Prefab Sprout - Biography
A stranger to the music of Prefab Sprout will undoubtedly feel some resistance to their shiny, synth-soaked melodies upon first listen. The perfectness of it, and the sheer gloss, is not for everyone, but that is all surface matter. Underneath the flawless production lay intelligently heartbroken lyrics, witty wordplay, and challenging melodies that only draw you deeper in with each spin. It wasn't disposable 80's garbage. As trained as we are to dismiss songs that remind us of John Hughes films, Prefab Sprout are guilty only of coming out of the 80's. Although they are a product of their time, it doesn't take long to realize that Prefab Sprout, and especially singer/guitarist Paddy McAloon, one of pop music's most underrated songwriters, recorded timeless music.
Formed in Newcastle, England, in 1977, Prefab Sprout was the brainchild of McAloon and his younger brother, Martin McAloon. Paddy had been writing songs since his adolescence, and when Martin was old enough to accompany him on bass, the brothers recruited drummer Michael Salmon and gave themselves that unusual moniker. The name meant nothing. It was a tongue-in-cheek attempt at echoing the pretentiousness of band names from the early 70's (like Procol Harum). The band started up a label, Candle Records, where they released their first single, “Lions in My Own Garden (Exit Someone),” in 1982. The title's acronym is Limoges, a city in France that is largely responsible for the departure of McAloon's onetime girlfriend, who left Newcastle to study in Limoges. The heartbreak worked to the songwriter's benefit, as the single was warmly received by the British music press, and legendary disc jockey John Peel played the song on his show. All of this led to the band's signatures with Kitchenware, a label owned by CBS. Singer Wendy Smith, whose boyfriend was in a band that frequently played shows with Prefab Sprout, had become very fond of the band's music, and McAloon invited her in to sing back-up vocals.“Lions in My Own Garden (Exit Someone)” was reissued in 1983, followed by second single “The Devil Has All the Best Tunes,” the first song to feature Smith's vocals.
In March of 1984, Prefab Sprout put out their debut album, Swoon (Kitchenware/Epic). Salmon had exited a year prior, and so the album was cut with session drummers. Although the songs here don't exactly possess the same amount of swagger or songwriting competence as future releases, Swoon certainly hints at greatness. What makes it worthwhile even today is its delicate balance of difficulty and instant appeal. First single “Don't Sing” is catchy and hummable. And yet, it demands to be reheard so that the listener can make proper sense of it. Swoon is full of songs like that, songs that are at once catchy and weirdly difficult.
The Sprout found a full-time drummer in Neil Conti and headed back into the studio shortly after Swoon's release. Synth-pop wonderboy Thomas Dolby came along as a producer. Known for his quirky hit, “She Blinded Me With Science,” Dolby may have appeared to be an odd choice, but he was no stranger to the lush sounds that Prefab Sprout were striving for. This pairing proved successful, as McAloon's songwriting had improved exponentially, and Dolby knew just how to treat the compositions. Steve McQueen (1985, Kitchenware) is regarded as a much better album than Swoon, and is sometimes seen as the best album the band ever recorded. Due to a legal issue with the real Steve McQueen's estate, the band was forced to go with a different title, Two Wheels Good, when Epic released it in the States. “When Love Breaks Down” was released as a single, but failed to catch fire in the both the US and UK. The song was released in the UK again and again without luck.
Later in 1985, the band was already back in the studio, initially hoping to compile some new songs for an album they'd sell exclusively on their tour. But by then, “When Love Breaks Down” had finally become a big hit in the UK. CBS urged the band to shelve their new project, as a new album would likely hurt sales of Steve McQueen, which was still relatively new. Since Prefab Sprout already had a new album in the can months after releasing a near-masterpiece, it comes as a surprise that they didn't release an official follow-up to Steve McQueen until 1988.
From Langley Park to Memphis (1988, Kitchenware/Epic) is partially an examination of rock & roll superstardom, with songs like “The King of Rock 'n' Roll” providing humorous insight into the occupation. Other times, it plays like a concept album about the United States, with a few songs suggesting that McAloon feels at odds with American culture. As a songwriter, McAloon had not lost his touch, but the band had certainly lost something. Although they had scored a bona fide hit album in the UK thanks to singles like “Cars and Girls” and “Hey Manhattan!,” the LP lacked a certain artistry that had seemed so effortless on Steve McQueen. One year later, Kitchenware put out the previously shelved album from 1985 as Protest Songs (1989, Kitchenware).
For the subsequent recording sessions, Dolby was back as the band's producer. Based on the superb results that Prefab Sprout achieved with Dolby the first time around, it's hard not to wish every Sprout album had his producer credit. 1990's Jordan: The Comeback (Epic/Kitchenware) only strengthens that case. The most ambitious thing that Prefab Sprout ever attempted, Jordan is a 19-track opus that seems to play as one long suite. The writing and realization of such an idea must have been creatively exhausting for McAloon. It took him seven years to release anything else, and once he did, the results did not stack up. 1997's Andromeda Heights (Sony International) showcased his usual unique songwriting gifts, but there was nothing terribly special about it.
In the years following Andromeda Heights, Smith officially parted ways with the band to have her first child and concentrate on motherhood. Conti, too, was long gone at that point. It was expected that the McAloon brothers would put Prefab Sprout to rest and that Paddy would begin putting albums out under his own name every 8 years or so. They instead surprised everyone with the release of a new Prefab Sprout LP in 2001. The Gunman and Other Stories (EMI-Liberty) captures McAloon's love for the American west, and blends that pastiche with the Sprout's tried and true symphonic bigness.
Before the LP was even released in the States, McAloon was diagnosed with a disease that subsequently stripped him of his eyesight. This was only a temporary effect, but in that state, McAloon worked on the songs that would make up his first solo album, I Trawl the Megahertz, released in 2003 on EMI. McAloon has since made Prefab Sprout fans very happy by releasing the group's eighth studio album, Let's Change the World With Music: The Blueprint, in 2009.
