Retro Man Blog's 25 Favourite Albums of 2025

Happy New Year to all Retro Man Blog supporters, subscribers and contributors. Here's our favourite 25 Albums of 2025, another great year for new music...

1. The Liminanas "Faded"

2 . Mandrake Handshake "Earth Sized Worlds"

3. The Minus 5 "Oar On, Penelope

4. WitchDoktors "Izzatso?"

5. Viagra Boys "Viagr Aboys"

6. David Byrne "Who Is The Sky?"

7. WITCH "Sogolo" 

8. Oh! Gunquit "Flex"

9. Sparks "MAD!"

10. The Penrose Web "The Least of Our Concerns"

11. Spiders "Sharp Objects"

12. Jetstream Pony "Bowerbirds and Blue Things"

13. Stereolab "Instant Holograms On Metal Film"

14. The Hives "The Hives Forever Forever The Hives"

15. Robert Forster "Strawberries"

16. The Guy Hamper Trio "Volume IV: The Goddess Tree"

17. Luke Haines & Peter Buck "Going Down To The River To Blow My Mind"

18. The Phobics "Gimme Cyanide"

19. Pink Nun "Pink Nun"

20. John McKay's Reactor "Sixes And Sevens"

21. The Capellas "Untamed"

22. MIEN "MIIEN"

23. Palooka 5 "MetroKino"

24. Paper Lips "Melodic Melancholic"

25. Proper "Meant To Say Something"

Sparks at Hammersmith Apollo, Thursday June 19th 2025

I’m back at the beautiful Art Deco Hammersmith (Odeon) Apollo, the scene of my very first gig back in 1981, to see the second night of two London gigs from Sparks whose incredible renaissance shows no sign of letting up. I’d seen the set-list in advance, and I must confess to being a bit underwhelmed at first glance. Personally, I would only have chosen around half of the songs, but then again, the perfect set-list would be nigh-on impossible considering the band released their first album in 1971 and well over 50 years later, have just unleashed the superb “Mad!” to a receptive public. I think “Mad!” might well be their 29th album if include the movie/musical soundtracks and FFS collaboration with Franz Ferdinand, not including the numerous compilations. So, back to the set-list, which is heavy on the high energy dancefloor smashes of the late 70’s-80’s  including “Beat The Clock”, and “The Number One Song In Heaven” (complete with Ron’s now trademark dance-moves) and the surprise inclusion of “Academy Award Performance” all from the Giorgio Moroder produced “Number 1 In Heaven”. 

Then there’s the 1990’s Electronica of “Music That You Can Dance To” and “When Do I Get To Sing My Way?” which ramp up the party atmosphere to the maximum. Sadly, the 70’s are not so well represented but we do get a storming “Reinforcements” from “Propaganda” and a curveball in “Goofing Off” from 1977’s “Introducing Sparks”. But then again, Sparks are not merely a nostalgia act and there is so much excellent new material to consider. Having said that, of course they can’t skip the classic “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us” – which was the entry point for many of us Brits into the crazy world of Sparks. Seeing the classic Top Of The Pops performance on the Thursday evening and then the next day at school, the playground was buzzing with excited chatter - “hey, did you see that scary guy who looked like Hitler last night?”. Later you discover that this was repeated across pretty much every school yard from Land’s End to John O’Groats. However, the big surprise of the night was the inclusion of “Whippings And Apologies” from their second album, 1973’s “A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing” which tonight was a snarling Glam-Punk classic. 

The campfire singalong of “Suburban Homeboy” with Ron on deadpan lead vocals from “Lil’ Beethoven” was another delight. This was probably the album that relaunched Sparks career in 2002 and put them on the trajectory that now sees them playing in packed out venues to adoring audiences all over the world. The following four albums are skipped over, probably because they have previously toured them in their own right, but a real highlight is the emotional “Please Don’t Fuck Up My World” from “Steady Drip, Drip, Drip”, which Russell tells us, is probably more relevant than ever. Of course, they play plenty of “Mad!” and “Do Things My Own Way”, “Drowned In a Sea of Tears” and “Jansport Backpack” all sound marvellous played live. Unfortunately, there’s no “My Devotion” which I think is one of the most beautiful songs Sparks have written in ages, but like I said at the beginning, you can’t have everything. The band that Ron and Russell have assembled are absolutely superb, managing the complexity of the song-writing and the often bewildering variety in musical styles perfectly. The sound and lighting are stunning throughout and the audience reaction is phenomenal, quite a few times there is a rapturous standing ovation at the end of a song. So much so that they have to put the house lights up and the band just have to pause to just let the acclaim wash over them before they can start the next number. 

