Sparks - Lil' Beethoven (2004) [Complete CD] Deluxe Edition

Lil' Beethoven is the nineteenth studio album by the American rock band Sparks, released on October 14, 2002. Written and produced by members Ron and Russell Mael, the album was considered a radical musical departure from their recent work, which had been predominately electronic and beat-orientated in nature.

On Lil' Beethoven, the duo downplayed rhythm and employed repetitive song structures reminiscent of minimalist music, as well as making extensive use of piano, choral voices, and orchestral sounds, with live drums and percussion only used sparingly. The duo have stated that despite the album's references to classical music, including composer Ludwig van Beethoven in its title and the use of symphonic textures, they did not set out to create a 'pseudo-classical' record, and that it was more an exercise in how big and aggressive they could sound with very basic elements.

Upon its release, Lil' Beethoven received critical acclaim in the UK and the US, who praised its challenging and innovative sound, and helped to bring renewed interest in the band internationally. Sparks took an equally idiosyncratic approach to promoting the album live: the first half of the set consisted of the album performed in its entirety, with the band incorporating performance art and screen projections, followed by a more standard greatest hits set in the second half. Only one single, "Suburban Homeboy", was taken from the album. In 2004, a performance at the Södra Teatern in Stockholm, Sweden was filmed and released on DVD as Lil Beethoven - Live in Stockholm.

Tracklist:
01 - The Rhythm Thief 0:00
02 - How Do I Get To Carnegie Hall? 5:18
03 - What Are All These Bands So Angry About? 9:09
04 - I Married Myself
05 - Ride 'Em Cowboy
06 - My Baby's Taking Me Home
07 - Your Call's Very Important To Us. Please Hold.
08 - Ugly Guys With Beautiful Girls
09 - Suburban Homeboy 38:04
Bonus Tracks:
10 - The Legend Of Lil' Beethoven 41:04
11 - Wunderbar 43:10
12 - The Rhythm Thief (Instrumental Version)

Personnel
Russell Mael – vocals, programming, production, arrangements
Ron Mael – keyboards, orchestrations, programming, production, arrangements
Tammy Glover – drums, background vocals
Dean Menta – guitar
John Thomas – mixing, additional engineering
Günther Koch – vocals on "Wunderbar"