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This Review and 209 more are in my E-Book
Available on AMAZON
LET'S GO CRAZY - 80ts Music On CD
Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
Classic Albums, Compilations, 45s
All In-Depth Reviews from the Discs Themselves
Over 1,650 e-Pages of Info
(No Cut and Paste Crap)
"...The Things You Do To Stop The Truth From Hurting You..."
I was living in Dublin when this giant-leap-ahead album hit the shops in June 1985 on the eclectically named Kitchenware Records - quietly blowing Prefab Sprout's debut album "Swoon" from March 1984 out of the proverbial musical water. While the account starter was interesting (as they say in reviewer parlance) - its follow-up "Steve McQueen" from only a year later was an altogether better beast in every possible way.
"Steve McQueen" wowed (Side 1 especially). Most of my mates were in awe of emo-inducing songs like "Bonny" and "When Love Breaks Down" never mind the brilliant lyrics and crafty riffage and synth fills in tunes like "Faron Young" (on the TV at four in the morning), "Goodbye Lucille No. 1" (give it a rest Johnny, Johnny) and "Moving The River" (a truly gifted kid, only as good as the last great thing you did) - the kind of Eighties Rock sophistication so many bands and serious artists of the time allured to but seldom achieved. And I've been in love with Steve McQueen's gorgeous panorama ever since.
Called "Two Wheels Good" in the USA when it was issued on Epic Records (the estate of the famous actor took umbrage to the name 'Steve McQueen' being used as the album title) - it had slick Production values supplied by THOMAS DOLBY - but probably because of its 45-minutes plus total playing time, always sounded like a slightly muted audio letdown because of the limitations of vinyl. So we waited for CD to catch up and in early April 2007 - Sony-BMG did so with this fantastic 'Legacy Edition' 2CD reissue. To the six things on Paddy's mind (my review's not one of them)...
UK released 2 April 2007 - "Steve McQueen: Legacy Edition" by PREFAB SPROUT on Sony/BMG/Legacy KWCD3-25 - 82876731592 (Barcode 828767315928) is a 25th Anniversary 2CD Reissue with a Thomas Dolby Remaster of the 1985 album on CD1 and Eight 'New Acoustic Versions by Paddy McAloon' of key album tracks on CD2. It breaks down as follows:
CD1 "Steve McQueen" Original Album Remastered by Thomas Dolby (45:11 minutes):
1. Faron Young [Side 1]
2. Bonny
3. Appetite
4. When Love Breaks Down
5. Goodbye Lucille No. 1
6. Hallelujah
7. Moving The River [Side 2]
8. Horsin' Around
9. Desire As
10. Blueberry Pies
11. When The Angels
Tracks 1 to 10 are their second studio album "Steve McQueen" - released June 1985 in the UK on Kitchenware Records KWLP 3 and as "Two Wheels Good" in the USa on Epic Records BFE 40100. Produced by THOMAS DOLBY (except "When Love Breaks Down" by PHIL THORNALLY) - it peaked at No. 21 in the UK (didn't chart USA).
PREFAB SPROUT was Paddy McAloon (Lead Singer, Songwriter on all Songs, Guitars etc), Martin McAloon, Wendy Smith and Neil Conti. Guests included Kevin Armstrong who contributed Guitar to "Halleujah" and "Desire As" - while Mark Lockhart also proffered Saxophone on "Desire As". But the big name on "Steve McQueen" was THOMAS DOLBY who Produced the whole album (except "When Love Breaks Down" which was initially done by Phil Thornally and then Remixed by Dolby) and did the keyboards for nine of its eleven tracks - "Hallelujah" and "Desire As" being the two exclusions.
CD2 "New Acoustic Versions by Paddy McAloon" - Recorded Summer 2006 (34:58 minutes):
1. Appetite
2. Bonny
3. Desire As
4. When Love Breaks Down
5. Goodbye Lucille No. 1
6. Moving The River
7. Faron Young
8. When The Angels
The foldout card digipak is pretty if not a little underwhelming and insubstantial. There is a 12-page oversized booklet with new liner notes from PAUL LESTER done in December 2006. They give a potted history of the album's impact on both us and the band and does go into the new songs and their wildly different interpretations - the guitar riffage of "Faron Young" replaced with melodies you don't expect but so work. And the Thomas Dolby Remaster of the principal album is just 'so' beautifully subtle - muscular, clean but never antiseptic or polished to within an inch of its Supertramp life. He's kept the audio histrionics down - you just get gorgeous clarity and when that solo kicks in in "Bonny" - I'm in floods (check out the cover version Tom Smith of The Editors did of "Bonny" - stunning - McAloon would be proud to call it pal).
What's missing? For years fans of "Steve McQueen" have had to do with the
US CD version called "Two Wheels Good" which while not remastered contained 3 bonus tracks not on the UK CD - "Faron
Young (Truckin' Mix)", "The Yearning Loins" and "He'll Have
To Go".
Between October 1984 and as
late as February 1986, no less than 6 singles came off the album in the UK -
"When Love Breaks Down" was put out 3 times
- "Faron Young", "Appetite" and "Goodbye Lucille No. 1" were also issued and between
them and their multiple formats, they produced as many as 12 unreleased B-sides
and mixes. Shame none are here. But all of that disappears once you hear the audiophile-sounding 'acoustic' reinterpretations on CD2 which are unbelievably good. Wow. Here's hoping band main-man Paddy McAloon will consider doing the same for 1988's "From Langley Park To Memphis" or 1990's "Jordan: The Comeback" - too mouth watering a thought to even comprehend!
"...Wishing she could call him heartache, but it's not a boy's name..."
Smart lyrics, smart man - get this fantastic CD twofer in your life like you're Robin Hood and you've spotted a good tree up ahead with the best arrows in the forest...
