Balls (Sparks album)
Balls is the 18th album by the American rock band Sparks, released in 2000.[3]
Balls | ||||
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![]() The cover art for Balls, which originally came out in a variety of colors. | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 2000 | |||
Recorded | 1998-1999 | |||
Studio | Sparks Studios, Los Angeles, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 48:45 | |||
Label | Oglio (US), Recognition (UK) | |||
Producer | Ron Mael, Russell Mael | |||
Sparks chronology | ||||
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Singles from Balls | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Balls was a continuation of the techno-pop style that the duo had first explored on 1994's Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins, but employed harder, more uptempo beats, as well as a direct, aggressive approach derived from acts such as The Prodigy.[4] The album was packaged in a translucent jewel case that came in a variety of colours (red, yellow, green, blue, orange, black, and turquoise), with a reflective die-cut silver slipcase.
"It's a Knockoff" was recorded for the movie Knock Off, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, directed by the acclaimed Hong Kong based producer/director Tsui Hark[5] (who had appeared on his own tribute song by the band on Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins). It is featured over the closing credits.
Whilst critical reception Balls to was moderately positive, it was not a success in terms of chart performance and failed to match the performance of Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins. It did not chart in Germany, UK or US. "More Than A Sex Machine", "The Calm Before The Storm" and "The Angels" were released as singles but did not pick up any significant sales or radio play. The duo had already written a follow-up to Balls in a similar vein. However, the album's poor reception convinced them to abandon it and pursue a new direction entirely on 2002's Lil' Beethoven.
Re-issue
In 2008, Sparks' own record label Lil' Beethoven Records reissued the album in a digipak sleeve, featuring different sleeve-art and with two bonus tracks; "The Calm Before the Opera" and "The Calm Before the Storm (Full Length Instrumental)".
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael; except where indicated.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Balls" | 4:24 |
2. | "More than a Sex Machine" | 5:04 |
3. | "Scheherazade" | 4:29 |
4. | "Aeroflot" | 4:28 |
5. | "The Calm Before the Storm" | 4:03 |
6. | "How to Get Your Ass Kicked" | 4:19 |
7. | "Bullet Train" | 4:20 |
8. | "It's a Knockoff" | 3:42 |
9. | "Irreplaceable" | 5:06 |
10. | "It's Educational" | 4:02 |
11. | "The Angels" | 4:48 |
No. | Title | Length |
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12. | "Now That I Own The ABC" | 3:56 |
13. | "Balls" (Excerpt from Sparks Live in London) | |
14. | "Ron Levitates Baby Leroy" (Excerpt from Sparks Live in London) | |
15. | "Bullet Train" (Excerpt from Sparks Live in London) | |
16. | "Beat the Clock" (Excerpt from Sparks Live in London) | |
17. | "This Town Ain't Big Enough" (Ron Mael) (Excerpt from Sparks Live in London) |
No. | Title | Length |
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12. | "Calm Before The Opera" | 3:09 |
13. | "Calm Before The Storm" (Full-Length Instrumental) | 5:03 |
No. | Title | Length |
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12. | "It's a Sparks Show" | 1:20 |
13. | "Calm Before the Opera" | 3:06 |
14. | "The Angels (Sparks Alternative Version)" | 3:43 |
15. | "More Than a Sex Machine (Sparks Definitive Version - Radio Edit)" | 3:40 |
16. | "The Angels (Tony Visconti Version)" | 3:49 |
17. | "The Oblongs" | 0:57 |
18. | "A Cute Candidate Opening Theme" | 1:59 |
19. | "The Race for President" | 1:50 |
Personnel
- Russell Mael - vocals, production
- Ron Mael - keyboards, programming, production
- Tammy Glover - drums
- Aksinja Berger - speech on "Aeroflot"
- Amelia Cone - narration on "Scheherazade"
- John Thomas - mixing, engineering
References
- "Sparks - Record Collector Magazine".
- Allmusic review
- "Balls - Sparks | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- https://coverartarchive.org/release/30066b3a-1417-4614-82cf-21d97e39e0b1/25123807288.jpg
- J.R. Taylor. "Lively Sparks". New York Press. Archived from the original on 2006-05-27. Retrieved 2006-04-13.