Prefab Sprout

Prefab Sprout is an English pop band from County Durham which rose to moderate fame during the 1980s. Though critically acclaimed, and considered by many to have released some of the best pop albums of the decade, the band never broke through to the mainstream and had only moderate commercial success.

Related Topics:
English - County Durham - 1980s

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They debuted in 1982 with their self-released single "Lions In My Own Garden: Exit Someone" - songwriter Paddy McAloon wanted a song title where the first letters of the words spelled out "LIMOGES" (where his girlfriend was staying at the time). Their first album was Swoon, a collection of quirky pop songs in the same vein as "Lions...", released on the Kitchenware label in early 1984. The following year saw the release of their second, the Thomas Dolby-produced Steve McQueen (released in the USA as Two Wheels Good when McQueen's estate expressed their displeasure with the title).

Related Topics:
1982 - Paddy McAloon - LIMOGES - Thomas Dolby - McQueen

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Their biggest commercial and critical success came with 1990's ', which was a hit in the UK where it 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 often cited Stephen Sondheim as an influence); in addition to its religious overtones, perhaps reflecting McAloon's education in a Catholic seminary, there were several allegorical songs about Jesse James and Elvis Presley.

Related Topics:
Brit award - Stephen Sondheim - Catholic - Seminary - Jesse James - Elvis Presley

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Subsequent albums have not been as commercially successful, and have only been available in the United States on import, except for a greatest hits release, 1999's 38 Carat Collection. Recently, Paddy McAloon was diagnosed with a medical disorder that has impaired his vision. However, he resurrected Prefab Sprout in 2000 for a short but well-received UK tour, and released the spoken word/instrumental album I Trawl The Megahertz under his own name in 2003.

Related Topics:
38 Carat Collection - Paddy McAloon - Prefab Sprout - I Trawl The Megahertz

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