Album review: SPARKS – MAD!
Transgressive [Release date 23.05.25]
‘Mad!’ is the latest snapshot of the Sparks aesthetic. It’s interwoven with elements of surreal humour and satire and is bolstered by immense interlocking vocal repetition, frantic rhythms and cinematic lyrics.
It’s a badge of honour with Sparks that they never repeat themselves either stylistically or thematically.
This of course doesn’t stop them from making the most of familiar musical structures and arrangements.
They always find room for densely repeated couplets, hooks and bv’s within filmic narratives over propulsive and percussive synth lines, while indulging in moments of gentle satire.
And somehow over the course of a 54 year career they have struck the perfect balance between familiarity and innovation.
While David Bowie, a similar musical chameleon, radically changed his style and image, Sparks have pursued a steady evolution, via original ideas, themes and musical diversity.
They’ve created their own art form which always feels like a natural part of where their muse takes them, bolstered by generations of fans who continue to support them.
With the exception of their late 70′s dalliance with German disco era, they have stood above the parapet and prospered by diving into the big blue.
‘Mad!’ is slightly different again. The ambivalent title ushers in a surreal musical journey imbued with elements of incredulity and perhaps frustration (amplified by the album cover art work), on an album that noticeably gains momentum from just past the half way mark onwards.
They open with the slamming ‘Do Things My Own Way’, which restates a staple of their later career, with their use of tension building rhythmic repetition.
What initially appears as unreconstructed synth pop, quickly reveals itself as something more substantial, with deftly repeated hooks, a percussive backing and a use of quiet-to-loud dynamic which frames an Ultravox style synth motif.
A hurried ‘call and response’ section is punctuated by various audio squalls reminiscent of 80’s synth infused Frank Zappa.
Their sheer exuberance helps them to overcome a brace of stodgy numbers, hardly in keeping with their Hollywood red carpet aspirations.
The obtuse ‘JanSport Backpack’ panders to their trademark eclecticism, while the sparsely arranged synth pop of ‘Hit Me, Baby’ veers too closely to 80’s disco.
Happily, Ron’s observational lyrics rise to the occasion, as the duo revel in the wonderfully titled ‘Running Up A Tab At The Hotel For The Fab’, with a string induced B movie feel, complete with Russell’s angst ridden vocals.
The more melodic ‘My Devotion’, is a mid-tempo contemplation on the way we obsess on everything from a relationship to our country, home-town, God, a Harley, a Jag and even our work:
“My devotion to you is about all that I do, got your name written on my shoe and I’m thinking about getting a tattoo.’
An additional airy flute sound over a pulsing synth line and overlapping vocal section gives it a sing-along quality.
‘Don’t Dog It’ marks the half way point with a portentous opening jagged piano and more quiet-to-loud dynamics leading to repeated vocal lines.
The subtly crafted ‘In Daylight’ uses a raspy synth, a faux chiming bell, tom-toms, rhythmic claps, and a catchy hook to evoke the daylight which Russell (in one of his many different character guises) is seemingly running away from: “I can’t approach you, since daylight reveals me, so I’ll just wait for the night to conceal me.”
The album’s intrinsic flow is further highlighted in the manic strings and cartoon voice of ‘I-405’ Rules’, a warped ode to the San Diego Freeway.
It’s a classic Sparks track, right down to the ambivalent lyrics about a freeway which helps you get where you want to go, even if the music suggests something nightmarish.
They rack up the tension up on the incredibly dense ‘A Long Red Light’, which may also be part of the ’405′ experience.
The song is built on a tic-toc opening with feverish strings, fazed synths, and a repeated overlapping vocal collage with additional amoeba-like synth lines.
The tension is finally resolved on the following ‘Drowned In A Sea Of Tears’, a great pop song full of galloping strings, synths and angelic bv’s.
They pick up the pace again on the bombastic marching song ‘A Little Bit Of Light Banter’, which lives up to its title and is a de facto link piece leading to the sumptuous bookend of ‘Lord Have Mercy’.
The latter is a surprisingly polished pop song with Beatle style ‘dee dee’ bv’s and one of Russell’s best vocals. It’s a love song with an edgy subtext, on which the duo head for another layered vocal finale with an unexpected guitar solo.
As always, it’s their keen sense of dynamics that defines them. ****
Review by Pete Feenstra
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions,
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 16 November 2025.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This 600th show was first broadcast on 18 November 2025
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen live or listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 1 December 2025
We feature all the artists selected in this sequence in 2025.
Featured Albums w/c 1 December 2025
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)
Our occasional Newsletter signposts latest additions to the website(s). We also include a selection of recent top albums, based on GRTR! reviewer ratings. The newsletter is sent out a few times a year.
If you’d like to register to receive this occasional mailing please complete the form:
If using a smartphone/tablet please tap here or re-orientate your device
(Note that this registration is separate from site registration which allows you to leave comments and receive daily emails about new content. If you wish to register for this – in addition or separately – please click or tap here – for more information – the form is at the foot of each page. Please read our privacy policy when opting-in to receive emails.
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections