I POLLED the Megahertz - ILM Artist Poll #100 - Prefab Sprout - RESULTS

https://images2.imgbox.com/d2/62/NIuXqFuh_o.jpg

27 respondents selected:
- their favourite Prefab Sprout tracks, up to a maximum of 30
- their favourite Prefab Sprout albums, up to a maximum of 5

9 also conveyed opinions on Paddy McAloon best 5 lyrical moments!

Let's start with the album votes first, and the lyrics after that.

Here's a Spotify list for the tracks rollout which we'll get to last of all:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4LY4IjZrXas1OgAPqmLYYO

Also:
- Ties will be resolved by reference to the number of votes and then the number of first place votes
- Thanks voodoo chili for thread title.
- Oh look, obligatory typo in first post!

Are there enough interested people about to whip through the albums in the next 3 hours or so?

27 is a decent turnout, nice.

I'm here for it.
Working from home so have time to set up some alts if you want to feel like there's a bigger audience.

Sock that only likes farmyard cat

LOL. I'll make a start and see how we go...

https://images2.imgbox.com/c8/13/tEuoAajU_o.jpg

I'll be posting everything that received a vote.

I actually forgot that this one was a contender until it was submitted.

https://images2.imgbox.com/1a/b5/XsToDYKh_o.jpg

#10
STEVE McQUEEN ACOUSTIC
April 2007
Score: 2
Votes: 1 (0)
Youtube excerpt: Moving the River (Acoustic)

Appetite / Bonny / Desire As / When Love Breaks Down // Goodbye Lucille #1 / Moving The River / Faron Young / When The Angels

touched you’re using my thread title nag

some really nice versions on this one. fascinating to hear goodbye lucille in waltz time.

And the acoustic version of moving the river convinced me to vote for the song in the main poll.

Wasn't aware this was released as a standalone album. I just know them from being appended on to the Steve McQueen remaster.

I wanted to like the acoustic versions so much more than I did.

I did too. I think I would have ultimately preferred demos/alt. versions instead for that reissue.

https://images2.imgbox.com/01/35/jM42El2g_o.jpg

#9
ANDROMEDA HEIGHTS
May 1997
Score: 3
Votes: 2 (0)
Youtube excerpt: Electric Guitars

Electric Guitars / A Prisoner of the Past / The Mystery of Love / Life's a Miracle / Anne Marie / Whoever You Are // Steal Your Thunder / Avenue of Stars / Swans / The Fifth Horseman / Weightless / Andromeda Heights

I defended this one a little in the other thread. Not really a big fan of the singles but dig the arrangements on the near beat-free spacey/showtune tracks quite a bit. It didn't make my ballot, however.

https://images2.imgbox.com/c1/3d/VapRwGRc_o.jpg

#8
LET'S CHANGE THE WORLD WITH MUSIC
September 2009
Score: 9
Votes: 5 (0)
Youtube excerpt: Music is a Princess

Let There Be Music / Ride / I Love Music / God Watch Over You / Earth: The Story So Far // Music is a Princess / Last of the Great Romantics / Falling in Love / Sweet Gospel Music / Meet the New Mozart / Angel of Love

The song titles on this one really lay out what's about to happen: "This one's a song about Gospel Music."

LOL. Kinda. My advocacy for this one probably got out of hand already in the other thread but at least 7 (maybe?) of these songs are, like, super-good in spite of the demo level arrangements. Still seems insane that he just gave up and popped the whole thing in his sock drawer for 17 years, or whatever.

Another home viewer here. Thanks for the compilation effort!

woulda voted for the acoustic Steve McQueen at #1 without question, but my vote for Steve McQueen at #1 includes both versions. good grief at the "Appetite" on there

https://images2.imgbox.com/4d/85/m4kYKHnu_o.jpg

#7
CRIMSON/RED
October 2013
Score: 13
Votes: 6 (0)
Youtube excerpt: Adolescence

The Best Jewel Thief in the World / List of Impossible Things / Adolescence / Grief Built the Taj Mahal / Devil Came a Calling // Billy / The Dreamer / The Songs of Danny Galway / The Old Magician / Mysterious

The song titles on this one really lay out what's about to happen: "This one's a song about Gospel Music."

― enochroot, Monday, March 16, 2020 8:16 AM (forty-six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

he's always been on-the-nose when it comes to word painting (the "american" accent in jordan's title track, clopping horses in "jesse james," harps in "one of the broken," etc.)

I've actually started my day by listening to Andromeda Heights. It's probably the first time I've heard it in over 10 years. It's a very pretty album, but a lot of the songs are passing me by. The production really reminds me of ABC's Lexicon Of Love II. Might throw on Let's Change The World With Music next. That's another one I haven't heard in a long time.

https://images2.imgbox.com/17/2b/XQ3X2vC6_o.jpg

#6
PROTEST SONGS
June 1989
Score: 23
Votes: 10 (0)
Youtube audio: Horsechimes

The World Awake / Life of Surprises / Horsechimes / Wicked Things / Dublin // Tiffanys / Diana / Talking Scarlet / 'Til the Cows Come Home / Pearly Gates

There's a couple of songs on Protest Songs that feel a bit underwritten, but I still really rate the album. It was my number five.

I like it a lot, but sometimes forget when it's not playing. It might have benefited from being maybe the second PS LP heard in full. The lack of baggage meant that this was just What Prefab Sprout Sound Like for quite a while.

https://images2.imgbox.com/79/18/xwztiuDy_o.jpg

#5
I TRAWL THE MEGAHERTZ
May 2003
Score: 27
Votes: 12 (0)
Youtube excerpt: I'm 49

I Trawl the Megahertz / Esprit de corps / Fall from Grace / We Were Poor / Orchid 7 / I'm 49 / Sleeping Rough / Ineffable / ...But We Were Happy

Wow, the Gunman in a top 4 position. Interesting!

i forgot to vote for i trawl the megahertz in the albums poll bc i'll always think of it as a paddy solo album (whatever that means). title track still made my songs ballot

I hope Swoon can squeeze into the top three.

oh dear lord I didn't submit a ballot

Have mercy on the coronoavirus!

Surprised there weren’t any number one votes for megahertz. But it sure looks like Steve and Jordan are gonna gobble all the top votes up

it's gonna be swoon, langley, then a real toss-up between steve and jordan

(jordan > steve imo)

might've said this in the voting thread, but i love that the two top prefab albums have first names, like they're your friends.

https://images2.imgbox.com/06/de/Ae0mz2e3_o.jpg

#4
SWOON
March 1984
Score: 49
Votes: 18 (4)
Youtube excerpt: Ghost Town Blues

Don't Sing / Cue Fanfare / Green Isaac (I) / Here On The Eerie / Cruel // Couldn't Bear To Be Special / I Never Play Basketball Now / Ghost Town Blues / Elegance / Technique / Green Isaac (II)

Spaced out one of those four Brad mentioned. Not sure why since I voted for all of them. Gunman doesn't place, then.

Swoon at number 2 for me - thought about pushing it to number 1. Would have shocked me 10 years ago, but all that wordy sidewaysness has got deep under my skin.

Wordy sidewaysness! :) I was one of the 4 first-place votes here. Too low, etc, etc.

This evening I momentarily considered dropping the 2 points I allocated to the next one, so it would be a draw with Swoon. But that seemed like insider trading, plus this record is also very good, of course!

https://images2.imgbox.com/3e/ce/GEm5lzak_o.jpg

#3
FROM LANGLEY PARK TO MEMPHIS
March 1988
Score: 51
Votes: 20 (1)
Youtube excerpt: Enchanted

The King Of Rock 'n' Roll / Cars and Girls / I Remember That / Enchanted / Nightingales // Hey Manhattan! / Knock on Wood / The Golden Calf / Nancy (Let Your Hair Down for Me) / The Venus of the Soup Kitchen

in any other discography this would be the band's best record

OTM. Sometimes feels like their best set of songs, but doesn't come together as an album for me. Maybe because the production's a bit more scattered; maybe because this is when I got into them, and it feels a little like listening to singles.

Still don't get "Cars and Girls" (I dislike both) but "The Golden Calf" reminds me of the Go-Be's when they rock out, i.e. charmingly and awkwardly.

but the song's about how some things hurt more (much more) than cars and girls! i.e. it is diminishing those things you dislike

i almost voted for "does heaven wait all heavenly over the next horizon" in the lyrics poll

xp I remember the Trouser Press Record Guide described 'The Golden Calf' as sounding like Cheap Trick. Maybe if you squint, McAloon's voice on the song is a bit like Robin Zanders?

wha

kinda sound like a looser inxs, maybe?

mcaloon's macca-like 'rockin' voice' has always amused me on that song

https://images2.imgbox.com/75/38/Jr1LNrw3_o.jpg

#2
JORDAN: THE COMEBACK
September 1990
Score: 97
Votes: 25 (8)
Youtube excerpt: Jesse James Symphony

Looking For Atlantis / Wild Horses / Machine Gun Ibiza / We Let The Stars Go / Carnival 2000 / Jordan: The Comeback / Jesse James Symphony / Jesse James Bolero / Moon Dog // All The World Loves Lovers / All Boys Believe Anything / The Ice Maiden / Paris Smith / The Wedding March / One Of The Broken / Michael / Mercy / Scarlet Nights / Doo Wop In Harlem

https://images2.imgbox.com/c4/5b/o3jNthd0_o.jpg

#1
STEVE MCQUEEN
June 1985
Score: 115
Votes: 26 (14) (Including 1 vote for Two Wheels Good)
Youtube excerpt: The Yearning Loins (US bonus track, admittedly -- because it's quite good and we won't be hearing it later!)

