Prefab Sprout

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Prefab Sprout
PrefabSproutPromoCard1988.jpg
Prefab Sprout in 1988
Background information
Origin Witton Gilbert, County Durham, England
Genres
Years active1978–present
Labels Kitchenware
EMI Liberty
Epic (US)
Members Paddy McAloon
Past membersMartin McAloon
Michael Salmon
Wendy Smith
Feona Attwood
Graham Lant
Steve Dolder
Neil Conti

Prefab Sprout are an English pop/rock band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham who rose to fame during the 1980s. Formed in 1978 [5] by brothers Paddy and Martin McAloon and joined by vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player 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". [6] 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 1980s and 1990s. [1]

Contents

Nine of their albums 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". [5] The band has not played live since 2000. [7] Starting from 2003, Paddy McAloon has retained the Prefab Sprout name as a solo project. [6]

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". [5] [8] 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 (slogan: "The wax that won't get on your wick"). 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] [9] Music journalist Stuart Maconie described the track as "enigmatic, melancholy, tuneful and therefore perfect for a jobless literature graduate with girlfriend problems". [10] 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. [11]

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. [11] [12] Their two singles were reissued by Kitchenware and attracted notice including praise from Elvis Costello. [13]

Following the departure of Michael Salmon as drummer, the band recorded their debut album with session drummer Graham Lant in a 24-track studio in Edinburgh on a budget of £5,000. [14] [15] Entitled Swoon (an acronym for Songs Written Out Of Necessity), it 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. [16] [17] [18] 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. [19] Graham Lant's relationship with Prefab Sprout ended soon after recording of Swoon, so Neil Conti joined the band as drummer. [20] The resulting album, 1985's Steve McQueen , (released in America as Two Wheels Good in anticipation of displeasure from McQueen's estate) [21] 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, [22] [23] 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. [5] [24]

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). [25]

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. [26]

A double album anthology, the 38 Carat Collection was released by CBS in 1999 as the group was leaving the record label. [1] 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.

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.

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 ).[ citation needed ]

Crimson/Red , consisting of developed versions of tracks from the vaults, [6] was 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". Crimson/Red was a solo project, with Paddy McAloon singing, playing and programming all of the music on the album on his own.[ citation needed ]

In a 2013 interview, McAloon explained that his health issues (in particular, the deterioration of his hearing and eyesight) [27] now dictated the way in which Prefab Sprout music was recorded, making it impractical and even impossible for any other musicians to be involved, [28] 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. [29] [27]

On 8 November 2018, Rough Trade announced the availability of vinyl LP and CD versions of I Trawl the Megahertz, [30] including a white vinyl special edition of 1000 copies. On the same day, Sony Music announced the release under their "Legacy" brand. [31] 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. [32]

Since 2023 bass player Martin McAloon has toured and performed Prefab Sprout material as a solo artist. [33]

Unreleased material

Several interviews have described a significant vault of unreleased material, credited either to Prefab Sprout or to McAloon himself. [34] Crimson/Red was based on tracks from the vault, and Let's Change the World with Music was released in a form that was substantially similar to its 1993 demo form.

On 10 December 2018, Paddy McAloon featured in an interview on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. McAloon said that Sony would be making further releases, and that since 2013 he had been working on an album of unreleased material, 'Femmes Mythologiques', to be issued in September 2019. During the radio appearance, he played a segment of a song called "Cleopatra". [35]

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. [5] 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". [36]

Members

Current members
Former members
Touring musicians

Discography

Sources

Related Research Articles

<i>Jordan: The Comeback</i> 1990 studio album by Prefab Sprout

Jordan: The Comeback is the fifth studio album by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released by Kitchenware Records and CBS on 28 August 1990. A 19-track album encompassing a variety of musical styles and themes, Jordan has been considered by the band and critics alike to be Prefab Sprout's most ambitious project. The album was produced by Thomas Dolby, who had helmed the band's acclaimed 1985 album Steve McQueen but had been unable to commit to the entirety of its 1988 follow-up From Langley Park to Memphis.

<i>Protest Songs</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Prefab Sprout

Protest Songs is the fourth studio album by English pop band Prefab Sprout. Recorded quickly and self-produced, the album features a minimal production style at odds with most of the band's work. Originally planned to be released in December 1985 as a quickfire follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed second album Steve McQueen, it was put on hold for commercial reasons and the band moved on to record 1988's From Langley Park to Memphis. The album was finally released by Kitchenware Records and CBS on 19 June 1989. Despite the band undertaking no promotional activities, the album peaked at number 18 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Steve McQueen</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Prefab Sprout

Steve McQueen is the second studio album by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released in June 1985 by Kitchenware Records. The album was released by Epic Records in the United States as Two Wheels Good in anticipation of legal conflict with the estate of American actor Steve McQueen. The album cover references Steve McQueen's lifelong passion for Triumph motorcycles and the 1963 film The Great Escape.

