Sparks: Amateur Hour

Sparks, I once wrote, were "a beacon of wit and lightness of touch in an ocean of of clumsy glam rock" and " get rediscovered every few years, which is more that you can say for most bands of their era".

That remains true 10 years on, so it's high time we heard from them again.

There was a good interview with the Mael brothers, who make up Sparks, on Front Row last Wednesday. I listened to it when I was over at my mother's house cooking her a meal.

The brothers, who came from California, said how much they enjoyed the music scene in Britain in the early Seventies. They were less keen on the power cuts and being told by their producer, Muff Winwood, that there might not be enough vinyl available to press their first LP.

And my mother remembered watching the keyboard player with the toothbrush moustache on Top of the Pops with me over 40 years ago.

After his intervention this week, Amateur Hour is dedicated to Nick Clegg.