Faron Young / Bonny / Appetite / When Love Breaks Down / Goodbye Lucille #1 / Hallelujah // Moving the River / Horsin' Around / Desire As / Blueberry Pies / When the Angels / The Yearning Loins* / He'll Have to Go* / Faron (Truckin' Mix)*

* Two Wheels Good bonus tracks.

of course

Makes sense

In summary...

Rank                                   Points     Votes  #1 Votes 
 1    Steve McQueen                       115        26        14
 2    Jordan: The Comeback                 97        25         8
 3    From Langley Park to Memphis         51        20         1
 4    Swoon                                49        18         4
 5    I Trawl the Megahertz                27        12         0
 6    Protest Songs                        23        10         0
 7    Crimson/Red                          13         6         0
 8    Let's Change the World With Music     9         5         0
 9    Andromeda Heights                     3         2         0
10    Steve McQueen Acoustic                2         1         0

So, no love for The Gunman...

Swoon was my number one...a little faberge egg of an album

I'll return with the lyrics results on (GMT+10) Tuesday, once I've had a proper look at them!

Need to change thread title to A Poll of No Surprises 😉

At least Swoon ran Langley Park pretty close. Also four first place votes!

Who was the holdout who didn’t vote for Steve McQueen?

Andromeda Heights is way too low, I can understand some finding the production too cloying but the songs are up their with his best work.

Wow, it looks like I'm the only #1 vote for Langley Park. Steve McQueen is more consistent but it took a while to grow on me, whereas Langley Park bowled me over immediately and never stopped hitting.

It's funny the connections albums make. SM/TWG for me evokes summer of '88, dragging a ping pong table from basement to lawn on sunny Ballard days, playing beer pong with SM/TWG and Temple of Low Men cranked. Makes a quality album that much better.

I was surprised by the rollout - Steve McQueen and Jordan vying for the top two spots is totally expected, but I would have picked Megahertz to come third on ILX.

It has some really good songs, but From Langley Park To Memphis doesn't work as an album for me. I read an interview with McAloon where he spoke to Paul McCartney and McCartney referred to 'The King of Rock and Roll' as McAloon's 'My Ding-a-ling'.

It took me a long time to enjoy Swoon - it's just about the densest pop album I've ever heard.

I still don't really 'get' Swoon. Probably a factor in its durability for me.

Nice to see some positivity regarding AH here, after I went to bed.

Poor Crimson/Red though. No one wants to say anything about it at all? :)

It starts off well and ends well, I can't remember much about the songs in between. This poll has reminded me how little attention I've paid to the albums since Jordan. I need to rectify that.

C/R certainly sounds great, probably due to the engineer, who I think also produced The Blue Nile's best albums. I rated "The Best Jewel Thief In The World" and "Billy" amongst my top tracks. Can't easily recall any of the others on that album, though.

"adolescence" is brilliant and i forgot to vote for it :(

crimson/red and let's change the world with music both quite underrated here!

https://images2.imgbox.com/9a/8c/93WazKPt_o.jpg

I'll drop a few these now, I think. Maybe the whole lot?

There are a lot of ties and the distribution is pretty flat, as expected. I'll just regurgitate what was submitted and leave you to find whatever patterns might be lurking. :)

#32 (TIE)
Score: 1
Votes: 1 (0)

…I am the next poet laureate
And she is the cherry Madonna
And all of the summer is hers.

- I Trawl the Megahertz

In the morning I go walking,
It helps the hurting soften
I've seen a lot of places,
'cos I miss her very often

- Technique

Didn't vote in this, but I would've quoted those exact lines from Technique.

#28 (TIE)
Score: 2
Votes: 1 (0)

All my silence and my strained respect
Missed chances and the same regrets

- Bonny

The sunset makes a fence out of the forest

- Faron Young

Michael, help me write a letter to you-know-who
I will sign it ‘Lucifer Regrets’

- Michael

Now everybody wears the look
Of the child that wished to marry you
Who knocking proudly on your door
Was greeted by your pretty wife

- The World Awake

every lyric on bonny is fantastic, so, logically, i didn't vote for any of 'em

#18 (TIE)
Score: 3
Votes: 1 (0)

If you take, then put back good
If you steal, be Robin Hood
If your eyes are wanting all you see
Then I think I'll name you after me

- Appetite

No one planned it
Took it for granted

- Bonny

I could love you till the stars don’t shine
But I’m not yours and you’re not mine

- The End of the Affair

We’re talking fire
We’re talking flame
We’re talking ice into ashes
But death is a small price for heaven

- The Ice Maiden

Don’t goodbyes deserve some Bach, not Barbershop

- Jesse James Bolero

All my lazy teenage boasts
Are now high precision ghosts
And they're coming round the track
To haunt me

- The King of Rock 'n' Roll

We chopped a billion trees
To print up eulogies

- Moondog

My love and I, we are boxing clever
She'll never crowd me out
Fall be free as old confetti
And paint the town, paint the town

- When Love Breaks Down

There was a boy I used to be
I guess that he was cold
If she came to buy him now
How cheaply he'd be sold

- We Let The Stars Go

Whoops, meant to post this non-tie first. Sorry.

#27
Score: 2
Votes: 2 (0)

You and I won't be the fools that other lovers are
thinking every silver bottle top potentially a star

- All the World Loves Lovers

#14 (TIE)
Score: 4
Votes: 1 (0)

A century has shut its eyes and who are we to wake it?

- Carnival 2000

Little boy got a hot rod
Thinks it makes him some kind of new god
But this is one race he won't win

- Cars & Girls

Desire as a sylph figured creature who changes her mind

- Desire As

We're only men and women doing what we can
Sometimes I think that God is working to a plan
Then other times I swear that he is improvising
Discordant and remote

- The Sound of Crying

shout out to all my votes at #18 lol

Unranked ballot presumably? That must be how it was interpreted, at least!

One voter quoted the second line here. I grouped it with a vote for broader verse.

#13
Score: 4
Votes: 2 (0)

The dream helps you forget you ain't never danced a step
You were never fleet of foot, hippy
All the pathos you can keep for the children in the street
For the vision I have had is sweeping

- King of Rock’n’Roll

Unranked ballot presumably? That must be how it was interpreted, at least!

― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Monday, March 16, 2020 6:10 PM (eleven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yes it was! but i thought maybe at least one other voter would vote for just one of my choices.

lol all of my lyrics placed

A bunch of first-place votes...

#8 (TIE)
Score: 5
Votes: 1 (0)

Her eyes china blue saucers, she's born that way
She tastes of apple strudel, you can tell she does
- Diana

If there ain't a heaven that holds you tonight they never sang doo-wop in Harlem
- Doo Wop in Harlem

Oh Anne Garland, You can't call this heartbeat a man
- Ghost Town Blues

Never let your conscience grow harmful to your health
Let no neurotic impulse turn inward on itself
- Life of Surprises

Daddies shook their fists at hidden communists
- Moondog

oh wait i forgot life of surprises!

The 'Diana' excerpt was mine, I believe. Must be -- not many seem to rate that slightly ludicrous song!

#6 (TIE)
Score: 5
Votes: 2 (0)

And there’s nothing pathetic
Listing clothes she’d wear
If it proves that I had you
If it proves I was there

- I Remember That

Life's not complete till your heart's missed a beat
And you'll never make it up, or turn back the clock

- Goodbye Lucille #1

NO YOU WON'T

xpost to some previous comments: For as much as some might say 'KIng of Rock and Roll' is Prefab Sprout's 'My Ding a Ling,' the lyrics are ace!

^ They are rather!

Given that I already said they were first-place votes up there, this is clearly how this bit should have read:

#8 (TIE)
Score: 5
Votes: 1 (1)

#5
Score: 5
Votes: 3 (0)

You surely are a truly gifted kid
But you're only good as the last great thing you did

- Moving The River

#4
Score: 6
Votes: 2 (0)

Paris, any music worth its salt is good for dancing
Paris, but I tried to be the Fred Astaire of words

- Paris Smith

Both of those are great lyrics and both feature in songs that have some serious clunkers in them too

#3
Score: 10
Votes: 2 (2)

Here she is with two small problems
And the best part of the blame
Wishing she could call him ‘Heartache’
But that’s not a boy’s name

- Appetite

The top 2 form another tie, perhaps unsurprisingly. I'll not attempt to build suspense...

#1 (TIE)
Score: 10
Votes: 3 (0)

I’ve got six things on my mind
You’re no longer one of them

- Desire As

"We were songbirds
We were Greek gods
We were singled out by fate
We were quoted out of context
It was great

- Electric Guitars

oh lol i voted for that "electric guitars" lyric too

I didn't vote, but this line from Moving the River was robbed!

But I'm turkey hungry, I'm chicken free
And I can't breakdance on your knee.

Oh yeah!

I've just been fiddling with the final tracks results. I think a top 60 is feasible, but I'll spread it out at fairly long intervals between now and Friday. Interested parties can tune in and out without much risk of missing massive chunks of concentrated posting. Besides, I can't do as many late nights for disparate timezones this time!

https://images2.imgbox.com/eb/2b/YTs5gdy4_o.jpg

https://images2.imgbox.com/6d/a9/qOEr500M_o.jpg

#60
TIFFANYS
from Protest Songs (1989)
Points: 59
Votes: 3 (0)
Youtube audio

The Spotify playlist is also being updated now. (Massive spoiler, for maybe three people: the dummy track that was in it originally is not going to place!)

