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)
Moon Dog
Prefab Sprout Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The heartbreak side of town
The mourners all discuss
The boy who caused a fuss
We chopped a billion trees to print up eulogies
But guys we should have guessed,
The girls would say it best
...MOONDOG!
Love. 'Cos love's the final word
Nothing crosses love
Reason has to bow if love demands it
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
Up there a flag will fly for mom and apple pie
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
The one place left to play
- The comeback's underway
The world was younger then
- In bed asleep by ten
And daddies shook their fists
At hidden communists
The earth was merely round
Before the slapback sound
Is there one spell can bring
The once and future king?
...MOONDOG!
Cut... To somewhere deep in space
Beyond the Colonel's arms
Handsome doggone rake the truly weightless
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
Up there a flag will fly for mom and apple pie
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
The one place left to play
- The comeback's underway
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
Up there a flag will fly for mom and apple pie
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
The one place left to play
- The comeback's underway
The song "Moondog" by Prefab Sprout is a reflection on the ephemeral nature of human life and the enduring spirit of love. The song opens with funeral cars crawling down the heartbreak side of town as mourners discuss the boy who caused a fuss. The lyrics then suggest that despite all the eulogies printed on a billion trees, it is the girls who would say it best. The name "Moondog" is introduced as a sort of refrain, suggesting that there is something elemental and enduring about the spirit of a dog.
The chorus of the song declares that love is the final word, and that nothing crosses love. Reason itself must bow before love, if it demands it. This can be interpreted as a sort of lament for the way that modern life has become dominated by logic and reason, and a call to return to a more basic, primal state of being. The song then imagines a flag flying for mom and apple pie on the moon, where there is one place left to play and the comeback is underway. The final verse of the song reflects on a time when the world was younger and daddies shook their fists at hidden communists.
Overall, the song seems to suggest a longing for a simpler, more elemental life, where love is the final word and the spirit of Moondog reigns supreme.
Line by Line Meaning
The funeral cars crawl down
The procession of cars carrying the deceased is slowly making its way down the street
The heartbreak side of town
The location of the funeral is on the sad and mournful part of the city
The mourners all discuss
The people attending the funeral are talking about...
The boy who caused a fuss
...the boy who has caused a disturbance or uproar in his life
We chopped a billion trees to print up eulogies
A lot of paper was used to create the eulogies for the funeral
But guys we should have guessed,
The singer notes that they should have known
The girls would say it best
That the girls would be better at expressing their feelings
...MOONDOG!
The exclamation of 'MOONDOG!' may simply be used to signify a change in topic, or to convey excitement or enthusiasm.
Love. 'Cos love's the final word
The ultimate, conclusive answer or solution is love
Nothing crosses love
Love is so powerful that it cannot be defeated or overcome
Reason has to bow if love demands it
Even logical reasoning must give way to love's desires or needs
MOONDOG! - Guess who's on the moon
The repeated exclamation of 'MOONDOG!' may be used to signal a change of topic, or it may be a nonsensical saying with no real meaning
Up there a flag will fly for mom and apple pie
The United States flag, as a symbol of the country's values and traditions, will represent 'mom and apple pie' on the moon
The world was younger then
The past was a simpler time when things were less complicated
- In bed asleep by ten
A reference to the idea that children should be in bed by 10:00 PM
And daddies shook their fists
Fathers expressed their anger or frustration with a gesture
At hidden communists
At people who were suspected of being Communist, or secretly supporting communism
The earth was merely round
The concept of the world being round was not yet revolutionary or new
Before the slapback sound
Before the sound of an echo or reverberation was common or well-understood
Is there one spell can bring
The artist asks if there is one magical thing that can be done to...
The once and future king?
...restore a king to his former rule or bring about a new king
Cut... To somewhere deep in space
The scene changes to a different location entirely
Beyond the Colonel's arms
Beyond the grasp or influence of Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken
Handsome doggone rake the truly weightless
An enigmatic line that may suggest a person who is both charming and cunning, but ultimately without substance
The one place left to play
The moon is the last frontier, the only remaining place yet to be explored or conquered
- The comeback's underway
This phrase may signify a resurgence or revival of something that has been dormant, or a second chance at success
Contributed by Sarah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.