Noel (2) - Is There More To Life Than Dancing?

Quite possibly a life-changing moment for a disco biscuit like myself was the discovery of this one-off Sparks-produced (and written and sung by) moment of late period '79 synth heaven - it not only holds up incredibly well, but could quite possibly be the Lost Classic that JanetMead spoke of (rather than an overlooked gem) - apparently Girogio is shaping the production platform at this point, after the successful reinvention of the Maels on "No 1 In Heaven".

Solid (non-falsetto vocal from Ron Mael, and the aforementioned Noel acquits herself nicely....

got to get that beat, indeed.

Neil Tennant once commented to the effect that the best pop music is so long-lasting due, paradoxically, to its disposability, whereas self-important rock music tends to date very quickly. That seems a pretty broad statement, but I will say that I've loved this irresistible bit of fluff for over 20 years. I don't know if I'd call this a lost classic, but I do think it's a forgotten gem. This EP, produced by the Mael Brothers of Sparks around the time that Giorgio Moroder was working with them, shows his definite influence while remaining true to their aesthetic. OK, that sounds too intellectual: this is a fantastic combination of European disco and early synth-pop and it's well worth checking out. It has a giddy, unironic foolishness that defies any label other than "fun," and it has always deserved a wider audience: anyone for whom the question "Is there more to life than dancing?" is rhetorical.