Feels like I shouldn't use up my, too low straight away but I really love this one and I would have liked to see it higher. It's my favourite song on Protest Songs.

https://images2.imgbox.com/86/83/b15W78K0_o.jpg

#59
COULDN'T BEAR TO BE SPECIAL
from Swoon (1984)
Points: 61
Votes: 6 (0)
Youtube audio

Imagine making an album as great as Jordan: The Comeback and it legit definitely not being your best album.

https://images2.imgbox.com/46/8e/p2VJzfQx_o.jpg

#57 (TIE)
MACHINE GUN IBIZA
from Jordan: The Comeback {1990)
Points: 62
Votes: 4 (0)
Youtube audio

Hi, this is God here...

https://images2.imgbox.com/9a/82/JP6JmPnh_o.jpg

#57 (TIE)
ONE OF THE BROKEN
from Jordan: The Comeback {1990)
Points: 62
Votes: 4 (0)
Youtube audio

Wow i thought Tiffany's might be a Top 10 contender.

One of the broken is way too low, it’s a beautiful lyric and it arrives at the point of the album where you might actually believe paddy is singing with the divine provenance

it's also one of paddy's own favorites, and who am i to argue with the man himself

Here's Paddy talking about 'Jordan: The Comeback' (available as a double LP for the first time) and how the tracks at the end helped define the final sound of the album.

What's your favourite track from the album?

Pre-order your copies here: https://t.co/uKNWtH6Kkq pic.twitter.com/jL47lTKGG7

— Prefab Sprout (@Prefabsprout) September 5, 2019

lol i can’t tell you how baffled i was the first time i listened to jordan and heard “hi, this is god here...”

beautiful song i didn’t vote for

https://images2.imgbox.com/fa/20/MQnd2HeF_o.jpg

#56
WEIGHTLESS
from Andromeda Heights (1997)
Points: 64
Votes: 4 (0)
Youtube audio

lol i can’t tell you how baffled i was the first time i listened to jordan and heard “hi, this is god here...”

it's a hilarious line on its face--i mean, if god were really addressing you, you'd probably know it. but he says it like a radio dj would.

https://images2.imgbox.com/55/1a/j0PWKrp1_o.jpg

#55
DIANA
from "When Love Breaks Down" single (1984), re-recorded for Protest Songs (1989)
Points: 65
Votes: 4 (0)
Youtube audio - single version
Youtube audio - album version

Definitely preferring the Protest Songs version here. They single version sounds too much like The Smiths were the backing band.

"weightless" sounds better outside of the context of andromeda heights

Love the breadth of the lyrical nominations.

https://images2.imgbox.com/46/39/bPQ0KQeC_o.jpg

#54
GOD WATCH OVER YOU
from Let's Change the World with Music (2009)
Points: 68
Votes: 5 (0)
Youtube audio

my first vote to show up!

the chorus is wonderful and i love the synth strings

Hi, this is God here, watching over you, with my majestic grey beard.

I might have to retire at #51, I'm afraid. My brain is *really* saying no to a late night!

https://images2.imgbox.com/40/12/10U2IR8B_o.jpg

#53
CORNFIELD ABLAZE
from The Gunman and Other Stories (2001)
Points: 71
Votes: 5 (0)
Youtube audio

https://images2.imgbox.com/b8/ea/hOXLhMsp_o.jpg

#52
BILLY
from Crimson/Red (2013)
Points: 74
Votes: 4 (0)
Youtube audio

"cornfield ablaze" may be the best later-prefab sprout song

billy is a nice song, glad it placed around here

https://images2.imgbox.com/68/3f/r1np9DJt_o.jpg

#51
DONNA SUMMER
from "When Love Breaks Down" single (1984)
Points: 75
Votes: 6 (0)
Youtube audio

^ Last one for the moment. Give me maybe 7 hours and should be able to drop a few more!

donna summer is the first from my ballot to place! really amazing b-side, feels like a slightly softer and dreamier cousin of "hallelujah"

I didn't end up voting for any B-sides. If I'd had another 20 places I would have found room for Donna Summer and a couple of others.

Couldn't Bear To Be Special is one of the songs that really stood out when I first got Swoon about 15 years ago. I'd already had Steve McQueen for years, but weirdly it was Swoon that made me get obsessed with them. This song in particular just got into my head. It's brilliant they put such a strange downbeat song out as a single (although it I guess that was fairly common in the early 80s). I love the way he sings, "I couldn't bear.. RIGHT!" with that noise that follows.

Cornfield Ablaze just missed my list. Definitely the standout from their weakest album.

"You overwhelmed agricultural man,/You wild pyromaniac daughter of Pan"
Magnificent.

Billy was a late cut for me. Was scrambling around for reasons to trim, and it feels a bit lopsided - third verse hasn't got much new, and the coda strolls along amiably enough for too long. BUT it's brought SO much joy by then - the flickering between bill, billy, william, "her smile is like a fairground", and that "Trumpets come and trumpets go/Amazing what gets left out in the snow".

Glad to see Donna Summer placing. I put it in my top 10. As much as I love the slow lounge version, the thrashy version they did as a three-piece live is great.

Gave points to 59, both 57s and 55 in the lower half of my ballot. Pleased they all made it.

Billy and Cornfield Blaze are both major late-career highlights for me - placing so low probably indicates there's not a whole lot more to come from the post-Andromeda Heights albums.

https://images2.imgbox.com/fb/21/j4kxB0LG_o.jpg

#50
'TIL THE COWS COME HOME
from Protest Songs (1989)
Points: 76
Votes: 5 (0)
Youtube audio

Choosing period-matched band portraits is amusing when the composition, recording and/or actual commercial release were so often a decade apart. :)

this one is unremarkable imo

https://images2.imgbox.com/c2/be/l0kE7eRu_o.jpg

#49
EARTH, THE STORY SO FAR
from Let's Change the World with Music (2009)
Points: 77
Votes: 5 (0)
Youtube audio

I quipped in the other thread that many of my selections were hovering precariously around #50. That only became more true with late voting. But with "Earth" it wasn't even vaguely a contender until the final few ballots. High-five later voters!

https://images2.imgbox.com/2f/42/51CVXVhM_o.jpg

#48
KNOCK ON WOOD
from From Langley Park to Memphis (1988)
Points: 79
Votes: 5 (0)
Youtube audio

the synth soundscape of "earth" is wonderful, i voted for it

https://images2.imgbox.com/8d/36/JN6lRU1P_o.jpeg

#47
WHEN THE ANGELS
from Steve McQueen (1985)
Points: 79
Votes: 7 (0)
Youtube audio

First one of mine to place!

I think I have a good chance of having everything I voted for place. I only submitted a 20-track ballot, and all but two of my tracks are from 1985-90.

wow this feels low

Question: Now that we have the first SM/TWG song appearance, what is the consensus on a cover such as 'He'll Have to Go'? I think it's a great version, but didn't place it on my ballot because it is a cover. Probably should have asked this on the earlier thread.

It's pretty good! Their one and only (commercially released) cover, come to think of it?! Maybe I'm forgetting something...

https://images2.imgbox.com/4b/39/d1fCR5Fd_o.jpg

#46
I NEVER PLAY BASKETBALL NOW
from Swoon (1984)
Points: 84
Votes: 5 (0)
Youtube audio

Love this one! Not sure if I placed it high enough.

Great lines too!

It joins the list of things I'll miss,
Like fencing foils and lovely girls
I'll never kiss

One Swoon track that didn't receive (or really need) any help from me, IIRC. Nice.

A great song with so many unexpected twists. That second half of Swoon is so good and constantly surprises me.

Kind of the apex of McAloon's complex chord structures; I like this instructional video showing all the changes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgMnIW8BChE

xps

“Streets of Laredo” is a cover!

Oh yeah!

https://images2.imgbox.com/fd/a4/2IAgPib1_o.jpg

#45
PRISONER OF THE PAST
from Andromeda Heights (1997)
Points: 85
Votes: 6 (0)
Youtube: original promo video

"knock on wood" is way too fuckin low y'all

I'm conscious that at some point only the antipodean contingent and some northern hemisphere insomniacs will be tuning in. If anyone comes to feel strongly that I should pause I will happily do so. :)

this only reinforces that "when the angels" was shockingly low

https://images2.imgbox.com/10/68/eaQoXNIx_o.jpg

#44
PARIS SMITH
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 88
Votes: 6 (0)
Youtube audio

didn't vote for it, but like everything on jordan, it can devastate me if i look at it the right way

i voted for knock on wood, such a creepy vibe. the groove reminds me of xtc, a bit.

"Paris Smith" has risen markedly in my estimation during this exercise. Somehow took until 2020 to make much of an impression! *blushes*

I voted for both of these. Not sure what to say about "Prisoner of the Past" other than that I love the horns, while "Paris Smith" makes it almost entirely on the strength of its chorus (which I included on my lyric ballot).

https://images2.imgbox.com/14/f1/T5TKL50n_o.png

#43
WICKED THINGS
from Protest Songs (1989)
Points: 99
Votes: 6 (0)
Youtube audio

don't you grow up a snob

Fun now wondering if/where some choices will appear. Like Bearpark. Happy that others rated Til the Cows. There's a gentle almost wistfulness to that chorus that makes it a fave on that album.

The first first-place vote here. I'll go through to #41 then give it a rest...

https://images2.imgbox.com/30/c8/jypSxAne_o.jpg

#42
THE END OF THE AFFAIR
from Protest Songs (1989)
Points: 102
Votes: 5 (1)
Youtube audio

probably should have voted for this one, certainly the best from its period and baffling that it was only a b-side

My one Protest Sings vote. A lot of that album feels demo-y, to me, but that’s one song where the lack of adornment fits the song’s hesitant tone.

yeah i really should have voted for "end of the affair"

Whoops!

from "Prisoner of the Past" single (1997)

(referring to “Wicked Things,” of course)

Yeah, “The End of the Affair” is the clear highlight of their ‘97 output. I would never have heard of it if not for this poll—so, thanks!