They encore with “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte” and a rousing “All That” which sees the crowd singing along and waving their arms in unison and there’s a surprise when “Sparks Brothers” documentary director Edgar Wright appears on stage to take a photo of Ron and Russell in front of the crowd. Off the top of my head, of their generation I can only think of the 78 year-old Iggy Pop, who’s also out on tour at the moment, who can compare with Sparks full-on physically energetic live performance. Considering their ages, Ron is 79 and Russell 76, they could have been forgiven for continuing down the more restrained “Two Hands, One Mouth” route but no, Russell has not lost any of his incredible vocal range and instead they continue to tour with a vibrant excellent young band, performing shows bursting with colourful life-affirming energy. Maybe one day they will have to slow down a bit, but at the moment it’s only Ron’s dance routine that’s getting slightly shorter. So, for now, if you get the opportunity, make sure you enjoy the full on Sparks extravaganza while you can. Tonight, might well rank up there as one of the best shows I’ve seen from the band and despite my initial misgivings about the set-list, I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

You can still check out our feature on Sparks "Two Hands, One Mouth" show from 2012 at London's Barbican Centre here. Don't forget our two thoroughly entertaining episodes of Retrosonic Podcast where original Halfnelson/Sparks drummer Harley Feinstein gives us a fascinating insight into the very early years of Sparks.

Retrosonic Podcast · Sparks: The Bearsville/Halfnelson Years Part 1 & Crash 74 with Harley Feinstein

 

Retrosonic Podcast · Sparks: The Bearsville/Halfnelson Years Part 2 with Harley Feinstein

 

Retro Man Blog & Retrosonic Podcast's Favourite Albums of 2023

First of all I'd like to sincerely thank all the Retro Man Blog and Retrosonic Podcast subscribers, contributors and people who have kindly offered encouragement and assistance along the way in the past year, thank you for your support, it is very much appreciated. As always, we would encourage you to check out the highlighted links below to also add your support to the many fantastic, bands, artists and record labels that we have featured in 2023. You can hear tracks from many of the bands in various epiosdes of Retrosonic Podcast which are all available in our archives at Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and iTunes - if you are not already, please like, subscribe and share to help spread the news about the great new music that is being released. Have a wonderful New Year and let's hope 2024 brings us even more superb sounds! 

Retro Man Blog & Retrosonic Podcast's Pick of 2023 Albums

1. def.fo "Eternity"

Despite only being released on December 15th - this perfectly plotted debut album from the Liverpool based Tom Powell shot straight into our Number 1 slot. The immediacy of the melodies, the rich production, insistent riffs and hooks and timeless genre-defying sound made it an immediate hit. Tom has been ably assisted by a superb cast of contributors including Tom's 'day job boss' in The Red Elastic Band, Mick Head, Chris Geddes from Belle & Sebastian and Tom's Dad, the guitarist and producer, Steve Powell. "Eternity" is a masterclass in songwriting of the highest order. You can hear Tom talking about the concept behind def.fo in our special Retrosonic Podcast here.

Retrosonic Podcast · Tom Powell of Def.fo and Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band

2. Jim Jones All Stars "Ain't No Peril"

Absolutely blistering album from the fomer Hypnotics, Jim Jones Revue and Righteous Mind frontman and his new all action outfit. Somehow "Ain't No Peril" manages to capture the intense energy of the band's live performances in it's grooves and the album screams out Gospel, Garage Rock, Soul and downright raw Rock 'n' Roll.

3. Lalalar "En Kötü Iyi Olur"

Taking Turkish Psychedelia and mixing it with modern day Electronica and Dance beats along with some hugely inventive guitar playing - this Istanbul-based trio produced one of the most striking and original albums of 2023.

4. Jah Wobble "A Brief History of Now" (featuring Jon Klein)

Jah Wobble got together with former Specimen and Siouxsie & The Banshees guitarist Jon Klein to release this stunning album which sees a return to the angular Post-Punk sound of Public Image Ltd with trademark bubbling bass and Klein's scathing guitar work.

