Sparks – Ron and Russell Mael – release a 2 CD souvenir of their recent ‘Two Hands One Mouth’ European tour that saw the American brothers perform as a duo for the first time.
With no band & no computers, Ron (two hands…on keyboards) and Russell (one mouth…on vocals) presented the very essence of Sparks and their extensive catalogue in a show of impact, energy and aggression. This unique performance is now available on what will be Sparks’ first live album.
Ron and Russell explain:
“This is the first ever official live recording of Sparks. The ‘Two Hands One Mouth’ tour in Europe, from which these recordings were taken (the tour continued in Japan and soon America), has been an exceptional experience for us and, judging by the reaction and feedback, also a memorable and emotional event for Sparks’ fans. As a result, we want to celebrate the event with a souvenir for all Sparks ‘ fans that captures this tour and the unique format of the performance. While we began the tour with certain fears of not having the safety net of a band or computers, we soon realized that the format was wildly successful (for us and for the audience) in highlighting in the purest form the core elements of what Sparks has always been–our musical world conveyed through our songs and our vocals and performed in a most aggressive way. What seemed to always set us apart was, we think, made emphatic in this format.
We don’t consider this album as a substitute for Sparks’ next studio recording, but rather as a special souvenir of an event that, as most Sparks fans will know, will most likely be followed by our moving in some different and, we hope, puzzling new direction. Until then, here is/are Two Hands One Mouth.”