038: Noël (with Sparks) - Bonus track: Is There More to Life Than Dancing (1979) - I Just Want to Be Seen with You

We wrap up our exploration of Noël’s Sparks-produced album with a real surprise: the bonus track “I Just Want to Be Seen With You.”

Recorded in the same 1979 sessions but unreleased until 2024, this slower, more lyrically playful song stands out immediately. It trades the relentless disco pulse of the main album for something closer to Sparks’ No. 1 in Heaven style — sharp, quirky, and with flashes of their signature humor (“Crazy Jerry,” “Boris the Brain,” and other random name-drops make an appearance).

We all agreed this track might actually outshine some of the songs on the original album, and it feels like a stronger way to close out the project. Why wasn’t it included in the original release? Likely because it breaks the non-stop dance floor momentum Virgin Records wanted — but as a standalone Sparks side-project track, it’s a gem.

Do you think it should have made the album?