Prefab Sprout

Prefab Sprout
Prefab Sprout in 1988
Prefab Sprout in 1988
Background information
OriginWitton Gilbert, County Durham, England
Genres
Years active1978–present
LabelsKitchenware
EMI Liberty
Epic (US)
MembersPaddy McAloon
Past membersMartin McAloon
Michael Salmon
Wendy Smith
Feona Attwood
Graham Lant
Steve Dolder
Neil Conti

Prefab Sprout are an English pop/rock band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham who rose to fame during the 1980s. Formed in 1978[5] 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".[6] 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.[1]

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".[5] The band has not played live since 2000.[7] Starting from 2003, Paddy McAloon has retained the Prefab Sprout name as a solo project.[6]

  1. ^ a b c "Biography by Stewart Mason". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  2. ^ a b Clarke, Donald (1998). The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Penguin Books. p. 1016. ISBN 978-0-1405-1370-7.
  3. ^ a b Jenkins, Jake (30 July 2021). "Sophisti-pop: The '80s' Most Elegant Genre". Sweetwater. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Pop/Rock » Punk/New Wave » Sophisti-Pop". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference British Hit Singles & Albums was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b 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.
  7. ^ admin (29 March 2015). "The 2000 Tour Revisited in Real Time - Fifteen Years to the Day". Sproutology. Retrieved 3 September 2023.