Prefab Sprout – From Langley Park To Memphis

I love the song ‘The King of Rock and Roll’ great album opener . Don’t care what people think 😀

Thoroughly agreeable ambitious graceful airy lounge-pop - incredibly mature & subtlety catchy songs w/ gospel choirs, opulent string & brass arrangements & smart lyrics delivered with emotional authenticity. Paddy McAloon's spiritual journey into the heart of American culture
Almost perfect pop – “poperfect” in fact!

Steve Mc Queen is an excellent album. Paddy did a great job on this one. I can consider it their Opus. Own all their albums. They are a very good band with excellent lyrics and music composition.

My vinyl still sounds lovely? Had it from release.
This is a great, great album with enough range and guile to keep you listening. The big sounds and songs switch from pop confectionery ‘cars and girls’ to swooning ballads like ‘Nancy…’
There’s some top quality playing, like Martin’s bass on ‘enchanted’
As with this and the words are especially amusing, dry, comedic and poignant
The whole thing comes from the late 80s period on the cusp of Acid House and has a brightly coloured but fuzzy focus which makes the old senses tingle with lovely vocals and good old fashioned songs.
Oh, and it’s dirt cheap!

I like how the cover looks like it was taken right as a flashbang grenade went off

Brilliant album, it deserves to be considered for Prefab Sprout's best.

Happened to get a pristine version of this press and have to say it's very nice. Not clamoring for the reissue.

So waddya y’all think? This original pressing or the recent remaster?

I adore Prefab Sprout, but I have always had reservations with this album (my first foray into PS purchases back in 1988 and far from the last, I became slightly obsessed!). I think the problem may stem by having so many different producers maybe and also the album sounds a little disjointed to me. Starstruck Paddy maybe? What with having superstar friends like Stevie and Pete all of a sudden.
The production overall sounds a bit ordinary and very 80's in an overproduced way. The one track on the album that stands out production wise is Hey Manhattan! with an exquisite string arrangement by John Altman and expert production by Andy Richards (his only production credit on this album).
However, it does have at least one classic in Cars And Girls, but it's all too "kitchen sink" for me. Having said that, Paddy McAloon can do no wrong for me - the man is a living legend.

My preferred PS albums would be Jordan, the vastly underrated Protest Songs and of course "the other one" ;-)

This pressing is okay, but its nowhere near the quality of the ones they did for swoon and Steve McQueen.

When are they going to remaster Prefab Sprouts catalog? All we got was Steve McQueen in 2007 but the bonus was an acoustic disc! No good! We want the lot right now with all the bonus material.