Indiscreet

About

Because Tony Visconti’s work with David Bowie and T. Rex had all but defined the sound of glam rock in the early '70s, the British producer seemed like a natural fit for the Anglophilic boys in Sparks. But their resulting collaboration, 1975’s <i>Indiscreet</i>, is much more than a simple glitter rock rave-up. Deliciously dandyish music hall tunes like “Without Using Hands,” “Get in the Swing,” and “It Ain’t 1918” indicated that Sparks were moving away from rock music just as the general public was catching up to their demented vision of glam. Then again, anachronisms were the norm for the Russell and Ron Mael. At a time when rock was becoming more pretentious and pompous, Sparks embraced an absurdist comedy that presaged punk and new wave. “Pineapple” is a giddy ode to tropical fruit, while “Under the Table with Her” is a skit in music, as ribald as it is bizarre. “Tits,” meanwhile, is a masterwork that brings together the band’s surreal naughtiness with its desire to rock. And for anyone who tires of the mischief, Visconti manage to coax from the mercurial band two genuine rock anthems: “Happy Hunting Ground” and “How Are You Getting Home?”

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