The Boney 500: Album #108

[T_Bone0806]

Ya'll are going to think I've lost my mind with this one:


108. KIMONO MY HOUSE-SPARKS (1974)

This is a band that most of you will hate. To say they are an acquired taste is putting it mildly. For some reason,
the band really clicked with me when I first heard them, and 3 of their first 4 albums remain among my favorites.
Quirky with a capital Q, they got even more eccentric with each record until a period of scaling back a bit and
almost hitting the Top 40 twice in their native US in the early 80's, before once again diving into the deep end
of the weirdness pool. They did enjoy considerable success in England and other countries, however. The band
centers around Russell Mael (frenetic vocalist) and his brother, keyboardist Ron (who would sit motionless and either
scowl or grin disturbingly)....the music itself is lively and fun, and if you can get past
Russell's "distinctive" vocals, you will discover some incredibly clever, even downright hilarious
lyrics. Topics include the parents of Albert Einstein pleading for some privacy for their genius son
("Talent Is An Asset"), losing one's..umm..innocence ("Amateur Hour"--sample lyric: "it's a lot like
playing the violin, you cannot start off and be Yahudi Menuhin") and the sad story of a young man who
made a Lover's Leap pact with his lady love, he jumped first..and she changed her mind. Now he's "Here In
Heaven" ("do I qualify as Dearly Departed or am I that sucker in the sky, the fall guy for the first and
the last time"). Again, if you can get past the voice, there's gold here.