MYTHS, MELODIES & METAPHYSICS: - Prefab Sprout

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Someone) is about seemed straight forward: "Lions is a collection of instruments playing together and finishing at the same time." Kitchenware's second batch of releases came complete with the slogan 'The Label That Can't Be Labelled', boasting its diversifying collective of musicians and songwriters. The Kane Gang, meanwhile, were at the point of splitting, just after recording Brother Brother but Paddy put in a good word for them and Phil Mitchell was sold over on their soulful sound. So now Kitchenware had two new recruits: Prefab Sprout, 'the big songwriting talent' and The Kane Gang, 'the toughness' of the label. Before The Kane Gang had the opportunity to use the Candle Records label, Kitchenware were in there with the contract. The Sprout's debut on the Kitchenware label, distributed by Kitchenware, received extensive airplay by both Dave 'Kid' Jensen and John Peel, who dubbed them "Subversive MOR". The press said that 'Lions' was "melodic enough to capture a good audience but at the same time they retain sufficient individuality in their lyrical rhythm and content to make them satisfying" and "assured of its place as one of the records of the year" (reiterating Elvis Costello's remarks as made on Gary Crowley's Magic Box radio show, such praise worthy of securing the Sprouts a support slot with he and his Distractions in the three Christmas shows later that year). A bit of toying around with the media led to press reports that the Sprouts got their name from a misheard lyric in a Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazelwood song from 1965, Jackson: "We got married in a fever hotter than a peppered sprout." It was around the time of the re-release of Lions, this time distributed through Rough Trade in July 1983 (this time with a white label and black print), that drummer Michael Salmon opts for a job in Top Man menswear store in Newcastle city centre, after ten years of music-making with the McAloon brothers. Apart from retailing menswear, he also wanted to concentrate on writing material for a new band of his, Swimmer Leon. His talents exceeded mere drumming. He was a good vocalist, songwriter and took up lead guitar in Swimmer Leon when they formed. It could be said that Salmon had thrown away a good future, a record deal and a worthwhile management team. What more could he want? The fact was that he wasn't happy to keep on playing the drums and let his other talents fester, unheard. He had to be true to himself, in 1988 acknowledging Prefab Sprout's success and not regretting leaving the band, but expressing his preference of hearing the Sprouts in the charts rather than Bros. Swimmer Leon released their debut single independently, after interest from Capitol and CBS, entitled The Shadow in Me. However, the breaks never came and Salmon pursued a career in teaching in the northeast. Salmon's dispatch from Prefab Sprout kicked of a yearlong search for a permanent drummer - and a year of MANY drummers! Other products on offer by the Sprouts in 1983 included an NME- advertised cassette, 'SOULED OUT', a compilation of Sprout demos and songs from The Daintees, The Kane Gang and Hurrah! put together by Hurrah! and Kitchenware friend Simon McKay and including No Hallelujahs, Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone), The Devil Has All the Best Tunes and Walk On. They only sold twelve copies!
A typical demo back then would see a solo McAloon (sometimes accompanied by Wendy, playing acoustic guitar, on one track and in one take. Demos recorded that year included Cherry Tree, Bonny and Constant Blue, which was recorded at the Soul Cellar in January that year, one of a few short-term venues set up by Kitchenware, among others such as at Tiffanys nightclub, where they held the Packet of Cornflakes Disco. In October 1983, the NME offered their latest cassette compilation, Mad Mix II, which included Lions and also featured The Kane Gang and seeing Kitchenware reveling in, and promoting, the enthusiasm of the music press. Prefab Sprout had seen a few changes from their earlier raucous ranting through the effect that Wendy Smith's backing vocals had on their sound and of Paddy's reactions to that during recordings. A softer, more melodic sound was hoped by McAloon to develop into a richer, 'big production' sound, something that at this stage Kitchenware could not provide. But it suited him, and the A&R men, to sit back and monitor the reactions to their scheduled debut album. Paddy, years later, reflected upon their success in these earlier days. He thought that the band were newsworthy because they were good. This was not necessarily the case. They had been newsworthy, McAloon claimed, because they were 'new'. They were just taking Warhol's fifteen minutes. They had stayed newsworthy (and successful) because they were still good. A developing sound and new approaches to music and production were to keep Prefab Sprout at the forefront of Kitchenware's activities for years to come. At last, Armstrong & Co. were ready for their first album, so armed with a very modest budget of five thousand pounds, the Sprouts took off to Edinburgh's 24-track Palladium Studios to record Swoon, which was produced by Sprout friend Dave Brewis and featured his pal, session drummer Graham Lant, in Salmon's absence. Brewis, who turned out to be Paddy's private guitar consultant, also played guitar on the album, which they finished recording in August 1983. Swoon (Songs Written Out Of Necessity) was intentionally a compilation of songs which went against the grain of what the band were doing live. After so much gigging, their followers were to appreciate something different. The album recordings took another three months to mix down and finish. In October, Kitchenware/April Music released The Devil Has All the Best Tunes, apparently 'a song about songs themselves'. The fireworks on the sleeve (matching their promotional badges) were accompanied by the quote, "So lyrically simple, like Ave Maria." Paddy was only kidding. The press said that McAloon was attempting "to master a new alphabet in his obtuse, inventive approach to song structures and while his unorthodoxy is hardly the kind of thing that will guarantee him extensive airplay, it does make for one of the week's more interesting releases." Also, the Sprouts were said to be "singin' and strummin' a sin kissed charmer guaranteed to brighten up your grey day." Like Lions, the single was a Top 5 independent hit but didn't manage to get them their first Gallup success. Still awaiting the completion of Swoon, the band take to the road again with drummer Daniel James (also helping out part-time with the Kane Gang) to plug their latest single
Page 1 and 2: Foreword MYTHS, MELODIES & METAPHYS
Page 3 and 4: Musically, McAloon was growing up i
Page 5 and 6: the new family home in Witton Gilbe
Page 7 and 8: The 'Sprouts', as they were becomin
Page 9: Goldberg and Hobson has known Armst
Page 13 and 14: Newcastle adult comic VIZ held a sp
Page 15 and 16: or hold them up as ideals. As a con
Page 17 and 18: You're charmed by that and you get
Page 19 and 20: with the same basic arrangements as
Page 21 and 22: dropped the car but used the bike f
Page 23 and 24: McAloon was fascinated by Caulfield
Page 25 and 26: From Tiffanys to Acapulco Rolf's Th
Page 27 and 28: found that out when he found that t
Page 29 and 30: During the recording of the song, P
Page 31 and 32: Spitting Image puppet of Michael Ja
Page 33 and 34: Paddy and Wendy aptly visited Calif
Page 35 and 36: est songs, if I can say that, is 'T
Page 37 and 38: heard a record, I had no curiosity
Page 39 and 40: about the myths they create, whethe
Page 41 and 42: wanted to look at a group of contra
Page 43 and 44: centre to build a recording studio)
Page 45 and 46: confidently meet the challenge of t
Page 47 and 48: Church, where he began singing, see
Page 49 and 50: McAloon loved Webb's compositions,
Page 51 and 52: person's point of view. You can cho
Page 53 and 54: In July, the second single, If You

MYTHS, MELODIES & METAPHYSICS: - Prefab Sprout

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