Damn, messed up the Youtube link too:

The End of the Affair

'The End of the Affair' was ny number one - was worried if it was going to make it.

I actually though, as I posted that, "aphoristical, at least, probably isn't asleep." LOL

https://images2.imgbox.com/bd/24/QFt1U7c0_o.jpg

#41
ELEGANCE
from Swoon (1984)
Points: 102
Votes: 6 (0)
Youtube audio

I'll leave it at that for a while. I'll resume when it's Wednesday in more places.

Enjoying the results so far. Elegance is another Swoon highlight. Paris Smith ended up in my top 10 and seems to creep up my favourite Jordan songs every time I play it. Prisoner Of The Past is a nice tune, I just could never get on with the brass though. It made the song sound instantly dated when it came out.

The story so far-ah-ah-ah
                                                       Points   Votes  #1 Votes
41  Elegance                           Swoon (1984)    102      6      0
42  The End Of The Affair              B-Side (1997)   102      5      1
43  Wicked Things                      PS (1989)        99      6      0
44  Paris Smith                        JTC {1990)       88      6      0
45  A Prisoner of the Past             AH (1997)        85      6      0
46  I Never Play Basketball Now        Swoon (1984)     84      5      0
47  When the Angels                    SMc (1985)       79      7      0
48  Knock on Wood                      FLPTM (1988)     79      5      0
49  Earth: The Story So Far            LCtWwM (2009)    77      5      0
50  Til the Cows Come Home             PS (1989)        76      5      0
51  Donna Summer                       B-side (1984)    75      6      0
52  Billy                              C/R (2013)       74      4      0
53  Cornfield Ablaze                   TG&OS (2001)     71      5      0
54  God Watch Over You                 LCtWwM (2009)    68      5      0
55  Diana                              PS (1989)        65      4      0
56  Weightless                         AH (1997)        64      4      0
57= Machine Gun Ibiza                  JTC {1990)       62      4      0
57= One of the Broken                  JTC {1990)       62      4      0
59  Couldn't Bear to Be Special        Swoon (1984)     61      6      0
60  Tiffanys                           PS (1989)        59      3      0

Okay, I'll endeavour to drop 10 more over the next 6 hours or so. Mostly much later on, but here's one for now:

https://images2.imgbox.com/b2/f2/NTaFJplS_o.jpg

#40
GREEN ISAAC
from Swoon (1984)
Points: 107
Votes: 8 (0)
Youtube audio

I guess this should really be labelled "Green Isaac I". "GI II" did receive 2 points which are not included here. Rest assured that combining their points would not have changed this ranking. LOL.

https://images2.imgbox.com/15/0f/yYQ27Cho_o.jpg

#39
JORDAN: THE COMEBACK
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 110
Votes: 6 (0)
Youtube audio

https://images2.imgbox.com/8a/74/Sa1hVXKq_o.jpg

#38
HEY MANHATTAN!
from From Langley Park to Memphis (1988)
Points: 110
Votes: 7 (0)
Youtube: original promo video

"jordan: the comeback" is such an odd track with the spoken word elvis impression in the verses and the endless repetition of the chorus, but what a great chorus! i still don't really understand what the track is supposed to be about though - there's elvis obviously, secretly alive and planning a comeback? and jordan is the river jordan of biblical importance right? but i'm not sure what it's supposed to symbolis and looking that up doesn't really provide any clear answers that relate to the track, so how all that fits together i have no clue. a lot of the lyrics on this album are like that for me - there's american iconography and religious references but thrown together in a way that's intriguing but i have no idea how to make sense of.

"hey manhattan" just missed my ballot but listening now i think i should have voted for it after all

I think about 83.9% of the reason I voted for "Hey Manhattan" = disco strings.

https://images2.imgbox.com/51/a2/2hWpNdEv_o.jpg

#37
RIDE
from Let's Change the World with Music (2009)
Points: 113
Votes: 6 (0)
Youtube audio

When I had my ridiculously belated LCTWWM epiphany a month or two ago "Ride" was the track that first reeled me in. The rest of the record revealed its charms more slowly, but seemed to overshadow "Ride" somewhat, such that I'm pretty sure I didn't contribute at all to this placement. Nice work, you six people!

Nice, Ride was my #4

ride!!!

XP: One might think I'd know what I voted for innit. My ballot only existed in the results spreadsheet and I've got out of the habit of opening it since extracting the final numbers!

Anyway, I need to pick up the pace...

https://images2.imgbox.com/55/51/uiDKfPg2_o.jpg

#36
HORSIN' AROUND
from Steve McQueen (1985)
Points: 114
Votes: 8 (0)
Youtube audio

As an achievement in production and orchestration, Hey Manhattan is incredible.

funny that the spoken word-happy JTC and Hey Manhattan placed right next to each other

https://images2.imgbox.com/d6/05/jEii0fGE_o.jpg

#35
DOO-WOP IN HARLEM
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 127
Votes: 7 (0)
Youtube audio

I'm inclined to agree with jed_.

a gorgeous little sigh of a song, totally devastating. didn’t vote for it because I never listen it it on its own

https://images2.imgbox.com/81/ae/hJ3Rfdag_o.jpg

#34
ENCHANTED
from From Langley Park to Memphis (1988)
Points: 128
Votes: 10 (0)
Youtube audio

Horsin Around! That one was my favorite track on Two Wheels Good the first few times I listened to it (which was only just 2 years ago). I eventually settled more on Bonny/Faron, but still, great track.

https://images2.imgbox.com/89/47/fYgtZSPn_o.jpg

#33
HALLELUJAH
from Steve McQueen (1985)
Points: 130
Votes: 8 (0)
Youtube audio

the swooniest song on steve, so twisty-turny

Wow i'd always sort-of overlooked One Of The Broken but yeah that's a beaut. I think Jordan is classic for that 'some tracks get lost in the shuffle' thing you sometimes get; mainly because it's so long of course.

Even the shorter SM/TWG is kind of like that. For instance, I'm already regretting not casting a vote for "Blueberry Pies", which I have always thought would be a great song for Sade to cover. Hope it gets its props!

https://images2.imgbox.com/07/2e/U8UX0HuY_o.jpg

#32
JESSE JAMES BOLERO
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 144
Votes: 8 (0)
Youtube audio

"doo wop in harlem" too low. play that song at my funeral

the programming on "knock on wood" is just out of this world. that's a yellow magic orchestra-quality song there

i'm surprised eight people voted for "horsin' around"! i do like that song tbh

"enchanted" was a late addition to my ballot. the scritti-est prefab song, so funky

https://images2.imgbox.com/46/5c/72QI7J8P_o.jpg

#31
CARNIVAL 2000
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 147
Votes: 9 (0)
Youtube: original promo video

aaah too low

two too lows in a row

carnival 2000 is so good, all these individual elements mashed together. it shouldn't work at all (who would ever think to layer real horns on top of the synth horns?? the samba breakdown??), and it definitely felt strange to me the first time i heard it, but i learned to love it.

we ask for any wrong we’ve done
the years ahead forgive us
we ask for any good we’ve done
that all of it outlive us

jesse james is one of the 9-10 songs on jordan that can make me cry and it has one of paddy's best chord progressions.

https://images2.imgbox.com/1d/88/SLZVIpBl_o.jpg

#30
THE WORLD AWAKE
from Protest Songs (1989)
Points: 153
Votes: 7 (0)
Youtube audio

I should've had this one on my ballot.

A December 2nd, 1985 release for Protest Songs, that flyer claimed.

Anyway, I must suspend proceedings. It's kinda way too late here now. Do talk amongst yourselves!

there's elvis obviously, secretly alive and planning a comeback? and jordan is the river jordan of biblical importance right? but i'm not sure what it's supposed to symbolis and looking that up doesn't really provide any clear answers that relate to the track, so how all that fits together i have no clue.

I think it's comeback as redemption and rebirth/rebaptism (ie Jordan as the place of John the Baptist's work, esp the baptism of Jesus). But yes it's totally a messy album full of parallels and analogues and personal typology, with the death of American icons scrambled up with Satan & side 4's redemption songs. God I love it.

Didn't vote for much from it though - the second half does just kind of flow, and much as I love everything that's place, I never really listen to them separately.

So many classics already today.. and Horsin' Around. Steve McQueen is still one of my favourite albums of all time, but I could definitely live without that one.

The transition from Jesse James Symphony to Bolero is one of my favourite moments on the album. All the Jordan songs that have placed are absolute gold.

I can't see much more from Protest Songs placing at this point. Maybe just Life Of Surprises? I thought The World Awake would be higher. They have some amazing album openers.

"the world awake" kinda feels like the last blush of swoon-era prefab. it's those weird backing vocals. wop-a-doooo

Oh yeah, you're totally right. I never thought of it like that because of the more polished/sparkly production.

i didn't listen to swoon until i was intimately familiar with the albums that followed, but it's been great hearing echoes of that songwriting approach in his later works (or 'earlier works' in some cases, since many of the steve songs were written so much earlier than they were recorded)

Horsin Around = BLISS. My #13. "I guess I let that little vow get lost / forgetting the cost", Wendy drifting in and out of Paddy's vocals, the midstream slowdown to the parsed out "I … deserve … to be … kicked … so … lightly. You … deserve … more … than … I … sold … you for", the very last belted out "Horsin around! HUH!"...

horsin' around doesn't grab me, but i do love the opening line 'it's me again, your worthless friend'

Enjoying getting different perspectives here on tracks I enjoy but more in the album context, that other people rate singly: Paris Smith, Doo-Wop in Harlem, etc. What a strong catalog he has. Really hope this rumored Femmes Mythologiques loss is just delay. Would ask for the same care to Paddy's vault that Prince gave his.

