1. Youtube Prefab Sprout Steve Mcqueen Full Album

Steve McQueen is the second studio album by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released in June 1985 by Kitchenware Records.The album peaked at No. 21 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 180 on the US Billboard 200.The album was released in the United States as Two Wheels Good due to a legal conflict with the estate of American actor Steve McQueen. The album cover references Steve McQueen.

Steve McQueen is the second studio album by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released in June 1985 by Kitchenware Records. The album was released by CBS in the United States as Two Wheels Good due to a legal conflict with the estate of American actor Steve McQueen.^[1]

The album cover references Steve McQueen's lifelong passion for Triumph motorcycles and the 1963 film The Great Escape, starring McQueen and featuring prominent motorcycle chase scenes (with stunts performed by himself on a Triumph motorcycle).

On 2 April 2007, it was reissued as a 'legacy edition' double CD, featuring a remastered version of the original album and a bonus disc featuring acoustic versions of the songs recorded in 2006 by the band's frontman, Paddy McAloon.

Recording[edit]

On an episode of the BBC Radio 1 programme Roundtable, musician and producer Thomas Dolby, a panelist on the programme, spoke favourably of Prefab Sprout's 'Don't Sing', a track from their 1984 Swoon.^[2] The band subsequently contacted Dolby, who met with frontman and primary lyricist McAloon in the latter's County Durham home.^[2] McAloon presented Dolby with a number of songs he had written, 'probably 40 or 50' by Dolby's estimate,^[3] some written as far back as 10–12 years prior.^[2] Dolby then picked his favourites and asked McAloon to make demo recordings of them; these recordings served as the basis for Dolby's initial process of planning the album's recording.^[3]

In the autumn of 1984, Dolby and Prefab Sprout began working on the album's songs in rehearsals at Nomis Studios in West London; after these sessions had commenced, they moved to Marcus Studios for proper recording.^[4] The sessions were mutually amicable, with the band being respectful of Dolby's edge over them in recording and musical experience, and Dolby himself keeping into account the band's wishes, knowing that McAloon 'wouldn't want to be diluted' by Dolby's additions to the album.^[4] Subsequent mixing was carried out at Farmyard Studios in Buckinghamshire.^[4]

Music and lyrics[edit]

The bulk of Steve McQueen's sound is dominated by Dolby's lush, jazz-tinged production.^[5][6] McAloon's songs touch on a number of themes, including love, infidelity, regret and heartbreak,^[5] and are lyrically 'literate and humorous without being condescending in the slightest.'^[7]

Singles[edit]

'When Love Breaks Down' was first released as a single in October 1984, before the album was released, but failed to chart in the top 40, peaking at No. 89 on the UK Singles Chart. It was reissued as a new single in March 1985, but again failed to chart, peaking at No. 88. It was only after the album's release, and on the single's third issue in October 1985, that it finally broke through the top 40 and peaked at No. 25 for two weeks in November–December 1985.^[8][9]

Between the second and third releases of 'When Love Breaks Down', two further singles were released: 'Faron Young' (referencing the country music singer of the same name) in July 1985, peaking at No. 74,^[10] and 'Appetite' in August 1985, peaking at No. 92.^[11]

'Goodbye Lucille #1' was renamed 'Johnny Johnny' for the final single release from the album in January 1986, peaking at No. 64.^[12]

Critical reception[edit]

Critically acclaimed at the time of its release, Steve McQueen reached No. 4 in the 1985 NME end-of-year poll for best albums,^[22] as well as No. 28 on The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll for best albums.^[23]

Chris Heath of Smash Hits called McAloon one of the best songwriters of 'depressingly precise song about the joys, fears and disappointments of love' to emerge in the wake of the Smiths' rise and lamented his suspicion that 'too many people' would be put off by the obscurity and complexity of Prefab Sprout's songs.^[24] Richard Gehr of Spin cited Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Lennon–McCartney and Elvis Costello, among other figures, as some of the 'many ghosts lurking' in McAloon's lyrics, and wrote: 'I confess that the usual sensitive singer-songwriter crap almost always makes me squeal with boredom, but McAloon delivers the bacon here'.^[25]Robert Christgau, writing in The Village Voice, called McAloon 'a type we've met many times before—the well-meaning cad,' and was reminded of 'the justly obscure, unjustly forgotten Jo Mama—or of Aztec Camera if Roddy Frame were a cad'.^[21]

