Halfnelson

Halfnelson was the original name of the band that became Sparks. They released one self-titled album in 1971 produced by Todd Rundgren.
The band started when the Mael brothers met with studio guitarist Earle Mankey and their respective creative styles ignited the band to become Sparks.

In 1968 Halfnelson had recorded a demo album prior to the official Halfnelson album called “A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing Demos”, selfreleased and distributed with no success to record companies.

The title was reused on Sparks second album “A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing” which, like the first album, contained tracks from the Halfnelson period. Still the contents of the demo only shares one track and the seed of another with later releases. All the other tracks are original releases.

Where the demo was recorded with Mankey and the Maels, John Mendelsohn (drums) and Surly Ralph Oswald (bass) only Mankey remained with the Maels to the Sparks era, where they brought Harley Feinstein (drums) and his brother Jim Mankey (bass, from a Blue Cheer lookalike band called Three Days Blues) in their stead.

The rest is Sparks history.
Previously to Halfnelson the Maels had been in the band Urban Renewal Project that released atleast one single and boasted a female drummer. An even earlier incarnation of Sparks was supposedly called Moonbaker Abbey.