Sorry, sold out!
After having visited Brad Day in Atlanta, who showed him a cd of Gary Numan fans covering his songs, Ruud Swart came up with the same idea for Sparks.
As an initiative from Fan Mael, we have prepared the release of a cd full of Sparks songs recorded by their fans.
For that purpose, we invited anybody remotely involved
in playing music, who thought they could add something to this cd, or just
wanted to share their interpretation of a Sparks song, to send us one or
two songs, previously recorded by Sparks.
Click here to retrieve the full contents of the CD booklet (PDF - 150 Kb)
Review by Carl Caprioglio - director of Oglio Records:
Well done Sparks fans! I was very impressed at the range of musical styles
represented on the Sparks tribute: Amateur Hour. Sparks fans certainly do
have a wide range of interpretations most of which are anything but
amateur. Overall this two CD set was a fun listen. If you are a Sparks fan
this CD will make you appreciate Sparks and their songwriting at another
level. Buy it and enjoy!
Click here to read a (long) review by Mr. L. Graves from the Canadese "Grave Times"
Click here to read what the local press wrote
Click here to read what the regional press wrote
Click here to read what the international press wrote
Stephane Kurtz wrote us:
It is quite wonderful, even my non-Sparksian spouse liked it. We had a
little game of "the tribute CD from my music list is better than the tribute
CD from yours (his being the Rolling Stones)"
And he highly agreed.
Thank you once again for your efforts; it has been a blast to listen to.
Les Birchall wrote us:
May I congratulate
you and all those involved in producing the CD.
The quality of the packaging and content is superb.
Dave Roberts wrote us:
I received the CDs yesterday, heard it all last night and I was actually a
little disappointed when it ended... It's marvellous.
I could've listened to many more CDs like that....
Congratulations on a fantastic product and brilliant, professional quality.
Rod Faulkner wrote us:
I thought I would just let you know that I have received the Amateur
Hour C.D. I'm not quite sure what I expected but it is absolutely fantastic
! Not only is the quality and variety of the music superb but the whole
package is so professional, well done !
Alan Phaur wrote us:
If there really is anybody on the list who hasn't got their own copy, it is
wonderful and you must be off your trolley.
The cds are an incredible feat and must represent an enormous amount of work
and effort. I am sure you must have been told a hundred times that it was
definitely worth it. I know that you would probably appreciate some sort of
acknowledgement from R&R and I hope you get this.
Thank you very much Carl and Ruud and whoever.
From the Telex Information Service:
This a a very professional set. Both packaging and sound quality are of a very
high standard. Forget your preconceptions about amateur tribute albums. This
CD set breaks the mould! Professionally recorded and mixed and
professionally printed, pressed and produced.
John Dignan wrote us:
Before I disappear to sunny Barcelona for 10 days or so, I had to
congratulate everyone involved in the Amateur Hour project.
What a brilliant result!!
The time and effort put into it couldn't have been better spent. It shows
talent and dedication that Ron and Russell should be extremely proud of.
Ruud, CvB, Carl Oglio, all contributors - you deserve medals!
Rob Morgan from Poplust Magazine wrote:
Like everyone else, I must say that I'm mighty impressed! This
CD is truly something every Sparks fan will thoroughly enjoy & would be
proud to have in their collections.
Seriously, ORDER THIS LP- I SWEAR you'll enjoy it!!! REALLY!! Go right now
to http://www.fanmael.net for info... and tell 'em The CAPTAIN sent ya....
WOOOOO!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Click here to read Rob's full (long: track by track) review.
Tom Francis wrote us:
There are too many Sparks fans out there who don't own this, and it's a crime.
This compilation is just such a
shockingly *good* one that it's impossible to do it justice in text without it sounding like some tacky sales pitch.
Click here to read Tom's full (long: track by track) review.