Subsequent retrospective reviews of the album have also been highly favourable. Jason Ankeny of AllMusic described Steve McQueen as 'a minor classic, a shimmering jazz-pop masterpiece sparked by Paddy McAloon's witty and inventive songwriting'.^[5] Alex Robertson of Sputnikmusic praised it as 'a nearly flawless convergence of gorgeous, smart pop songwriting and immediately pleasurable production that divides itself into eleven songs that are both distinct and also separated by a common thread of excellence'.^[7]Q's Gareth Grundy called Steve McQueen the most succinct expression of McAloon's skills as a songwriter,^[17] while Will Hermes, writing in Spin, described the album as 'elegant' and found it to be Dolby's supreme achievement as a producer.^[19]

Legacy[edit]

Steve McQueen has subsequently featured in a number of all-time lists of greatest albums, including No. 47 in a 1993 poll by The Times, No. 90 in a 1995 poll by Mojo and No. 61 in a 1997 poll by The Guardian.^[26][27][28] Stephen Troussé of Pitchfork cited it as 'the defining record of 1985 sophisto-pop'.^[16]The A.V. Club's Noel Murray wrote that Steve McQueen and preceding album Swoon 'are considered classics of the mid-'80s post-punk/new-wave era, even though they don't sound like they belong to any particular movement',^[29] while PopMatters' Russ Slater described them as 'great indie pop.'^[30] Terry Staunton of Record Collector wrote that 'more than 20 years on, [McAloon's] dissertations on love, loss and uncertainty are just as affecting, the intelligence of the lyrics matched by the sophistication of the chord structures and the musical arrangements'.^[18]Steve McQueen was selected for inclusion in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[31] In 2014, it was named one of the '10 Essential Sophisti-pop Albums' by Treble.^[32]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks written by Paddy McAloon, except where noted.

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes for Steve McQueen.^[33]

Prefab Sprout

• Neil Conti – drums, percussion
• Martin McAloon – bass
• Paddy McAloon – composition, guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Wendy Smith – keyboards, backing vocals

Additional personnel

• Kevin Armstrong – guitar (6, 9)
• Matt Barry – engineering (assistant)
• Dana – engineering (assistant)
• Thomas Dolby – instruments, mixing, production
• East Orange – sleeve design
• Brian Evans – engineering
• Tim Hunt – engineering
• Mark Lockhart – saxophone (9)
• Andy Scarth – engineering
• Chris Sheldon – engineering
• Mike Shipley – mixing, mixdown engineering
• Kathy Smith – engineering (assistant)
• Sven Taits – engineering (assistant)
• Phil Thornally – mixing (4)
• John Warwick – photography, hand-colouring

