Sparks concert 10, Vox Wah-Wah V847 and Alsa Coaches in Spain

PARSLEY'S COMMLOCK

Concert Review : Sparks concert 10 out of 21, Islington Academy, 28/05/08
Got to just one more concert in the third week of Sparks historic live extravaganza.

I was very disappointed to miss 'Terminal Jive', because not only was it a lapse in the bizarre camaraderie of this sprawling event, but I was also fascinated to hear the reaction to what several had told me was their personal 'low point' in all the Sparks albums. Like the previous 'Number 1 in Heaven' it was synthi and had very few songs. Fellow attendees told me that the performance was greeted with all the due reverence and appreciation of previous nights, but with a rather smaller audience.

The audience remained relatively hard core for 'Whomp That Sucker', the tenth album to get the treatment, and I was quite excited to get nearer the front and the action than I had been able to for the previous concerts. This album was a return to the 'group/guitar' lineup after the two synthi Giorgio Moroder albums, although it had a distinctive drum sound and 'single bass note' bass lines that marked some kind of fresh start.

They hadn't performed the album in the UK before. There was a cry of 'Why Not?!' from the audience to which singer Russell Mael replied that they were happy to have got round to it now! He went on to explain that they had become much more Los Angeles-based for this and the following 3 albums, which were released via Giorgio Moroder's label.

They continued to play with sartorial aspects of the performance with Ron Mael now sporting a waistcoat with Russell in red trousers with braces. The lyrics of the songs showed a return to the characteristic blistering sarcastic wit ('do I look so knowing and old and wise? maybe it's those Dacron ties'). A personal favourite lyric that I'd forgotten was a throwaway line in a song called 'The Willys' : 'It's hard to explain, like Citizen Kane'. They also had occasional singer/backing singer answering moments, which the audience was happy to lovingly recreate, live.

Russell fumbled explaining the origins of a song called 'That's Not Nastassia' which concerns some confusion over a number of people visiting Giorgio Moroder, only one of whom was the beautiful Nastassia Kinski. When it was time for band introductions, Ron Mael introduced Russell wryly as the guy on vocals and 'between song patter' ! Too soon it was over and I had to leave Sparks to continue their odessey in my absence for a while.

Music News : Vox Wah-Wah V847 pedal re-issue
Making a regular appearance on my list to Santa of dream Christmas presents was a wah-wah pedal to use with my organ. As a Farfisa owner, I've been itching to recreate Pink Floyd Rick Wright's wah-wah solo on the freaky not-officially-released track 'Scream Thy Last Scream'. So I was struck with jealousy when Staffan Flodmark (fellow band member of Swedish mod band 'Moving Sounds' who I play for) turned up for rehearsal with a new shiny Vox wah-wah pedal for his guitar.

Apparently it's a recreation of the original circuitry of a pedal from forty-or-so years ago, and now being manufactured in China it retails for around £70. I was seduced enough to get one for myself, and the band then suffered a rehearsal full of Staffan and I indulging our new wah habits.

Being an idiot, it took me the length of the rehearsal - and Staffan's intervention - to clarify that the pedal comes with an integrated switch so that you can switch it off completely, although there is quite a drop in volume when you do so. I also have to say that whilst I remain happy with my purchase, Jorge Explosion warned me that in his experience the reliability of the Chinese Vox components has not been ideal. Indeed Staffan's pedal itself already has an issue with the switch. I'll probably be alright with my relatively small use of it.

You can find out more at voxamps.co.uk/pedals/v847.asp.

Travel tip : www.alsa.es
Just time for a quick plug for the amazing Alsa coach company in Spain. As part of a recent tour, I caught the coach from Bilbao to Gijon, and for a bargain basement price was treated to the most relentlessly luxury journey I can remember.

Admittedly the in 'flight' video was in Spanish, but there was plenty of music available via the free headset, or you could simply enjoy the hostess-provided endless succession of croissant, sweets, fruit juices, coffee, and Spanish papers. She was extremely patient and helpful. There was also very ample legroom for the seats, which were reserved rather than first-come first-served, and there was a toilet on board.

As I recall someone told me this is the sort of treatment that you get in 'traditional' first class. Alongside the beauty of sunny Spain it was a wonderful way to be treated. I didn't want the journey to end, and a medal was certainly due to the hard-working stewardess.

parsley@gardenrecords.com [www.gardenrecords.com]