Their biggest commercial and critical success came with 1990's Jordan: The Comeback (one of two albums produced by Thomas Dolby), which was a hit in the UK and nominated for a BRIT award. The band also had a UK Top 10 hit with their 1988 song The King of Rock 'n' Roll.
Perhaps their finest album, Steve McQueen (originally released in June 1985) was re-released in August 2007 as a 2-CD deluxe edition, with a bonus disc of eight acoustic reinterpretations of some of the original tracks. Of the release, the record company said: "Digitally remastered by original producer Thomas Dolby, the album is sounding even better than ever. As if that weren't enough it is complemented here with a second disc containing eight sublime acoustic versions, which have been specially re-recorded for this release by Paddy McAloon."
Steve McQueen was released in the US under the title Two Wheels Good following pressure from the late actor's estate.
Prefab Sprout released Let's Change the World With Music - The Blueprint in 2009 on the Kitchenware Records label (website). See also Sprout Trivia below.
Discography:
Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone) / Radio Love - Feb 25, 1982 (their first record, released on their own label Candle)
The Devil Has All the Best Tunes / Walk On - Oct 1983 (Kitchenware) (feat. Wendy Smith and Fiona Attwood)
Swoon - Mar 1984
Steve McQueen aka Two Wheels Good (US) - Jun 1985
From Langley Park to Memphis - Mar 1988
Protest Songs - Jun 1989
Jordan: The Comeback - Aug 1990
The Best of Prefab Sprout: A Life of Surprises - Jul 1992 (compilation; exit Conti hereafter)
Andromeda Heights - May 1997
38 Carat Collection (disc 1) - Oct 1999 (compilation)
38 Carat Collection (disc 2) - Oct 1999 (compilation)
The Gunman And Other Stories - Jun 18, 2001 (sans Smith)
Chronology of Bandmembers:
Paddy McAloon (born Patrick Joseph McAloon, Jun 7, 1957, Durham); vocals / guitars / keyboards
Martin McAloon (born Jan 4, 1962, Durham); bass guitar
Michael Salmon; drums / percussion
Wendy Smith (born May 31, 1963, Middlesbrough); vocals / guitars / keyboards
Neil Conti (born Feb 12, 1959, Luton); drums / percussion
Fiona Attwood (Chester-le-Street); backing vocals
Sprout Trivia:
Paddy conceived the name "Prefab Sprout" when he was just 14 back in 1972, he revealed in an interview with French magazine BEST. It was his attempt at creating an unusual name like groups that were popular at the time (eg Tyrannosaurus Rex, Moby Grape, Grand Funk Railroad, etc.).
The band has had as many as 11 drummers (including Paddy McAloon himself on programmed percussion!) in its lineup. Of these, Conti was the most closely identified with the group. (source: http://www.browningmcintosh.com/plocktonwest/sproutfacts.html)
Paddy had apparently conceived of an album named Let's Change The World With Music (the working title of the band's forthcoming album, due February 2009) as far back as the early 1990's:
"I actually wrote a Gulf War album called Let's Change The World With Music, and I've got a couple of beauties, but there are right and wrong times to do things, and it came after another album I wrote which is much lighter... it's called Billy Midnight, very romantic. So the Gulf War album was a more serious response to that. I keep junking things all the time." - NME June 20, 1992 (source: http://www.browningmcintosh.com/plocktonwest/sprout_misc.html)
"And I have an album called Let's Change The World With Music; lots of songs about music, playing on that horrible thing where you listen to a song like "We Are The World" and the sentiment is great but it's such a cliché that it sticks in your throat. It plays on that edge between that kind of thing and real sincerity." - NME April 15, 1995 (source: http://www.browningmcintosh.com/plocktonwest/sprout_misc.html)
"Look, since 1990 I've written what I think of as my best music. You can hear some of it on Andromeda Heights. But I have also - in detailed demo form - an album called Let's Change The World With Music. It was written as the follow up to Jordan." - BEST magazine (France) July 1997 (source: http://www.browningmcintosh.com/plocktonwest/sprout_misc.html)
I Never Play Basketball Now
Prefab Sprout Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just a little to unnerve you.
I have nothing about games
And always looking back.
After the last unholy row
I never, ever play basketball now.