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Keefe, Michael (6 August 2007). 'Prefab Sprout: Steve McQueen'. PopMatters. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
2. ^ ^abcBarlow, Jason (14 November 2011). 'GQ&A: Thomas Dolby'. GQ. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
3. ^ ^abGoodman, Frank. 'A Conversation with Thomas Dolby'. Puremusic. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
4. ^ ^abcDoyle, Tom (March 2014). 'Prefab Sprout – Paddy McAloon: From Langley Park To Memphis (And Back)'. Sound on Sound. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
5. ^ ^abcdAnkeny, Jason. 'Two Wheels Good – Prefab Sprout'. AllMusic. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
6. ^Hutlock, Todd (1 September 2003). 'On Second Thought: Prefab Sprout – Two Wheels Good'. Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 August 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
7. ^ ^abRobertson, Alex (13 June 2011). 'Review: Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen'. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
8. ^''When Love Breaks Down' on Official Charts website'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
9. ^McIntosh, Bedford. 'Prefab Sprout discography'. browningmcintosh.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
10. ^''Faron Young' on Official Charts website'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
11. ^''Appetite' on Official Charts website'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
12. ^''Johnny Johnny' on Official Charts website'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
13. ^Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN0-85712-595-8.
14. ^Clayton-Lea, Tony (6 April 2007). 'Still sturdy'. The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
15. ^Easlea, Daryl (May 2007). 'Prefab Sprout: Steve McQueen'. Mojo (162): 126.
16. ^ ^abTroussé, Stephen (29 August 2007). 'Prefab Sprout: Steve McQueen (Deluxe Edition)'. Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
17. ^ ^abGrundy, Gareth (May 2007). 'Prefab Sprout: Steve McQueen'. Q (250): 134.
18. ^ ^abStaunton, Terry (June 2007). 'Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen: Deluxe Edition'. Record Collector (337). Retrieved 6 January 2015.
19. ^ ^abHermes, Will (September 2007). 'Reissues'. Spin. 23 (9): 124. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
20. ^Mueller, Andrew. 'Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen'. Uncut. Archived from the original on 20 April 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
21. ^ ^abChristgau, Robert (11 March 1986). 'Christgau's Consumer Guide'. The Village Voice. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
22. ^'Albums and Tracks of the Year'. NME. 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
23. ^'The 1985 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll'. The Village Voice. 18 February 1986. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
24. ^Heath, Chris (8–21 May 1985). 'Prefab Sprout: Steve McQueen (Kitchenware)'. Smash Hits: 20.
25. ^Gehr, Richard (December 1985). 'Prefab Sprout: Two Wheels Good'. Spin. 1 (8). Retrieved 16 August 2015.
26. ^'The 100 Best Albums of All Time'. The Times. 1993.
27. ^'The 100 Greatest Albums Ever Made'. Mojo (21). August 1995.
28. ^'The 100 Best Albums Ever'. The Guardian. 19 September 1997.
29. ^Murray, Noel (18 February 1986). 'Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout'. The A.V. Club. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
30. ^Slater, Russ (4 November 2010). 'An Interview with Prefab Sprout'. PopMatters. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
31. ^Dimery, Robert, ed. (2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. p. 534. ISBN0-7893-2074-6.
32. ^[1]
33. ^Steve McQueen (liner notes). Prefab Sprout. Kitchenware Records. 1985. KWLP3.CS1 maint: others (link)
34. ^'Dutchcharts.nl – Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen' (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
35. ^'Charts.org.nz – Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen'. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
36. ^'Official Albums Chart Top 100'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
37. ^'Prefab Sprout Chart History (Billboard 200)'. Billboard. Retrieved 29 November 2018.

Prefab Sprout are an English pop band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham, England who rose to fame during the 1980s. Nine of their albums have reached the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart, and one of their singles, 'The King of Rock 'n' Roll', peaked at number seven in the UK Singles Chart.^[4] The band formed in 1978 in Newcastle.^[4]

Their 1985 album Steve McQueen was released in the US with the title Two Wheels Good and peaked at number 180 in the Billboard 200. Frontman Paddy McAloon is regarded as one of the great songwriters of his era and the band have been described as 'one of the most beloved British pop bands of the '80s and '90s'.^[1]

• 4Discography

Career[edit]

Prefab Sprout debuted in 1982 with their self-released single, 'Lions In My Own Garden: Exit Someone' – 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 staying at the time.^[1] Music journalist Stuart Maconie described the track as 'enigmatic, melancholy, tuneful and therefore perfect for a jobless literature graduate with girlfriend problems'.^[5] Their debut album, Swoon, was released on the Kitchenwarelabel in March 1984.^[1] The following album, the Thomas Dolby-produced Steve McQueen, (released in America as Two Wheels Good after McQueen's estate expressed their displeasure with the title) was highly praised by critics.^[1] Their Protest Songs album was recorded next, but was not released until 1989. It included the song 'Life of Surprises', which later became the title track for their greatest hitscompilation album.

