SPARKS

MrDemotime · Site Admin Joined: 20 Dec 2002 Posts: 426

'THE RECORD PRODUCERS: TONY VISCONTI'

EMI is scheduled to release a 17 track compilation in July called 'The Record Producers: Tony Visconti' , which looks at his work as producer, mixer, arranger and more.

The album will feature two songs from the Sparks catalogue - Looks, Looks, Looks from the Visconti produced Indiscreet, and the Plagiarism version of This Town Ain't Big

Enough For Both Of Us, which was arranged and conducted by Tony.

Track listing:-

01 Héros - David Bowie (French version of Heroes)
02 China Girl - Iggy Pop
03 Metal Guru - T. Rex
04 You Have Killed Me - Morrissey
05 Looks Looks Looks - Sparks
06 Will You - Hazel O’Connor
07 Chains - Mercury Rev
08 Oh Baby - Dib Cochran & The Earwigs
09 The Prettiest Star - David Bowie (original single version)
10 Flowers In The Rain – The Move
11 Sarah - Thin Lizzy
12 Love Is The Law - Seahorses
13 Band On The Run - Wings
14 This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us - Sparks (Plagiarism Album Version)
15 Got To Get You Into My Life - Surprise Sisters
16 Black Country Rock - David Bowie
17 Telegram Sam - T. Rex

From the main sleeve notes:-

Brothers Ron & Russell Mael were the heart of Sparks and with several hit singles and two hit albums under their belt, approached Visconti to both produce and arrange their 1975 album ‘Indiscreet’. They were looking to expand their sound outside of the conventional rock band format and knew of Tony’s skills as an instrumental arranger. Ron’s latest songs leant themselves to orchestral experimentation and Visconti provided the brothers with marching bands, fiddle hoe-downs, big band jazz and chamber orchestras to fit the mood of each song.

and accompanying the track This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us:-

In the same year that Visconti produced the Seahorses, (a new band looking for its first hit), he was back working with a duo he’d first met over 20 years earlier. The original 1974 classic single (kept off No. 1 by Rubettes ‘Sugar Baby Love’) was produced by Muff Winwood. When, in 1997, the Mael brothers revisited their song repertoire for the album ‘Plagiarism’, they contacted their old friend Visconti to provide a number of arrangements to give an unusual twist to a greatest hits compilation. Alongside ‘Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth’,‘Something For The Girl With Everything’ and others, Visconti arranged and conducted this string orchestral version. It includes a verse not heard on the groundbreaking original single - “Choosing, the girl is choosing......”

Auke Lenstra · Sparkologist Joined: 15 Jan 2002 Posts: 688

Great news.
Thanks for this!

Alex Robertson · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 3:30 pm Post subject:

A nice mixture of tracks on there...I'll be buying this for sure.

TommyGun · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 5:28 pm Post subject:

dammit I didnt know that guy and now I read Iggy Pop, TRex and David Bowie

_________________

Raoul · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 12:35 pm Post subject:

Impressive list!

Mike Ventrella · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 10:07 pm Post subject:

Band on the Run? That was produced by Pau McCartney....

Neil · Newbie Joined: 01 Oct 2002 Posts: 10

The album shows the range of his skills - most of them are Tony's productions, but Chains, Band On The Run, Flowers In The Rain and This Town show his work as an arranger, China Girl as a mixer and Oh Baby as a performer

sparkette · Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 8:58 pm Post subject: rock, rock, rock

Tony V. rocks- always has, always will.
I cannot wait to add this jewel to the treasure chest.

Auke Lenstra · Sparkologist Joined: 15 Jan 2002 Posts: 688

I just got a message from Amazon that this release is cancelled. Is this true?
Lucky enough I could buy a copy of the cd on the net.

Raoul · Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 2:59 pm Post subject:

Can anyone tell me where to buy this one?

OuterSpace · Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:09 pm Post subject:

Raoul · Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:59 am Post subject:

Thanks very much!

Raoul · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:52 am Post subject:

It arrived friday,say,still impressed!