prefab sprout: jordan: the comeback

No way to download that gig for safe keeping?

Most repeated stretch recently - “Jesse James (both)” - “Moon Dog” - “ATWLL”

I consider this one of the great "autumn" albums, probably because that's the time of year it was released...

Mercy getting no votes makes some sense since it's 82 seconds long but imo it's one of the best songs here

But Looking For Atlantis getting none too!? how!?!?

I've only just discovered this album, but is there an actual backstory behind the character of Jordan?

There are some great songs on this but Mercy is by far the greatest of them. I thought I’d voted in this poll but obviously not.

Fwiw, I find wild horses weirdly awkward.

Wow

Sorry wrong thread but weirdly right

Wild Horses is weirdly awkward but that's what makes it so great imo - the syncopation in the choruses specifically.

I assumed you were talking about the lyrics cos...

"I'm a wolf with an eye for the ponies" is an all time second verse closer line

This album!

the greatest album ever made

also an album somewhat ruined by the digital/streaming era (the last time i checked the spotify version is full of single edits)

are those actually single edits tho? they're labeled as such, but the song lengths are all pretty much the same as on the track listing from discogs. i don't have a digital copy to compare them to at the moment...

at any rate this record is amazing and kind of overwhelming.

also have yall heard nicholas krgovich flip wild horses into sleigh ride?? tis the season... https://nicholaskrgovich.bandcamp.com/track/sleigh-ride

are those actually single edits tho? they're labeled as such, but the song lengths are all pretty much the same as on the track listing from discogs. i don't have a digital copy to compare them to at the moment...

― J. Sam, Saturday, December 29, 2018 5:44 PM (thirty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

iirc the between-track transitions are all fucked up for he most part. gotta try again though

This was a Xmas pressie for me so I am still unpeeling the layers.

It amazes me that records such as this were released at a time when I was already deeply into music yet never appeared on my radar at the time (either due to the Melody Maker and NME not espousing it or, if they did, me discounting it). I can't help thinking that King of Rock and Roll did PS no favours as I probably thought of them as a bit of a novelty act when Jordan was released back in 1990.

Anyway, this sounds amazing and, at times, makes me think that Eitzel must have listened to a lot of PS as AMC's sound softened around the edges in the early to mid 90s.

I can't help thinking that King of Rock and Roll did PS no favours

McAloon alludes to this in an interview in this months Mojo

Missed this thread. This is an all-time favorite play start to finish set the mood album of mine.

If it was released today, maybe with a few subtle bells and whistles added, it would be...

listened to this a lot this time last year and their ability to explore emotional spaces both musically and lyrically is extraordinary. i had something of a damascene moment regarding them listening to We Let the Stars Go on a tube from Ealing. Wd agree with yugi ex that i missed out on them when reading the music press, feel i overlooked them rather than them not being represented tho. sure that Jordan made either the NME or MM EOYs.

You're right, mm had it at 27, mms at 23. Pills 'n Thrills topped both lists! Hmmmm.

are those actually single edits tho? they're labeled as such, but the song lengths are all pretty much the same as on the track listing from discogs. i don't have a digital copy to compare them to at the moment...

― J. Sam, Saturday, December 29, 2018 5:44 PM (thirty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ok so i double-checked and yeah: the single edit of "ice maiden" does not transition properly into "paris smith"

this is why i hate streaming btw

well actually it's probably apple's fault tbh, it's the same version of the record that's available on itunes. so i actually just hate the entire digital music era

try listening to sign o the times on any streaming service without constantly adjusting the volume

the drive to have only one version of a song available on digital/streaming services was so fucking destructive

sign o the times is a great example of a record where the vinyl vs. cd/digital is night and day

Funnily enough I keep thinking of Sign O'The Times as I am getting to know this, something about the scope, ambition and realised vision makes them seem aligned.

At the moment Jordan edges it as it doesn't have a Starfish & Coffee on it!

sign o the times is a great example of a record where the vinyl vs. cd/digital is night and day

I worked in a record shop in the summer of 88 and we had everything on cd, tape and vinyl. I remember doing a vinyl v CD sound test on Lovesexy and vinyl won by miles. The sound was indeed richer and more consistent but my abiding memory was how the snares crunched and smacked whereas on CD they just seemed to keep time.