From Jimmy Possession's "Robots and Electronic Brains" website:
The label has probably given it away already but, if not, welcome to a Sparks tribute double album featuring bands from the Sparks internet list, mainly from the UK
and US but also Australian, German and Dutch. Robots.. faves the Cuban Boys pop up on disc 2 ("heavier") doing "A song that sings itself" pretty straight (no
surprise when you know a bit about their murky past!) and God/Monster cover "The No.1 song in heaven" on disc 1 ("quieter") but, beyond that, they're all new to
me and I don't particularly like Sparks, so you know you're getting a fair review...this time, at least haa ahahahahah...Highlights: The Quackle tackles "This town ain't
big enough for both of us" faithfully enough and with a bit of a spark but can't hold a candle to Egnekn's Daughter who play toys and kitchenware as an 8-year-old
sings the eminently suitable lyrics to "Those mysteries" in her own sweet time. The Wonder Boys clatter through "When do I get to sing my way" in a Glitter Band
meets Mud rush and, best of the lot, Collider's gabba theatricality, Lydonesque sneer and Casio camp steal the show on "Something for the girl with everything"
which is pretty much the only track on here that captures the archly eccentric edge and abandon that Sparks displayed at their peak. It's over the top, kitchen sink
pop and so much more than a respectful cover. As new reviewer Jyoti might say: buy it if you're a Sparks fan, don't buy it if you're not.
R.Stevie Moore and Krystyna Olsiewicz wrote us:
My box got here, safe and sound.
Thanks very very much!!!!
They look and sound terrific...
Haven't found the hidden track. Tell me what it is! Lemme know if you
get any reactions from R & R > > >
Jay Bond wrote us:
I got mine in the mael today, and although I only had time to listen to tracks
1-8 on the first disc before coming back to work, I must say that it is
uniformly EXCELLENT and if you don't have it, get it. Who would have imagined
an acoustic version of Beat the Clock? (ans.- Steve Murray, that's who) That
so many different musical styles work so well with the music of the brothers
Mael is proof of two things: 1) The songwriting is peerless in pop music, and 2)
Sparks fans are the most intelligent and talented (definitely an asset) fans in
the world. A personal thank you to all the contributors and organizers.
Thanks!!!!!
Colin Black wrote us:
I would also like to express my thanks to you for the time and effort of everyone at Fanmael for this excellent
project. I think the whole CD (i.e. contents and packaging) is supremely
impressive, and have really enjoyed listening to it repeatedly.
Ingrid Hambuch wrote us:
Hi,
today morning I finally received my desperately waiting for "Amateur Hour". I
thought, I'll play it once, that'll be ok for it. I expected something, but
nothing special. NO! I really NEVER expected THAT!! WOW! I'm playing it over
and over the whole day now! Really great work! The songs are ALL excellent!
Steve Whitehead wrote us:
This double cd is going to stay in my machine for a long time: I love it
Andreas Huene wrote us:
Hi there,
just-in-time to my birthday I got my copy of the Tribute CDs and can't
tell how much I enjoy them! They are so much fun!!
Thank you so much to all the contributors and to all who made them
possible!
I am so very happy about them - thank you all!
Dave Styles wrote us:
Hi
CDs arrived this morning - BRILLIANT !!!!!
They are really good. Well done, and thank you. I love all of the tracks.
Only one comment - in the next one (!) can you do a version of "Marry Me"
please :)
Rob Pel wrote us:
Afgelopen zaterdag viel jullie CD bij mij op de deurmat. Het duurde nog even
voor ik tijd had om er eens uitgebreid voor te gaan zitten. Ik heb er nu een
paar keer naar geluisterd en ik kan niet anders zeggen dan dat het wachten
meer dan de moeite waard was. Echt hartstikke leuk, mijn complimenten!
En zonder anderen te kort te willen doen: Cuban Boys, Collider en R. Stevie
Moore (Here Comes Bob) zijn wat mij betreft TOP.
(as-complete-as-possible means without any copyright infringements, so lyrics and some copyrighted pictures are not included)
All local copies of above mentioned websites are accessable for PC and MAC !!!