5. Wingmen "Wingmen"

A collaboration featuring Baz Warne of The Stranglers, Leigh Heggarty of Ruts DC, Paul Fox of The Damned, Marty Parrott of the Johnny Moped Band and Rob Coombes of Supergrass might have signalled a new tribute act to themselves - but bravely they avoided any notion of nostalgia and released a quite magnificent collection of all new original material. The always entertaining Leigh Heggarty joined me to discuss Wingmen and how it all came about in this great episode of Retrosonic Podcast.

Retrosonic Podcast · Leigh Heggarty on Wingmen and Ruts DC

6. Sparks "The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte"

The Mael Brothers continued their remarkable 50-plus year musical journey with this great album packed full of their usual wit, originality and inventive songwriting.

7. Pascal Comelade & The Limiñanas "Boom Boom"

A hypnotic and atmospheric collaboration between the avant garde musician Pascal Comelade and our favourite fuzzed-up French duo Lionel and Marie Limiñana.

8. The Blue Aeroplanes "Culture Gun"

Released not long before the terribly sad news of guitarist Angelo Bruschini's passing - this album is simply one of the best of the Bristol based collective's long musical history. Poet/Vocalist Gerard Langley's half-spoken delivery is complemented by the vocal harmonies and contributions of his revolving line-up of collaborators and band-mates.

9. Iggy Pop "Every Loser"

Merging the best of all aspects of Iggy's repertoire from foul-mouthed 100 miles an hour rockers like "Frenzy" to the crooning baritone of "Strung Out Johnny", this album has it all - if you love Iggy you'll love "Every Loser".

10. The Skids "Destination Dusseldorf"

Harnessing all the trademark Skids tricks that I've loved since seeing the high-kicking Richard Jobson and his Dunfermline gang on Top of The Pops as a kid. The huge, stadium sized choruses, ringing guitar and Jobbo's impassioned vocals are all present and correct in this fantastic collection of new material.

11. The Hives "The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons"

The Swedish Garage Rock legends returned with their first album since 2012 and it's their strongest to date for sure, a swaggering beast of a record. New outfits, new bassist but same attitude and energy, proving they were always far more than a cartoon act.

12. The Brian Jonestown Massacre "The Future Is Your Past"

The run of superb albums from The Brian Jonestown Massacre over the past few years continued with this excellent collection of songs that came in a colour-your-own album sleeve complete with BJM crayons, genius! 

13. Fake Names "Expendables"

Dennis Lyxzén from The (International) Noise Conspiracy and Refused teamed up with members of some of his favourite American Punk bands such as Minor Threat, Bad Religion, S.O.A., Fugazi and Girls Against Boys to release this melodic tour de force, building on the promise of their self-titled 2020 debut album. Check out out thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast with Dennis where he discusses how Fake Names came about and other aspects of his fascinating musical career.

Retrosonic Podcast · Dennis Lyxzén of Refused, Fake Names and The (International) Noise Conspiracy

14. Gina Birch "I Play My Bass Loud"

One of the founding members of the Raincoats, Gina Birch released this great album bursting with fresh and inventive ideas tinged with Reggae and Electronica. "Wish I Was You" ranks up there among the very best songs of the year.

15. The Damned "Darkedelic"

There's no doubting that for me personally, the return of bassist Paul Gray reignited my love for The Damned and if you liked the 60's Garage Rock nuggets of their alter-ego Naz Nomad and the "Strawberries" and "Black Album" era, then "Darkedelic" will be right up your street (of dreams...). The news that Rat Scabies will be back behind the drum-kit makes 2024 a very exciting year for fans of the band.

16. Shonen Knife "Our Best Place"

The Osaka based trio have been consistently releasing albums of pure buzzsaw Punk Pop joy for 40 years now but there is seemingly no let up on their cheerful worldview and tales of their favourite food and cuddly animals.

17. Melody Fields "1901"

This Swedish Psychedelic band that emerged from ashes of The Movements are fast becoming one of our favourite acts. This is a masterclass in neo-Psychedelia that almost defines the genre.

