AMG Review of Big Beat [Bonus Tracks]

James A. Gardner
All Music Guide

Most of Big Beat finds Sparks doing what they do best: spewing out clever, mile-a-minute lyrics over solid rocking accompaniment (this time, provided by a superior group of studio musicians). Drummer Hilly Michaels and guitarist Jeffrey Salen lend Ron and Russell Mael's songs considerable rock & roll authority. Standouts include the opening blast "Big Boy" (which was featured in the film #Rollercoaster), the propulsive "Fill-Er-Up," and the falsetto-delivered proclamation "I Like Girls," apparently a leftover from their previous album, Indiscreet. Generally, however, they eschew the elaborate arrangements of Indiscreet and go for a powerful, stripped-down sound. As titles such as "Everybody's Stupid" and "Thrown Her Away (And Get a New One)" suggest, the album brims with decidedly politically incorrect (and often hilarious) lyrics. [The 2006 edition includes six bonus tracks.]