Their biggest commercial success in the UK came with the 1988 single 'The King of Rock 'N' Roll', taken from the album From Langley Park to Memphis. 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.^[4]

In 1990, Jordan: The Comeback, again 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).^[6]

Their greatest hits, A Life of Surprises - The Best of Prefab Sprout, gave them their biggest US hit, 'If You Don't Love Me', which spent several weeks in the Top 10 on the dance chart. McAloon joked in the album liner notes about the band's lack of touring over the past decade.

Prefab Sprout released Andromeda Heights in the UK in 1997 and embarked on a short UK tour in 2000. This tour, and the subsequent album, did not feature Wendy Smith, who by this time had reportedly left the band. A double album anthology, the 38 Carat Collection was released by CBS in 1999 as the group was leaving the record label.^[1] Unexpectedly, the group's US label, Epic, belatedly reissued this set as The Collection in early 2001.^[1] Smith left the group during this period, after the birth of her first child.

In 2001 the band released The Gunman and Other Stories, a concept album themed on the American Wild West. The opening track 'Cowboy Dreams' was a hit for the British actor-singer Jimmy Nail. Though critically acclaimed, neither enjoyed major commercial success.

After being diagnosed with a medical disorder that seriously impaired his vision, Paddy McAloon released the album I Trawl The Megahertz under his own name in 2003 on the EMI Liberty label (fifteen years later, in autumn 2018, it was announced that the album would be reissued as a Prefab Sprout record). As of 2006, McAloon had suffered another setback: his hearing had deteriorated, reportedly due to Ménière's disease. In early 2007 a remastered Steve McQueen was released in a two-CD package, containing new versions of eight of the songs from the original album, in different arrangements performed by McAloon on acoustic guitar.

Youtube Prefab Sprout Steve Mcqueen Full Album

Prefab Sprout's first album of new material since 2001, Let's Change the World with Music, was released on 7 September 2009. Reviews in the UK press were favourable (e.g. 5/5 in The Times, 4/5 in The Guardian, 4/5 in Record Collector). The release was also accompanied by a few interviews (e.g. Mojo).

In June 2013, a leak of ten previously unreleased songs on Soundcloud led to speculation that a new Prefab Sprout album was being recorded. Crimson/Red, consisting of developed versions of tracks from the vaults^[7] that was subsequently released on 7 October 2013 on vinyl and CD on the Icebreaker records label. A limited edition box set with an interview CD was also released. The lead single was 'The Best Jewel Thief in the World.' A video for this track (produced by Tylar Cornak) was originally posted to Vimeo.

Crimson/Red also confirmed that Prefab Sprout was now in effect a solo project, with Paddy McAloon singing, playing and programming all of the music on the album on his own. In interviews at the time, McAloon explained that his health issues (in particular, the deterioration of his hearing and eyesight)^[8] now dictated the way in which Prefab Sprout music was recorded, making it impractical and even impossible for any other musicians to be involved,^[9] but that he remained fond of and grateful to his former bandmates.

On 3 March 2017, McAloon's manager Keith Armstrong, one-time head of Kitchenware Records, posted a short clip on Instagram of McAloon performing a new song America to a camcorder; operated by McAloon himself. A longer version appears on Armstrong's YouTube page^[10]. To date, no reason has been disclosed if this points to a new album or as the lyrics suggest, it is a commentary on the incumbent US administration and their policy on immigration.^[8]

On 8 November 2018, Rough Trade announced the availability of vinyl LP and CD versions of I Trawl the Megahertz^[11], including a white vinyl special edition of 1000 copies. On the same day, Sony Music announced the release under their 'Legacy' brand. ^[12]

The Sony press release notes that although this was originally a solo album, it is now fitting to classify it as a Prefab Sprout record. Paddy McAloon is quoted as saying: “I thought we could do anything. And Megahertz is true to that spirit. The music here is of a piece with everything I’ve ever written. It’s from the heart.”^[13]