It joins a list of things I'll miss
Like fencing foils and lovely girls
Leave it behind on an overcrowded desk
Where the in-tray is higher
Than the OUT ever will be.
Before the tea rooms fill
With flirting couples call.
Remember to call.
And FLOW, it skips like a river
And it rolls flow,
You'll swear it's a chapel
Isn't that so?
Think of all the things that grew here,
Long before we moved here
All of it good and strong,
And all of it gone.
After that last unholy row
I never, ever play, basketball now
It joins the list of things I'll miss
Like fencing foils, and lovely girls
I'll never kiss.
You may say I've got plenty,
But no one knows how long
Things stay big Roger D.
The lyrics to Prefab Sprout's "I Never Play Basketball Now" seem to be about the loss of innocence and the passage of time. The singer seems to be reflecting on his life and the things that he used to do, specifically playing basketball. He mentions that he had a falling out (the last unholy row) and now, he never plays basketball. This particular game joins a list of things that he misses, such as fencing foils and lovely girls he'll never kiss. The singer seems to be feeling regret and seems to be trying to come to terms with the fact that time moves forward and people change.
The song seems to be about letting go and moving on from things that used to be important to us. The repeated phrase "I never play basketball now" seems to be a metaphor for the singer's past and how he has let go of things that he once enjoyed. The line "Leave it behind on an overcrowded desk/Where the in-tray is higher/Than the OUT ever will be" suggests that the singer is leaving things behind and moving on to other things. The song ends on a melancholy note, with the singer reflecting on all the good things that used to be there, but are now gone.
Overall, "I Never Play Basketball Now" is a thoughtful and introspective song about the passage of time, growing up, and letting go of the past. The lyrics are poignant and beautifully written, and the melody is melodic and haunting. The listener is left feeling nostalgic and reflective, and the lyrics seem to stay with you long after the song is over.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not looking to disturb you,
I don't intend to disrupt your peace.
Just a little to unnerve you.
Just hoping to make you a little uneasy.
I have nothing about games
I have no interest in games.
And always looking back.
And being contemplative about the past.
After the last unholy row
After the last terrible argument.
I never, ever play basketball now.
I have completely stopped playing basketball.
It joins a list of things I'll miss
It is added to a list of things I'll remember fondly.
Like fencing foils and lovely girls
Things that I'll never forget like events of fencing and girls I fancied.
I'll never kiss.
Girls that I never had the chance to kiss.
Leave it behind on an overcrowded desk
Forget about the memories on a cluttered workspace.
Where the in-tray is higher
Where there's more work to be done than what is being received.
Than the OUT ever will be.
The workload is more than those that have been accomplished.
Before the tea rooms fill
Before the place gets crowded.
With flirting couples call.
With couples engaging in romantic activities.
Remember to call.
Remember to make a call.
And FLOW, it skips like a river
The course of things goes on and changes continually.
And it rolls flow,
Continuously moving like water.
You'll swear it's a chapel
You'll feel joyous and serene and think it's a religious place.
Isn't that so?
Agreeable, is it not?
Think of all the things that grew here,
Recall everything that originated here.
Long before we moved here
Long before we arrived in this place.
All of it good and strong,
Happy and sturdy memories.
And all of it gone.
But it's all gone now.
You may say I've got plenty,
People may think I have enough.
But no one knows how long
Nobody knows how much time there is.
Things stay big Roger D.
Things don't last forever.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PADDY MCALOON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gabrielguerra2935
this song got more chords in it than other bands have in their entire albums.
@MickAneworderfan
Jaw dropping genius, possibly his artistic peak
@fenimore-2854
Its been a couple years since any appreciation on this, ill just add.
You and everyone are lucky to have found this song.
@patricknicholson9407
This blew me away in 1984, still does
@seanie002
patrick joseph mcaloon - quite possibly the best british songwriter ever. and the sheep will never know... their loss.
@javiercarrascomunoz6553
The best WORLD songwriter ever
@dinastiachowfan1401
A TRUE MASTERPIECE.
@nich24
Amazing to listen to knowing this was out there, with all the mind control crap that is being put out by the industry these days...
@rooftopcat1785
I love prefab sprout , have them all.,.play them all , all the time, the two wheels good acoustic set is great, what a cat for lyrics. And music.
@seanie002
Steve McQueen to us Brits.