Prefab Sprout
Prefab Sprout are an English pop band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham who rose to fame during the 1980s. Formed in 1978[4] by brothers Paddy and Martin McAloon and joined by vocalist Wendy Smith in 1982, they released their debut album Swoon to critical acclaim in 1984. Their subsequent albums, including 1985's Steve McQueen and 1990's Jordan: The Comeback, have been described by Paul Lester of The Guardian as "some of the most beautiful and intelligent records of their era".[5] Frontman Paddy McAloon is regarded as one of the great songwriters of his time and the band have been credited with producing some of the "most beloved" pop music of the '80s and '90s.[1]
Prefab Sprout | |
|---|---|
 Prefab Sprout in 1988 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Witton Gilbert, County Durham, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | Kitchenware EMI Liberty Epic (US) |
| Members | Paddy McAloon |
| Past members | Martin McAloon Michael Salmon Wendy Smith Feona Attwood Graham Lant Steve Dolder Neil Conti |
Nine of their albums have reached the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart and one of their singles, "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", peaked at number seven in the UK Singles Chart. The band's other popular songs include "When Love Breaks Down" and "Cars and Girls".[4] In recent years, Paddy McAloon has retained the Prefab Sprout name as a solo project.[5]
Career
Early days (1977–1983)
In 1977 brothers Paddy and Martin McAloon formed The Dick Diver Band. By 1978, the name had changed to Prefab Sprout, a name McAloon had created years earlier when, he has said, "all the groups had names like that".[4][6] The band first played live in 1979, having been joined by drummer Michael Salmon.
The band recorded their first single "Lions in My Own Garden (Exit Someone)" b/w "Radio Love" on 25 February 1982, and self-released it on their own Candle Records. Songwriter Paddy McAloon wanted a song title where the first letters of the words spelled out Limoges, the French city where his former girlfriend was studying at the time.[1][7] Music journalist Stuart Maconie described the track as "enigmatic, melancholy, tuneful and therefore perfect for a jobless literature graduate with girlfriend problems".[8] Their lineup expanded shortly after to incorporate vocalist Wendy Smith, and they recorded a second single "The Devil Has All the Best Tunes / Walk On" that September.[9]
Peak commercial success (1983–1992)
Prefab Sprout were signed by Keith Armstrong's Kitchenware Records in March 1983, after Armstrong heard their music played in the Newcastle branch of HMV he managed.[9][10] Their two singles were reissued by Kitchenware and attracted notice including laudation from Elvis Costello.[11]
Their debut album, Swoon, was released on the Kitchenware label in March 1984.[1] It was critically acclaimed, with several reviewers highlighting its unorthodox musical style and unconventional lyrics.[12][13][14] and it reached No. 22 on the UK Albums Chart. The album attracted the attention of musician Thomas Dolby, who began producing a new batch of what McAloon would describe as simpler songs with the band.[15] The resulting album, 1985's Steve McQueen, (released in America as Two Wheels Good in anticipation of displeasure from McQueen's estate)[16] was highly praised by critics and gave the band its first hit single on UK Singles Chart, "When Love Breaks Down".[1]
The band's next project was Protest Songs, a sparsely-produced and quickly recorded album intended for a limited release in late 1985. The album was put on hold by CBS so as not to stunt sales of Steve McQueen,[17][18] finally seeing release in 1989. In 1988, the band released their follow-up to Steve McQueen, From Langley Park to Memphis. The album gave the band their biggest commercial success in the UK with the single "The King of Rock 'n' Roll". The song is written from the perspective of a washed-up singer who had a one-hit wonder in the 1950s with a novelty song featuring the chorus "Hot dog, jumping frog, Albuquerque". It reached No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart, their only single to reach the Top 10. From Langley Park to Memphis included guest appearances from Stevie Wonder and Pete Townshend, and used multiple producers including Thomas Dolby, who could not commit to working on the entire album.[4][19]
In 1990, Jordan: The Comeback, fully produced by Thomas Dolby, was nominated for a BRIT Award. Though the music was more accessible than their earlier material, the lyrics and subject matter remained characteristically oblique and suggestive. McAloon has alluded in interviews to several albums' worth of songs that he has written but are unreleased/unrecorded including amongst others, concept albums based on the life of Michael Jackson, the history of the world (Earth: The Story So Far) and a fictional superhero (Zorro the Fox).[20]
Their greatest hits, A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout, gave them their biggest US hit, "If You Don't Love Me", which spent several weeks in the Top 10 on the dance chart. McAloon joked in the album liner notes about the band's lack of touring over the past decade.
