Album: Steve McQueen
Artist: Prefab Sprout
Artist: Prefab Sprout
Born: Witton Gilbert, County Durham
Released: June 1985
Genre: Indie Pop
Influenced: Ron Sexsmith, Elliott Smith, Belle & Sebastian, Beth Orton, Rufus Wainwright
As sophisticated as Green Gartside, as lyrical as Morrissey, Paddy McAloon was one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge in the 80s. Prefab Sprout's second album, Steve McQueen, is McAloon's crowning moment and sadly the band would never produce anything quite as glorious again. Listening to their first album, Swoon, there are promising signs but nothing really to suggest that Prefab Sprout would create something so close to pop perfection as Steve McQueen. The album's modern, spacious production is a clear change from Swoon, while the assured playing and melodic grace make it a huge leap forward. There's something very unfashionable about the band: McAloon was inspired by musical theatre (note the Gershwin reference on Hallelujah), Steely Dan and romantic pop. The only real sense of cool was the influence of the Postcard Records label and the wit of Edwyn Collins and Orange Juice. This sense of being out of step with the time stems from the fact that McAloon started the band with his brother in the 70s, and some of the songs on Steve McQueen (like Bonny) were written near the end of that decade. Like Morrissey, McAloon had spent a long time incubating his genius before unleashing it on the world.
Prefab Sprout clearly also had a love of all things American, from the films of Steve McQueen to the country music of Faron Young, with the opening track paying homage while also being the most experimental of all the tracks on the LP. The twang of the country banjo breaks down into a "Scratch" Perry-style dub, and somehow it all works. Bonny and Appetite are just two of many tracks that feature great vocal performances from McAloon and Wendy Smith, and the latter one of my favourite songs on the record ("so if you take, then put back good / if you steal, be Robin Hood"). When Love Breaks Down may sound a little dated now, and the video uses that 80s cliché of falling autumn leaves for a love that has withered and died, but it's still one of my favourite love songs from the era. It's the only overtly commercial song on the LP and became a UK No.25 hit when it was re-issued in 1985. There's a world weariness in McAloon's voice, the middle-age man reflecting on the folly of his youth. In Goodbye Lucille #1 (Johnny Johnny), though, he's keen to emphasise that it's better to have loved and lost than to have not loved at all ("life’s not complete / till your heart’s missed a beat"). Side 2 is perhaps not as consistently brilliant as side 1, but there are highlights like Desire As and When The Angels, the latter a tribute to Marvin Gaye and his heavenly voice that was stolen from the earth ("when the angels take / the angel voice away / jealously they see / the sometimes man you'd be"). Though McAloon was clearly very smart, he never let that get in the way of singing with heartfelt sincerity, and it's that quality that I love most about Prefab Sprout and this album.
As sophisticated as Green Gartside, as lyrical as Morrissey, Paddy McAloon was one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge in the 80s. Prefab Sprout's second album, Steve McQueen, is McAloon's crowning moment and sadly the band would never produce anything quite as glorious again. Listening to their first album, Swoon, there are promising signs but nothing really to suggest that Prefab Sprout would create something so close to pop perfection as Steve McQueen. The album's modern, spacious production is a clear change from Swoon, while the assured playing and melodic grace make it a huge leap forward. There's something very unfashionable about the band: McAloon was inspired by musical theatre (note the Gershwin reference on Hallelujah), Steely Dan and romantic pop. The only real sense of cool was the influence of the Postcard Records label and the wit of Edwyn Collins and Orange Juice. This sense of being out of step with the time stems from the fact that McAloon started the band with his brother in the 70s, and some of the songs on Steve McQueen (like Bonny) were written near the end of that decade. Like Morrissey, McAloon had spent a long time incubating his genius before unleashing it on the world.
Prefab Sprout clearly also had a love of all things American, from the films of Steve McQueen to the country music of Faron Young, with the opening track paying homage while also being the most experimental of all the tracks on the LP. The twang of the country banjo breaks down into a "Scratch" Perry-style dub, and somehow it all works. Bonny and Appetite are just two of many tracks that feature great vocal performances from McAloon and Wendy Smith, and the latter one of my favourite songs on the record ("so if you take, then put back good / if you steal, be Robin Hood"). When Love Breaks Down may sound a little dated now, and the video uses that 80s cliché of falling autumn leaves for a love that has withered and died, but it's still one of my favourite love songs from the era. It's the only overtly commercial song on the LP and became a UK No.25 hit when it was re-issued in 1985. There's a world weariness in McAloon's voice, the middle-age man reflecting on the folly of his youth. In Goodbye Lucille #1 (Johnny Johnny), though, he's keen to emphasise that it's better to have loved and lost than to have not loved at all ("life’s not complete / till your heart’s missed a beat"). Side 2 is perhaps not as consistently brilliant as side 1, but there are highlights like Desire As and When The Angels, the latter a tribute to Marvin Gaye and his heavenly voice that was stolen from the earth ("when the angels take / the angel voice away / jealously they see / the sometimes man you'd be"). Though McAloon was clearly very smart, he never let that get in the way of singing with heartfelt sincerity, and it's that quality that I love most about Prefab Sprout and this album.
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