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

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.