Yeah a lot of the Jordan songs were ones I always liked as part of a sequence/suite and putting my ballot together sort of forced me to think about them individually.

jordan suiiiite, jordan

Vote me any track you find that's lyin' spare

I'll try to get to #21 in the next few hours!

https://images2.imgbox.com/f0/64/5xVdDWtx_o.jpg

#29
DON'T SING
from Swoon (1984)
Points: 157
Votes: 9 (0)
Youtube: original promo video

Way too low! The weird structure of this song is still so incredible to me and gets stuck in my head constantly. The chorus in particular is one of the weirdest ones I can think of, especially the musical twists as he sings, "oh no don't blame Mexicooooooo". Amazing song!

https://images2.imgbox.com/1e/67/S6SOB20f_o.jpg

#28
THE GOLDEN CALF
from From Langley Park to Memphis (1988)
Points: 180
Votes: 11 (0)
Youtube: original promo video

yay
`

Quite an uptick in points there by previous standards. Just double-checked I hadn't made a mistake!

two of my votes.

golden calf is an outlier, but they're pretty convincing as a muscular rock outfit. i love it, and i mentioned earlier how much i love paddy's very-mccartney-esque american rock voice.

re: don't sing, it was my second-highest vote from swoon. "oh no, don't blame mexicoooooo" was one of the two lines i sang to myself the most during this exercise (the other is also from swoon, also involves a place, and is sure to come)

also, don't sing is the song that first caught the attention of thomas dolby, so we all owe it quite the debt.

https://images2.imgbox.com/a4/88/Fp1yNnJh_o.jpg

#27
TECHNIQUE
from Swoon (1984)
Points: 184
Votes: 10 (1)
Youtube audio

God this is reminding me how much I love ‘Swoon’...such a monumental album for me...

Same here. It's such a perfect album yet somehow only my third favourite of theirs.

Four tracks in a row for me, it turns out. (He says, finally refreshing his memory.)

make it 1-2-3-4-5!

must've been absurdly confusing to the drummer for the song to start with a 5 count. this is in 4/4, no? or at least until that crazy bridge, anyway.

https://images2.imgbox.com/c1/09/78R5bqYL_o.jpg

#26
ALL THE WORLD LOVES LOVERS
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 193
Votes: 12 (0)
Youtube: original promo video

too lowwwwwww

the height of glistening sophisti-pop

"ride" is the best from LCTWWM, such propulsive groove
"horsin' around" is one of the few inessential tracks on steve mcqueen, shocked it's higher than "when the angels"
"doo-wop in harlem" was in my top 10, a perfect closer
"jesse james bolero" was also in my top 10, a fantastic melody and an arrangement that feels sort of epic in scope
"the world awake" is one of the few protest songs tracks i like but it just missed my ballot

I'm pretty sure I had a carefully considered image set aside for this one but I seem to have misplaced it. So here's an emergency backup 'Paddy 1990' portrait instead!

https://images2.imgbox.com/af/00/oLTPQGuK_o.jpg

#25
MOONDOG
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 197
Votes: 12 (0)
Youtube audio

so many excellent lines in this one.

reason has to bow
if love demands it

'Technique' definitely a favourite of mine from Swoon - the chorus gives me New Pornographers vibes.

'All the World Loves Lovers' is perfect, the highest song on my ballot not from Steve McQueen.

https://images2.imgbox.com/33/ba/1qrTBIUM_o.jpg

NIGHTINGALES
from From Langley Park to Memphis (1988)
#24
Points: 205
Votes: 10 (0)
Youtube audio

Grrrr. Sloppy cutting and pasting there.

#24
NIGHTINGALES
from From Langley Park to Memphis (1988)

the biggest non-voting regret

I didn't vote but Mercy from Jordan TC would have been my number one. I wonder If it will place?

https://images2.imgbox.com/26/47/YZdDye7P_o.jpg

#23
THE KING OF ROCK 'N' ROLL
from From Langley Park to Memphis (1988)
Points: 206
Votes: 13 (0)
Youtube: original promo video

i voted it higher, but i'm not mad at its placement here

this is about the right place

Nightingales in my top 5. Thought it was more highly regarded for some reason

There are faint parallels here with my reaction to "Step Into My Office Baby" in the B&S poll. One of their best known songs. A goofy and potentially divisive opening track on a mid-career album. One has to appreciate the craft and, I guess, the, er, bold move that is the chorus. It was always going to place somewhere around here, like "SIMOB". But I probably wouldn't mind all *that* much if I never heard it again! :)

i do love the chorus but it's a bit below top-tier PS as charming as it is

https://images2.imgbox.com/3b/7f/eTLqVyNt_o.jpg

#22
IF YOU DON'T LOVE ME
from Life of Surprises compilation (1992)
Points: 211
Votes: 13 (0)
Youtube audio

Pet sprout boys

I’ll admit I didn’t realize how elementally beautiful the melody for king of rock was til I played it on my piano. the production is fun but does the song a bit of a disservice imo.

too low!!! my #3

"the king of rock n roll" does have a gorgeous melody but it's kinda offset by the very goofy backing yeah

^ #22 was another occasion where I was contemplating the reaction of a specific voter while posting! :)

https://images2.imgbox.com/f5/42/Ktszf5DN_o.jpg

#21
CUE FANFARE
from Swoon (1984)
Points: 217
Votes: 11 (0)
Youtube audio

plane, plane...

My top rated song from swoon, what a fucking groove

Is it possible that Martin McAloon is a tad under-appreciated? It's so often the bass that lingers in my head after listening, not least with this era.

Events conspired against me submitting a ballot, but 'If you don't love me', in all its forms, woulda been my #1. Makes me blub every time

He’s fantastic throughout swoon

xp

I was going to pause here given ILX gets quiet around this time (and it's after midnight in PfS's timezone) but I'll post one more. Just a second...

https://images2.imgbox.com/5a/a7/oNDGv0Dp_o.jpg

#20
CRUEL
from Swoon (1984)
Points: 220
Votes: 13 (1)
Youtube audio

There’s nooo chicagooooo

Wow, these pics are freaking great man.

wow i missed a lot

"nightingales" should've been top ten

"king of rock n roll" kicks ass!!!!!! jeez

great lyrics, so fun, probably the last glimpse of paddy's scream, "hiiiigh kicking dandy!!!!!!!!", the only prefab sprout song in american karaoke books... so fuckin good

‘Cruel’...what an absolute pearl of a song...heartbreaking and bittersweet...soundtracked the summer of 85 for me...’ my contribution to urban blues’

I remember that...
                                                       Rank     Votes   #1 Votes
20  Cruel                              Swoon (1984)    220      13      1
21  Cue Fanfare	                       Swoon (1984)    217      11      0
22  If You Don't Love Me               LoS (1992)      211      13      0
23  The King of Rock 'n' Roll          FLPTM (1988)    206      13      0
24  Nightingales                       FLPTM (1988)    205      10      0
25  Moondog                            JTC {1990)      197      12      0
26  All the World Loves Lovers         JTC {1990)      193      12      0
27  Technique                          Swoon (1984)    184      10      1
28  The Golden Calf                    FLPTM (1988)    180      11      0
29  Don't Sing                         Swoon (1984)    157       9      0
30  The World Awake                    PS (1989)       153       7      0
31  Carnival 2000                      JTC {1990)      147       9      0
32  Jesse James Bolero                 JTC {1990)      144       8      0
33  Hallelujah                         SMc (1985)      130       8      0
34  Enchanted                          FLPTM (1988)    128      10      0
35  Doo-Wop in Harlem                  JTC {1990)      127       7      0
36  Horsin' Around                     SMc (1985)      114       8      0
37  Ride                               LCtWwM (2009)   113       6      0 
38  Hey Manhattan!                     FLPTM (1988)    110       7      0
39  Jordan: The Comeback               JTC {1990)      110       6      0
40  Green Isaac I                      Swoon (1984)    107       8      0
41  Elegance                           Swoon (1984)    102       6      0
42  The End Of The Affair              B-Side (1997)   102       5      1
43  Wicked Things                      PS (1989)        99       6      0
44  Paris Smith                        JTC {1990)       88       6      0
45  A Prisoner of the Past             AH (1997)        85       6      0
46  I Never Play Basketball Now        Swoon (1984)     84       5      0
47  When the Angels                    SMc (1985)       79       7      0
48  Knock on Wood                      FLPTM (1988)     79       5      0
49  Earth: The Story So Far            LCtWwM (2009)    77       5      0
50  Til the Cows Come Home             PS (1989)        76       5      0
51  Donna Summer                       B-side (1984)    75       6      0
52  Billy                              C/R (2013)       74       4      0
53  Cornfield Ablaze                   TG&OS (2001)     71       5      0
54  God Watch Over You                 LCtWwM (2009)    68       5      0
55  Diana                              PS (1989)        65       4      0
56  Weightless                         AH (1997)        64       4      0
57= Machine Gun Ibiza                  JTC {1990)       62       4      0
57= One of the Broken                  JTC {1990)       62       4      0
59  Couldn't Bear to Be Special        Swoon (1984)     61       6      0
60  Tiffanys                           PS (1989)        59       3      0

XXXP: Haha. Cheers piscesx. A comically large proportion of the gap between posts has been accounted for by (i) last minute second thoughts about the images I'd provisionally chosen during the voting period, and (ii) triple-checking bb-code (and still mucking it up!)

