Sparks and I
Like many other admirers of Sparks, I was first introduced to them in May 1974 when they performed “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us” on Toppop, the Dutch equivalent of Top of the Pops. Later, I discovered that this wasn’t Sparks' first appearance on the show. On November 10, 1972, they had visited the studios in Hilversum to record a television performance of “Wonder Girl”, which had been rush-released in conjunction with their concert in The Hague that same night.
What struck me the most as an impressionable youngster of barely 13 years of age was the image, which seemed so out of the ordinary yet quite balanced and in place. This, combined with the song structure and Russell’s falsetto, was quite overwhelming to me and had me mesmerised. The next day, I went out to buy that very 7” single, which was probably the first record I ever bought myself.
During the rest of 1974 and 1975, I kept an eye on new releases, faithfully buying music magazines to find out more about them. I joined the Dutch fan club, which had started around the same time, and later joined the American fan club as well. In 1975, I regularly frequented record stores, and one day, I found the double album “2 Originals of Sparks” and “A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing”. I had heard of some earlier albums Sparks had made in the US, but to me, they were considered obscure and unavailable. I, therefore, borrowed some money from my friend, with whom I usually roamed the record stores on Saturdays, and bought both.
As I had misread the album’s title as “20 Originals of Sparks”, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I presumed it was some kind of compilation album, and the other one was probably one of the albums that had been properly released in the US in the early 70s. In the same shop, I also found a German release of one of their singles. When I took my catch home and further investigated my newly found treasures, I soon learned that I had bought one of the albums twice. I didn’t mind, though. On the contrary, since I had also discovered that different countries released different single sleeves, I decided I should collect not only the proper Dutch releases that I could easily find but also all other versions that I could get my hands on.
That was the start of a rather fanatical quest for everything Sparks. In addition to the formal releases, I began collecting articles that appeared in magazines and newspapers. One of the highlights of 1975 was finding the “One and A Half-Nelson” bootleg album. I compiled scrapbooks, official promo photos, live recordings on cassette, and my record collection (and tapes) grew slowly but surely.
In 1979, I was asked to take over the Dutch fan club from Bart van den Hoogen, which I gladly did. The fanzine I distributed in those days was called Propaganda and there was also an English version of it.
In March 1981, I had the opportunity to be a guest during the recording of the Belgian television programme “Génération ‘80”, where Sparks were promoting their album "Whomp That Sucker”. This was the first time I met Ron and Russell. Their bassist, Leslie Bohem, was also present, and I spent most of afternoon with them, chatting and getting my singles signed.
The most precious memory of that particular day was when I found myself sitting on a sofa, with Russell on my left and Ron on my right, while we were watching an episode of Laurel & Hardy. Both seemed to really appreciate that show, laughing and pointing out scenes that were about to come. All I could think of was the sheer wonderful absurdity of the situation in which I had arrived.
Later that year, Sparks was scheduled to do a short tour in Belgium, and six gigs were announced. With a few friends, some of whom had come from England, we drove to the very south of Belgium, settled in a budget hotel, and were determined to attend each show on that tour. In fact, we already had tickets for all concerts. Upon arriving at the first one in Arlon, we were informed that the show had been cancelled due to disappointing attendance. However, upon discovering that Sparks were actually present, I persuaded the tour manager to allow us to meet them, even if only briefly. Shortly after, we were granted the opportunity to see them, and to my delight, they remembered me from our previous encounter earlier that year.
Despite four of the six gigs being cancelled, I finally had the chance to see them perform live twice that week, once in Verviers and again in Brussels.
During the years to come, I kept following and collecting Sparks as fanatically as I always had. However, in the late 80s, I moved abroad for a few years. When I returned in 1994, Sparks were on the brink of a European comeback, gaining significant popularity, especially in Germany. I revived the fan club and enlisted some fellow Sparks friends to assist me. The new magazine was now named FanMael. By the late 90s, it was decided that we should also have a website. With the assistance of the late Carl van Breukelen and Stef Streur, the FanMael website was launched. To our delight, Ron and Russell discussed and showcased this during a television appearance in Germany.
