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Propaganda
Guns. Bombs. Gangsters. Sparks.
It's London in 1974, and Sparks is a band on the rise. Kimono My House, their first album for Island Records, has been an instant smash yielding two top ten singles and a sold out British tour. Now brothers Ron and Russell Mael, the band's songwriter and singer who have relocated to England, face the daunting task of recording a follow up. They have the songs, and a crack British backing band. The only problem is they're kidnapped one morning on their way to the studio. Over the course of one crazy summer day, Ron and Russell fend off IRA terrorists, have a showdown with East End gangsters, and are thrown bound and gagged into the back of a speedboat. Meanwhile, their band drives all over the capital trying to save them. An original and loving backstory behind one of rock music's most iconic record sleeves, Propaganda shows that it's hard to record an album if you're dead.
It's London in 1974, and Sparks is a band on the rise. Kimono My House, their first album for Island Records, has been an instant smash yielding two top ten singles and a sold out British tour. Now brothers Ron and Russell Mael, the band's songwriter and singer who have relocated to England, face the daunting task of recording a follow up. They have the songs, and a crack British backing band. The only problem is they're kidnapped one morning on their way to the studio. Over the course of one crazy summer day, Ron and Russell fend off IRA terrorists, have a showdown with East End gangsters, and are thrown bound and gagged into the back of a speedboat. Meanwhile, their band drives all over the capital trying to save them. An original and loving backstory behind one of rock music's most iconic record sleeves, Propaganda shows that it's hard to record an album if you're dead.
148 pages, Paperback
Published October 3, 2024
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May 17, 2025
Based on a true story? Maybe. This is a Sparks saga on crime and intrigue, a wonderfully told mini-book, peppered with references that only Sparks fans will pick up on. Charlie, Parker, Achoo, At Home At Work at Play and of course the brothers fourth LP, all in there along with some wise guys and a plot twist at the end. Excellent.
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