Well, I'd never heard this (or had forgotten) before today. I've always had a troubled relationship with PS, finding them right on the cusp of the kind of arch and whimsical stuff that I struggle with. Anyway, talk about missing the obvious: it's glorious. And, stating the obvious, but I assume Dan Bejar has heard this once or twice.

Wow - did not know Natalie Prass was covering this - was made for the Spacebomb treatment now I think of it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1jcxlnEK9Y

iirc dan bejar said this was one of the main influences on kaputt

xpost (Following Pure Bathing Culture's whole album cover of Hats, maybe 2019 is the year the sophistipop revival goes overground)

No idea who Natalie Prass is but that was a great cover.

"I Trawl the Megahertz", could also file under "puns I see now": "And, yes: ‘mega hurts’ – pun intended,” says Paddy in this Record Collector interview.

Lovely interview - the recent Mojo one is also a very good read.

When I sing "Looking for Atlantis" in my head I always sing it slower then I listen to it and think it's too fast. It is too fast, it's better in my head.

the September date for Femmes Mythologiques is new isn't it? looking forward to anything new from him

been a real jordan summer for me. it's between the title track, scarlet nights, or moon dog. or we let the stars go. the jesse james diptych also is kinda devastating at the right moment. lord, this album.

any music worth its salt is good for dancing

Just started really digging into this. Wish the production had a bit more oomphy low-end at parts... but wow lots and lots of a great songs.

death is a small price for heaaaaven

"I will sign it 'Lucifer regrets'" was warring with "Welcome to the glow of high octane affairs, Esperanto style, and blonde disheveled hair" as favorite lyric from a play last week. Every play, a new contender.

the earth was merely round
before the slapback sound

the moment where the heavy guitars come in on the ice maiden, jeez.

We're talking fire
We're talking flame
We're talking ice into ashes

He's been on their official Instagram talking about each of the newly reissued vinyl albums, some interesting and funny stuff on there; the Life Of Surprises comp was originally to be called Ten Years On The Launchpad.

arctic winds blow and still you believe
love makes you one of the chosen

a frantic phonecall from a friend has alerted me that the jordan demos have finally leaked

!!!

Woah, where?

yep

the j0rdan demos

It's a great autumn album as this is the time of year when it was released.

Machine Gun Ibiza is towards the bottom of this album for me, but it is undeniable that he is a top rollmo star.

If someone uploaded this to soulseek as "Ween - Machine Gun Ibiza (1999)" I would not doubt it for a second

Machine Gun Ibiza is BAD. The Ice Maiden into Paris Smith is the PEAK.

― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Tuesday, September 26, 2023 10:49 PM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink

otmfm

PADDY JOE, say PADDY JOE runs through my head most weeks. What a perfect pop song. Every bar full of novelty. Those synth bells at "leeeeet theeee staaarrrrs gooooo" elevate me everytime they cut through. The backward guitar in the outro, the breath noises coming from the synth's filling the background of the 1st verse. The "aaaahhahahah" at remembering her. The harp and church organ halfway through the 2nd verse as "the light is gone", the beautiful snare roll leading into the 2nd chorus. That wobbly, "future days"-esque sound rolling through the final refrain. I love it all

Baffling that they left Looking for Atlantis of the Greatest Hits album two years later.

If you're looking for Atlantis
You should cast your eye on me

we let the stars go is perfect, no doubt. my favorite part is when the reverie ends and paddy’s acoustic plays us out

the second verse is such a gut punch

but the light is gone and it is dark
and what used to be the sky
is suddenly embarrassing
to the naked eye

Paddy’s acoustic guitar an undeniably great element of all prefab songs. Man knows how to play

Listening to the title track as I read that . . . otm.

I think 'suddenly embarrassing' gets close to how Machine Gun Ibiza makes me feel. There's something very specifically English in it, something I've felt at holiday camp talent shows, pantomimes and end-of-pier shows. It's a mythic (small r) romanticism that tips into something else; it's a zone McAloon has been exploring for decades.

This may be my favorite couplet of all time:

You and I won't lose our heads the way some lovers do
Saying "This will last forever" when it's just a year or two