Then on 10 December 2018, Paddy McAloon featured in an interview on BBC Radio 4 Today. During the course of this interview, he explained that Sony would be making further re-issues from the back catalogue, and that he was working on a new album, 'Femmes Mythologiques', slated for release in September 2019, playing a segment of a song called 'Cleopatra'.^[14]

Band name[edit]

According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, the band's name was a mondegreen from the Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood song, 'Jackson', misheard by frontman Paddy McAloon.^[4] The correct opening lyrics for 'Jackson' are 'We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout', which McAloon misinterpreted as 'hotter than a prefab sprout'. However, Allmusic reckons that the prosaic truth is that 'an adolescent McAloon had devised the meaningless name in homage to the longwinded and equally silly band names of his late 1960s / early 1970s youth'.^[1]

Members[edit]

Current members

• Paddy McAloon – vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming, piano, harmonica, bass guitar (1978–present)

Former members

• Martin McAloon – bass guitar (1978–2010)
• Michael Salmon – drums, percussion (1978–1983)
• Wendy Smith – vocals, guitars, keyboards, piano, tambourine (1982–2000)
• Feona Attwood – vocals (1982)
• Graham Lant – drums, percussion (1983–1984)
• John Hendry – drums, percussion (1984)
• Neil Conti – drums, percussion (1984–2000)
• Paul Smith - drums, percussion (1997)^[15]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Compilations[edit]

Singles[edit]

Sources[edit]

• Birch, John. Myths, Melodies & Metaphysics: Paddy McAloon's Prefab Sprout - ISBN978-0-9558832-0-0
• Birch, John. Prefab Sprout: The Early Years - ISBN978-1-9997967-0-9

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcdefghi'Biography by Stewart Mason'. AllMusic. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
2. ^ ^abClarke, Donald (1998). The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Penguin Books. p. 1016. ISBN978-0-1405-1370-7.
3. ^'Pop/Rock » Punk/New Wave » Sophisti-Pop'. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
4. ^ ^abcdefgRoberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 433. ISBN1-904994-10-5.
5. ^Maconie, Stuart (2004). Cider With Roadies (1st ed.). London: Random House. p. 161. ISBN0-09-189115-9.
6. ^'Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout'. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
7. ^Lester, Paul (5 September 2013). 'Culture: Paddy McAloon: 'I'll do without an audience to make the music I want''. The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
8. ^ ^abPaphides, Pete (6 March 2017). 'Music blog: Why Prefab Sprout's return with America is a whim and a wonder'. The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
9. ^Eaton-Lewis, Andrew (1 October 2013). 'Paddy McAloon on the return of Prefab Sprout'. The Scotsman. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
10. ^'PREFAB SPROUT : AMERICA'. Youtube.com. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
11. ^'Prefab Sprout - I Trawl The Megahertz'. roughtrade.com. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
12. ^'Prefab Sprout - I Trawl The Megahertz'. wearesonymusiclegacy.com. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
13. ^'Tell the Stars I'm Coming… Sony Press Release'. sproutology.co.uk. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
14. ^'Today - 10/12/2018 - BBC Sounds'. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
15. ^'Andromeda Heights - Prefab Sprout - Credits'. AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
16. ^'Prefab Sprout full Official Chart history'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
17. ^'Swedish Charts'. swedishcharts. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
18. ^'Norwegian Charts'. norwegiancharts. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
19. ^'Finnish Charts'. finnishcharts. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
20. ^'Dutch Charts (Album)'. dutchcharts. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
21. ^'Prefab Sprout'. billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
22. ^'Andromeda Heights'. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
23. ^'The Gunman and Other Stories'. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
24. ^'Let's Change the World'. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
25. ^'Official Albums Chart UK Top 100 - 19th October 2013 The UK Charts Top 40'. Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
26. ^'Crimson/Red'. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
27. ^'Dutch Charts (Singles)'. dutchcharts. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
28. ^'Prefab Sprout Rock Chart History'. billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
29. ^'Prefab Sprout Dance Chart History'. billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
30. ^'The Sound of Crying'. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
31. ^'If You Don't Love Me'. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
32. ^'A Prisoner'. Retrieved 17 May 2019.