Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Music»Artists - L to Z»Artists - P
    Artists - P Music - 1980s 2 Mins Read

    Prefab Sprout

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    After reading English at Newcastle, minister’s son Paddy McAloon formed Prefab Sprout with his girlfriend Wendy (“Smithy”) and his bass-playing younger brother Martin. The trio produced a flood of extraordinary songs that drew on sources as diverse as The Beatles, Steely Dan and George Gershwin.

    On their first album, Swoon, tracks like Cruel, Technique and  Elegance were wry and sparkling explorations of loss and desire that made everyone except Elvis Costello and Morrissey look like the peddlers of inanity they truly were.

    prefabsprout_012

    By the time Prefab Sprout’s debut album (recorded for just £5,000) was released in 1984, McAloon had been honing his songwriting for nine years.

    When the band released a second CBS album, Steve McQueen, in 1985, McAloon mischievously announced that he was “probably the best writer on the planet”.

    Produced by pop boffin Thomas Dolby, the record almost bore the challenge out – a collection of songs even more swoonworthy than Swoon. The album peaked at #21 in the UK but disappointingly, major mainstream success eluded the group after several attempts to hype the lovely When Love Breaks Down into the Top Twenty failed.

    Consolation perhaps came when Steve McQueen made the NME‘s list of the best hundred LPs ever made.

    From Langley Park To Memphis (1988) included the tracks Hey Manhattan! and Cars and Girls (which reached #44 in the UK). The biggest hit from the LP was The King of Rock ‘N’ Roll, which became Prefab Sprout’s only Top 10 single, reaching #7.

    prefabsprout_025

    McAloon developed serious problems with his eyes – a condition where the retina spontaneously detaches and washes off the eye.

    The condition and subsequent treatment and operation (understandably) slowed down his creative output in the 90s and the band released only two albums – Jordan (1990) and Andromeda Heights (1998).

    In the wake of Andromeda Heights, two significant events happened to Prefab Sprout. They left Kitchenware and a year later they actually toured.

    Sadly, they were probably the band’s last shows as Paddy McAloon’s hearing problems make playing live impossible for him now.

    Paddy McAloon
    Vocals, guitar, keyboards
    Wendy Smith

    Vocals, guitar, keyboards
    Martin McAloon

    Bass
    Neil Conti 

    Drums

    Related Posts

    • Off Broadway
      Off Broadway
      This late-'70s power pop group came together in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1977 with a line-up of Cliff Johnson (who…
    • Danny Wilson
      Danny Wilson
      Scottish trio Danny Wilson formed in Dundee in 1984 and were originally known as Spencer Tracy until they signed to…
    • Breakfast Club, The
      Breakfast Club, The
      The Breakfast Club's drummer, Stephen Bray, helped write and produce several hits for his former college friend, Madonna, including True Blue and Into the Groove.…
    • Squeeze
      Squeeze
      Formed in Deptford, London, England in 1974, Squeeze came to prominence in the late 70s riding on the new wave created by…
    • Adventures, The
      Adventures, The
      Formed in 1984, The Adventures were a melodic six-piece group from Belfast. Founder member Terry Sharpe had previously been the…
    • Vanilla Chainsaws
      Vanilla Chainsaws
      Formed in August 1986, Sydney band Vanilla Chainsaws released their debut single, T.S. (Was It Really Me) b/w Everything on the local Phantom label…
    • Oppressed, The
      Oppressed, The
      The Oppressed was an Oi! band formed in March 1981 in Cardiff by Russell Payne (guitar), his brother Ronnie (bass), Gary Tier…
    • Shop Assistants
      Shop Assistants
      Formed in Edinburgh in 1984, this pop group used guitar inflexions enthusiastically borrowed from the Buzzcocks. They were originally called…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticlePP Arnold
    Next Article Pretenders, The

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Incredible Edibles
      Mattel launched Incredible Edibles in 1967, promising “a […]
    • Headpins
      Headpins was formed in Vancouver, Canada, in 1980 by Chilliwack […]
    • All Change
      1 9 8 9 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes 1 9 9 1 (UK) 6 x 30 minute […]
    • Looking For Mr Goodbar (1977)
      Theresa (Diane Keaton), a prim young teacher of deaf children, […]
    • Me Mammy
      1 9 6 9 – 1 9 7 1 (UK) 20 x 30 minute episodes […]
    • Nerf
      It started with a dream – a dream of breaking one of the […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.