances I was about to throw into my body, none of them would bring me any closer to someone I'd most recently lost.
Spoiler for LYRICS BELOW:
Slowboat takes me to your home everyday
And I wait for you knowing that you won't
come home, just today
For you've found someone new and you'll bid me adieu
And I leave you now, but I'll come back another day
Oooh, sail me far away
Slowboat, bring me back another day
Oooh, sail me far away
Slowboat sail off toward the seventh sea
Far away from you, but somehow coming
close again and again
And again as we near from some sign it appears
That you won't come home, you won't come home just today
Oooh, sail me far away
Slowboat, bring me back another day
Slowboat takes me where I'll always be
Far away from you, but knowing that you
won't come near me but you hear me
And you'll always be a true love to me
Though you're never home, I'll come back another day
Oooh, sail me far away
Slowboat, bring me back another day
"Biology 2" is perhaps the most peculiar track on the album. It's the only track that does not feature Russell on vocals - instead we're met with the strange (and slightly unsettling) vocal stylings of
Earle Mankey. It's one of the more Zappa-esque Sparks tracks with a typical Maelian lyrical structure: another song about bangin'.
Bass-heavy.
Enjoy.