Beat the clock - Sparks

'This town ain't big enough for the both of us' was my favourite childhood song, but it was also the last hit by the Sparks as far as I knew. The chart book tells me they had another hit in 1974 with 'Amateur hour' and one in 1975 with 'Something for the girl with everything', but in 1979 the Sparks returned with 'Beat the clock'. It peaked at number 15. In the UK, it was the Sparks' first top 10 hit since 'Amateur hour'.

Listening to 'Beat the clock' you can tell that the band took on a very different sound at the end of the Seventies. The disco-influenced track with operatic vocals is, like much of the band's work, a one-off.

My collection: 7" single no. 3666

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Beat the clock' / 'Beat the clock (Alternative mix)'