090: Sparks - Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (1984) - Everybody Move

Side B begins with “Sparks in the Dark (Part 1)” — a tiny instrumental sting that flows straight into track 7, “Everybody Move.” And… yeah. This is the episode where we collectively hit the wall.

We quickly agree that “Sparks in the Dark” is basically just an intro fragment (we’ll save fuller thoughts for Part 2), before “Everybody Move” arrives with its relentless chant and what we describe as a 50s rock’n’roll idea buried under 80s drum machines — in the least flattering way. The verdict is brutal: for us, it’s the worst track on the album, the kind of song you put on when you want the party to end (“Everybody move… everybody leave”).

There are a couple of sparks of concept — the dance-command lyric getting oddly aggressive (“move or wear out the soles of your feet”), and a momentary deep synth-bass flourish — but not enough to rescue it. We also imagine the poor soul who accidentally drops the needle on side B first, hears this, and never flips the record.

As always: if you love this one, we genuinely want to hear why. Defend your unpopular favorite in the comments.

Next up: track 8, “A Song That Sings Itself.” Can we climb back up from here?