Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat

For the illusion of pulling a rabbit from a hat, see Hat-trick (magic trick).
Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat
Studio album by
Sparks
ReleasedJune 1984
StudioOasis Studios (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length39:47
LabelAtlantic
ProducerIan Little
Sparks chronology
In Outer Space
(1983) 		Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat
(1984) 		Music That You Can Dance To
(1986)
Singles from Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat
  1. "With All My Might"
    Released: June 1984
  2. "Pretending to Be Drunk"
    Released: 1984
  3. "Progress"
    Released: 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat is the thirteenth studio album by American pop and rock band Sparks, released in June 1984 by Atlantic Records. It was not very well received and failed to capitalise on the commercial success of their previous studio album In Outer Space (1983). The album developed the light synth-pop sound of In Outer Space but with slightly darker lyrics revolving around Ron Mael's favourite subject matter: relationships.

Release

Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat did not chart in the US in spite of the popularity of their previous studio album In Outer Space (1983). In the UK, where the group hadn't charted since 1979, the album was also unsuccessful.

Three singles were lifted from the album. The lead single, "With All My Might", reached No. 104 on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles and made the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where it peaked at No. 28.[2] The other two singles were "Pretending to Be Drunk" and "Progress", which were extended, remixed and released as club promos.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat"4:07
2."Love Scenes"4:20
3."Pretending to Be Drunk"3:38
4."Progress"4:43
5."With All My Might"4:06
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Sparks in the Dark (Part One)"0:28
7."Everybody Move"2:58
8."A Song That Sings Itself"4:29
9."Sisters"3:53
10."Kiss Me Quick"4:07
11."Sparks in the Dark (Part Two)"2:58
Total length:39:47
Repertoire Records bonus tracks (2013)
No.TitleLength
12."Sparks in the Dark" (Extended Club Mix)3:57
13."Pretending to Be Drunk" (Extended Version)5:39
14."Progress" (Extended Club Mix)6:15
15."With All My Might" (Extended Club Mix)6:40
16."Kiss Me Quick" (Extended Version)5:39

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat liner notes.[3]

Sparks

Additional musicians

  • Leslie Bohem – bass, backing vocals
  • Bob Haag – guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals
  • David Kendrick – drums
  • John Thomas – keyboards

Production

  • Producer – Ian Little
  • Mixed by – Brian Reeves, Dave Bianco, Mick Guzauski
  • Engineer – Steve Bates

References

  1. ^ a b AllMusic review
  2. ^ "Allmusic – Billboard Singles – Sparks". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  3. ^ Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (CD booklet). Sparks. Atlantic Records. 1984.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)