Line-up changes (1997–2001)
After a five year hiatus, Prefab Sprout released their first new studio album since 1990's Jordan, Andromeda Heights, in 1997. After its release, Wendy Smith left the band to pursue a new career as a voice instructor.[21]
A double album anthology, the 38 Carat Collection was released by CBS in 1999 as the group was leaving the record label.[1] Unexpectedly, the group's US label, Epic, belatedly reissued this set as The Collection in early 2001.[1] To promote the compilation, in 2000 the band embarked on their first UK tour in ten years. After the tour, drummer Neil Conti left the band.
In 2001 the band, now reduced to Paddy and Martin McAloon, released The Gunman and Other Stories, a concept album themed on the American Wild West, produced by Tony Visconti. The opening track "Cowboy Dreams" was a hit for the British actor-singer Jimmy Nail. Though critically acclaimed, neither enjoyed major commercial success.
Paddy McAloon solo project (2003–)
After being diagnosed with a medical disorder that seriously impaired his vision, Paddy McAloon released the album I Trawl the Megahertz under his own name in 2003 on the EMI Liberty label. Fifteen years later, in autumn 2018, the album was reissued on Sony Music as a Prefab Sprout record, as originally intended.
As of 2006, McAloon had suffered another setback: his hearing had deteriorated, due to Ménière's disease.
In early 2007 a remastered edition of Steve McQueen was released in a two-CD package, containing new versions of eight of the songs from the original album, in different arrangements performed by McAloon on acoustic guitar.
Prefab Sprout's first album of new material since 2001, Let's Change the World with Music, was released on 7 September 2009. The album is actually a collection of McAloon solo demos originally recorded in the early 1990s, intended for an unmade full band Prefab Sprout album. Reviews in the UK press were favourable (e.g. 5/5 in The Times, 4/5 in The Guardian, 4/5 in Record Collector).
In June 2013, a leak of ten previously unreleased songs on SoundCloud led to speculation that a new Prefab Sprout album was being recorded. Crimson/Red, consisting of developed versions of tracks from the vaults[5] that was subsequently released on 7 October 2013 on vinyl and CD on the Icebreaker records label. A limited edition box set with an interview CD was also released. The lead single was "The Best Jewel Thief in the World". A video for this track (produced by Tylar Cornak) was originally posted to Vimeo. Crimson/Red also confirmed that Prefab Sprout was now in effect a solo project, with Paddy McAloon singing, playing and programming all of the music on the album on his own. In interviews at the time, McAloon explained that his health issues (in particular, the deterioration of his hearing and eyesight)[22] now dictated the way in which Prefab Sprout music was recorded, making it impractical and even impossible for any other musicians to be involved,[23] but that he remained fond of and grateful to his former bandmates.
