‘Do Things My Own Way’: The secret to Sparks’ long-term consistency
Later in 2025, American art-pop duo Sparks will release their 28th studio album of a career that has lasted 54 years. Cliff Richard, I imagine, will be laughing to himself at the thought of this being an achievement – he’s been active in the music business for a whopping 67 years at this point. Likewise, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are scoffing at the leisureliness of Sparks’ output – they’re close to releasing just as many albums in the space of just over 12 years.
Even though both their longevity and productivity are impressive, it doesn’t take a mathematician to observe that there are other acts who eclipse Sparks on both fronts. However, what very few can claim to have had over the span of a fruitful or lengthy career is ultimately the key to Sparks’ success – consistency.
The names of their forthcoming album, MAD!, and teaser single, ‘Do Things My Own Way’, both epitomise Sparks and everything they’ve ever stood for as a group. The Mael brothers, singer Russell and keyboard player Ron, have always taken an unbridled sense of freedom with them into the studio, and the repeated mantra of the new song’s title is illustrative of this. The song revolves around a repetitive riff that doesn’t exactly feel akin to much they’ve done in the past, and believe me, they’ve covered a lot of ground throughout their career.
The peak of their success came during the 1970s when they released a string of four glam-infused art rock albums on Island Records. Among those were a duo of records released in 1974, Kimono My House and Propaganda, which both helped propel them into the spotlight in the UK, but they didn’t receive anywhere near the same recognition in their native USA at the time. ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us’ was a surprising smash in the UK, owing largely to television appearances that presented the audience with a quirky duo consisting of a falsettoed frontman and Chaplin-lookalike keyboard player that were somehow able to write incredibly captivating music.
However, while this represents one creative pinnacle of their work, it’s far from being the only one the duo enjoyed. Towards the end of the ‘70s, Sparks were a band reborn, abandoning the glam rock niche that they had previously carved for themselves in order to focus on a synth-pop sound. Their eighth album, No. 1 in Heaven, was produced by Eurodisco pioneer Giorgio Moroder, and while it was a stark departure from their earlier work, it saw songs like ‘Beat the Clock’ and ‘The Number One Song in Heaven’ surpass their previous successes.
This album was significant because it not only marked Sparks’ first major shift in sound but also demonstrated that they were capable of adapting themselves when reinvention became necessary to further their career. Reinvention is a key factor to Sparks’ identity as a group, and it’s unlikely that their sustained popularity could have happened without their decision to consistently take stock of their direction and push themselves towards exploring new ground.
The ‘80s and ‘90s might not have seen the band tread much new ground in a fashion that felt fitting for showing off new angles to their oddball creativity, but at the turn of the millennium, the duo found themselves back on form with the release of Lil’ Beethoven; an album that straddled contemporary classical music with avant-garde elements and Russell Mael’s trademark goofy sense of humour. The release of this record in 2002, followed by 2005’s Hello Young Lovers, reignited public attention towards Sparks, and saw many reevaluate their position as being a kitschy cult act into being bonafide legends of outsider pop.
Since then, their output has not only maintained the same steady consistency in terms of how frequently they release new material, but it has also been a period where they’ve refused to compromise their own ethos. Sparks only release what they’re interested in releasing and have seemingly never buckled under external pressure to phone it all in favour of becoming a legacy act, no matter how alluring the idea of it paying the bills might be to them.
The Maels aren’t riding on the coattails of their previous success in any shape or form; they’re continuing to push themselves to make innovative and exciting music well into their 70s. This is something that most artists their age will have succumbed to long ago, releasing music that feels like a pastiche or half-assed effort to capture the sounds of yesteryear due to a lack of enthusiasm for keeping abreast of current trends.
While there are other artists who have kept this level of creative integrity until their dying moments, it’s usually only solo acts that manage to preserve the same sense of freedom in their songwriting, and it may well be the case that Sparks are the last remaining bastions of maintained artistic liberation. Considering how many acts who have been inspired by them since their formation have failed to keep the same mentality when it comes to not dishonouring themselves, it’s fair to say that few acts will ever achieve what Sparks have managed, and that’s what makes them such a uniquely spectacular and evergreen act.
