Indiscreet (Sparks album)

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.

Indiscreet
Studio album by
Sparks
ReleasedOctober 1975
Recorded1975
StudioTony Visconti's home studio, Melrose Terrace, Hammersmith, London
Genre
Length41:32
LabelIsland
ProducerTony Visconti
Sparks chronology
Propaganda
(1974)		 Indiscreet
(1975)		 Big Beat
(1976)
Singles from Indiscreet
  1. "Get In The Swing" b/w "Profile"
    Released: July 1975
  2. "Looks, Looks, Looks" b/w "Pineapple"
    Released: September 1975
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Classic Rock[6]

Release

Indiscreet was released in October 1975, nearly a year after Sparks' previous album and would be the third album recorded with the British-based line-up. It was not as successful as Kimono My House or Propaganda; reaching #18 on the UK Album Chart[7] and #169 in the US.[8] The group's next two albums were even less successful in Europe and the US. They would not garner significant attention until 1979's No. 1 In Heaven.

"Get In The Swing" and "Looks, Looks, Looks" were released as singles. Like the parent album they were only moderately successful reaching #27 and #26 in the UK,[7] which resulted in the Mael brothers splitting up the British-based version of Sparks and returning home to America.[9][10]

Re-release

Indiscreet was re-issued and remastered by Island in 1994 and 2006. The first issue by the Island Masters subsidiary added the B-side "Profile" and the non-album single "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", and its B-side "England". The '21st Century Edition' did not include "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" or "England"; in their stead it included the rare "The Wedding of Jacqueline Kennedy to Russell Mael" and a live recording of "Looks, Looks, Looks".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ron Mael; except where indicated

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Hospitality On Parade"4:00
2."Happy Hunting Ground"3:44
3."Without Using Hands"3:20
4."Get in the Swing"4:08
5."Under the Table With Her"2:20
6."How Are You Getting Home?"2:57
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Pineapple"Russell Mael2:45
8."Tits" 4:57
9."It Ain't 1918" 2:08
10."The Lady is Lingering" 3:40
11."In the Future" 2:12
12."Looks, Looks, Looks" 2:35
13."Miss the Start, Miss the End" 2:46
Island Masters bonus tracks (1994)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Profile" 3:30
15."I Wanna Hold Your Hand"John Lennon, Paul McCartney2:54
16."England" 3:16
21st Century Edition bonus tracks (2006)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Profile" 3:30
15."The Wedding of Jacqueline Kennedy to Russell Mael"Russell Mael1:36
16."Looks, Looks, Looks" (live at Fairfield Halls, 09/11/75) 4:02

Personnel
Sparks

with:

  • Mike Piggott – fiddle on "It Ain't 1918"
  • Tony Visconti – orchestral arrangements

References
  1. "The Quietus - Reviews - Sparks". The Quietus. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  2. "No. 1 in Heaven | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.
  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. AllMusic review
  6. Makowski, Peter (December 2006). "Still able to start a fire: Sparks Reissues". Classic Rock. p. 101. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  7. "The Official Charts Company - Sparks". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  8. "Sparks in Billboard 200". billboard.com. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  9. "Everything You Need to Know About Sparks".
  10. "Profile: Sparks | the Guardian | guardian.co.uk". TheGuardian.com.


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