Angst in My Pants
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Angst in My Pants is the 11th album by the American rock band Sparks. The album was released by Atlantic Records in both the US and UK, and this was the 6th overall label that the band was signed to in the US, and, for the first time since the mid-1970s, the band would be signed the same label in both the US and UK for 3 consecutive albums.
History
Angst in My Pants marked the second occasion that Ron Mael and Russell Mael worked with the backing band of guitarist Bob Haag, bassist Leslie Bohem, and drummer David Kendrick. Additionally James Goodwin augmented the line up playing synthesizers, though these were mixed farther back, letting the rest of the band come to the fore. The resulting power pop[1] album was recorded at Musicland Studios, Munich, produced by Mack in association with Giorgio Moroder Enterprises. The recording of the album was the second and last time that Sparks worked with Mack.
Release
Angst in My Pants was not a success in the UK but was as successful as their former album, Whomp That Sucker, in the US. It reached #173 on the Billboard 200.[2]
The single "I Predict" became Sparks' first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 reaching #60 in May 1982.[2] This was the first time since the release of "Wonder Girl" in 1971 that Sparks had enjoyed moderate success on the US single charts. An extended remix of "I Predict" was released as a club promo while the 7" single was backed with the album track "Moustache". The video for "I Predict" was directed by David Lynch.[3]
"Angst In My Pants" and "Eaten by the Monster of Love" were both used in the movie Valley Girl, a romantic comedy released in 1983. "Eaten by the Monster of Love" was also featured in the 2009 horror movie Cabin Fever 2.
"Mickey Mouse", while not charting, was performed by the band as they appeared as musical guests on "Saturday Night Live", hosted by Danny DeVito. This episode aired on NBC May 15, 1982. The song was prefaced by a monologue from Ron Mael, in a deadpan style, describing the characteristics of the common mouse leading up to the introduction of the song title. The band also performed a second cut from the album: "I Predict."
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Angst in My Pants" | 3:25 |
| 2. | "I Predict" | 2:50 |
| 3. | "Sextown U.S.A." | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Sherlock Holmes" | 3:34 |
| 5. | "Nicotina" | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Mickey Mouse" | 3:16 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Moustache" | 3:28 |
| 8. | "Instant Weight Loss" | 3:27 |
| 9. | "Tarzan and Jane" | 3:18 |
| 10. | "The Decline and Fall of Me" | 2:53 |
| 11. | "Eaten by the Monster of Love" | 2:58 |
Personnel
- Russell Mael, Vocals
- Ron Mael, Keyboards and synthesizers
- Leslie Bohem, Bass guitar and additional background vocals
- Bob Haag, Guitar and additional background vocals
- David Kendrick, Drums
- James Goodwin, Synthesizers
- Mack, Production, engineering, synthesizer programming
References
- ^ a b c Allmusic review
- ^ a b "Allmusic - Billboard Albums - Sparks". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
- ^ "allmusic - I Predict - Sparks". © 2009 Macrovision Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
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