"king of rock n roll" kicks ass!!!!!! jeez

― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 19 March 2020 01:02 (ten minutes ago) link

great lyrics, so fun, probably the last glimpse of paddy's scream, "hiiiigh kicking dandy!!!!!!!!", the only prefab sprout song in american karaoke books... so fuckin good

― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 19 March 2020 01:03 (nine minutes ago) link

oh absolutely, just picking nits.

I think I'll roll out a wee trickle later today (my time) and finish the final dozen or so very early Friday (my time, so probably Thursday afternon GMT, midday-ish in the US?)

I was the #1 vote for Cruel- such a great song. Love the bossa nova vibe on it. Strategic voting a bit though. I figured My #2 was likely going to be many voters' #1.

I for one approve of this strategic vote.

I'll start rolling out the final batch, when I wake on Friday morning (GMT+10), perhaps twelve hours from now. I'll drop a handful of the 'teens at a more leisurely pace in the meantime, starting with...

https://images2.imgbox.com/b3/80/sEnaNV6o_o.png

#19
LIFE OF SURPRISES
from Protest Songs (1989)
Points: 224
Votes: 16 (0)
Youtube audio

That photo from the back of the single (arriving in 1992, to promote the best-of which shares its name) is presumably even further removed from the recording date, chronologically, than the official Protest Songs release. Maybe seven years!? LOL, oh well.

i didn't realise it wasn't released as a single until the best-of. they really have such an odd chronology as a band

Great song, it's nice that the Best Of gave it some recognition, albeit belated!

https://images2.imgbox.com/76/32/kNjDo8q4_o.jpg

#18
LIONS IN MY OWN GARDEN (EXIT SOMEONE)
Single A-side (1982)
Points: 269
Votes: 16 (2)
Youtube audio

Too low, etc, etc. High-five to the other first-place voter!

a lot of their early stuff feels like a weirder, proggier version of a certain type of smiths song

I didn't vote in this poll, but I'm enjoying the rollout massively. I like Prefab Sprout, but I never know whether I love them. I feel like they keep me at arm's length.

I love Lions In My Own Garden, and maybe it's one where arm's length works. "The rumours have started that we are both young" is one of my favourite lines by anyone. It's sort of low-key heartbreaking, once it sinks in.

i have no idea if it'll place and i didn't vote for it, but "real love" is by far my favourite pre-steve mcqueen track

i mean "radio love"

I gave minor points to "Radio Love" but I don't think many others did.

A weirdier, proggier Smiths would surely be the best band ever. :)

Also: verhexen! Hello!

https://images2.imgbox.com/5d/86/daRHytTc_o.jpg

#17
SCARLET NIGHTS
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 272
Votes: 16 (1)
Youtube audio

"scarlet nights" into "doo-wop in harlem" is such a fantastic closing duo

^ Yes! This exercise has, incidentally, been exactly what I needed to finally properly absorb the later sections of Jordan.

This thread remains quite quiet but I'll drop one more now. I'll return in 6 or 7 hours to finish off the top 15.

https://images2.imgbox.com/be/2f/h2I8jgje_o.jpg

#16
LOOKING FOR ATLANTIS
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 281
Votes: 19 (0)
Youtube audio

Scarlet Nights is my number one.

Is there a more ecstatically beautiful song anywhere about the sweet release of death?

Nearly all of my ballot has now placed, and I thought mine was a fairly crowd pleasing one.

My ballot's about half accounted for, 4 of my top 10 listed already. Have hopes for most of the rest, but now wondering if Life's a Miracle or Bearpark will place. Haven't hit one on the nose, though Scarlet Nights and Cruel were only 3 different, me vs group.

Blue as water, Jordan's waters.
Blue as dawn and dawn will take you home.
Scarlet nights, waiting sleep, is overdue.
Scarlet nights, ending here on in, they're blue.

Sorry but I’ve never really got the second half of ‘Jordan’...

Too low, etc, etc. High-five to the other first-place voter!

― Nag! Nag! Nag!

Hi there! There's just something about Lions In My Own Garden. It's another one that I get stuck in my head almost daily and constantly hovers around my top 10 songs of all time list. Such an amazing and mysterious debut single. I mentioned Gary Mulholland's two books on the voting thread. The way he wrote about Lions in This Is Uncool was so brilliant and made me want to check it out instantly.

Scarlet Nights was the last song I cut from my list. Looking back now that seems like a ridiculous decision.

Looking For Atlantas might be my favourite Sprout opener. I love the energy the song has. My favourite moment is the way he sings, "and I know" in the very last part of the chorus.

Sorry but I’ve never really got the second half of ‘Jordan’...

― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Thursday, March 19, 2020 9:05 AM (thirty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

you mean the better half?

I'm glad this is here, i found it baffling that it was left off the 'best of' even a couple of years later (although it WAS on the video?!)

https://img.discogs.com/BsGY0uEtAmcOGaGBDNuqVkloDBU=/fit-in/600x458/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-10481538-1498335700-4844.jpeg.jpg

i'm glad "looking for atlantis" made it this high. 0 votes in the jordan poll

yeah i love the bass (programming?) on on that song,

Less than half of my ballot has placed so far. With most of Steve McQueen still to come, there are a bunch that are clearly going to miss. I'm a little surprised about Dublin from Protest Songs and Electric Guitars from Andromeda Heights - would be surprised to see either this high.

Good morning!

https://images2.imgbox.com/74/4e/yMWJxTPm_o.jpg

#15
I REMEMBER THAT
from From Langley Park to Memphis (1988)
Points: 283
Votes: 14 (1)
Youtube: promo video

nothing sounds as good as

my highest-ranked track from langley park

Maybe words never spoken, aren't they the ones worth hearing?

https://images2.imgbox.com/be/19/lOwKhz7e_o.jpg

#14
THE BEST JEWEL THIEF IN THE WORLD
from Crimson/Red (2013)
Points: 287
Votes: 19 (0)
Youtube: promo video

Nice on the 1st place voter - that's a great track to choose. Kind of like The Blue Nile to me, Paddy makes amazing what could be treacle with a lesser lyricist or singer. Such as

Woke up to the sound of pouring rain
The wind would whisper and I'd think of you
And all the tears you cried, that called my name
And when you needed me I came through
…

Remember yesterday, walking hand in hand
Love letters in the sand, I remember you
Through the sleepless nights through every endless day
I'd want to hear you say, I remember you oh oh

Best of the recent tracks by far. Think the fan made video is superior to the official version. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WnATZLcXuA

where can i procure a bag marked swag?

What do any of those assholes know?

Living on a thoroughfare, the police sirens a few bars from either end of the track still manage to fool me if listening at home.

https://images2.imgbox.com/6c/a8/fZibOe0C_o.jpg

#13
THE SOUND OF CRYING
from A Life of Surprises compilation (1992)
Points: 302
Votes: 15 (2)
Youtube: promo video

hmm, i was led to believe that it was #1 across the earth.

I bought a VHS to DVD s/w package, in large part because these videos have never come out in DVD format. Wendy's short haircut reminds me of a girl from college, another layer of association.

What does celebrating the music of the spheres mean?

I always interpret those two 1992 tracks as being about McAloon breaking up with Smith.

my no. 1, way too low

"if you don't love me" is a breakup song, sure, but "the sound of crying" seems... extremely not

https://images2.imgbox.com/76/3a/W2CgCnbu_o.jpg

#12
DESIRE AS
from Steve McQueen (1985)
Points: 315
Votes: 13 (2)
Youtube audio

Re: spheres, I took that line as being harmonious with nature. Could also be a reference to 1987's Harmonic Convergence? But guessing it's more the Wikipedia definition.

From Wikipedia: "The musica universalis (literally universal music), also called music of the spheres or harmony of the spheres, is an ancient philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies—the Sun, Moon, and planets—as a form of music."

"if you don't love me" is a breakup song, sure, but "the sound of crying" seems... extremely not

I think of it as personal heartbreak feeding into big existential questions.

Only just noticing the number of votes involved at this level. Impressive that "Jewel Thief" was on more than 2/3 of ballots. Only a handful of tracks in the top #11 beat that.

There are a lot of distractions at the moment (maybe Prefab fans are also shy?) so I guess it falls to me to say: "Desire As" -- rather good innit, LOL.

https://images2.imgbox.com/13/09/Xd9vJE3C_o.jpg

#11
MOVING THE RIVER
from Steve McQueen (1985)
Points: 332
Votes: 20 (0)
Youtube audio

surprisingly high, but it's a truly fantastic lil song.

I'm turkey hungry, I'm chicken free

SM/TWG is an album of Tetons - pinnacle after pinnacle. Also, "sylph" - what a great word to use.

Surprised at the high placement for Moving the River. That was my lowest nom off the album.

I've grown to really like 'Moving The River' simply through the strength of the lyrics.

https://images2.imgbox.com/ef/ea/QlCMOPTI_o.jpg

#10
WE LET THE STARS GO
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 337
Votes: 17 (0)
Youtube: promo video

Moving the River is my favourite from the second side of Steve McQueen. I probably should have voted for more Steve McQueen tracks - I heard it years before any other Prefab album, before my fandom really kicked in, so I always take it for granted a bit.

I like how We Let The Stars Go is about Michael Jackson:
"I wrote this in August 1988 - the day Michael Jackson played Leeds. I had tickets but I gave them away because I love Michael Jackson and I thought it would spoil the dream. And I'm glad I did 'cos I wrote this. It's a phrase that could've been in any song over the last 40 years - 'we let the stars go'. Its very Hollywood."

http://www.ferhiga.com/prefab/entrevistas/psf_trk1990_eng.htm

Apparently Sound of Crying started as being about Michael Jackson too. Paddy McAloon originally wrote the song in April 1990[1] for a proposed biographical album about Michael Jackson, who he was fascinated by. The verses originally listed unhappy things that had happened to Jackson,[1] while the original lyrics of the chorus were "Only the boogie music / Will never, ever let you down".[2][3][4]

He should definitely recycle "Only the boogie music / Will never, ever let you down".