On 3 March 2017, McAloon's manager Keith Armstrong, one-time head of Kitchenware Records, posted a short clip on Instagram of McAloon performing a new song "America" to a camcorder; operated by McAloon himself. A longer version appears on Armstrong's YouTube page.[24] To date, no reason has been disclosed if this points to a new album or as the lyrics suggest, it is a commentary on the incumbent US administration and their policy on immigration.[22]
On 8 November 2018, Rough Trade announced the availability of vinyl LP and CD versions of I Trawl the Megahertz,[25] including a white vinyl special edition of 1000 copies. On the same day, Sony Music announced the release under their "Legacy" brand.[26] The Sony press release notes that although this was originally a solo album, it is now fitting to classify it as a Prefab Sprout record. Paddy McAloon is quoted as saying: "I thought we could do anything. And Megahertz is true to that spirit. The music here is of a piece with everything I’ve ever written. It’s from the heart".[27] Then on 10 December 2018, Paddy McAloon featured in an interview on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. During the course of this interview, he explained that Sony would be making further re-issues from the back catalogue, and that he was working on a new album, 'Femmes Mythologiques', slated for release in September 2019, playing a segment of a song called "Cleopatra".[28]
Band name
Several inaccurate stories have circulated about the origins of the band's unusual name. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, the band's name was a mondegreen from the song "Jackson" ("We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout"), misheard by frontman Paddy McAloon.[4] McAloon has maintained that the name was entirely made-up, stating in a 1984 interview; "I was asked about the name so many times I used to invent stories about it. The truth of the matter is that I made it up. Around that time all the groups were supposed to mean something... ...and when you are 13 you think it’s profound, that there must be some secrecy. I liked the idea and so thought of two odd words, put them together and have kept it, basically because it reminds me of how I used to look at things".[29]
Members
- Current members
- Paddy McAloon – vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming, piano, harmonica, bass guitar (1978–present)
- Former members
- Martin McAloon – bass guitar (1978–2010)
- Michael Salmon – drums, percussion (1978–1983)
- Wendy Smith – vocals, guitars, keyboards, piano, tambourine (1982–2000)
- Feona Attwood – vocals (1982)
- Graham Lant – drums, percussion (1983–1984)
- John Hendry – drums, percussion (1984)
- Neil Conti – drums, percussion (1984–2000)
- Paul Smith – drums, percussion (1997)[30]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | UK[4][31] | SWE[32] | NOR[33] | FIN[34] | GER | NL[35] | FRA | SP | NZ | US[36] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Swoon | 22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1985 | Steve McQueen
|
21 | – | – | – | – | 34 | – | – | 33 | 178 |
| 1988 | From Langley Park to Memphis | 5 | 18 | – | – | – | 49 | – | – | 34 | – |
| 1989 | Protest Songs | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1990 | Jordan: The Comeback | 7 | 17 | – | – | – | 69 | – | – | – | – |
| 1997 | Andromeda Heights | 7 | 9 | 28 | 37 | 83[37] | – | 35 | – | – | – |
| 2001 | The Gunman and Other Stories | 60 | – | – | – | 74[38] | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2003 | I Trawl the Megahertz
|
54 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2009 | Let's Change the World with Music | 39 | 28 | 16 | – | 46[39] | – | – | 92 | – | – |
| 2013 | Crimson/Red | 15[40] | 10 | 7 | – | 42[41] | – | – | – | – | – |
Compilations
| Year | Album | UK[4] |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout | 3 |
| 1999 | 38 Carat Collection | 95 |
Singles
| Year | Song | UK [4] |
IRE | GER | NED[42] | AUS | NZ | US Rock | US Dance[43] | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "Lions in My Own Garden (Exit Someone)" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | non-album single |
| 1983 | "The Devil Has All the Best Tunes" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | non-album single |
| 1984 | "Don't Sing" | 62 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Swoon |
| "When Love Breaks Down" | 88 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Steve McQueen | |
| 1985 | "Faron Young" | 74 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "Appetite" | 92 | – | – | – | 45 | – | – | – | ||
| "When Love Breaks Down" (reissue) | 25 | 26 | – | – | 55 | 38 | 42 | – | ||
| 1986 | "Johnny Johnny" (called "Goodbye Lucille #1" on the album) | 64 | 28 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1988 | "Cars and Girls" | 44 | – | – | – | 41 | – | – | – | From Langley Park to Memphis |
| "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" | 7 | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Hey Manhattan!" | 72 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Nightingales" | 78 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1989 | "The Golden Calf" | 82 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1990 | "Looking for Atlantis" | 51 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Jordan: The Comeback |
| "We Let The Stars Go" | 50 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1991 | "Jordan – The EP" | 35 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1992 | "The Sound of Crying" | 23 | – | 79[44] | – | – | – | – | – | A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout |
| "If You Don't Love Me" | 33 | – | 60[45] | – | – | – | – | 3 | ||
| "All The World Loves Lovers" | 61 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1993 | "Life of Surprises" | 24 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "I Remember That" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1997 | "A Prisoner of the Past" | 30 | – | 86[46] | – | – | – | – | – | Andromeda Heights |
| "Electric Guitars" | 53 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1999 | "Where the Heart Is" | 153 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 38 Carat Collection |
| 2001 | "Cowboy Dreams" | NR | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | The Gunman and Other Stories |
| "Wild Card in the Pack" | – | – | – | 86 | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2009 | "Let There Be Music" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Let's Change the World with Music |
| 2013 | "The Best Jewel Thief in the World" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Crimson/Red |
Sources
- Birch, John. Myths, Melodies & Metaphysics: Paddy McAloon's Prefab Sprout – ISBN 978-0-9558832-0-0
- Birch, John. Prefab Sprout: The Early Years – ISBN 978-1-9997967-0-9
References
- "Biography by Stewart Mason". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
- Clarke, Donald (1998). The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Penguin Books. p. 1016. ISBN 978-0-1405-1370-7.
