Exotic Creatures of the Deep#Sparks Spectacular

Exotic Creatures of the Deep was as successful as their previous album, Hello Young Lovers, in the UK, where it bettered the chart position, reaching No. 54 on the UK Album Chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artists/

| title=The Official Charts Company – Sparks| publisher=Official Charts Company| accessdate=2008-07-22}} A limited edition version was released in a card sleeve in most territories and included a poster. Japanese editions included the bonus track "Brenda Is Always in the Way" as well as a DVD featuring five short films.{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Sparks-Exotic-Creatures-Of-The-Deep/release/1770737 |title=Sparks - Exotic Creatures Of The Deep (CD, Album) at Discogs |publisher=Discogs.com |date= |accessdate=2014-05-10}}

Two singles were released. The first, "Good Morning" on May 12, 2008,{{cite web|url=http://www.sparks-fanatics.com/sparks-albums/exotic_creatures_deep.html |title=sparks-fanatics.com |publisher=sparks-fanatics.com |date= |accessdate=2014-05-10}} was on iTunes, a first for the group. The second, "Lighten Up, Morrissey" in March 2009, appeared on a 7", backed with "Brenda Is Always in the Way". Neither single charted in the UK.

Exotic Creatures of the Deep was also promoted in the UK by a number of live performances dubbed the "Sparks Spectacular": a record-setting twenty-date residency from May 16 through June 11, 2008 at London's Carling Islington Academy, where the group played each one of their previous twenty albums in its entirety in chronological order. The final appearance at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire on June 13 premiered Exotic Creatures of the Deep.

Appearing on an episode of music producer Nigel Godrich's From the Basement, Sparks performed a short set of material from Exotic Creatures, concluding with "Propaganda/At Work, at Home, at Play" from their 1974 album Propaganda.{{YouTube|id=6HPopaxCFwQ|title=Sparks Full Set {{!}} From The Basement}} As was typical in the webseries which originally aired from 2006 to 2009, the performance is notable in that the show was in-studio and did not feature an audience.{{Cite web |last=Pearis |first=Bill |date=May 22, 2020 |title=Nigel Godrich's "From the Basement" series archives officially coming to YouTube |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/nigel-godrichs-from-the-basement-series-archives-officially-coming-to-youtube/ |access-date=March 8, 2025 |website=BrooklynVegan}}

In April 2022, as part of the "21st Century Sparks" collection on BMG, a series of reissues of Spark's studio albums from 2000's Balls to 2009's The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman, Exotic Creatures was remastered on LP, CD, and digital. The CD and digital releases have five bonus tracks, including "Brenda Is Always in the Way" and "Islington N1".{{Cite web |last=Arnone |first=Joey |date=March 23, 2022 |title=Sparks Announce Reissues Series, Share Previously Unreleased Song "It's a Sparks Show": 21st Century Sparks Collection To Be Released This Spring |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/news/sparks_announce_reissues_series_share_previously_unreleased_song_its_a_spar/ |access-date=March 3, 2025 |website=Under the Radar}}

The album entered the UK Independent Albums Chart at no. 10{{Cite web |title=Official Independent Albums Chart: 2 June 2022 - 8 June 2022 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-albums-chart/20220603/131/ |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=The Official UK Charts Company |language=en}} and the UK Vinyl Albums Chart at no. 37.{{Cite web |title=Official Vinyl Albums Chart: 2 June 2022 - 8 June 2022 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/vinyl-albums-chart/20220603/9/ |access-date=2025-03-08 |website=The Official UK Charts Company |language=en}}