Somehow I encoutered the title of "Stars" years before I actually heard it. I recall imagining that it was about about a hostage situation!

^Good god. The typos!

https://images2.imgbox.com/42/35/ggdf69Ga_o.jpg

#9
THE ICE MAIDEN
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 356
Votes: 17 (2)
Youtube audio

YEAH

a deep dive into Prefab Sprout is *exactly* what i need at this moment

very high on my ballot, brilliant song

Popping up from my quarantine hole to cheer this, it was my #1

Incredible song, kind of encompasses the full measure of this band’s and McAloon’s brilliance.

death is a small price for heaven

I love The Ice Maiden, the intro sounds like it should be the music on an Amiga platform game.

You're the Ice Maiden
Today you meet your match
Girl when I burn
Hell nothing's the same
I'll singe your pretty blond lashes
We're talking fire
We're talking flame
We're talking ice into ashes

Love what I assume is the double meaning of “match” there

My #2, I love how it's about ABBA. If I'd voted in the lyrics poll I'd have taken "death is a small price for heaven".

Ice maiden was my number 3, everything about it is amazing. My fav moments: the ringing guitar and echoing scream during the second bridge, the almost imperceptible key change, when the groove really kicks into gear after returning from “all these nights I’ve dreamt of you”

GIRL WHEN I BURN, HELL NOTHING’S THE SAME
I’LL SINGE YOUR PRETTY BLONDE LASHES

one of my fav tricks of paddy's is his use of drastic key changes, not a half step or a whole step, but big intervals. ice maiden has a key change up a fifth, and it's a super cool effect, because he's playing the same chord that open the song, but the harmonic context makes it feel so different.

scarlet nights and the jordan title track have these kind of big interval key changes too, but they're a lot more noticeable

https://images2.imgbox.com/68/e7/FVkw6qB4_o.jpg

#8
CARS AND GIRLS
from From Langley Park to Memphis (1988)
Points: 369
Votes: 18 (1)
Youtube: promo video

My #1. The most affectionate-sounding diss track ever.

does heaven wait
all heavenly
over the next horizon

It's so... durable. It felt like their biggest hit here when I was a child (not much competition really: only "Appetite" seemed to get much radio play otherwise) and it has always sounded fresh to me. I let it play twice just now after fetching the video. I virtually never do that!

cars and girls punished me for not voting for it by lodging itself in my head for a week straight. one of paddy's best vocal performances, love the way he whispers the "hot rod"/"new god" line.

https://images2.imgbox.com/9c/63/7vqvST0e_o.jpg

#7
I TRAWL THE MEGAHERTZ
from I Trawl the Megahertz (2003)
Points: 380
Votes: 16 (0)
Youtube audio

*heart eyes emoji*

really one of those staggering works of art that i hope to someday match in writing

my #2. totally obliterates me every time i hear it.

if i ever listened to it in a car, i would crash.

I feel compelled to allow 22+ minutes before the next entry.

Didn’t vote for anything from Megahertz as I see it as a complete piece, but if I had would have been this.

lol the first 5 songs on steve are in the top 6

Seems Megahertz ended up half way down my ballot, but it was immediately amongst the "no brainer" entries in my earliest from-memory shortlist.

lol the first 5 songs on steve are in the top 6

I have no idea what the sixth song is though. Blueberry Pies? An early single?

i know what it is

shares a name with another famous song by a famous british band

https://images2.imgbox.com/71/df/xSzSxnRP_o.jpg

#6
FARON YOUNG
from Steve McQueen (1985)
Points: 406
Votes: 19 (0)

Youtube audio

the first side of steve mcqueen has to be one of the greatest sides of a record ever

This is the song that hooked me into Steve McQueen. I remember having it running through my head while on a weekend tramp.

the sunset makes a fence out of the forest!!!!

god that line is so brilliant

lol the first 5 songs on steve are in the top 6

― ooga booga-ing for the bourgeoisie (voodoo chili), Thursday, March 19, 2020 3:17 PM (thirteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

predictable, yet... otm

name five better songs

you can't

As obsolete as warships in the Baltic

i didn't vote for faron (for some godforsaken reason) but yeah, hard to argue.

I had always misheard the line, "But here I am with head inside the bonnet" as "But I fear I have my head inside the bottle" until my band recently started working on covering this and I learned the real lyric. I mentioned to my bandmates that what other reason would there be to listen to Faron Young at 4 in the morning? A bottle must be involved.

https://images2.imgbox.com/ef/39/Ydl7ZtMH_o.jpg

#5
WILD HORSES
from Jordan: The Comeback (1990)
Points: 480
Votes: 24 (1)
Youtube audio

extra tiiiiime

Ah, voodoo chili's clue makes sense. Great song that's found a new audience with younger groups. Pretty high on my list as I recall.

This song always reminds me of New Zealand's former prime minister harassing a young waitress by repeatedly pulling her ponytail.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/67949918/prime-minister-john-key-pulled-waitress-ponytail

Ha!

https://images2.imgbox.com/b4/04/f6mlO2Qm_o.jpg

#4
WHEN LOVE BREAKS DOWN
from Steve McQueen (1985)
Points: 499
Votes: 21 (2)
Youtube: promo video

i love the syncopated chorus so much and the falsetto "wild" in "wild horses"

I'll have to check my ballot, but I think I forgot to vote for this!

quite possibly the classiest song ever recorded

'When Love Breaks Down' has a convoluted history - released as a single in 1984 and again in 1985. Also in different mixes and lengths on the UK and US versions of the album.

Also in different mixes and lengths on the UK and US versions of the album.

Was just about ready post with this question. Thanks!

*to submit* post

was mystified by the phrase 'boxing clever' for a while before i realized it's a thing that british people say, i guess.

cool phrase, either way.

I thought this song was on a movie soundtrack, but wikipedia says it was in a grand theft auto game and was covered by the Zombies (!)

https://images2.imgbox.com/dd/b9/hirQ0nNC_o.jpg

#3
GOODBYE LUCILLE #1 (aka. JOHNNY JOHNNY)
from Steve McQueen (1985)
Points: 582
Votes: 23 (2)
Youtube: promo video

Um, too low?

NO YOU WON'T!

This would be my preferred #1 of the remaining options, but it's far too high for a 'too low!' [XP: Haha!]

I've neglected to prepare a witty false #1 or whatever. So, if you wish, imagine an entry for "Farmyard Cat" or something at around this point, with a suitably amusing image, etc. :)

uh yeah this is too low. my no. 2

oh my god appetite vs. bonny

i have no idea

"bonny" was my very first prefab sprout song and its effect was immediate

same

can't believe "the wedding march" has made it this high

hey, i voted for it

"goodbye lucille #1" was my #1. it's everything all in one song

The margin between #2 and #1 is much bigger than that between #3 and #2. Anyway...

https://images2.imgbox.com/3a/14/7VDvoP12_o.jpg

#2
BONNY
from Steve McQueen (1985)
Points: 597
Votes: 23 (2)

Youtube audio

well i sorta knew in my heart "appetite" would be no. 1. how could i not vote for it

https://images2.imgbox.com/d4/00/ee72sOby_o.jpg

#1
APPETITE
from Steve McQueen (1985)
Points: 695
Votes: 26 (2)

Youtube: promo video

crazy to think that thomas dolby believed he never did justice to the song

i think it's very appropriate that whatever true version of "appetite" dolby has an idea of is forever out of reach

"Appetite" was the very first Prefab Sprout song I heard, and it sounded pleasant, but I think I was put off by the dude with a beard in Smash Hits saying mean things about... Duran Duran, or something. LOL

Well, my voting strategy tanked.

I would have been ok with any order if ranking of the top 3.

thanks for running this!

Yeah, thanks Nag! I had the Sound of Crying at #1 so that was TOO LOW, but Appetite was my #2 so overall I'm happy with these results.

A bit disappointed that Cowboy Dreams and Dublin were shut out tho

didn't vote but that would have been my exact top 2...

Thanks everyone for voting and writing stuff, etc, etc. I'll extract the full results a little later, cuz stats are awesome.

Definitely. Thank you, Nag! This poll, the Physical Graffiti thread and the bass players thread have helped me get through this work week from home!

"Appetite" was (and is) my #1!

Thank you for doing this! Good way to get me to delve back into the PS catalog.

I hear McAloon has an entire album of songs named 'Goodbye Lucille', hence the 'Goodbye Lucille #2'.

For some reason I didn't vote for Bonny or Goodbye Lucille, even though they're both great.

This was such a delightful poll and the only good thing that's happened this week!

Thanks so much for putting it together Nag! One of the best top 10s I've ever seen on any of these polls. 10 absolutely perfect songs.

So, it’s official. I Love Music doesn’t love “I Love Music”.

Also, pouring one out for “Here On The Eerie” and “Mercy”

Thanks, Nag!

Huh, just realised Ghost Town Blues didn't make it. My highest Swoon track I think. I assumed that was seen as one of the highlights.

Most of the tracks in the last two posts were just beyond the arbitrary cut-off!

Just a moment, I'll make the formatting a bit neater...