- "Pop/Rock » Punk/New Wave » Sophisti-Pop". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 433. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- Lester, Paul (5 September 2013). "Culture: Paddy McAloon: 'I'll do without an audience to make the music I want'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- McCullough, Dave (16 April 1983). "From Brussels with LOVE". Sounds. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- Perrone, Pierre (1988). "McAloon interview". Club Pour Hommes. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- Maconie, Stuart (2004). Cider With Roadies. London: Random House. p. 161. ISBN 0-09-189115-9.
- "About". prefabsprout.net. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- "No longer a Prefab Sprout". Consett Music Project (4). 1984. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- Thrills, Adrian (27 August 1983). "Young, gifted and... white?". NME. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- Andersson, Jan-Olov (26 March 1984). "Costello's new favourites". Aftonbladet (Sweden).
- Nichols, Kathryn (1984). "A Prefabricated Style". Debut Magazine (3). Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- Smith, Graham K. (3 March 1984). "Sprout's honour". Record Mirror. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- Takahashi, Kentaro (September 1986). "Prefab Sprout". Music Magazine, Japan. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- McAloon, Martin. "Steve McQueen's estate never officially commented on the album title, it was nervousness in a notoriously litigious nation, that sparked the name change". Twitter. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- Takano, Yuko (April 1988). "Prefab Sprout: From Langley Park to Memphis". Pop Gear. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- Dave, DiMartino (20 August 1988). "Prefab Sprout Takes Root". Billboard. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- Doyle, Tom. "Paddy McAloon: From Langley Park To Memphis (And Back)". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- "Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
- "Wendy Smith singer with hit band Prefab Sprout has launched a new Stock Photo - Alamy". Alamy Stock Photo. 19 June 1997. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- Paphides, Pete (6 March 2017). "Music blog: Why Prefab Sprout's return with America is a whim and a wonder". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- Eaton-Lewis, Andrew (1 October 2013). "Paddy McAloon on the return of Prefab Sprout". The Scotsman. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- "PREFAB SPROUT : AMERICA". YouTube. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- "Prefab Sprout – I Trawl The Megahertz". Roughtrade.com. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- "Prefab Sprout – I Trawl The Megahertz". Wearesonymusiclegacy.com. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- "Tell the Stars I'm Coming… Sony Press Release". Sproutology.co.uk. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- "Today – 10/12/2018 – BBC Sounds". BBC. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- Nichols, Kathryn (1984). "A Prefabricated Style". Debut (3). Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "Andromeda Heights – Prefab Sprout – Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- "Prefab Sprout | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- "Swedish Charts". swedishcharts. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "Norwegian Charts". norwegiancharts. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "Finnish Charts". finnishcharts. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "Dutch Charts (Album)". dutchcharts. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "Prefab Sprout". billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "Andromeda Heights". Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "The Gunman and Other Stories". Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "Let's Change the World". Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "Official Albums Chart UK Top 100 – 19th October 2013 | The UK Charts | Top 40". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- "Crimson/Red". Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "Dutch Charts (Singles)". dutchcharts. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "Prefab Sprout Dance Chart History". billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "The Sound of Crying". Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "If You Don't Love Me". Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- "A Prisoner". Retrieved 17 May 2019.
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