The Birth Of Sparks - From Beach Boys To Blighty

Episode

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

20180523

20200202 (6M)
20230810 (6M)
20230520 (R2)

Too ahead of their time for the hippy trippy LA scene, a last throw of the musical dice (and a change of name) saw them despatched to London where they found favour with an Art School rock crowd hungry for more of the kind of showmanship deployed by Bowie and Roxy Music.

The first programme in this two part odyssey deals with their rise from being music fans to creators and how an encounter with super-producer Todd Rundgren at an out-of-town dog kennel workshop finally landed them their big break...

As teenagers they lived the Californian dream, surfing by day and going to gigs and parties at night. The venues on LA's famous Sunset Strip gave them front row access to homegrown stars like The Doors and The Byrds and also the British 'invasion' of groups like The Small Faces, The Who and The Move and a young David Bowie...

This melting pot of innovative music, lyrics and fashion provided a platform for the Mael brothers to find their own musical direction.

Sparks on Sunset is a riveting documentary that re-contextualises beloved pop classics through the first-hand experiences of the veteran art-rockers who're celebrating fifty years of making music together.

Katie Puckrik talks to Ron & Russell Mael from Sparks about the music that shaped them.

The first programme in this two-part odyssey deals with their rise from being music fans to creators and how an encounter with super-producer Todd Rundgren at an out-of-town dog kennel workshop finally landed them their big break...

Two-part documentary about the American rock duo Sparks.

Delve deeper into the stories behind your favourite artists.

02 LAST

20180530

20200202 (6M)
20230810 (6M)
20200209 (R2)
20230520 (R2)
20230528 (R2)

As LA teenagers, the Maels prowled the clubs of the Sunset Strip, witnessing first-hand early gigs by the likes of The Doors (Russell modelled his look on Jim Morrison's), The Byrds, Bob Dylan, The Ronettes, Love, Buffalo Springfield, Alice Cooper (whose song 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' was...uh...inspired by Sparks' song of the same name), The Beach Boys and Todd Rundgren (who produced Sparks' first album, and whose girlfriend Russell stole as a thank you).

Too ahead of their time for the hippy trippy Los Angeles scene, a last throw of the musical dice (and a change of name) saw them despatched to London where they found favour with an Art School rock crowd hungry for more of the kind of showmanship deployed by David Bowie and Roxy Music.

The second part of this two act saga sees the brothers Mael swapping sun-kissed California for grimy early-70s London and their eventual rise to chart-topping success at the height of Glam.

Despite their run of top ten hits in the mid-70s, their future success wasn't at all a given and after failing to gain traction in their homeland, their label boss suggested that swapping the Californian sunshine for the grey skies of London might be the way forward. Oh and they changed their name from Half Nelson to Sparks along the way.

As part of the Art School/Glam scene they got swept up with Roxy Music, Queen and the frothy feather boa pop of The Sweet and finally found their niche five thousand miles from home.

Ron and Russell talk candidly to Katie Puckrik about their early struggles as beach boys far from home, finally cracking the market and the characters they met along the way.

Katie Puckrik quizzes Ron and Russell Mael from Sparks about their musical journey.

As LA teenagers, the Maels prowled the clubs of the Sunset Strip, witnessing first-hand early gigs by the likes of The Doors (Russell modelled his look on Jim Morrison's), The Byrds, Bob Dylan, The Ronettes, Love, Buffalo Springfield, Alice Cooper (whose song No More Mr. Nice Guy was inspired by Sparks' song of the same name), The Beach Boys and Todd Rundgren (who produced Sparks' first album, and whose girlfriend Russell stole as a thank you).

The second part of this two-act saga sees the brothers Mael swapping sun-kissed California for grimy early-70s London and their eventual rise to chart-topping success at the height of Glam.

As LA teenagers, the Maels prowled the clubs of the Sunset Strip, witnessing first-hand early gigs by the likes of The Doors (Russell modelled his look on Jim Morrison's), The Byrds, BOB DYLAN, The Ronettes, Love, Buffalo Springfield, ALICE COOPER (whose song 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' was...uh...inspired by Sparks' song of the same name), The Beach Boys and Todd Rundgren (who produced Sparks' first album, and whose girlfriend Russell stole as a thank you).

Two-part documentary about the American rock duo Sparks.

Delve deeper into the stories behind your favourite artists.

