Probably not complete yet, but we do our best !
1996 Radioshow plugged
Cassette on Jesus Records, contains a Polish version of "Now That I Own The BBC"
Amateur Hour - When Do I Get To Do It My Way - a global tribute to Sparks by their fans.
Double CD released by the guys from this website in May 1999.
Andy Blade made a version of "Without Using Hands" on his 1994 CD album "From Planet Pop to the Mental Shop", released in the UK on Creative Man Records (CMCD 007).
Billy MacKenzie
recorded his version of
"Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth"
on the CD "EUROCENTRIC" and also on the internet-only CDM "Wild Is The Wind" - available from
http://www.rolinc.co.uk
(Info from Benoit de Fleurac)
Canned Rock produced an album with a couple of Swedish covers and a version of "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us".
Chinese Detectives
have released their version of "All You Ever Think About Is Sex" on their album
"Are Kisses Out Of Fashion ?"
More info at
http://www.planetrecords.no
Christian Fry recorded in 1997 his version of "When I'm With You"
Cuban Boys recently performed their version of
The No. 1 Song In Heaven
during a John Peel session for BBC Radio.
(Thanks Tim Brooks (again) for this info)
Depeche Mode regulary plays/played "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth" during concerts. A flexidisk with a recording of this track has been distributed amongst their fans.
Don Maclean & Peter Glaze performed
"Something For The Girl With Everything" in the mid-70's in BBC's Children Program
"Crackerjack".
(Info from Dr. Colin G. Black)
Belgium band Daan
recorded their version of
"Hospitality On Parade"
for a Belgian tribute to the Glamrock (Glittering 2000 - PiaS records).
(Info from Christophe Horlin)
Glam Rock All Stars
- alias for Bob Bradbury, former lead singer of "Hello", recorded a lot of "mega mix" CD's since 1997. On one of these CD's ("Glamtastic") you can hear his sad attempt of
"This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us", directly followed by
"Amateur Hour", squeezed inbetween "Elected" and "Virginia Plain".
(Info from Jan Artl)
Heaven's Gate covered "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" on their 1996 "Planet E." album.
French band Indochine covered "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth" on a 1992 boxset (CD5, EMI France SPCD 1610).
During their JET re-issue 2000 "Nothing to do with us" promotion tour, (the legendary) John's Children / Jet / Radio Stars played their version of Barbecutie (available on the live-CD "Music For The Herd Of Herring").
Finnish (humor-punk)band
Kontra
recorded
"Do Re Mi"
and
"Talent Is An Asset"
in Finnish in 1978 (LP "Kontran Toinen Puoli" Love Records LRLP 291).
"Do Re Mi" had the same name in Finnish, but Talent Is An Asset was called
"Lahjakkuus on hyve" which actually means the same. Only Albert had changed
to Adolf. (Yeah, you're right, it tells from A Hitler, propably)
(Info from Antero Viitala)
Lill Lindfors released a Swedish version of "Talent Is An Asset". This song "Albert aer begaavad" is included on an album called "Fritt Fram".
Mark Burgess and
Yves Altana
released their version of
"Moon Over Kentucky"
on their 1995 "Sin" CD and "Hollin High" single.
The single and album were put out in 1995 on the Dead Dead Good label - Good32cd is the catalog number.
Sparks are one of Mark's major influences, and they even wrote a note at the bottom of the single: "The original version of
'Moon over Kentucky' can be found along with other bursts of brilliance on the
album 'Sparks - a Woofer in Tweeters Clothing'".
(info from Rand)
Martin Gore
released his version of
"Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth" on his solo album "Counterfeit" (1989).
(Info from Gerald Wrede and according him/Max Goldt: Martin Gore has recorded more Sparks covers than only this one)
My Mothers Dream made a version of "B.C.". It seems that Ron and Russell actually loved this version.
New Order
played their version of
"When I'm With You" during live performances.
One of these performances has been bootlegged.
(info from Harry Young)
Page released a Swedish version of
"Reinforcements".
This song "Ge mej forstarkning" is the second track on a CD-single they made in 1996.
Page also recorded a song, as a B-side, called "Lyssna på din mamma" (Listen to your mother). This song is VERY influenced by "Talent is an asset" and has sampled the drums from that song.
(info from Sverker Haraldsson,
Bengt Nilsson and Hans Jonsson)
Picky Picnic released their version of
"Do Re Mi"
on a German sampler on the Atatak label.
(Info from Gerald Wrede, and according him: Picky Picnic has recorded more Sparks covers than only this one)
PUTTIN ON THE HITS,
a TV-show hosted by Dick Clark in the 80's, featured imposters dressed and performing
"Angst In My Pants",
absolutely THE BEST SPARKS IMPERSONATION AROUND!!!
Info from Rebecca
R. Stevie Moore
recorded several years ago his version of
"Fletcher Honorama"
Previously issued on cassette album "The Day The Earth Stood On Stilts", rsmcc NJ223 / 1996,
and on his CD "The Future Is Worse Than The Past" and on the
Fan Mael "Amateur Hour" Sparks Tribute (Double-)CD!
Stevie also released a hard rock version of
"Here Comes Bob" in 1994, with Krystyna Olsiewicz.
This track is released on cassette albums WHO CARES, rsmcc label NJ204 (1994),
vocal & instrumental versions; and UNPOPULAR SINGER, rsmcc NJ203.
The song is also released on the
Fan Mael "Amateur Hour" Sparks Tribute (Double-)CD!
Recently Stevie also added Sparks'
"The Decline And Fall Of Me"
to his live setlist.
A live acoustic version of "The Decline And Fall Of Me" recorded at the
Mercury Lounge in NYC is slated for inclusion on R. Stevie's upcoming 2CDR set,
"I'LL SAY IT'S MY FAULT", due in September 1999 on his own CDRSM label.
No cover, but certainly mentionable: R. Stevie recently put an original song called "Mael Intuition" on his setlist.
(info from Colin Gordon Black,
Irwin Chusid and
R. Stevie Moore himself)
Sex Clark Five
covered "Talent Is An Asset" on their
3rd BBC John Peel session.
(info from Dee Lewis)
Siouxsie And The Banshees - their album "Through The Looking Glass" (1987) contains their version of "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us".
Smith & Mighty
- dance/techno act, recorded a track "Too Late" in the early 90's which makes heavily use of the piano theme of
"This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us".
(Info from Jan Artl)
The Beloved
covered their version of
"When I'm With You" for a Giorgio Moroder tribute album - however: it's not on that album.
You can listen to the clip at
http://www.dj-empire.com/audio/belovyou.ram.
(Info from Jakob / Graceland Sthlm)
The Edit
made a dance version of
"This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us".
(Info from Bart van den Hoogen)
In 1974, Finnish band The Matthews
turned
"Wonder Girl" into "Se Oli Hän".
(Info from Petteri Aro)
ZZ Top are rumoured to have played a Telex song "Exercise Is Good For You" (lyrics by Ron & Russell) at the end of every concert for years !
Many more covers by various (even -more- professional) artists on the Fan Mael "Amateur Hour" Sparks Tribute (Double-)CD !
Recorded (but unreleased) covers we are aware of:
Sparks samples used in other recordings:
Compiled by Carl van Breukelen, last update 27 October 2002.