Paddy McAloon
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Paddy McAloon
- Genres: Rock
Biography
America could never decipher the lyrical genius of Paddy McAloon. Although his band Prefab Sprout was able to venture several times onto the U.K. charts, McAloon's whispery voice and smart, sometimes vague lyrics often bewildered American radio programmers. Born on June 7, 1957 in Newcastle, England, McAloon formed Prefab Sprout in 1982; the group also included his brother Martin McAloon (bass), Neil Conti (drums), and Wendy Smith (guitar, vocals). Compared by some critics to Morrissey, McAloon has a calm, breathy voice that can register deep sorrow or profound joy whether he is talking or singing in his songs. McAloon's heartbreaking vocals on Prefab Sprout's "When Love Breaks Down" wooed listeners of new wave radio stations in 1985. Taken from the LP Steve McQueen (called Two Wheels Good in America), "When Love Breaks Down," along with "Appetite," introduced McAloon's distinctive croon and mature, insightful songwriting to an American audience. However, the love affair was brief; the eclectic, eccentric pop of Prefab Sprout's next album, From Langley Park to Memphis, left music fans outside of Europe confused. Even McAloon's sly jab at Bruce Springsteen, "Cars and Girls," was too subtle to generate much laughter in the United States. One of the most underrated lyricists of the '80s, McAloon continues to lead Prefab Sprout, not allowing any lack of commercial success or shifting musical trends to steer his artistic vision. McAloon's first solo album, I Trawl the Megahertz, was released in 2003, nearly five years after its songs had been written. ~ Michael Sutton, RoviWikipedia on Answers.com:
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Paddy McAloon
Paddy McAloon (born Patrick Joseph McAloon, 7 June 1957, Durham[1]) is an English singer-songwriter and member of the band Prefab Sprout. Allmusic describes him as "one of the most underrated lyricists of the '80s".[2]
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Contents
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Career
Prefab Sprout enjoyed considerable success in the 1980s and early 1990s. They peaked commercially with a Top Ten hit single in the UK Singles Chart, with "The King of Rock 'N' Roll".
McAloon has also written songs that have been recorded by Kylie Minogue ("If You Don't Love Me"), Cher ("The Gunman"), Wendy Matthews ("God Watch Over You" and "Ride"), Sondre Lerche ("Nightingales") -the song appeared in "From Langley Park to Memphis" and Lerche sang it with the Faces Down Quartet as a tribute to his beloved Pregab Sprout-, Danny Seward ("Home (Where The Heart Is)"), Momus ("Green Isaac Pt. 2") and various songs for Jimmy Nail as well as his own band. "God Watch Over You" has also been covered by Frances Ruffelle, and "When Love Breaks Down" has been covered by both The Zombies and Lisa Stansfield. In 2008, the various artists covers album Independents' Day 08 included a version of "Bonny" performed by McAloon's labelmates Editors.
In recent years, McAloon was diagnosed with a progressive medical disorder that affects his retina and impairs his vision. He has also been diagnosed with Ménière's disease, an inner ear condition.[3]
McAloon released the spoken word/instrumental album, I Trawl The Megahertz (UK #167), under his own name in 2003, on the EMI subsidiary, Liberty Records label.[4] In 2006 Prefab Sprout's Steve McQueen album was re-mastered (by Thomas Dolby) and then released in 2007 as a two CD package. The second CD was a new acoustic version (recorded in 2006) of most of the original album.
On 7 September 2009, Paddy and Prefab Sprout released their latest album, Let's Change the World with Music. It features the lead single 'Let There Be Music'.
On the 13th February 2011, North East Radio reported that Olivia Newton-John and Curtis Stigers had invited McAloon to join the 'Hetton Thunderer' project.[citation needed] A collaboration between musicians and the Hetton-le-Hole Historical Musical Society to re-invent forgotten musical instruments. Paddy expressed his long term dream of developing a larger version of the 'Lituus' which he believes will be the lowest sounding of all currently used musical instruments.[citation needed]
See also
References
External links
- Paddy McAloon biography at Allmusic website
- Let There Be Music by Sean Curnyn, First Things
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Mentioned in
From Langley Park to Memphis
(1988 Album by Prefab Sprout)
Kings of Rock 'N' Roll: The Best of Prefab Sprout
(2007 Album by Prefab Sprout)
Jordan: The Comeback
(1990 Album by Prefab Sprout)
Protest Songs
(1989 Album by Prefab Sprout)
Frestonia
(1995 Album by Aztec Camera)
» More