MYTHS, MELODIES & METAPHYSICS: - Prefab Sprout

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which was one of the songs on the NME compilation cassette Raging Spool, available through mail order through the paper. Coinciding with Swoon was the single Couldn't Bear To Be Special, somewhat confusing people when seeing a film made by Channel 4's The Tube which was played with the song The Devil Has All the Best Tunes in the same month. Unfortunately, the single sank into oblivion in the music tabloids and somehow missed the charts, while Swoon, meanwhile, took all the glory, in the charts at least. The B-side was Spinning Belinda, which was included in the 'Debut' magazine/album publication shortly after. As if a debut album wasn't enough to contend with, the band had to get hold of a permanent drummer. Since the recording of Swoon, a year previously, they had gone through several drummers - Daniel James, David Ruffy and Louis Connelly (among others) and even using a drum machine at some gigs. An advert was placed in a music paper: "Opportunity is knocking for you if you are a drummer. Prefab Sprout need a new one and are holding auditions next week. The drummer must be 'better than David Ruffy'. If you are, call Kitchenware." Drummer Neil Conti's previous experience had been in a gospel band, in the pop dance group Linx (Intuition) along with session work for many other artistes. He heard the Sprouts on radio whilst having a bath and hearing of the vacancy, drove up to Newcastle to audition, telling the band, "I'm the one for the job". They were sold on his attitude, taking priority for 'feeling' over technical ability. After a few weeks of rehearsing the new line-up played their first gig together at The Buttery in Dublin on 2’ April, at the start of their Swoon tour and also featuring guest Virginia Astley (ex-Ravishing Beauty) on piano. Luton-born Conti (raised in Leighton Buzzard but now in Kentish Town, N.W. London) describes the Sprouts as a cross between Steely Dan and The Beatles. He soon settled in and also helped The Daintees on several projects, both in recording and in TV work. He is without doubt, the most tuned-in Sprout in terms of experience in the music industry. A typical set on the Swoon tour is: Couldn't Bear to be Special, Ghost Town Blues, Technique, Hallelujah, Spinning Belinda, Don't Sing, Cruel, Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone), Walk On, Diana, Couldn't Bear to be Special (yes, they did play it twice in the same set), I Never Play Basketball Now, Green Isaac, The Devil Has All the Best Tunes, Cherry Tree. June 1984 saw the band leave to Europe to continue the tour. Fellow CBS signings, Glasgow outfit Sunset Gun's Louise and Deirdre Rutkowski recorded a song with the Sprouts, guesting as backing vocalists on Horsin' Around, which was scheduled for release in July 1984. Instead, it was decided to concentrate on the touring and in any case, other plans were afoot for their next project. Sondheim and Salinger McAloon's skills as a songwriter were becoming consolidated. Musically, he aimed towards an overall seductive, sensuous sound and, although giving references to Michael Jackson and Chic, he would never want to imitate them
or hold them up as ideals. As a contrast, his admiration of works written for musicals became an important influence in his writing, becoming particularly affected by Stephen Sondheim, after being introduced to musicals through his parents' record collection. Sondheim was the most influential writer and composer of the 70's and 80's. His skills surpassed earlier writers (notably Rodgers and Hammerstein, a friend of the family and with whom Sondheim studied after writing his first musical at the age of fifteen) by producing musicals in which songs were skillfully crafted using styles found in operatic works. Sondheim created what critics have termed 'concept musicals'. Sondheim knew his own mind. After starting a career in television scriptwriting and working as a crossword compiler for the New York magazine (where he exercised his lateral thinking), he had his first major break when Leonard Bernstein asked him to write lyrics for West Side Story. The success of the musical created a demand for Sondheim's lyrics by other composers such as Jule Styne and Richard Rodgers, who successfully partnered Hart and Hammerstein. Sondheim, however, was adamant. He wanted to compose his own musical scores, creating the facility for writing his own lyrics. As Sondheim writes in 'Putting It Together': "A vision's just a vision if it's only in your head - if no one gets to hear it, it's as good as dead . It has to come to life!" His scores were compared to Mahler and Schubert. He was more at home with the full package and where he did sometimes reluctantly partner composers, there were a few relative disappointments. Critics said his songs were difficult to take out of context. Sondheim said of his own works: "I like writing songs that take place in dramatic situations within the proscenium arch. I'm not particularly interested in art songs or pop songs that stand up on their own." McAloon claims a dislike of most music he listens to, preferring to love he idea of 'great music', loving the 'idea' on its own; 'the genesis', more than its realization. He admires the fact that Sondheim became a great success as a songwriter and at the same time having nothing to do with rock music. He admired his ability to say something that could touch a lot of people and say it in an interesting way: "All the beautiful sounds of the world in a single word: Maria. And suddenly that name will never be the same to me: Maria. Say it loud and there's music playing, say it soft and it's almost like praying." He could put a set of precise emotions in a song lasting a certain number of minutes. If he had an odd-shaped sentiment, he'd construct an odd-shaped melody to accommodate it. There was never any sense of it being a happy accident. There's only a limited number of cliches you can use in writing for the theatre and McAloon considers Sondheim a contemporary as he deals with a variety of subjects in a realistic way. This can be seen in the diverse range of subjects in his works, with productions such as West Side Story, Company, A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd. McAloon realized that it was possible to make popular music that could reach more people without having to resort to a load of phrases or clichés in the same way Sondheim did in the theatre, where only a limited number of clichés can be used anyway. McAloon claims he can get rid of clichés and tries to get people back in touch with what made them like music in the first place - something that isn't worn and weary.
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 and 10: Goldberg and Hobson has known Armst
Page 11 and 12: A typical demo back then would see
Page 13: Newcastle adult comic VIZ held a sp
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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