"Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins" is the 16th album by American rock band Sparks, released in 1994. The album marked the duo's return to the music scene after a six-year hiatus and saw them shifting to a more techno/Eurobeat-influenced sound, which helped them gain popularity in Germany.
Prior to this album, Sparks had struggled with mixed critical reception and commercial challenges. Their 1988 album, Interior Design, had some success with a few club hits in the US, but did not perform well overall. The band had faced a rough patch since their 1984 album Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Sparks took a break from music to focus on filmmaking. They worked on a project to adapt the Japanese manga series Mai, The Psychic Girl into a movie, with hopes to have Tsui Hark direct and Christi Haydon, whom Russell Mael had met in a department store, voicing the lead character. Despite interest from Tim Burton and six years spent on the project, the film was never made.
In 1993, Sparks returned to the studio and released a single titled National Crime Awareness Week. They also wrote and produced Katharine Hepburn for Christi Haydon. Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins followed in November 1994, produced by the Mael brothers themselves, without an additional backing band. The album's sound reflected their earlier European-synthesizer influences, reminiscent of their 1979 album No. 1 in Heaven, while still keeping a strong pop song structure. The album's tone was similar to the sound of acts like the Pet Shop Boys. During the album's promotion, the Maels were joined by Christi Haydon on drums, and she also appeared in their music videos. One of the standout tracks, Gratuitous Sax, was an a cappella piece that referenced the brief opener from their 1974 album Propaganda. When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way', a track referencing Frank Sinatra's signature song, was another highlight.
The album was a commercial success, especially in Germany, where it peaked at #29 and produced three hits on the German Singles Chart. However, it only reached #150 on the UK Albums Chart. Despite this, the singles from the album helped Sparks return to the UK Top 40 for the first time since 1979. The lead single When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way' was a hit in Germany, reaching #7, and it peaked at #38 in the UK, later being re-released in 1995, where it climbed to #32. The second single, When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing), also charted well, reaching #61 in Germany and #36 in the UK. The third single, Now That I Own the BBC, didn't fare as well, peaking at #81 in Germany and #60 in the UK.
Both When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way' and When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing) charted across Europe and marked Sparks' return to the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where they reached #9 and #24, respectively. Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins thus became a significant album in revitalizing Sparks' career, particularly in Germany and Europe, and cemented their place in the evolving music landscape of the 1990s.
