ItÁ¢€â„¢s been some time since we last did this, so weÁ¢€â„¢re about due for another Lost B-sides Week here at LIT80s, arenÁ¢€â„¢t we? All this week, weÁ¢€â„¢ll feature b-sides to some famous and not-so-famous singles that for the most part have yet to make it to CD.
Kicking the week off is a long-time LIT80s fave, Sparks. WeÁ¢€â„¢ve talked about Sparks a bit here and here. The Brothers Mael had been recording for more than ten years by the time they got their American breakthrough with Á¢€Å“Cool PlacesÁ¢€, a duet with the Go-GoÁ¢€â„¢s Jane Weidlin featured on their 1983 (the Best Year for Music Ever!) album, Sparks In Outer Space. The singleÁ¢€â„¢s b-side, Á¢€SportsÁ¢€, is another fun romp that wouldnÁ¢€â„¢t have been out of place on the already short LP. In fact, it sounds a bit too close to other songs on Outer Space, especially Á¢€Å“PopularityÁ¢€, which may account for its flip-sided fate.
Oglio Records issued Outer Space on CD for the first time in the mid-90s, but left Á¢€Å“SportsÁ¢€ off, so itÁ¢€â„¢s remained a forgotten Sparks artifact. The band and Island Records have been slowly re-mastering and reissuing their catalog, but since their 80s output remains in the hands of Atlantic Records, itÁ¢€â„¢s tough to tell when and if Outer Space and Á¢€Å“SportsÁ¢€ will ever make it to CD.
Á¢€SportsÁ¢€ was the b-side of the Á¢€Å“Cool PlacesÁ¢€ single and 12Á¢€.
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