FULL RESULTS
                                                        Points   votes   #1 votes
 
  1  Appetite                           SMc (1985)      695      26      2
  2  Bonny                              SMc (1985)      597      23      2
  3  Goodbye Lucille #1                 SMc (1985)      582      23      2
  4  When Love Breaks Down              SMc (1985)      499      21      2
  5  Wild Horses                        JTC {1990)      480      24      1
  6  Faron Young                        SMc (1985)      406      19      0
  7  I Trawl the Megahertz              ITtMHz (2003)   380      16      0
  8  Cars and Girls                     FLPTM (1988)    369      18      1
  9  The Ice Maiden                     JTC {1990)      356      17      2
 10  We Let the Stars Go                JTC {1990)      337      17      0
 11  Moving the River                   SMc (1985)      332      20      0
 12  Desire As                          SMc (1985)      315      13      2
 13  The Sound of Crying                LoS (1992)      302      15      2
 14  The Best Jewel Thief in the World  C/R (2013)      287      19      0
 15  I Remember That                    FLPTM (1988)    283      14      1
 16  Looking for Atlantis               JTC {1990)      281      18      0
 17  Scarlet Nights                     JTC {1990)      272      16      1
 18  Lions in My Own Garden (Exit...    A-side (1982)   269      16      2
 19  Life of Surprises                  PS (1989)       224      16      0
 20  Cruel                              Swoon (1984)    220      13      1
 21  Cue Fanfare	                Swoon (1984)    217      11      0
 22  If You Don't Love Me               LoS (1992)      211      13      0
 23  The King of Rock 'n' Roll          FLPTM (1988)    206      13      0
 24  Nightingales                       FLPTM (1988)    205      10      0
 25  Moondog                            JTC {1990)      197      12      0
 26  All the World Loves Lovers         JTC {1990)      193      12      0
 27  Technique                          Swoon (1984)    184      10      1
 28  The Golden Calf                    FLPTM (1988)    180      11      0
 29  Don't Sing                         Swoon (1984)    157       9      0
 30  The World Awake                    PS (1989)       153       7      0
 31  Carnival 2000                      JTC {1990)      147       9      0
 32  Jesse James Bolero                 JTC {1990)      144       8      0
 33  Hallelujah                         SMc (1985)      130       8      0
 34  Enchanted                          FLPTM (1988)    128      10      0
 35  Doo-Wop in Harlem                  JTC {1990)      127       7      0
 36  Horsin' Around                     SMc (1985)      114       8      0
 37  Ride                               LCtWwM (2009)   113       6      0 
 38  Hey Manhattan!                     FLPTM (1988)    110       7      0
 39  Jordan: The Comeback               JTC {1990)      110       6      0
 40  Green Isaac I                      Swoon (1984)    107       8      0
 41  Elegance                           Swoon (1984)    102       6      0
 42  The End Of The Affair              B-Side (1997)   102       5      1
 43  Wicked Things                      PS (1989)        99       6      0
 44  Paris Smith                        JTC {1990)       88       6      0
 45  A Prisoner of the Past             AH (1997)        85       6      0
 46  I Never Play Basketball Now        Swoon (1984)     84       5      0
 47  When the Angels                    SMc (1985)       79       7      0
 48  Knock on Wood                      FLPTM (1988)     79       5      0
 49  Earth: The Story So Far            LCtWwM (2009)    77       5      0
 50  Til the Cows Come Home             PS (1989)        76       5      0
 51  Donna Summer                       B-side (1984)    75       6      0
 52  Billy                              C/R (2013)       74       4      0
 53  Cornfield Ablaze                   TG&OS (2001)     71       5      0
 54  God Watch Over You                 LCtWwM (2009)    68       5      0
 55  Diana                              PS (1989)        65       4      0
 56  Weightless                         AH (1997)        64       4      0
 57= Machine Gun Ibiza                  JTC {1990)       62       4      0
 57= One of the Broken                  JTC {1990)       62       4      0
 59  Couldn't Bear to Be Special        Swoon (1984)     61       6      0
 60  Tiffanys                           PS (1989)        59       3      0
 61  Here on the Eerie                  Swoon (1984)     58       3      0
 62  Mercy                              JTC {1990)       56       3      0
 63  Swans                              AH (1997)        55       3      0
 64  Horsechimes                        PS (1989)        53       5      0
 65  Michael                            JTC {1990)       48       3      0
 66  The Songs of Danny Galway          C/R  (2013)      47       4      0
 67  Electric Guitars                   AH (1997)        43       4      0
 68  Andromeda Heights                  AH (1997)        42       3      0
 69  Adolescence                        C/R  (2013)      36       3      0
 70  Talking Scarlet                    PS (1989)        36       2      0
 71  Jesse James Symphony               JTC {1990)       34       2      0
 72  Ghost Town Blues                   Swoon (1984)     31       2      0
 73  Dublin                             PS (1989)        30       3      0
 74  Sleeping Rough                     ITtMHz (2003)    28       3      0
 75= The Dreamer                        C/R (2013)       24       2      0
 75= Cowboy Dreams                      TG&OS (2001)     24       2	 0
 77  The Wedding March                  JTC {1990)       23       3	 0
 78  Real Life (Just Around The Corner) B-side           23       1	 0
 79  The Venus of the Soup Kitchen      FLPTM (1988)     22       2      0
 80  Let There Be Music                 LCtWwM (2009)    20       3      0
 81= Blueberry Pies                     SMc (1985)       20       1      0
 81= Tin Can Pot                        B-Side	         20       1      0
 81= Where The Heart Is                 TV Theme         20       1      0
 81= Esprit de corps                    ITtMHz (2003)    20       1      0
 85  I Love Music                       LCtWwM (2009)    19       1      0
 86  Radio Love                         B-side           18       2      0
 87= Walk On                            B-side           17       1	 0
 87= Wild Card in the Pack              TG&OS (2001)     17       1	 0
 87= The Old Magician                   C/R (2013)       17       1	 0
 87= Mysterious                         C/R (2013)       17       1	 0
 91  Nancy (Let Your Hair Down for Me)	FLPTM (1988)     15       1	 0
 92  The Devil Has All the Best Tunes	A-side           14       1	 0
 93  ...But We Were Happy               ITtMHz (2003)    12       1	 0
 94=  Blue Roses                         TG&OS (2001)    11       1	 0
 94= Last of the Great Romantics	LCtWwM (2009)    11       1	 0
 96  Bearpark                           B-side           10       1	 0
 97= The Yearning Loins                 B-side            8       2	 0
 97= Pearly Gates                       PS (1989)         8       2	 0
 99  Angel of Love                      LCtWwM (2009)     8       1	 0
100= Devil Came a Calling               C/R (2013)        7       1	 0
100= Sweet Gospel Music                 LCtWwM (2009)     7       1	 0
102= Nero The Zero                      B-side            3       1	 0
102= Life's a Miracle                   AH (1997)         3       1	 0
102= I'm 49                             ITtMHz (2003)     3       1	 0
102= Meet the New Mozart                LCtWwM (2009)     3       1	 0
102= Farmyard Cat                       TG&OS (2001)      3       1	 0
107  Green Isaac II                     Swoon (1984)      2       1	 0

here's my ballot

tracks:
Goodbye Lucille #1
Appetite
If You Don't Love Me
When Love Breaks Down
Wild Horses
Doo Wop in Harlem
Bonny
Jesse James Bolero
I Trawl the Megahertz
Looking for Atlantis
The Best Jewel Thief in the World
Faron Young
Cars and Girls
I Remember That
The Sound of Crying
Moving the River
Ride
Scarlet Nights
Sleeping Rough
Desire As
When the Angels
Earth: The Story So Far
Jordan: The Comeback
Let There Be Music
The Ice Maiden
The King of Rock 'N' Roll
Nightingales
Life of Surprises
God Watch Over You
The Golden Calf

albums:
Steve McQueen
Jordan: The Comeback
From Langley Park to Memphis
Let's Change the World With Music
Crimson/Red

Mine - bolded didn't place

Tracks:
The End Of The Affair
The Ice Maiden
Appetite
The Best Jewel Thief In The World
The World Awake
I Remember That
Cornfield Ablaze
Faron Young
Scarlet Nights
Billy
Jordan: The Comeback
The Sound Of Crying
I Trawl the Megahertz
When Love Breaks Down
Life Of Surprises
Looking For Atlantis
If You Don't Love Me
Cars And Girls
Moving The River
Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone)
Dublin
Let There Be Music
We Let The Stars Go
Moon Dog
The Dreamer
Electric Guitars
The Songs Of Danny Galway
Enchanted
Donna Summer
Pearly Gates

Albums:
Jordan: The Comeback
Steve McQueen
Crimson/Red
Protest Songs
I Trawl the Megahertz

And thanks very much for running the poll, it was fun!

FUN FACTS
Album tracks attracting no votes:
All Boys Believe Anything        JTC {1990)
The Mystery of Love              AH (1997)
Anne Marie                       AH (1997)
Whoever You Are                  AH (1997)
Steal Your Thunder               AH (1997)
Avenue of Stars                  AH (1997)
The Fifth Horseman               AH (1997)
I'm a Troubled Man               TG&OS (2001)
Streets of Laredo/Not Long...    TG&OS (2001)
Love Will Find Someone for You   TG&OS (2001)
When You Get to Know Me Better   TG&OS (2001)
The Gunman                       TG&OS (2001)
Fall from Grace                  ITtMHz (2003)
We Were Poor...                  ITtMHz (2003)
Orchid 7                         ITtMHz (2003)
Ineffable                        ITtMHz (2003)
Music Is a Princess              LCtWwM (2009)
Falling in Love                  LCtWwM (2009)
List of Impossible Things        C/R (2003)
Grief Built the Taj Mahal        C/R (2003)

List of Impossible Things and Orchid 7 were on my longlist