Day 17: Plagiarism

A black and white picture of two well built men in tight shorts standing on a white background. The heads of the men may not be actually related to the bodies. The man the with curly hair is on the left. The man with the small moustache also now has glasses and is on the right.

Following the success of 'Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins' , 'Plagiarism'. Sparks' 17th LP, was, perhaps unexpectedly, reworkings of songs from their history featuring versions of their hit singles and otherwise performed in a variety of styles, from an orchestral 'This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us' , a choir backed 'When Do I Get To Sing My Way'. 'Angst in My Pants' as a Nine Inch Nails-ish industrial banger. Erasure do 'Amateur Hour', Jimmy Somerville sings 'The Number One Song in Heaven' - you get the idea. Some work remarkably well, such as 'This Town Ain't Big Enough...' with an orchestra, but less so with Mike Patton from Faith No More 'Beat the Clock' and 'No1 Song in Heaven (part 2)' get a modern hi-NRG treatment; 'Change' is turned into a light orchestral song from a musical. The centrepiece is probably the orchestral version of 'The Number One Song In Heaven' sung by Jimmy Somerville, both stately and sublime at the same time. It's a combination of a celebration of their past, thanks to fans and people who were inspired by them and where they want to be, with a full orchestra playing techno.