[Mael-list] Another Gleaming Sparks story

[Brad]

Since my friend Vann requested it...

in 1978 I was working my first job at a record store in phoenix
arizona and remember being intrigued by a very weird record cover on
an import package - it had almost the same picture of two weird guys
on either side and almost no other information.

I listened to this band they were "introducing" and was immediatly
struck by how  humorous and clever they were in a standard pop format
- at the time i had a real comedy fixation being an aspiring comedian,
and was especially focused on comedy in music, like martin mull, neil
innes/rutles and such.

After being suitably impressed i set about finding their other works,
these seemed to be a lot of them for this band being "introduced", but
remember being incredibly impressed with many of their song subjects
and the style with which they pulled them off - like works of art,
especially equator, looks, here in heaven, slowboat, and something for
the girl with everything - which has to be a tie for tightest fastest
and funniest song in 2 minutes with "vibrator" by electric six.

but i followed them and once i had some money, come to find them
playing shows in LA to support a new album "whomp". don't know which
whiskey show i first met vann - or if i was with my new wife susan at
that time, but do remember meeting sparks backstage drinking tab.

Sparks were the favorite band of both of us so when it came time to do
our wedding, we did the first dance to "eaten by the monster of love"
and had the cake made up as a number of levels tribute to albums by
sparks with ron and russell on the top in angst wedding garb.

We also latched on to Gleaming Spires as soon as we heard about them,
they came to arizona to play a memorable gig at the impluse club in
arizona, where my wife and i were the only attendees of the show which
i recorded.

fun memories! thanks vann

brad
bradwww at gmail.com