THE 7″ LUCKY DIP (41) : Sparks – Amateur Hour

I would have just turned 11 years of age when Amateur Hour, the second Top 10 hit for Sparks in 1974 was being played on the radio and then most likely beamed into our homes via Top Of The Pops.  But it turns out that Sparks never got the opportunity to perform Amateur Hour on the telly here in the UK  as there was industrial action at the BBC during the summer of 1974, with the strikes leading to several editions of the show being cancelled and planned performances called off.  I’d like to think that Russell and Ron would have never crossed any picket line in any instance…….

As such you’ll have to make do with footage from a similar type of pop show for Belgian audiences:-

I reckon Sparks were the first weird looking band that I really took notice of in as much that Ron Mael creeped me (and I reckon millions of others)everyone out with his on-stage persona.  Turned out it really was all an act, and he is a very funny, charming man with a great sense of humour.

I’d love to claim that I somehow bought this in 1974, but I’d be lying.  Many decades later, I came across a decent enough copy in a second-hand store for the princely sum of 50p, and so had no hesitation in grabbing it and rushing across to the counter.

mp3: Sparks – Amateur Hour

I was also delighted in later years to learn that the song was a favourite of John Hunt, the lead singer of Butcher Boy, as he was happy to play it in his role as DJ at the unforgettable Little League nights that so often livened up my weekends back in the day.  John is quite a few years younger than me, and I’ve often wondered how he was ever exposed to its delights.

This was your b-side:-

mp3: Sparks – Lost And Found

A genuine b-side not made available on any album until the 2006 CD re-issue of Kimono My House, when a few bonus tracks were added.

Amateur Hour reached #7 in the singles chart.

 

 

JC