Prefab Sprout: Classic Or Dud

thanks, Soref--perfect

goddamn his voice sounds great in that new video

"I told myself, 'one a year'. But if I did one thing a year, I'd be 60 by the time I cleared eight of them. And I have a lot more than eight." Clear-eyed, twinkle-eared, coulda-gone-deaf-and-blind Paddy McAloon, the sanest maverick and most engaged recluse in music, chuckles. At himself, at his situation, at the world.

This from a 2009 interview. Funny how one a year is spoken of as not making a dent in his projects, yet 9 years on, nothing new released. Haven't even heard any good rumors. The most recent mentioned a reissue of _I Trawl the Megahertz_ in the works, but nothing on that front sadly. If there's an album worth of additional tracks for that, I'd weep.

The Independent interview, which is probably somewhere upthread.

New Paddy interview with discussion of the I Trawl the Megahertz reissue under the Prefab Sprout moniker, and a snippet of a new song from Femmes Mythologiques, a projected late 2019 release.

omg

Np https://youtu.be/fZO40Yc_EwE

wow never heard that one before it's fantastic

aw i love "wigs"

New Megahertz is somehow different to the old I’m reading? Anyone heard it yet? It’s on Spotify I notice...

Can’t say I noticed any significant difference. I have the original cd, but some time since I played it. Think I’ll need to investigate

I've only just discovered this group for myself via an '80s compilation CD collection I purchased the last time I was in London (i.e. December 2017). So far the two Prefab Sprout songs on said album ("The King of Rock and Roll" and "When Love Breaks Down") are really, really fucking amazing. Next up: actually listening to one of their full albums. BTW, I have a very dear friend of mine who's a native of Albuquerque and now I can't help but associate her with the former song, even though we met via a shared fandom of a completely different musical artist.

https://t.co/c2MIu6mrln #prefabsprout

— @needlemythology (@needlemythology) February 20, 2019

Looks like that’s been removed; shame.

Looks like that's back; hooray!

Your daddy loves you very much. He just doesn't want to live with us anymore.

vinyl reissues in september:

Prefab Sprout have announced vinyl reissues of three studio albums and one compilation. New pressings of their 1984 debut Swoon, 1988’s commercial breakthrough From Langley Park to Memphis, 1990’s double album Jordan: The Comeback, and 1992’s Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout are all out September 27. A press statement notes that the packaging and remasters were overseen by band members Paddy and Martin McAloon. Pre-orders are available at their website.

Earlier this year, Paddy McAloon’s 2003 solo album I Trawl the Megahertz was reissued as a Prefab Sprout LP.

... i think i'm gonna need to buy jordan

Interesting that they didn’t include Steve McQueen. I hope these stick around long enough for me to confirm the pressings are better than my originals.

hope they fixed the glitch on life of surprises

What glitch?

sorry, i must be insane. i remember there being some weird glitch on a PS song, thought it was LoS, thought it was discussed on ilm as an error during mastering but re-listening i don't hear anything. apologies for derail

no, wait, it's there, around 3:38-41 on the word 'not' !

I've noticed that glitch too. Pretty weird oversight on their part, unless it was the only possible way for them to stitch it together. I hope that's even fixable at this point!

any news on femmes mythologiques?

nothing beyond the planned release in September mentioned at the start of the year

media is precious and fragile ... but despite the glitch LOS is still perfect

Trying to figure out why Steve McQueen (my fave of them, by far) was excluded, I found out there was a RSD release of 'Steve McQueen Acoustic'. Anyone heard it?

yeah, steve mcqueen is my favourite album of theirs :/

The Steve McQueen acoustic was all bonus tracks on the 2006 reissue iir

Ah, thanks. The lack of fanfare everywhere made me think already it wasn't something new.

love those acoustic versions.

yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6uTKJiD7iQ

is there a rights issue with the label that put out Steve McQueen / Two Wheels Good?

I got to know Steve McQueen via the 2006 reissue so those acoustic versions are as canonical as the originals for me. I think I actually like them better

the Steve McQueen Acoustic disc appears to be on spotify, along with 5 different issues of Steve McQueen (including one of Two Wheels Good), each with a different poorly scanned version of the album art

acoustic version was also issued as a stand alone lp.
https://www.discogs.com/Prefab-Sprout-Steve-McQueen-Acoustic/release/13288548

Variants of this pop up about once every 8 months when there's a news story about prefabricated something. JUST SAY NO. https://t.co/88A7ESVs2X

— NicD (@Sproutology) September 1, 2019

So is there a release date for the new album?

http://stereoembersmagazine.com/prefab-sprouts-new-lp-femmes-mythologiques-set-for-september-release/

McAloon has also indicated his vaults are rather vast.

How vast?

“You can work it out by doing the maths,” he went on to say. “…if you write three albums a year, approximately, and you’ve been doing that for 30 years, then that’s where we are.

damn, I really hope Paddy has a Max Brod in his life iykwim

STORM THE VAULT

New P4K retrospective: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/prefab-sprout-swoon-from-langley-park-to-memphis-jordan-the-comeback-a-life-of-surprises/

Just started checking out the Swoon remaster on Spotify and it is sounding good, less like it was recorded through a wall. Bass! It's a bit odd - that thinness or tinniness was the fabric of the album, the contrast to everything later – but I am liking it.

Anyone familiar with the protest songs record mentioned in that article? xp

it was recorded after steve mcqueen but not released until after langley park. similar in sound to steve mcqueen but not quite as good. has the song life of surprises which is great.

"Scarlet Nights" has become my favorite track off JORDAN at the moment. That understated key change in the final chorus is pure magic.

The kick / snare drum triplets on the Bobby Fischer section of Cue Fanfare

You know, almost all of the songs on LCTWWM are excellent innit. I'm going to blame the arrangements for obscuring this state of affairs for a decade.

In 1985 County Durham pop band Prefab Sprout sung about Moving the River on their highly acclaimed album Steve McQueen. But why are we bringing this up now, and what has it got to do with life in Stoke-on-Trent in 2020? Well, strap yourselves in... pic.twitter.com/dGQ3JTM7r3

— Stoke-on-Trent CC (@SoTCityCouncil) May 21, 2020

Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone.
Let's pretend that we're together, all alone.