18. Vännäs Kasino "Vännäs Kasino"

It's Dennis Lyxzén again but on guitar duties this time with a fantastic album featuring his INVSN colleague Sara Almgren on vocals and a blistering collection of Punk Rock that reminds me in places of prime Dead Kennedys.

19. Altin Gün "Aşk"

Dragging the exotic strains of Turkish Anatolian Rock and Psychedelia into the present day, Altin Gün are becoming hugely popular and it's easy to see why with releases of this calibre.

20. The Jack Cades "Something New"

A kind of contemporary Garage Rock 'supergroup' featuring members of The Embrooks, Speedball Jr, The Baron Four and The Missing Souls - The Jack Cades albums just get better with each release and this memorable collection of great songs with Mike and Elsa's vocal harmonies and nods to The Velvet Underground and early Brian Jonestown Massacre. It makes you wonder just how they are going to top this one. We spoke to Mike and Elsa about some of their favourite songs and influences in this episode of Retrosonic Podcast.

Retrosonic Podcast · Lockdown Lowdown Episode 4: Mike & Elsa of The Jack Cades

21. Ian Kay "Walk That Road Again"

Elsa from The Jack Cades' former colleague in The Missing Souls, Ian Kay, finally released his long-awaited debut solo album this year and yes, it was well worth waiting for. Ian's highly infectious Garage Soul packed full of irresistable hooks will get you in the dancing mood from the moment the needle hits the groove.

22. Gatuplan "Välkommen Till Underjorden"

Inge Johnansson, the livewire bassist with The (International) Noise Conspiracy released the second album from his band Gatuplan in 2023 and its bursting with a positive, uplifting energy cramming in all of Inge's passion for Swedish Hardcore, Punk Rock and Ska. Have a listen to the hugely likeable Inge on Gatuplan, The (International) Noise Conspiracy and some of his favourite songs and influences.

Retrosonic Podcast · Inge Johansson of Gatuplan & The (International) Noise Conspiracy

23. Rhoda Dakar "Version Girl"

A brilliant collection of lovingly curated and performed cover versions from the former Bodysnatchers vocalist, "Version Girl" also boasts stunning cover art from Pete McKee.

24. Duncan Reid & The Big Heads "And It's Goodbye From Him"

The fact that "And It's Goodbye From Him" is possibly former Boys bassist Duncan Reid's best collection of his now trademark Power Pop Punk gems makes the unexpected decision to call time on his musical career even more disappointing, but it's one hell of a way to bow out. I just had to catch up with Duncan to discuss the reasons behind his decision to pack in music suddenly and what followed was a fascinating chat on the life of a post-Brexit musician.

Retrosonic Podcast · Duncan Reid "And It's Goodbye From Him..."

25. French Boutik "Ce Je Ne Sais Quoi"

An immaculate collection of Pop Moderniste songs from the Paris based band oozing class with their high quality mix of Indie, Ye-Ye, Soul and 60's Pop.

Bubbling under... 

Ian Person "Autoimmune", Galen & Paul "Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day?", Per Svensson "Magic Trip", The Coral "Sea of Mirrors", Holiday Ghosts "Absolute Reality", Ruts DC "ElectrAcoustic Vol. 2", The Bug Club "Rare Birds: Hour of Song", Popincourt "We Were Bound To Meet", The Go! Team "Get Up Sequences Part 2", The Sound of Pop Art "Shapes & Shadows".

Retro Man Blog & Retrosonic Podcast's Music Books & Movies of 2021

Next up we look back on our favourite music related books and movies of 2021 and in number one spot sits Saskia Holling's excellent "Girlsville: The Story of The Delmonas and Thee Headcoatees" - which was not only Saskia's first book but also the very first publication from Lee Grimshaw's Spinout Productions - which of course includes his excellent record label Spinout Nuggets. Despite the title, "Girlsville" is much more than just the story of two of the Medway Garage Rock scene's first and most influential bands. Right from the superb cover art, the rare photos of both bands through Saskia's superbly crafted, sometimes challenging insights into the trials and tribulations of women in Rock 'n' Roll over the years, you know this book is something very special indeed. You can order the book from all the usual places but as always I'd recommend getting it directly from Spinout Publications here. You can also hear our Retrosonic Podcast special where I talk to Saskia about the book and along the way she picks some of her favourite songs from both bands as well as the various influences on her own music with Sally Skull and Lord Rochester.  You can listen to the episode at Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts or directly from our SoundCloud site below: 

