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Sparks
Growing out of the minds of brothers Ron and Russell Mael, Sparks is one of pop’s best-loved and most influential cult bands. The combination of Russell’s formidable vocal range, Ron’s impressive keyboard skills, and their vividly witty songwriting defined their music as it changed over the years — which it did often. First appearing in the early 1970s, Sparks’ theatricality fit in with the glam rock scene, with albums like 1972’s A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing and 1974’s Kimono My House earning them a strong U.K. following. Just a year later, they were at the forefront of the power pop movement with 1975’s Indiscreet; by the end of the decade, they were electronic pop pioneers, working with Giorgio Moroder on 1979’s No. 1 in Heaven. The synth pop and new wave leanings of that album and 1983’s In Outer Space — which featured “Cool Places,” a duet with the Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin that became one of the band’s biggest hits — evolved into the house and techno underpinnings of 1994’s Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins, which felt timely and true to Sparks’ inventive history.