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Propaganda | 
| Artist: Sparks
Label: Commercial Marketing
Category: Music
List Price: £8.99
Buy New: £4.98
You Save: £4.01 (45%)
New (46) Used (8) from £3.65
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 6453
Media: Audio CD
Running Time: 46
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 9843410
UPC: 602498434109
EAN: 0602498434109
ASIN: B000I8NGJ6
Release Date: October 9, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Propaganda | | • | At Home At Work At Play | | • | Reinforcements | | • | B.C. | | • | Thanks But No Thanks | | • | Don't Leave Me Alone With Her | | • | Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth | | • | Something For The Girl With Everything | | • | Achoo | | • | Who Don't Like Kids | | • | Bon Voyage | | • | Alabamy Right | | • | Marry Me | | • | Interview |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Ah, the eternal problem of how to follow up the overnight success. It's often the case that groups change their sound and image to keep up the commercial winning streak once they hit the big time, often at the expense of their original appeal. Sparks, however, are a law unto themselves. Whatever acclaim was brought by Kimono My House appears to have been ignored by the Mael brothers, who instead solidified the style of demented, sinister pop songs that the band pioneered. In this case, Ron Mael's eye for lyrical detail, welded to an off-kilter tune, makes for a unique offering. Who else could write the utterly sincere "Bon Voyage", sung from the viewpoint of the animals that didn't get onto Noah's Ark? Also apparent is an early indication of Sparks' reluctance to be pigeonholed as a guitar band; the opening title track is an acapella offering, while the jazzy flourishes that colour the following album Indiscreet make their appearances on nearly every track. Sure, they still rock out, especially on "At Home, At Work, At Play" and "Something for the Girl with Everything", but the detail beneath the surface shows Sparks' unique gift for the darkly humourous. Highly recommended. --Thom Allott
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| Customer Reviews:
'Bon Voyage' indeed!!! June 9, 2008
As great an album as it's predecessor (Kimono ...) undoubtedly is, Propaganda outshines it - and some. At the age of 9 back in 74/75, this album barely left my turntable for 6 months and still airs regularly to this day, albeit in the CD format.
From the brilliant singles 'Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth' and 'Something For The Girl With Everything' through to the lesser known 'Reinforcements', 'Don't Leave me alone With Her' and 'ABC' to name a few, this album is classic and timeless pop.
Sparks had an edge that the rest of glam didn't and duly influenced the vital punk revolution to come a couple of years later. Ironically by this time Sparks had changed direction (to their detriment in my opinion).
This album however, stands as one of the alltime greats and it pains me slightly that I'm not able to give it more than the 5 stars available.
The perfect pop/rock album April 20, 2008
I,m not going to go into details on all the tracks........they are ALL brilliant. I think this is a far better album than Kimono My House, which although excellent, has peaks and troughs.
This truly is a criminally underated album, not just of the 70s, but of all time. Most importantly, it does not sound dated, just like other works of arts which are timeless in thier beauty (possibly because Sparks sounded like no one else at the time, or since.). It also has posibbly the best intro going into the second song ever !
Brilliant! February 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Propaganda is one of Sparks's classic albums and still sounds as fresh today as on its first release. Full of infectious, catchy songs, it is a fast paced album as the band whisks you along on the crest of the wave of their up-tempo rhythms.
For me, whilst they're still good today, Sparks have lost a little bit of the urgency that made this and other earlier albums like "Kimono My House" so special.
It's absolutely great! Everyone will have their own personal favourite - mine is "At Home, At Work, At Play" - but they're all brilliant really!
MInes a Pint November 22, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The only currently working band who can be said to possess GENIUS.
One of the highlights of the decade taste forgot and absolutely wonderful..
But the latest albums are sublime.
Reissue of Sparks second classic from 1974... October 17, 2006
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
Obviously `Kimono My House' (released the same year as this album) is an accepted classic album, but perhaps this 21st Century Editions reissue programme will remind people there is another classic: `Propaganda.'
The original 11-track album is present and correct, the Mael brothers joined by Dinky Diamond, T White, Ian Hampton, Adrian Fisher, and producer Muff Winwood - like `Kimono' this album fits well alongside the stuff they called glam rock: Aladdin-Bowie, T-Rex, The Sweet, The Rubettes, Roxy Music, Sailor, the Glitter act we don't talk about now etc. Having the pleasure of seeing Sparks on their latest tour, it was notable that after their latest `Hello Young Lovers' (played in its entirety), it was `Propaganda' that got the biggest airing with storming versions of `Achoo', `Something for the Girl with Everything', `Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth' & `At Home At Work At Play' (...or perhaps I have the wrong song for the start of the encore?).
`Propaganda' is very much a relative of `Kimono', a magnificent blend of pop and pomp, glam and prog...the stuff that Billy Mackenzie later tagged popera maybe? `Propaganda' is one of their classic albums closest to `Kimono' - `Number One in Heaven' (reissue! Expand! Etc!) a far more electronic wonder, while the recent `Lil' Beethoven' and `Hello Young Lovers' are much more modern (& great!). The album is packed full of highlights, but the ones I like the best are the dramatic `At Home....', the hilarious `Don't Leave Me Alone with Her', the euphoric `Something for the Girl with Everything' (which I'd take over `This Town...! & was memorably re-recorded by Sparks & Faith No More on their `Plagiarism' album), and the catchy art rock of `Achoo.' Best of all has to be `Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth', one of those great singles (see `Outdoor Miner', `Showgirl', `Waterloo Sunset', `William, It Was Really Nothing', `Cry Me a River', `Just Like Honey'...) and a song that has been covered by Martin L Gore (`Counterfeit e.p.) and Billy Mackenzie (`Eurocentric'). & I'm sure that the great West-German electronic outfit Propaganda got their name from here...or Paul Morley picked it or something!!
The repackage is great, as is the budget price - the liner notes are fantastic, littered with photos, notes, lyrics and the like - the cherry on the cake...and can we note `Propaganda' has one of the great album covers too? There are a few bonus tracks - the so-so `Alabamy Right' and the single `Marry Me' - the latter anticipating the material on `Indiscreet' and `Big Beat' (e.g. `England', `Get in the Swing'). & if all that isn't enough there's a seven-minute interview! How could you not have to buy this, take on the Sugababes directive and push the button!!!!
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