Retrosonic Podcast · The Delmonas & Thee Headcoatees "Girlsville: Queens of The Medway Delta" with Saskia Holling

Our favourite music movie just had to go to Edgar Wright's stunning documentary "The Sparks Brothers" which perfectly captured Sparks' groundbreaking musical career. It's gleefully crammed full of the Mael brother's trademark humour and features many cool musicians and celebrities talking about the impact of Sparks on their lives. After all, the movie's strap-line is "your favourite band's favourite band". Of course the movie includes contributions from various Sparks band members over the years, including original Halfnelson/Sparks drummer Harley Feinstein and we also have two thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast specials available where Harley talks in depth about the very early years of Sparks including their breakthrough years spent in London. Both episodes are essential listening for any Sparks fan.

Retrosonic Podcast · Sparks: The Bearsville/Halfnelson Years Part 2 with Harley Feinstein

Here's the full list (all books unless noted.)..

1. "Girlsville: The Story of The Delmonas and Thee Headcoatees" by Saskia Holling

2. "The Sparks Brothers" (movie) by Edgar Wright 

3. "I Wanna Be Yours" by John Cooper Clarke

4. "Relax Baby Be Cool: The Artistry and Audacity of Serge Gainsbourg" by Jeremy Allen

5. "Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche" (movie) by Celeste Bell

 6. "The Fall: Excavate!" by Tessa Norton and Bob Stanley

 7. "Morgan Howell at 45rpm: SuperSize Art" by Morgan Howell

 8. "The Go-Go's: Made in Hollywood" by Gina Schock

9. "The Who: A Band With Built In Hate" by Peter Stanfield

10. "The Sisters of Mercy: Waiting For Another War" by Trevor Ristow

11. "The Damned: On Track, Every Album Every Song" by Morgan Brown

 12. "The Listening Party" by Tim Burgess

13. "The Adventures of Kid Krupa" (movie) by Sean Parkin

14. "Diminished Responsibility: My Life As a U.K. Sub Vol. 2" by Alvin Gibbs

15. "Pete Shelley: Ever Fallen In Love, The Lost Buzzcocks Tapes" by Louie Shelley

16. "The Stranglers: 1977" by Laura Shenton

Retro Man Blog & Retrosonic Podcast's Compilations and Re-issues of 2021

Happy New Year everyone! Here's our favourite Compilations and Re-Issues of 2021.

1. Various Artists "Pop Psychédélique (The Best of French Psychedelic Pop 1964-2019)" LP featuring Fabienne Delsol, The Liminanas, L'Epee, Serge Gainsbourg, Stereolab, France Gall, Air etc.

2. The Delmonas "Hello We Love You! The Big Beat E.P.s" (Big Beat Records 10" Vinyl)

You can hear Saskia Holling talking about her excellent book "Girsville" The Story of The Delmonas & Thee Headcoatees" in our Retrosonic Podcast special episode here.

3. Joe Strummer "Assembly" LP

4. The Selecter "Too Much Pressure" (40th Anniversary Reissue LP)

5. The Courettes "Here We Are, The Courettes" (Damaged Goods Records LP)

6. Various Artists "Gary Crowley's Lost 80's Vol. 2" LP

You can hear Gary Crowley's talk and Q&A session from Sounds of The Suburbs Records about the Lost 80's compilation in our Retrosonic Podcast special episode here.

7. Various Artists "Strange Creatures - The Best of Rebels Vol. 2" (Raving Pop Blast Records LP) featuring The Fallen Leaves, The Galileo 7, The Jack Cades, Palooka 5, The Nettelles etc.

8. The Brian Jonestown Massacre & The Telescopes - "Before I Forget/Come Down My Love" (Split 10" Single on A Recordings)

9. BMX Bandits "The Janice Long Sessions E.P.s" (Precious Recordings 7" Singles)

10. Nancy Sinatra "Start Walkin' 1965-1976" LP

11. Buzzcocks "All Over You" (You Are The Cosmos Records Clear Vinyl 7" Single)

12. Various Artists "Box of Pin-Ups: The British Sounds of 1965" (Cherry Red Records CD Box Set)

13. The Stranglers "A Tribute To Dave Greenfield" (Live CD included with "Dark Matters" album)

14. Sonic Youth & The Pastels "Play The New York Dolls" (Purple Vinyl 7" Single)

15. The Charlatans "A Head Full of Ideas" LP

16. Aztec Camera "Backwards & Forwards 1984-1995" CD Box Set)

Retro Man Blog's 2017 - The Best of The Rest...

