Search - Sparks :: In Outer Space

Some fine melodic tunes.

Ian | U.K | 12/03/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I own the album & it contains some wonderful melodies. Songs such as Popularity, A funch bunch of guys from outer space & Rockin' girls are upbeat highly melodic & instantly catchy electro pop. I'd say 8 out of 10 of the songs on this album are good. Sparks new album Lil' Beethoven (2002)is out now and it's fantastic!"

LIMITED OUTER SPACE

F. M. Moses | Blacklick, Ohio United States | 08/16/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Though not entirely a bad album..."Sparks in Outer Space" seems to be the first sell-out for a non-hit based band. Just while Sparks seemed at the height of their success with 82's release of "Angst in My Pants"...so were the Go-Gos with "Vacation." It seemed like the best pieces of the great 80's synthesized rock puzzles. Ironically enough, Jane Wiedlin (formely of the Go-Gos) teamed up w/ the Mael brothers to become a member of this long lost dance crazed classic. Speaking so, Sparks seemed to resist the fashion of making tunes for its more intelligent crowd and jumped for air-waves friendly music instead.



Though I loved "...In Outer Space" when I first purchased it at the age of 11... some 20 years later the appeal wears thin. Avoiding the fact that "Cool Places" seemed to "spark" some radio play...the rest of the album seems too simple and slippery.



"All You Ever Think About is Sex" is among the strengtheist on "...Outer Space." It demonstrates the witty, classic Mael brothers humour from the very opening of the song: "Think of all the places we've had our little fun/ In the church at Christmas, busted by that nun." While "I Wish I Looked a Little Better" almost seems like a sequel to "Funny Face" from their "Whomp That Sucker" album in the lines: "Turn out the light, yeah the light/ And I might have a chance/ I guess I look slightly worse than the Elephant man."



But, while the previous Sparks' albums tended to make its listeners chuckle and laugh, "...In Outer Space" only has its random moments. Not to say it's a bad thing for any band to try out a different turf, the love churned tunes such as "Please, Baby, Please" and "Lucky me, Lucky you" just seem too pop friendly to be recognized as Sparks forgivables.



The only other complaint about this album is its defeat in being timeless. As for an album that sounded good during its time it's sensational, but twenty years later, the "...In Outer Space" sounds like its from another planet. It's too heavily synthesized and it just doesn't prove any justice for the back-up band the Mael brothers had retained at the time (hence, it was perhaps the best line-up since 74's "Kimono My House")."

Uncool, but who cares!

Matt | 09/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You won't find a review by a respectable music critic that does anything less that totally trash this album. But let's face it. This album is like a faded 1984 Pontiac Fiero with rips in the seat, stains in the carpet,...............and a Northstar V8 out back - about the most uncool thing you can imagine. But WAY more fun than some slow, ill-handling, but blinged-out Cadillac Escalade (ie the 'cool' music). So take your pick. Oh, and you might not want to let anyone hear you play this CD"