prefab sprout: jordan: the comeback

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

The google link here worked for me.

Jordan demos anyone? https://t.co/lrFKDEvUTS and https://t.co/7gs4lz5Q2m - nothing to do with me but grab them while they’re there. From the PS unofficial FB group. Unreleased song too

— NicD (@Sproutology) May 19, 2020

Nice, many thanks! An unreleased song from this period is pretty exciting.

woa! this is amazing.
i love this record so much... never thought i‘d be able to hear alternate versions of every single song, and they are just beautiful! i love the shiny productions of the records but hearing these versions already carrying the same grand vision while keeping the naive purity of home recordings - even if pretty elaborate ones - is something else.

Well, these demos of one of my all-time favorite albums are such a gift. But are they demos or just rough mixes, perhaps a bit of both?

mostly seem like roughs, but scarlet nights is definitely a demo and it's 1000% worth checking out

while the arrangements are pretty fleshed out they seem clearly enough like demos

michael is so good

I usually try to avoid the comments on RYM but this one captured my feelings: "a good example of a band who whilst making a record, probably thought they were making their last." There's so much here, much of it great. If I had heard this album in time for the poll, I think I would have thrown my vote to "Looking for Atlantis" but there's like six or seven tracks here that could vie for best

my friend hates "horsechimes" but loves "the wedding march". i don't know how you can be so wrong

i love em both

wedding march gets a little too close to mccartneyesque granny music (which we also have very differing opinions on)

oh yeah, it's very 'when i'm 64'-esque. another song i love. it's corny, but paddy's sincerity and sharp lyricism shines through the corniness, just like on plenty of other moments throughout the album. tho, i understand why the wedding march is the hardest to take.

title track might have the strongest contrast of amazing chorus and what-were-they-thinking verses, although only paddy could even come close to pulling off the 'voiceover' style verses. but greatest chorus of all time! what a band