The three of us started FanMael Records, and we decided to release a tribute album featuring Sparks songs, exclusively recorded by their fans. This project resulted in the highly sought-after "Amateur Hour Tribute Album". Apart from that album, we also reissued Martin Gordon's vinyl-only album “Jet” on CD.
During the years, Carl, Stef, and I attended numerous Sparks concerts, often travelling abroad since Sparks did not perform in the Netherlands until 2006. They did have two short gigs at the Parkpop Festival in The Hague and appeared at a small gay club in Amsterdam in 1995, but aside from those occasions, we always had to travel abroad to watch them perform.
Meanwhile, my collection kept growing, and since I thought I had gathered most of their official releases from all over the world, I started to take more interest in collecting live recordings, demos, outtakes, different mixes, and so on. On the website, I published the so-called Mighty List, which was an alphabetical compilation of all songs known to have been recorded, including the ones that had not been released.
There were many occasions when I met Ron and Russell again, mostly after gigs. A few years ago, I started expanding this Mighty List to include all individual songs recorded live and collaborations with other musicians. I also decided to include information and reviews on each album and single, a comprehensive discography, a list of all concerts from 1967 up to today, all sleeves of singles and CD singles, and basically everything worthwhile to know about Sparks. Ron and Russell expressed interest in having a copy of this Mighty List, which was by now the largest and most complete digital document on Sparks in existence.
My collection, which was also digitized, now consisted of hundreds of recordings, many of them extremely rare, over 44,000 scanned photos and articles from sources worldwide, dozens of hours of video material, and various other paraphernalia. I had also acquired extensive knowledge about the careers of Ron and Russell and was occasionally consulted for articles in magazines, local radio programmes, or to write sleeve notes for tribute albums.
For a few years, I exchanged email correspondence with Russell. When both he and Ron expressed interest in a digital version of my collection including this Mighty List, I prepared it for them and handed it over on a hard drive during one of our post-gig meetings.
Due to the collaboration with Franz Ferdinand in 2015 and the release of Edgar Wright's documentary The Sparks Brothers in 2021, interest in Sparks increased substantially. This led me to decide to relaunch the website. While it wasn't an exact copy of the original, which we had closed in 2004, as the Sparks organisation had set up their own official website, I decided to share as much information as possible for both new and original fans. The relaunch of the FanMael website took place in 2022.
Some would say that the interest and love for this band has been a bit over the top. When Ron mentioned his concern for “obsessive fans” a few times, I pretty much realise I’d be one of those. However, my interest has never gone beyond the artistic talents of the brothers. I am in no way interested in their private lives, their sexual preferences, or their personal opinions on politics or any other topic. I’m merely in awe of their uncompromising way of creating their music, the rare and wonderful combination of two extremely gifted people born from the same parents. In addition, their sense of humour, their impeccable feeling for image and presentation, and the inimitable lyrical gems have made me enjoy and admire these artists more than any of the other hundreds of musicians I have collected over the last 40 years.
During the last five decades, I have always taken pride in sharing my collection with other fans and have not pursued any financial gain. I don’t believe others should profit from the work and talents of professional artists, and my job has always provided me with sufficient means.
As for my own life, I have worked in various executive positions in the international business industry, extensively travelling around the world for the past 35 years. I have four adult daughters, all of whom have attended Sparks concerts with me, and a nine-year-old son who has also discovered Sparks. I may have had a part in that. He accompanied me to his first gig in Utrecht in 2023 and thoroughly enjoyed it.
In 2023, I was approached by a British publisher to write a book about Sparks. Initially, I thought it would be a detailed biography, but it turned out to be a publication in a series called “Song by Song”, where each song by a specific artist is discussed in detail. Given the extensive back catalogue, I anticipate completing it before the year ends.
Sparks do not define my life, but they have been an inseparable part of it.
Ruud Swart
July 2024