Sparks - Song by Song [Fonthill Media]
In March 2023, I was approached by the British publisher Fonthill Media, who told me they were impressed with the chapters I had written for the Sparks Albums Project and were seeking an author for a book in the Song by Song series.
I was not familiar with this series, but it features a selection of diverse artists, whose work is examined in detail, with a focus on individual songs. Musicians and bands represented include U2, Led Zeppelin, ABBA, Madonna, Oasis, ELO, Kate Bush, Bruce Springsteen, and Black Sabbath.
This seemed like an exceptionally interesting list of artists amongst whom Sparks deserved a rightful place, and I enthusiastically accepted the proposal. However, I made it a strict requirement that sufficient attention be devoted to the band’s biography.
If I were to focus solely on the individual songs, the book would essentially be a review of Sparks’ music, which is ultimately just a personal opinion. I did not believe Sparks fans would be interested in that, so I agreed to write the book on the condition that ample attention be given to the biography.
This was ultimately agreed upon, but it quickly became clear that a single 80,000-word book would not be enough to cover the entire history and discuss each song. It was therefore decided to publish the book in two parts: one covering the period 1971–1988 and the other covering 1989–2025.
I am pleased and proud to announce that the first part is scheduled for release in November of this year. It comprises 224 pages and will be published in hardcover. The second part is planned for 2026, and will also devote ample attention to all the non-album tracks and to the more than 150 unreleased recordings that I’m aware of.
The cover is currently being finalised, and I will post it here as soon as I receive and approve it. The book will be available for purchase both in book stores and online. In fact, several websites already offer pre-orders.
I hope this publication will make an important contribution to the historiography and analysis of Sparks and their music.
Ruud Swart – September 2025
Press release from Fonthill Media.
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Comments
An extremely enjoyable read, detailed, informative and entertaining. The discussion of the musical aspects of the songs is certainly useful for me ( I'm more of a lyrics person), so I shall be listening to them again with increased appreciation. I like the information on gigs at which each song has been performed too. Your love of your subject and your unparalleled knowledge shines through. Congratulations and thank you.
A really good read Ruud, l thoroughly enjoyed it. It was really great to go through the albums song by song and quite often l listened along while l was reading!
I particularly liked the your information and opinions about the earlier albums.
Of course opinions are personal but on occasions when mine differed from yours (and that didn't happen very often) l could still appreciate where you were coming from.
Just one observation (not a criticism) l found the chapters about the last 3 or 4 albums to be a bit less detailed...they seemed a wee bit rushed but maybe l was just reading quicker by then!!
Anyway..that aside....really enjoyable.
Hope all your hard work hasn't put you off writing the next volume!!
Excellent read over Christmas cant wait for the next one👌👍👍