Patrick Joseph McAloon is an English singer-songwriter and a founder of the band Prefab Sprout.

<i>From Langley Park to Memphis</i> 1988 studio album by Prefab Sprout

From Langley Park to Memphis is the third studio album by English pop band Prefab Sprout. It was released by Kitchenware Records on 14 March 1988. It peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart, the highest position for any studio album released by the band. Recorded in Newcastle, London and Los Angeles, it has a more polished and commercial sound than their earlier releases, and features several guest stars including Stevie Wonder and Pete Townshend. The album's simpler songs, big productions and straight-forward cover photo reflect frontman Paddy McAloon's wish for it to be a more universal work than their more cerebral earlier work.

<i>Swoon</i> (Prefab Sprout album) 1984 studio album by Prefab Sprout

Swoon is the debut studio album by the English pop band Prefab Sprout, released in March 1984 by Kitchenware Records. Written over a period of seven years, the record was produced with David Brewis on a low budget. The group mostly chose to avoid recording the material they had played live over the years, preferring to make a more intricate record of mostly recent material.

<i>Andromeda Heights</i> 1997 studio album by Prefab Sprout

Andromeda Heights is the sixth studio album by the English pop group Prefab Sprout. It was released by Kitchenware Records on 2 May 1997. It peaked at number 7 in the UK Albums Chart. "A Prisoner of the Past" and "Electric Guitars" were also released as singles, peaking at number 30 and number 53, respectively, in the UK Singles Chart.

<i>I Trawl the Megahertz</i> 2003 studio album by Paddy McAloon

I Trawl the Megahertz is an album originally released as a Paddy McAloon solo album in May 2003 on Liberty Records. It was later reissued in February 2019 on Sony Music under the Prefab Sprout name, as originally intended, with new artwork. McAloon was rendered nearly blind for a period in 1999 due to detached retinas; housebound, he found comfort in listening to shortwave radio transmissions like chat shows, phone-in programs and documentaries. He recorded conversations from these programs, fragmented them, and introduced new words and lines from other sources, generating source material for the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The King of Rock 'n' Roll</span> 1988 single by Prefab Sprout

"The King of Rock 'n' Roll" is a single by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released by Kitchenware Records in March 1988. It was the second single taken from their album of that year, From Langley Park to Memphis. It remains the band's biggest chart success in their native UK, reaching number 7 on the UK Singles Chart, where it spent 11 weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cars and Girls</span> 1988 single by Prefab Sprout

"Cars and Girls" is a single by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released by Kitchenware Records in February 1988. It was the first single taken from their album of that year, From Langley Park to Memphis. The single failed to reach the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, reaching a peak of number 44 over five weeks on the chart. It has nevertheless become one of Prefab Sprout's most popular songs.

<i>Lets Change the World with Music</i> 2009 studio album by Prefab Sprout

Let's Change the World with Music is the ninth studio album by the English pop group Prefab Sprout. It was released on 7 September 2009 by Kitchenware Records. It was the band's first album of new material since 2001's The Gunman and Other Stories and marked a return to Sony Music, Kitchenware's parent label. The album reached No. 39 in the UK Albums Chart at the end of the week of its release. Although no singles were technically released, "Let There Be Music" was sent to radio stations, and "Sweet Gospel Music" was due to be a one-track digital release to highlight the album, but received no airplay and therefore was pulled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When Love Breaks Down</span> 1984 single by Prefab Sprout

"When Love Breaks Down" is a single by English pop band Prefab Sprout, first released by Kitchenware Records in October 1984. It was the first single taken from their album of the following year, Steve McQueen. On its first release, the single did not chart in the UK Singles Chart, but it was reissued in 1985, reaching No. 25. The song was also the group's first chart appearance in the United States, peaking at No. 42 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart in October 1985.

<i>Crimson/Red</i> 2013 studio album by Prefab Sprout

Crimson/Red is the tenth studio album by English pop band Prefab Sprout, although for this album "Prefab Sprout" consists entirely of singer/songwriter Paddy McAloon, who writes, sings and plays every note on the album. Crimson/Red was released in the United Kingdom by Icebreaker Records and Kitchenware Records on 7 October 2013. The album title is a reference to artist Mark Rothko.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Prisoner of the Past</span> 1997 single by Prefab Sprout

"A Prisoner of the Past" is a single by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released by Kitchenware Records on 21 April 1997. It was the lead single from Andromeda Heights, the band's first studio album in seven years. Frontman Paddy McAloon wrote the song in 1989, inspired by the work of Phil Spector. Upon release, the song received critical acclaim and reached number 30 on the UK Singles Chart. It remains the band's final top 40 hit to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sound of Crying</span> 1992 single by Prefab Sprout

"The Sound of Crying" is a single by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released by Kitchenware Records in June 1992. It was one of two new songs included on their compilation album A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout. It was one of the band's biggest hits, reaching No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart.

