MYTHS, MELODIES & METAPHYSICS: - Prefab Sprout

anging from Cruel to We Let the Stars Go, formulating a running order towards the end
of their rehearsals. The support band for the tour was The Trash Can Sinatras, having
cancelled their tour of Universities and promoting their debut album Cake on Go! Discs.
The debut single from the album, Looking For Atlantis, was released in July 1990,
complete with cameo appearance of Thomas Dolby in the video. The single hit No. 51 in
the single charts and was launched by Music Week, which featured the unusual 'Aqua
Pack' scuba-diving set to promote the release. The single proved a rowdy introduction to
the album, prompting extensive radio airplay and laying down a solid foundation for its
release, coinciding with the interview 'thing' and massive music press coverage, receiving
the loftiest of recommendations along the way.
Q Magazine said of the album, "given a few plays, the overall depth of the work
becomes apparent. Jordan takes far more risks than From Langley and pulls them off with
a swagger, indicating the scale of understanding between McAloon and Dolby. The
former supplies solid, reliable pop song, the latter embellishes them with layers of
unusual instrumentation, moulding them into orchestral adventures of epic proportions."
But that understanding between McAloon and Dolby goes deeper, according to Dolby,
"Paddy's in touch with the aspect that's been largely missing from pop music in the last
ten or fifteen years. It's that part that doesn't have to do with moving product and selling
your image, the part that has to do with real risk and adventure."
The album reached No. 7 in the UK album chart and was cropping up in endless 'album
of the month' and 'year' charts. The music papers were unequivocal:
� Sunday People: "19 melodies that get better with every listening."
� Sounds: "Paddy McAloon is like a Shakespeare in a world of cheap novels."
� Melody Maker: "No one is setting their sights as far and wide as Prefab
Sprout: the 20th Century is theirs and their 11 track album already ranks with
history's best."
Still fresh from his 'Howard Hughes' jaunt with Elvis in Jordan, McAloon, an admirer of
Warren Beatty, had aspirations to write music for a film based on the legendary character.
He wrote a small note, "Dear Mr. Beatty, I am a songwriter," and intended handing it to
Beatty at a seminar to be held on the South Bank. Beatty had been saying for some time
that he'd really like to make a biopic about the billionaire recluse Howard Hughes.
All did not go to plan, however. McAloon had toyed with the 'outrageous' idea of flying
to New York to see his new film Dick Tracy (complete with score by lifetime hero
Sondheim) and then flying back immediately after. He didn't, and was subsequently
pleased so, as after he'd watched the film in Newcastle, he'd been very disappointed with
it, claiming that it took great liberties with the original comic strip character. Instead,
when McAloon met Beatty at the Guardian film lecture held at the National Film Theatre,
he stood up and claimed that the film had been a simple cash-getter to fund his next
project and a stunt to create hype for his flagging film career.
Paddy put it to him that, as Beatty admitted so in the making of the film Hamburgers, it
was released for financial reasons more than for 'art's sake'. Beatty reserved comment.
There were cheers in the audience.
A few low-key appearances were pencilled in as pre-tour warm-ups for September
1990. The gigs, at Bootle Community Centre, Liverpool (raising money for a community