Retro Man Blog's Top 10 Singles/EPs of 2017...

01. Les Lullies "Don't Look Twice"

02. Side Effects "Feels Like Walking on Sunshine"

03. The Jackets "Be Myself"

04. Ebbot Lundberg & The Indigo Children "Royals"

05. Duncan Reid & The Big Heads "Bombs Away"

06. Travis Pike "Feelin' Good"

07. French Boutik & Olivier Popincourt "The Place I Love"/"Tonight at Noon"

08. Derrick Anderson feat. Kim Shattuck, Debbi & Vicki Peterson "When I Was Your Man"

09: Jetstream Pony "Like You Less"/"Had Enough"

10. Arvidson & Butterflies "Blank Season"

Retro Man Blog's Best New Albums Part 2 (11-20), Best Reissue, Box Set & Compilation

11. The Fallen Leaves "What We've All Been Waiting For"

12. Ian Person "Exit Highway of Light"

13. Wire "Silver/Lead"

14. Cyanide Pills "Sliced & Diced"

15. The Darts "The Darts"

16. Billy Childish & CTMF "Brand New Cage"

17. Stag "Midtown Sizzler"

18. The Baron Four "Silvaticus"

19.  Joel Gion "Joel Gion"

20. Sparks "Hippopotamus"

Best Reissue

Kaleidoscope "Tangerine Dream" 

Best Compilation

Stupidity "10 Years of Stupidity"

Best Box-Set

The Jam "1977"

Please click on the highlighted links above to buy the featured records or to check out further information on each band. Most of the artists above have been featured in various episodes of our Retrosonic Podcast. You can subscribe to the archive on iTunes or check out Soundcloud here.
 

Retro Man Blog's Top 20 Gigs of 2017

Retro Man Blog's Top 20 Gigs of 2017...

01. Hipsville A-Go-Go Weekender: The Rezillos, Viv & The Sect, Los Sustos etc.

02. The SolarFlares, Fallen Leaves, Embrooks, & King Mojo at Water Rats (Retro Man Blog Night)

03. Nymphet Noodlers at Uppsala Konsert & Kongress

 

04. Las Aspiradoras & The No-Things at Weirdsville

05. Oh! Gunquit at Windsor Firestation & Weirdsville

06. The Skids & The Vapors at The Roundhouse

07. The Stompin' Riff Raffs at Club 3, Tokyo

08. Michael Head at The Social

09. The Blue Aeroplanes & Ian McNabb at Islington Academy

10. Sparks at Shepherd's Bush Empire

11. The Len Price 3 at Water Rats (Retro Man Blog Night)

12. The Stranglers and Ruts DC at G-Live Guildford

13. Papa-san & Friends, Tokyo

14. Tonbruket at The Vortex Jazz Club

15. Robert Forster at Shaw Theatre

16. Jane Birkin at The Barbican

17. The Len Price 3, Galileo 7 & The Embrooks at Nambucca

18. The Fallen Leaves & The SD5 at The Hope & Anchor

19. The Moot, Trees & The Slipway & Andy Hepburn at the Cabbage Patch Twickenham

20. Stag & Jon Auer at The Islington

For features, reviews, photos and videos please click on the highlighted links above. All photos copyright Retro Man Blog and Paul Slattery.

Retrosonic Podcast: Sparks - Part 2 of The Halfnelson/Bearsville Years with Harley Feinstein

In Episode 2 of this special edition of Retrosonic Podcast we are very pleased to welcome back Harley Feinstein, the original drummer with Sparks. Harley appeared on the band's first two Bearsville Records albums "Halfnelson/Sparks" and "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing", and was in the line-up for their very first visit to the UK back in the early Seventies. In the previous episode,  Harley told us about how he first met Ron and Russell Mael and joined the band. Now in Part 2, Harley talks about the band's first experiences in a studio with Todd Rundgren and James Lowe of The Electric Prunes and how a notorious bunch of Groupies contributed to them getting signed to Bob Dylan's manager's record label, Bearsville. This introduces the band to the nefarious world of the music business with it's aggressive managers and pressure to "make it".

