Exotic Creatures of the Deep
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| BBC | (favourable)[2] |
| ChartAttack | [3] |
| MusicOMH | [4] |
| NME |   |
| The Onion | (B+)[5] |
| Pitchfork Media | (4.4/10)[6] |
| Spin | [7] |
| Record Collector | [8] |
Exotic Creatures of the Deep is the 21st album by Sparks.
Release
Exotic Creatures of the Deep was as successful as their previous album; Hello Young Lovers in the UK, where it bettered the chart position reaching No. 54 on the UK Album Chart.[9] The album was released in a limited edition version in most territories, this version included a poster and came in a card sleeve. Japanese editions included the bonus track "Brenda Is Always in the Way" and a DVD featuring five short films.[10]
Two singles were released, the first "Good Morning" on May 12, 2008[11] on iTunes; a first for the group. The second; "Lighten Up, Morrissey" appeared on a 7"; backed with "Brenda Is Always In The Way" in March 2009. Neither single charted in the UK.
In the UK, Exotic Creatures of the Deep also promoted by a number of live performances dubbed the 'Sparks Spectacular'. The performances consisted of a record-setting twenty-date residency from May 16 to June 11, 2008 at London's Carling Islington Academy, where the group played each one of their previous twenty albums in its entirety in chronological order. The final appearance was at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire on June 13 where Exotic Creatures of the Deep was premièred.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro[12]" | 1:02 |
| 2. | "Good Morning" | 3:53 |
| 3. | "Strange Animal" | 5:45 |
| 4. | "I Can't Believe That You Would Fall for All the Crap in this Song" | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Let the Monkey Drive" | 4:09 |
| 6. | "Intro Reprise" | 0:24 |
| 7. | "I've Never Been High" | 4:31 |
| 8. | "(She Got Me) Pregnant" | 4:13 |
| 9. | "Lighten Up, Morrissey" | 4:14 |
| 10. | "This is the Renaissance" | 3:45 |
| 11. | "The Director Never Yelled 'Cut'" | 3:54 |
| 12. | "Photoshop" | 4:01 |
| 13. | "Likeable" | 6:13 |
| 14. | "Brenda is Always in the Way" (Japanese edition bonus track) | 4:03 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's a Sparks Show" | |
| 2. | "Ron Tap Dancing" | |
| 3. | "Good Morning" | |
| 4. | "Strange Animals" | |
| 5. | "My Inspiration" |
Personnel
- Russell Mael – all vocals, engineering, mixing
- Ron Mael – keyboards, programming, orchestrations, mixing
- Tammy Glover – drums
- Dean Menta – guitars
- John Thomas – mixing, engineering
Sparks Spectacular
May and June 2008 saw the 21-night Sparks Spectacular in London, where they played each of their albums in chronological order during the first twenty nights at the Carling Islington Academy, and premièred their new album on the twenty-first concert on June 13, 2008 at Shepherds Bush Empire.[13] Each night, they performed an album in its entirety followed by a rare track — many of the songs have never been performed live before. The band asked their fans to visit their website and vote for the track that they'd most like to hear the band perform during the second half of the 21st concert after the première of Exotic Creatures of the Deep, though Russell Mael admitted that he and Ron would probably influence the poll a little.
Fans who bought a "Golden Ticket" (which allowed entry into all 21 gigs) also received a poster signed by the band and a CD single entitled Islington N1, a reference to the postal address of the venue for the first 20 gigs.
| Date | Album | Encore song |
|---|---|---|
| May 16 | Sparks / Halfnelson (1971) | "England" |
| May 17 | A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing (1972) | "Arts & Crafts Spectacular" |
| May 18 | Kimono My House (1974) | "Barbecutie" |
| May 20 | Propaganda (1974) | "Lost and Found" |
| May 21 | Indiscreet (1975) | "Gone with the Wind" |
| May 23 | Big Beat (1976) | "Tearing The Place Apart" |
| May 24 | Introducing Sparks (1977) | "Alabamy Right" |
| May 25 | No. 1 In Heaven (1979) | "Dancing Is Dangerous" |
| May 27 | Terminal Jive (1980) | "Singing in the Shower" |
| May 28 | Whomp That Sucker (1981) | "Get Crazy" |
| May 30 | Angst in My Pants (1982) | "Minnie Mouse" |
| May 31 | In Outer Space (1983) | "Sports" |
| June 1 | Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) | "National Crime Awareness Week" |
| June 3 | Music That You Can Dance To (1986) | "Change" |
| June 4 | Interior Design (1988) | "Big Brass Ring", "It's Kinda Like The Movies" |
| June 6 | Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins (1994) | "Marry Me" |
| June 7 | Plagiarism (1997) | "Looks Aren't Everything" |
| June 8 | Balls (2000) | "Katharine Hepburn" |
| June 10 | Lil' Beethoven (2002) | "Wunderbar" |
| June 11 | Hello Young Lovers (2006) | "Profile" |
| June 13 | Exotic Creatures of the Deep (2008) |
- Exotic Creatures of the Deep second set
- "Moustache" (from Angst in My Pants)
- "Looks Aren't Everything"
- "Big Boy" (from Big Beat)
- "Goofing Off" (from Introducing Sparks)
- "Katharine Hepburn"
- "Shopping Mall Of Love" (from Music You Can Dance To)
- "Those Mysteries" (from Introducing Sparks)
- "Dick Around" (from Hello Young Lovers)
- "Get in the Swing" (from Indiscreet)
- "Looks, Looks, Looks" (from Indiscreet)
- "Batteries Not Included" (from A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing)
- "Whippings And Apologies" (from A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing)
- "Change"
- "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" (from Kimono My House)
References
- ^ Ned Raggett (May 19, 2008). "Exotic Creatures of the Deep - Sparks | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ "Music - Review of Sparks - Exotic Creatures Of The Deep". BBC. January 1, 1970. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20110607225654/http://www.chartattack.com/reviews/62475/sparks. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2008.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20080508173705/http://www.musicomh.com/albums/sparks-4_0408.htm. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Rizov, Vadim (January 13, 2009). "Sparks: Exotic Creatures Of The Deep · Music Review · The A.V. Club". Avclub.com. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ "Sparks: Exotic Creatures of the Deep | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. January 19, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ Walters, Barry (December 18, 2008). "Sparks, 'Exotic Creatures of the Deep' Review". Spin.com. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ "Exotic Creatures Of The Deep - Record Collector Magazine". Recordcollectormag.com. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ "Chart Stats – Sparks". chartstats.com. Retrieved July 22, 2008.
- ^ "Sparks - Exotic Creatures Of The Deep (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ "sparks-fanatics.com". sparks-fanatics.com. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ "Sparks announce new album tracklisting | News". Nme.Com. March 13, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ "Sparks to play an album a night in London". Side-line.com. Retrieved June 30, 2009.