合成芽

Prefab Sprout are an English pop/rock band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham who rose to fame during the 1980s. Formed in 1978 by brothers Paddy and Martin McAloon and joined by vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player Wendy Smith in 1982, they released their debut album Swoon to critical acclaim in 1984. Their subsequent albums, including 1985's Steve McQueen and 1990's Jordan: The Comeback, have been described by Paul Lester of The Guardian as "some of the most beautiful and intelligent records of their era". Frontman Paddy McAloon is regarded as one of the great songwriters of his time and the band have been credited with producing some of the "most beloved" pop music of the 1980s and 1990s.

Nine of their albums reached the top 40 on the UK Albums Chart and one of their singles, "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The band's other popular songs include "When Love Breaks Down" and "Cars and Girls". The band has not played live since 2000. Starting from 2003, Paddy McAloon has retained the Prefab Sprout name as a solo project.

Career

Early days (1977–1983)

In 1977, brothers Paddy and Martin McAloon formed the Dick Diver Band. By 1978, the name had changed to Prefab Sprout, a name McAloon had created years earlier when, as he has said, "all the groups had names like that". The band first played live in 1979, having been joined by drummer Michael Salmon.

The band recorded their first single "Lions in My Own Garden (Exit Someone)" b/w "Radio Love" on 25 February 1982, and self-released it on their own Candle Records (slogan: "The wax that won't get on your wick"). Songwriter Paddy McAloon wanted a song title where the first letters of the words spelled out Limoges, the French city where his former girlfriend was studying at the time. Music journalist Stuart Maconie described the track as "enigmatic, melancholy, tuneful and therefore perfect for a jobless literature graduate with girlfriend problems". Their lineup expanded shortly after to incorporate vocalist Wendy Smith, and they recorded a second single "The Devil Has All the Best Tunes / Walk On" that September.

Peak commercial success (1983–1992)

Prefab Sprout were signed by Keith Armstrong's Kitchenware Records in March 1983, after Armstrong heard their music played in the Newcastle branch of HMV he managed. Their two singles were reissued by Kitchenware and attracted notice including praise from Elvis Costello.

Following the departure of Michael Salmon as drummer, the band recorded their debut album with session drummer Graham Lant (brother of Venom frontman Cronos aka. Conrad Lant) in a 24-track studio in Edinburgh on a budget of £5,000. Entitled Swoon (an acronym for Songs Written Out Of Necessity), it was released on the Kitchenware label in March 1984. It was critically acclaimed, with several reviewers highlighting its unorthodox musical style and unconventional lyrics. and it reached No. 22 on the UK Albums Chart. The album attracted the attention of musician Thomas Dolby, who began producing a new batch of what McAloon would describe as simpler songs with the band. Graham Lant's relationship with Prefab Sprout ended soon after recording of Swoon, so Neil Conti joined the band as drummer. The resulting album, 1985's Steve McQueen (released in America as Two Wheels Good in anticipation of displeasure from McQueen's estate), was highly praised by critics and gave the band its first hit single on the UK Singles Chart, "When Love Breaks Down".

The band's next project was Protest Songs, a sparsely-produced and quickly recorded album intended for a limited release in late 1985. The album was put on hold by CBS so as not to stunt sales of Steve McQueen, finally seeing release in 1989. In 1988, the band released their follow-up to Steve McQueen, From Langley Park to Memphis. The album gave the band their biggest commercial success in the UK with the single "The King of Rock 'n' Roll". The song is written from the perspective of a washed-up singer who had a one-hit wonder in the 1950s with a novelty song featuring the chorus "Hot dog, jumping frog, Albuquerque". It reached No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart, their only single to reach the Top 10. From Langley Park to Memphis included guest appearances from Stevie Wonder and Pete Townshend, and used multiple producers including Thomas Dolby, who could not commit to working on the entire album.

In 1990, Jordan: The Comeback, fully produced by Thomas Dolby, 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 alluded in interviews to several albums' worth of songs that he has written but are unreleased/unrecorded including amongst others, concept albums based on the life of Michael Jackson, the history of the world (Earth: The Story So Far) and a fictional superhero (Zorro the Fox).