Harley on stage with Crash 74 - Photo by Paul Slattery

There's the enforced name change from Halfnelson to Sparks and we discover some of the hilarious, and slightly worrying, alternate names that the band might have been lumbered with. We follow the band to England and their first TV appearance on Old Grey Whistle Test and sold-out gig at the Marquee, their residency at The Pheasantry and the taste of what can be achieved on record company expenses. We then find out how an ill-fated trip to Zermatt in Switzerland became the final nail in the coffin for the band at that time. Harley speaks with candour about the Mael brothers, the Music business and his part in one of the greatest cult bands of all time. Soundtracked by lots of early Sparks songs, including material from their original demo album, this is a fascinating tale of Sparks' formative years.

Here is Episode 1 of Harley's story of Sparks, in which first of all, he starts off by talking about his current project Crash 74 and how this eclectic trans-Atlantic group - featuring members of his Californian based band, vocalist Michelle and bassist Paul Jensen, got together with ex-Revillos drummer and Roadholders front-man Nicky Forbes, trumpet player Dexy D'Angelo from The Stone Foundation, guitarist Stevie Savage from The Roadholders and Danielle Dax's band and saxophonist Lee Sullivan who also happens to be a Dr. Who comic book illustrator...For more information on Crash 74 and their fantastic summer gig at the 12 Bar Club in London, including exclusive Paul Slattery photographs, please check out the earlier Blog feature here. 

With many thanks to Harley for his cooperation - it's much appreciated.

New Retrosonic Podcast: "Sparks - Part 1: The Halfnelson Years" with original Sparks drummer Harley Feinstein + his latest band Crash 74

In this very special Edition of Retrosonic Podcast we are very pleased to welcome Harley Feinstein, the original drummer with Sparks. Harley appeared on the band's first two Bearsville Records albums "Halfnelson/Sparks" and "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing" back in the early Seventies, and this is his very own fascinating story about the formative years of one of Rock music's most innovative, independent and enduring bands. In Part 1, Harley talks about these early years, when Russell Mael first called in response to his "Musicians wanted" ad in a local record store. At the time of Harley's audition the band were originally known as Halfnelson, and he tells us of his first impressions of the Mael brothers and their music. Along the way we discover the importance of the mysterious Harold Zellman, and the equally exotically named Earle Mankey. We learn about the percussive tricks on the band's very first bootleg demo album, who were The Three Minute Earwash and which of the brothers was a rather macho sporty guy when Harley first met him, a clue...it wasn't Russell...!

Harley on stage with Crash 74 - Photo by Paul Slattery

Harley was over in the U.K. with his current side-project Crash 74, for a one-off gig at our favourite London venue, The 12 Bar Club, on Denmark Street. Crash 74 feature Harley on drums, Nicky Forbes from The Revillos on vocals and guitar, Stevie Savage from The Roadholders, Alien Sex Fiend and Danielle Dax's band on lead guitar, Dexy D'Angelo from The Stone Foundation on trumpet, Dr Who comic book illustrator Lee Sullivan on sax, Paul Jensen on bass and Harley's wife, Michelle, on vocals. Harley explains how this unlikely, eclectic (and Trans-Atlantic) bunch got together to form Crash 74 and put on one of the best gigs of the year so far. You can read a review of the gig along with some excellent and exclusive Paul Slattery Photos here...

Harley drumming with Crash 74 at The 12 Bar Club - Photo by Paul Slattery

You can download the first episode for free at our Retrosonic Podcast Soundcloud site.

"Sparks - Part 2: The Bearsville Records Years" is coming soon on Retrosonic...and this takes in the recording of their first album with Todd Rundgren and the classic "A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing". We then follow Harley and the band on their very first visit to the U.K. a country that embraced Sparks and where they made their second home. Harley takes us right up to the time that Island Records stepped in and signed the band and things wouldn't be quite the same again...

Crash 74 (L/R) Harley, Paul, Dexy, Nicky, Michelle, Stevie and Lee - Photo courtesy Paul Jensen

With many thanks to Harley for his enthusiasm and cooperation, it's very much appreciated.