{{track listing

| all_writing = Ron Mael and Russell Mael

| headline = Exotic Creatures of the Deep standard track listing{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/sparks/35130 |title=Sparks announce new album tracklisting | News |publisher=NME |date=2008-03-13 |accessdate=2014-05-10 |url-status=dead}}

| total_length = 49:58

| title1 = Intro

| length1 = 1:02

| title2 = Good Morning

| length2 = 3:53

| title3 = Strange Animal

| length3 = 5:45

| title4 = I Can't Believe That You Would Fall for All the Crap in This Song

| length4 = 3:54

| title5 = Let the Monkey Drive

| length5 = 4:09

| title6 = Intro Reprise

| length6 = 0:24

| title7 = I've Never Been High

| length7 = 4:31

| title8 = (She Got Me) Pregnant

| length8 = 4:13

| title9 = Lighten Up, Morrissey

| length9 = 4:14

| title10 = This Is the Renaissance

| length10 = 3:45

| title11 = The Director Never Yelled 'Cut'

| length11 = 3:54

| title12 = Photoshop

| length12 = 4:01

| title13 = Likeable

| length13 = 6:13

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Japanese edition bonus track

| total_length = 54:01

| title14 = Brenda Is Always in the Way

| note14 = B-side of 7" single "Lighten Up, Morrissey"

| length14 = 4:03

}}

{{track listing

| headline = BMG reissue bonus tracks (2022)

| total_length = 60:29

| title14 = Brenda Is Always in the Way

| note14 = B-side of 7" single "Lighten Up, Morrissey"

| length14 = 4:03

| title15 = Islington N1

| note15 = available only to "Golden Ticket" holders at the "Sparks Spectacular"

| length15 = 2:34

| title16 = Mr. Hulot

| note16 = Unused theme song for "The Magnificent Tati"

| length16 = 1:37

| title17 = I Am a Bookworm

| note17 = End theme for KCRW's "Bookworm"

| length17 = 1:32

| title18 = Where Would We Be Without Books

| note18 = theme for KCRW's "Bookworm"

| length18 = 0:45

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Imperial Records (Japan) bonus DVD

| title1 = It's a Sparks Show

| length1 =

| title2 = Ron Tap Dancing

| length2 =

| title3 = Good Morning

| length3 =

| title4 = Strange Animals

| length4 =

| title5 = My Inspiration

| length5 =

}}

• Russell Mael – all vocals, engineering, mixing
• Ron Mael – keyboards, programming, orchestrations, mixing
• Tammy Glover – drums
• Dean Menta – guitars
• John Thomas – mixing, engineering

For the 21-night "Sparks Spectacular" from May 16 through June 11, 2008 in London, Sparks played each of their albums in chronological order during the first twenty nights at the Carling Islington Academy, culminating in the première of their new album for the twenty-first concert on June 13, 2008 at Shepherd's Bush Empire.{{cite web|url=http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=27328_0_2_0_C |title=Sparks to play an album a night in London |publisher=Side-line.com |accessdate=2009-06-30}} Each night they performed an album in its entirety with an encore of a rare track, many of which had never been performed live before. The band asked fans to visit their website and vote for the track that they'd most like to hear the band perform during the second half of the 21st concert following the première of Exotic Creatures of the Deep, though Russell Mael admitted that he and Ron would probably influence the poll a little.

Fans who bought a "Golden Ticket" for entry into all 21 gigs also received a poster signed by the band and a CD single entitled Islington N1, a reference to the postal address of the venue for the first 20 gigs.

;Exotic Creatures of the Deep second set

1. "Moustache" (from Angst in My Pants)
2. "Looks Aren't Everything"
3. "Big Boy" (from Big Beat)
4. "Goofing Off" (from Introducing Sparks)
5. "Katharine Hepburn"
6. "Shopping Mall of Love" (from Music You Can Dance To)
7. "Those Mysteries" (from Introducing Sparks)
8. "Dick Around" (from Hello Young Lovers)
9. "Get in the Swing" (from Indiscreet)
10. "Looks, Looks, Looks" (from Indiscreet)
11. "Batteries Not Included" (from A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing)
12. "Whippings and Apologies" (from A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing)
13. "Change" (from Music That You Can Dance To)
14. "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" (from Kimono My House)

{{reflist}}

{{Sparks}}

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Category:2008 albums

Category:Sparks (band) albums

Category:Albums recorded in a home studio