Terminal Jive

A year before the 80s began Sparks delivered one of the first electropop records from a major label with No. 1 In Heaven. When the decade proper began they released something that seemed to inch back in time towards bellbottoms and coke binges. Terminal Jive keeps a steady, similar tempo throughout, giving a feeling more of a DJ set than a rock album. “When I’m With You” and “Just Because You Love Me” use this endless stomp to conjure up yacht rock outings and disco binges, while the Steely Dan swing of “Noisy Boys” finds the Mael brothers flirting ever more with the magic of 70s cheese. Nothing wrong with a burnt-out good time.