"Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" is a song by the American rock group Sparks. The song was recorded by the group's mid-1970s glam line-up. It was released in late 1974 as the first single from the group's fourth album, Propaganda.
| "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Sparks | ||||
| from the album Propaganda | ||||
| B-side | "Alabamy Right" | |||
| Released | 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1974 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Island | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ron Mael | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Sparks singles chronology | ||||
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| Licensed audio | ||||
| "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" on YouTube | ||||
Plagiarism re-recording
In 1997, Sparks recorded a new version of the song with the producer Tony Visconti. This introduced strings and a choir. The song concludes their Plagiarism album where it segues from out of the previous track, "The Number One Song in Heaven".
Cover versions
Depeche Mode recorded a cover version on a single-sided flexi-disc which was sent to members of their official fan club for Christmas 1987. Martin Gore also recorded a cover version for his first solo EP, Counterfeit, in 1989.[1]
Nicola Sirkis covered the song as the B-side to his 1992 single "Alice dans la Lune", from the album Dans La Lune.[2]
Johan Johansson created a Swedish version titled "Kärlek & Respekt Till Moder Jord" for his 1994 EP 10.[3]
Karen J. Walsha recorded a version for the Dutch tribute album Amateur Hour (A Global Tribute to Sparks) released in 1999.[4]
Haloed Ghost recorded a version for their 2004 EP, Saw Versions.[5]
Billy Mackenzie recorded a version which appeared on his 2005 album Transmission Impossible.[6]
Paul Roland recorded a version which appeared on his 2005 album Strychnine... And Other Potent Poisons.[7]
Geezerbird have recorded a version for their 2006 album One in the Hand.[8]
Mary Hopkin recorded a version which appeared on her 2007 album Valentine.[9]
Neko Case has a version on her 2009 album Middle Cyclone.[10]
Louis Guidone made a version in 2011 on the self released album Meet Your Maker.[11]
Satie's Faction recorded an instrumental version in 2012 for his album Déjà Vu.
Track listing
- "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" – 2:28
- "Alabamy Right" – 2:11
Personnel
- Ron Mael – keyboards
- Russell Mael – vocals
- Trevor White – guitar
- Ian Hampton – bass guitar
- Norman "Dinky" Diamond – drums
- Adrian Fisher – guitar
Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles chart | 13 |
| German Singles chart | 40 |