From Langley Park To Memphis [CD]

Those who only remember Prefab Sprout for 'Hot Dogs and Jumping Frogs' do not know what they are missing. The Sprout frontman, Paddy McAloon, is a singer songwriter of exceptional talent and originality. This was the first album I bought of theirs and have never looked back. From the bouncy opening number, the album goes from strength to strength, with only one track 'The Golden Calf', a disappointment. Immerse yourself in the exciting tunes and clever lyrics, for example on 'Cars and Girls', 'Hey Manhatten' and the classic 'I Remember That'. 'Nancy' is a gentle and touching portrait of a marriage which will spin around in your head till you simply must sing out loud. I can't recommend this album too strongly - buy it, you won't be sorry !

Rating: 7.5/10

Best tracks: "Knock on Wood", "Cars and Girls", "Nightingales".

From Langley Park to Memphis is the loud, gaudy, Technicolor, widescreen alternative to Steve McQueen's gentle, aching eloquence. Indeed, "The King of Rock and Roll", what with its massive Thomas Dolby production, bonkers chorus refrain and dancing hot dogs & frog-headed waiter dominated video, made the band as close to a household name as they'd ever get and yet introduced the slightly glutinous, overdone sound that they'd never quite abandon from here on in. Often, this new direction resulted in some wonderful songs, but personally I prefer the feel of Steve McQueen and Protest Songs; the latter was originally going to be the official third Prefab album. Instead it was shelved in favour for this, since that album was regarded as too similar to its predecessor, whereas From Langley Park to Memphis is as different to Steve McQueen as that album was to Swoon. In terms of refusing to stay still, this album does represent a fresh new start for the band; it's also the point where they turned from sweet to sugary, and for some, this confection might prove a little too much.

Anyway, "The King of Rock and Roll", which is still the best known Prefab Sprout song (and that's probably the reason it annoys me a little, as something like "When Love Breaks Down" or "Appetite" deserves that honour), is lyrically as clever and witty as the best Prefab songs, and it definitely made for an ear-catching, distinctive single, though the musical execution might drive you nuts if you're not in the mood for its intentionally zany approach. "Cars and Girls" is much better, a wistful, gentle dig at Bruce Springsteen's lyrical world of highways, hot rods and love that might rub more humourless fans of the Boss up the wrong way. "I Remember That" is a little too sickly-sweet, though as ever the lyrics are great; "Enchanted" however is pretty good; bouncy, fun and one of the album's better examples of using a bigger production to good effect. Now, "Nightingales" is the clincher; grotesquely sentimental or unashamedly gorgeous? The fact that there's a Stevie Wonder harmonica solo of all things (and yes, it sounds EXACTLY what you'd expect a Stevie Wonder harmonica solo to sound like) somewhere in the middle doesn't sound promising. Yet it swirls, swoons and glides wonderfully (especially in the lovely chorus), and the song itself is good to survive in any incarnation, be it as an acoustic lullaby or as the blockbusting production it is here. Recently, Paddy McAloon contributed a set of acoustic re-workings of some of Steve McQueen's songs for its 2-CD reissue; he should definitely do the same for some of the songs on this album too.

The Hollywood musical-esque "Hey Manhattan!" is borderline parody/pastiche; given the often surprisingly sober and unsentimental content of some of his earlier lyrics, I'm never quite sure if McAloon's love for New York here is genuine or if he's having a laugh. If he is, it's definitely a very deadpan joke. I don't find myself listening to this one much on its own, but in the context of the album, I suppose it works. One song that I definitely listen to a lot is "Knock on Wood", which is not a cover of the 1970's disco staple but rather a splendidly dry, musically luscious tale of infidelity which I suppose covers the same ground as "Appetite" did a few years back, but does it almost as well. In fact, I'd say this might be the best song here. Another song on this album that divides opinion is "The Golden Calf"; if "Cars and Girls" poked fun at Springsteen, then this song actually tries to imitate the man himself, both vocally and musically. Some have lamented this song as unconvincing, but I think it rocks pretty damn well! The chorus is a thriller (and the mid-section even more so) and McAloon's "I sound so different these days!" yell near the end is a pretty accurate summing-up of the whole album. "Nancy (Let Your Hair Down for Me)" is very nice too, with a dreamy chorus, while "The Venus of the Soup Kitchen" is an okay closer; like "Hey Manhattan!" it sounds like the soundtrack to an imaginary musical!

I started off writing this review wanting to dismiss this album as a disappointment, but that's only when compared to the mighty Steve McQueen, which really is one of the greatest albums ever made and Prefab Sprout's undoubted masterpiece. How do I rate it? Compared to Steve McQueen, it deserves three stars. On its own terms, it deserves to edge just past the four star mark; From Langley Park to Memphis is an entertaining (if patchy), versatile and colourful album that's about as far from `cool' music as possible, but what's genuinely cool about only liking so-called cool music in the first place? Listen for yourself, but be careful; make sure this sugar-sweet album doesn't rot your teeth in the process!

This album which contains the Sprouts' biggest hit is, inevitably, hated by fans of "Swoon". To be sure, it has its faults, yet there is some great material here. "The King of Rock and Roll" caught the public ear, and although it is hardly representative of their work, it does show that Paddy McAloon has a healthy disregard of what his audience supposedly wants (the theme tune to "Where the Heart is", songs for Cher also indicate this, too).
"From Langley Park..." has a distinctly playful air about it, indeed a few of the songs are reminiscent of the soundtracks to the classic old Disney cartoons with lots of sweeping strings and cutsey lyrics ("We are cartoon cats..."!). Despite the sweet feel to the material, there is bite also. "Cars and Girls" takes a pop at (then) label mate Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen and his distinctly limited imagination.
This album is worth buying to hear "Nightingales" which is, perhaps, the Sprouts most realised work. Stevie Wonder guests on harmonica and, along with Paddy's almost whispered vocal, the effect is stunning. It is the musical equivalent of the world's most luxurious chocolate eaten with the girl of your dreams.
The only real letdown is "The Golden Calf" where the band unconvincingly rock out. Paddy, leave that to Bruce.