Episodes

Episode	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	20180523	20200202 (6M) 20230810 (6M) 20230520 (R2)	As LA teenagers, the Maels prowled the clubs of the Sunset Strip, witnessing first-hand early gigs by the likes of The Doors (Russell modelled his look on Jim Morrison's), The Byrds, Bob Dylan, The Ronettes, Love, Buffalo Springfield, Alice Cooper and The Beach Boys. Too ahead of their time for the hippy trippy LA scene, a last throw of the musical dice (and a change of name) saw them despatched to London where they found favour with an Art School rock crowd hungry for more of the kind of showmanship deployed by Bowie and Roxy Music. The first programme in this two part odyssey deals with their rise from being music fans to creators and how an encounter with super-producer Todd Rundgren at an out-of-town dog kennel workshop finally landed them their big break... As teenagers they lived the Californian dream, surfing by day and going to gigs and parties at night. The venues on LA's famous Sunset Strip gave them front row access to homegrown stars like The Doors and The Byrds and also the British 'invasion' of groups like The Small Faces, The Who and The Move and a young David Bowie... This melting pot of innovative music, lyrics and fashion provided a platform for the Mael brothers to find their own musical direction. Sparks on Sunset is a riveting documentary that re-contextualises beloved pop classics through the first-hand experiences of the veteran art-rockers who're celebrating fifty years of making music together. Katie Puckrik talks to Ron & Russell Mael from Sparks about the music that shaped them. The first programme in this two-part odyssey deals with their rise from being music fans to creators and how an encounter with super-producer Todd Rundgren at an out-of-town dog kennel workshop finally landed them their big break... As LA teenagers, the Maels prowled the clubs of the Sunset Strip, witnessing first-hand early gigs by the likes of The Doors (Russell modelled his look on Jim Morrison's), The Byrds, BOB DYLAN, The Ronettes, Love, Buffalo Springfield, ALICE COOPER and The Beach Boys. As teenagers they lived the Californian dream, surfing by day and going to gigs and parties at night. The venues on LA's famous Sunset Strip gave them front row access to homegrown stars like The Doors and The Byrds and also the British 'invasion' of groups like The Small Faces, The Who and The Move and a young DAVID BOWIE... Two-part documentary about the American rock duo Sparks. Delve deeper into the stories behind your favourite artists.
02 LAST	20180530	20200202 (6M) 20230810 (6M) 20200209 (R2) 20230520 (R2) 20230528 (R2)	As LA teenagers, the Maels prowled the clubs of the Sunset Strip, witnessing first-hand early gigs by the likes of The Doors (Russell modelled his look on Jim Morrison's), The Byrds, Bob Dylan, The Ronettes, Love, Buffalo Springfield, Alice Cooper (whose song 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' was...uh...inspired by Sparks' song of the same name), The Beach Boys and Todd Rundgren (who produced Sparks' first album, and whose girlfriend Russell stole as a thank you). Too ahead of their time for the hippy trippy Los Angeles scene, a last throw of the musical dice (and a change of name) saw them despatched to London where they found favour with an Art School rock crowd hungry for more of the kind of showmanship deployed by David Bowie and Roxy Music. The second part of this two act saga sees the brothers Mael swapping sun-kissed California for grimy early-70s London and their eventual rise to chart-topping success at the height of Glam. Despite their run of top ten hits in the mid-70s, their future success wasn't at all a given and after failing to gain traction in their homeland, their label boss suggested that swapping the Californian sunshine for the grey skies of London might be the way forward. Oh and they changed their name from Half Nelson to Sparks along the way. As part of the Art School/Glam scene they got swept up with Roxy Music, Queen and the frothy feather boa pop of The Sweet and finally found their niche five thousand miles from home. Ron and Russell talk candidly to Katie Puckrik about their early struggles as beach boys far from home, finally cracking the market and the characters they met along the way. Katie Puckrik quizzes Ron and Russell Mael from Sparks about their musical journey. As LA teenagers, the Maels prowled the clubs of the Sunset Strip, witnessing first-hand early gigs by the likes of The Doors (Russell modelled his look on Jim Morrison's), The Byrds, Bob Dylan, The Ronettes, Love, Buffalo Springfield, Alice Cooper (whose song No More Mr. Nice Guy was inspired by Sparks' song of the same name), The Beach Boys and Todd Rundgren (who produced Sparks' first album, and whose girlfriend Russell stole as a thank you). The second part of this two-act saga sees the brothers Mael swapping sun-kissed California for grimy early-70s London and their eventual rise to chart-topping success at the height of Glam. As LA teenagers, the Maels prowled the clubs of the Sunset Strip, witnessing first-hand early gigs by the likes of The Doors (Russell modelled his look on Jim Morrison's), The Byrds, BOB DYLAN, The Ronettes, Love, Buffalo Springfield, ALICE COOPER (whose song 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' was...uh...inspired by Sparks' song of the same name), The Beach Boys and Todd Rundgren (who produced Sparks' first album, and whose girlfriend Russell stole as a thank you). Too ahead of their time for the hippy trippy Los Angeles scene, a last throw of the musical dice (and a change of name) saw them despatched to London where they found favour with an Art School rock crowd hungry for more of the kind of showmanship deployed by DAVID BOWIE and Roxy Music. Two-part documentary about the American rock duo Sparks. Delve deeper into the stories behind your favourite artists.