Halfnelson - A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing (1968)

Fans of Sparks will know 'A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing' as the title of their debut album, which included the single 'Girl From Germany'. But real fans of Sparks will know that before they changed their name to Sparks they were known as Halfnelson, and that album title had already been used way back in 1968 for a collection of demos that preceded their actual debut release as Halfnelson in 1971. Back then the band was a trio, with the Mael brothers being joined by guitarist and electronics whizz-kid Earle Mankey. All three of them were in thrall of British pop of the time, from bands such as The Stones, The Kinks and The Who, but these songs also show traces of The Doors, The Beach Boys, Frank Zappa, and Captain Beefheart, among many others, so their tastes were very eclectic. The band recruited a rhythm section so that they could professionally record their songs, and Ron even designed a cover for it, of a man surfboarding in front of the Eiffel Tower, with a bright moon behind him, and although this was never made, it's been lovingly recreated by DKelvin over at Forgotten Songs blog.

Track listing

01 Chile Farm Farney
02 Johnny's Adventure
03 Roger
04 Arts & Crafts Spectacular
05 Landlady
06 The Animals At Jason's Bar & Grill 
07 Big Rock Candy Mountain
08 Mille
09 Saccharin And The War
10 Join The Firm
11 Jane Church
12 The Factory