Sparks, No. 1 in Heaven (side A)

No. 1 in Heaven is Sparks' collaboration with legendary disco producer Giorgio Moroder, and the record is as much about the production as the band. Moroder really downplays Russell Mael's remarkable vocal talents, with a pretty lo-fi recording of the vocals that does not flatter them. Even the Mael brothers' songwriting talents are rarely brought to the fore. The focus here is really Moroder's production, and the crazy palette of sound processing that he brings to the table (often at the expense of really being able to even hear performances through it all). There are, of course, beats that sound something like disco, but they're pretty wimpy by today's standards, especially in the lack of low-end punch. No. 1 in Heaven is a decidedly strange record that has some of Sparks' unique character and a lot of Moroder's crazy ideas.