Wendy Smith is an English musician. She was a singer and guitarist in the band Prefab Sprout from 1983 until 2001. In 2015, she became the director of creative learning at The Sage in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lions in My Own Garden (Exit Someone)</span> 1982 single by Prefab Sprout

"Lions in My Own Garden (Exit Someone)", rendered "Lions in My Own Garden: Exit Someone" on its initial release, is the first single by English pop band Prefab Sprout. It was first released on the band's own Candle Records in 1982, and reissued in 1983 after the band were signed by Kitchenware Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Devil Has All the Best Tunes</span> 1983 single by Prefab Sprout

"The Devil Has All the Best Tunes" is the second single by English pop band Prefab Sprout. It was their first release to feature Wendy Smith and their first release after signing with Kitchenware Records. As of 2022, neither side of the single has been released on CD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodbye Lucille Number 1</span> 1986 song by Prefab Sprout

"Goodbye Lucille #1" is a song by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released as a single under the title "Johnny Johnny" by Kitchenware Records in January 1986. It was the final single taken from their album Steve McQueen. The single failed to reach the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, reaching a peak of number 64 over three weeks on the chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appetite (Prefab Sprout song)</span> 1985 single by Prefab Sprout

"Appetite" is a song by English pop band Prefab Sprout from their album Steve McQueen. Released as the album's third single by Kitchenware Records in August 1985, it reached number 92 on the UK Singles Chart. Despite its disappointing chart performance, the song has been singled out as one of the highlights of Steve McQueen.

References

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  2. 1 2 Clarke, Donald (1998). The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Penguin Books. p. 1016. ISBN   978-0-1405-1370-7.
  3. 1 2 Jenkins, Jake (30 July 2021). "Sophisti-pop: The '80s' Most Elegant Genre". Sweetwater. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Pop/Rock » Punk/New Wave » Sophisti-Pop". AllMusic . Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 433. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  6. 1 2 3 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.
  7. ↑ admin (29 March 2015). "The 2000 Tour Revisited in Real Time - Fifteen Years to the Day". Sproutology. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  8. ↑ McCullough, Dave (16 April 1983). "From Brussels with LOVE". Sounds. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  9. ↑ Perrone, Pierre (1988). "McAloon interview". Club Pour Hommes. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  10. ↑ Maconie, Stuart (2004). Cider With Roadies. London: Random House. p. 161. ISBN   0-09-189115-9.
  11. 1 2 "About". prefabsprout.net. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  12. ↑ "No longer a Prefab Sprout". Consett Music Project (4). 1984. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  13. ↑ Thrills, Adrian (27 August 1983). "Young, gifted and... white?". NME. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  14. ↑ Pye, Ian (28 January 1984). "Sprout fever". Melody Maker. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  15. ↑ Cooper, Mark (December 1988). "No Sweat". Q Magazine. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  16. ↑ Andersson, Jan-Olov (26 March 1984). "Costello's new favourites". Aftonbladet (Sweden).
  17. ↑ Nichols, Kathryn (1984). "A Prefabricated Style". Debut Magazine (3). Retrieved 6 June 2019.
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  20. ↑ "Swoon: A Brief Interview with Graham Lant". Sproutology. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  21. ↑ 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.
  22. ↑ Takano, Yuko (April 1988). "Prefab Sprout: From Langley Park to Memphis". Pop Gear. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  23. ↑ Dave, DiMartino (20 August 1988). "Prefab Sprout Takes Root". Billboard. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
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  25. ↑ "Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  26. ↑ "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.
  27. 1 2 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.
  28. ↑ Eaton-Lewis, Andrew (1 October 2013). "Paddy McAloon on the return of Prefab Sprout". The Scotsman . Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  29. ↑ "PREFAB SPROUT : AMERICA". YouTube. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
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  33. ↑ "'I'm a roadie at heart!' - Prefab Sprout's Martin McAloon plays The Citadel". St Helens Star . 24 February 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  34. ↑ Clayton-Lea, Tony. "Prefab Sprout's Paddy McAloon: 'Like Gandalf on his way to work in the House of Lords'". The Irish Times . Retrieved 31 March 2021.
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  38. ↑ "Andromeda Heights – Prefab Sprout – Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 27 April 2019.
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