A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing

A wonderful merger of Johann Sebastian Bach’s nobility and David Bowie’s foppish hedonism, A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing is the first classic LP of Sparks’ career. The album is split between glam rock boogies adorned with choral arrangements and classical flourishes (“Girl from Germany,” “Beaver O’Lindy,” “The Lourve,” “Batteries Not Included”) and chamber music pieces twisted with rock-star eccentricities (“Here Comes Bob,” “Moon Over Kentucky”). For all their wild poses, Sparks manage to encompass the entire emotional spectrum, from the poignant intimacy of “Angus Desire” to the European grandeur of “The Louvre.” The centerpiece is a glorious rendition of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Do-Re-Mi” as only Sparks could do it. As a self-referential musical exercise and a rapidly climaxing piece of musical theater, the song's a perfect fit for this band. As had been the case with the first Sparks album, Woofer ends with an explosive and ascendant song of all-out rock 'n' roll. “Whippings and Apologies” shows that the Mael brothers, for all their diverse curiosities, still believed in the splendor of electric guitars played at maximum volume.