The Greatest Show on Earth - Sparks, Faltermeyer, Harold
Reissued 1980 album. A long string of albums consolidated Spark's excellent repiltation, expecially in Britain and on the European continent. 'Terminal Jive', produced by disco wizard Giorgio Moroder and Harold Falteme... more »yer was recorded in 1980. This, their ninth long player included tracks such as 'When I'm With You', 'Rock 'N' Roll People In A Disco World', 'Noisy Boys' and 'Stereo', all of which reflected the stylistic changes in the music scene in general at the time.« less
Reissued 1980 album. A long string of albums consolidated Spark's excellent repiltation, expecially in Britain and on the European continent. 'Terminal Jive', produced by disco wizard Giorgio Moroder and Harold Faltemeyer was recorded in 1980. This, their ninth long player included tracks such as 'When I'm With You', 'Rock 'N' Roll People In A Disco World', 'Noisy Boys' and 'Stereo', all of which reflected the stylistic changes in the music scene in general at the time.
"This is a great album. I have played this album almost constantly since I bought it a couple of years ago. I especially love the song 'When I'm With You' - it was a number one hit in France. The instrumental is also well worth listening to as it includes additional keyboards. Other key tracks are 'Noisy Boys' and 'Stereo'. I highly recommend this album, even for non-Sparks fans."
Sparks on top?
Runninghorses | 11/13/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow. The Maels come up trumps again. This is like a stripped-down version of the previous album 'No One In Heaven'. Less experimental & more commercial. Very catchy, very sing-a-long -with great production by Giorgio Moroder. If you like electronic music you are well advised to give this great album a try!"
Electronic heaven
Flame 469 | 11/13/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Yeah the lyrics are basic, as is the instrumentation and song hooks. But the songs are oh so catchy. For example, 'Just Because You Love Me' - much of the song consists of the title repeated over and over again, but you feel compelled to sing along. The melody is so cool - hip and upbeat. 'Stereo' is another favourite of mine - and to fully appreciate the stereo effect I suggest listening to the song with headphones! Buy this album - you won't regret it!"
Number #2 in Heaven...?
Jason | Raleigh, NC USA | 05/30/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Fans who are looking for a sequil to the SPARKS's ground-breaking 1979 album "NUMBER #1 in HEAVEN" will probably be disappointed by their 1980 follow-up ablum "TERMINAL JIVE." Both albums were produced by synthesizer-wizard Giorgio Moroder, but the results are as different as night and day.
Whereas "NUMBER #1 in HEAVEN" was spacey and surreal and truely inspired ( by "I Feel Love"), "TERMINAL JIVE" is a collection of radio-friendly pop songs, written and produced with record sales firmly in mind. The only thing they have in common is their smooth, polished, state-of-the-art sound. And it is a good-sounding, well-produced album. It reminds me of Donna Summer's "The WANDERER" album, which was also produced by Giorgio Moroder the same year.
Unfortunately, the songs themselves are not particularly interesting.
With the exception of the 2 versions of "When I'm With You" and "The Greatest Show on Earth,"
most of the songs would sound jarringly out of place on the "NUMBER #1 in HEAVEN" album, and visa-versa.
(Their later albums had better songs, but unfortunately without the smooth, polished production values.)
One can't completely fault them for making a bid for commercial success, considering that "NUMBER #1 in HEAVEN", for all it's originality and experimental edge, was not a commercially successful album. "TERMINAL JIVE" is not really a BAD album, and it does have a few bright moments, but it's not the SPARKS best work, and it's not exactly "NUMBER #2 in HEAVEN.""