Jordan: The Comeback

Jordan: The Comeback is the fifth studio album by English pop band Prefab Sprout. It was released by Kitchenware Records on 7 September 1990. It peaked at No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart.[1] "Looking for Atlantis" and "We Let the Stars Go" were released as singles, peaking at No. 51 and No. 50, respectively, on the UK Singles Chart.[1] Additionally, Jordan: The EP peaked at No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart.[1]

Jordan: The Comeback
Studio album by
Prefab Sprout
Released7 September 1990 (1990-09-07)
GenrePop, art pop
Length62:45
LabelKitchenware
ProducerThomas Dolby
Prefab Sprout chronology
Protest Songs
(1989)		 Jordan: The Comeback
(1990)		 A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout
(1992)
Singles from Jordan: The Comeback
  1. "Looking for Atlantis"
    Released: July 1990
  2. "We Let the Stars Go"
    Released: October 1990

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
NME9/10[5]
Pitchfork8.8/10[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
Select4/5[8]
Sounds[9]
Vox10/10[10]

Jordan: The Comeback received rave reviews that compared songwriter and lead singer Paddy McAloon to everyone from William Shakespeare to Marvin Gaye.[11]

Jason Ankeny of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it "Prefab Sprout's largely successful attempt to embrace the breadth of popular music".[2] He added: "Over the course of no less than 19 tracks, McAloon chases his twin preoccupations of religion and celebrity, creating a loose thematic canvas perfect for his expanding musical palette".[2] David Wild of Rolling Stone said, "If Brian Wilson at the height of his creative powers had spent a year in the studio working up a concept album about love, God and Elvis, the result might have sounded like Jordan: The Comeback."[11] Ira Robbins of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a grade of B+, saying: "Those accustomed to musical junk food may find Jordan: The Comeback too subtle and complex at first, but this airy delicacy is a taste worth acquiring."[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Paddy McAloon.

No.TitleLength
1."Looking for Atlantis"4:03
2."Wild Horses"3:44
3."Machine Gun Ibiza"3:43
4."We Let the Stars Go"3:39
5."Carnival 2000"3:23
6."Jordan: The Comeback"4:13
7."Jesse James Symphony"2:15
8."Jesse James Bolero"4:10
9."Moondog"4:12
10."All the World Loves Lovers"3:50
11."All Boys Believe Anything"1:34
12."The Ice Maiden"3:19
13."Paris Smith"2:55
14."The Wedding March"2:50
15."One of the Broken"3:55
16."Michael"3:02
17."Mercy"1:23
18."Scarlet Nights"4:17
19."Doo-Wop in Harlem"3:44

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Prefab Sprout

Additional musicians

  • Luís Jardim – percussion
  • Judd Lander – harmonica (on "Looking for Atlantis")
  • Jenny Agutter – "I Want to Have You" vocals (on "Wild Horses")
  • The Phantom Horns – horns (on "Carnival 2000")

Technical personnel

  • Thomas Dolby – production
  • Paul Gomersall – recording
  • Eric Calvi – mixing
  • Paul Cuddeford – engineering assistance
  • Karen White – engineering assistance
  • Adrian Moore – engineering assistance
  • Charlie Smith – engineering assistance
  • Derek McCartney – engineering assistance
  • Chris Puram – engineering assistance
  • Mark Williams – engineering assistance
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Tim Young – mastering (on "Looking for Atlantis")
  • Gerry Judah – cover concept, art direction
  • Peter Barrett – cover design
  • Andrew Biscomb – cover design
  • Jonathan Lovekin – cover photography
  • Trevor Hart – cover photography
  • The Douglas Brothers – group portrait

Charts
Chart Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[1] 7
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References
  1. "Prefab Sprout". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  2. Ankeny, Jason. "Jordan: The Comeback – Prefab Sprout". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  4. Robbins, Ira (5 October 1990). "Jordan: The Comeback". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  5. Collins, Andrew (18 August 1990). "Prefab Sprout: Jordan: The Comeback". NME.
  6. Sodomsky, Sam (28 September 2019). "Prefab Sprout: Swoon / From Langley Park to Memphis / Jordan: The Comeback / A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  7. Evans, Paul (1992). "Prefab Sprout". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). [The Rolling Stone Album Guide] (3rd ed.). Random House. pp. 552–53. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
  8. Linehan, Graham (October 1990). "The King Of Jordan". Select (4): 118.
  9. Berger, George (1990). "Prefab Sprout: Jordan: The Comeback". Sounds.
  10. McCann, Ian (October 1990). "Prefab Sprout: Jordan: The Comeback". Vox (1).
  11. Wild, David (7 March 1991). "Paddy McAloon: The Last Pop Genius". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
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