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.Therefore, I borrowed some money from my friend, with whom I usually roamed the record stores after school, 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 assumed it was a 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 got home and examined my new purchases, I realised I had accidentally bought the same album twice. However, I didn’t mind. In fact, I discovered that different countries had released singles with unique sleeves, so I decided to collect not only the Dutch releases but also any other versions that I find.
This marked the beginning of my intense quest to collect everything related to Sparks. Along with official releases, I started gathering magazine and newspaper articles. A highlight of 1975 was finding the “One and A Half-Nelson” bootleg album. I created scrapbooks, collected official promo photos and live recordings on cassette, and slowly expanded my record and tape collection.
In 1979, I was asked to take over the Dutch fan club from Bart van den Hoogen, a role I happily accepted. The fanzine I distributed was initially called Propaganda and there was also an English version available.
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 the 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 found myself.
Later that year, Sparks were scheduled to do a short tour in Belgium, with six gigs 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 the 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 that followed, I continued to follow and collect Sparks as passionately 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 verge of a European comeback, gaining significant popularity, especially in Germany. I revived the fan club and enlisted some fellow Sparks friends to help me. The new magazine was now named FanMael. By the late 90s, we decided to create a website as well. With the help 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 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". In addition to that album, we also reissued Martin Gordon's vinyl-only album “Jet” on CD.
Over 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 apart from those occasions, we always had to travel abroad to watch them perform.
Meanwhile, my collection continued to grow. Believing I had obtained most of Sparks' official releases from around the world, I began to focus on collecting live recordings, demos, outtakes, and different mixes. I created Mighty List, an alphabetical compilation of all knowd recorded songs, including unreleased tracks.
I had the opportunity to meet Ron and Russell several times, mostly after gigs. A few years back, I expanded the Mighty List to include all individual songs recorded live and collaborations with other artists. I also added information and reviews for each album and single, a detailed discography, a list of all concerts from 1967 to the present, images of singles and CD covers, and any other relevant details about Sparks. Ron and Russell expressed interest in obtaining a copy of this extensive document, which had become the most comprehensive resource on Sparks.
My collection, which I had also digitized, now included hundreds of rare recordings, many of them extremely rare, over 65,000 scanned photos and articles from various sources worldwide, hours of video material, and other memorabilia. I had also gained extensive knowledge about Sparks' history, and was occasionally asked to contribute to articles in magazines, local radio shows, or to write sleeve notes for tribute albums.
For several 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 50 years.
Over the last five decades, I have always taken pride in sharing my collection with other fans and have never sought any financial gain. I believe that profiting from the work and talents of professional artists, is unfair, especially when my job has always provided me with sufficient means.
In terms of my personal life, I have held various executive positions in the international business industry, travelling extensively 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 attented his first gig in Utrecht in 2023 and thoroughly enjoyed it. He will also be joining me at upcoming gigs in Haarlem and Brussels, in 2025.
In 2023, a British publisher approaced me to write a book about Sparks. Initially, I thought it would be a detailed biography, but it turned out to be part of a series called “Song by Song”, where each song by a specific artist is discussed in detail. Due to Sparks' extensive back catalogue, I persuaded the editor that only a two-part publication would cover it adequately. The first part is now with the publisher, and I am in the process of completing the second part.
Sparks do not define my life, but they have been an integral part of it.
Ruud Swart
March, 2025