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Paddy McAloon

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Paddy McAloon
Birth namePatrick Joseph McAloon
Born (1957-06-07) 7 June 1957 (age 67)
County Durham, England
GenresPop, new wave
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, various instruments
Websitesproutology.co.uk

Patrick Joseph McAloon (born 7 June 1957)[1] is an English singer-songwriter and a founder of the band Prefab Sprout.

Early life

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McAloon was born and grew up in Witton Gilbert in County Durham, England.[2][3] He was trained to be a Catholic priest before deciding on a career in music.[4]

Career

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Prefab Sprout enjoyed success in the 1980s and early 1990s and peaked commercially with "The King of Rock 'N' Roll", which was a top ten single in the UK singles chart.[5]

In a 1991 interview with Rolling Stone during the Jordan: The Comeback world tour, McAloon said he had never seen a positive royalty cheque for his work with Prefab Sprout.

"We lost money touring England. We’ll lose money touring Europe. And I nearly gave myself a heart attack making the record. But when we finished it, I was thrilled to bits because we’d done it. This is the biggie. And I thought, if I never get to make a record again, at least this is something I can be proud of."[6]

Songs written by McAloon have also been recorded by Kylie Minogue ("If You Don't Love Me"),[7] Wendy Matthews ("God Watch Over You" and "Ride"),[8] 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 Prefab Sprout),[9] Danny Seward ("Home (Where The Heart Is)"),[10] Momus ("Green Isaac Pt. 2"),[11] and various songs for Jimmy Nail. "God Watch Over You" has also been covered by Frances Ruffelle.[12]

"When Love Breaks Down" has been covered by The Zombies,[13] Lisa Stansfield,[14] and Snow Patrol.[15] In 2008, the covers album Independents Day 08 included a version of "Bonny" performed by McAloon's label-mate Tom Smith of Editors.[16]

McAloon released the spoken word/instrumental album I Trawl the Megahertz (UK No. 54), under his own name, in 2003 on the EMI subsidiary company Liberty Records.[17] After losing his eyesight — now somewhat restored — he listened to CB radio and call-in talk shows and found inspiration for the album.[4] In 2019, it was rereleased as a Prefab Sprout album.[18]

In a 2013 interview, McAloon stated:

That record [I Trawl The Megahertz] was so important to me. I was disappointed—extremely—that the Guardian never even reviewed it. That stayed with me. I kept waiting week after week: "Come on, if you're thinking they don't make records like they used to, if you're looking for personal vision, something unusual—I'm your guy!" But it never came.[19]

In 2006, Prefab Sprout's Steve McQueen album was remastered by Thomas Dolby, and was then released in 2007 as a double-CD package. The second CD featured acoustic versions of songs from the original album that were recorded in 2006.[20]

On 7 September 2009, Prefab Sprout released the album Let's Change the World with Music, based on a demo recording from 1992.[19]

A Prefab Sprout album entitled Crimson/Red was released by Icebreaker Records in October 2013.[21] McAloon is responsible for playing all of the instruments on the album.[19]

On 3 March 2017, McAloon, under the Prefab Sprout name, was shown singing a new song, "America", on the Instagram and YouTube channels of Keith Armstrong, his manager and the former boss of Kitchenware Records. Seeming to be a protest song about the administration of Donald Trump, and released with no accompanying publicity, the song was the subject of discussion and speculation.[22][23][24][25]

Personal life

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As of September 2013, McAloon resides in his native County Durham with his wife and three daughters.[26] He suffers from a detached retina and tinnitus,[19] which significantly limited his ability to work in the studio. McAloon dedicated Crimson/Red to "my wife and daughters", "the women with whom I'm lucky enough to share my life".[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Happy Birthday". Mirror.co.uk. 6 June 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  2. ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (16 September 2017). "A book tailor-made for the Prefab Sprout fanatic". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  3. ^ Simpson, Dave (30 June 2020). "Paddy McAloon and Thomas Dolby: how we made Prefab Sprout's Steve McQueen". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Let's Change The World With Music worth the long wait". Johncodyonline.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  5. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 433. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. ^ "Paddy McAloon: The Last Pop Genius". Rolling Stone. 7 March 1991.
  7. ^ "Kylie Minogue - Confide in Me Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Wendy Matthews Discography". Users.bart.nl. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Nightingales Lyrics". Lyricsfreak.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  10. ^ "Where My Heart Is". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Momus Bibliotek CD". Discogs.com. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  12. ^ "Frances Reffelle God Watches Over You". Lyricsmania.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  13. ^ "When Love Breaks Down – The Zombies". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Lisa Stansfield - The Moment Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Friday Night Boys Paddy McAloon". Fridaynightboys300.blogspot.ca. 13 October 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  16. ^ "Independents Day 08". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  17. ^ "Albums by Paddy McAloon: Discography, songs, biography, and listening guide". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  18. ^ "Prefab Sprout: I Trawl the Megahertz". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d Paul Lester (5 September 2013). "Paddy McAloon: 'I'll do without an audience to make the music I want'". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  20. ^ "Prefab Sprout Steve McQueen Review". BBC News. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  21. ^ Jamie McGarry (1 August 2013). "01/08/2013". Prefab Sprout – The Unofficial Homepage. Jamie McGarry. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  22. ^ Paphides, Pete (6 March 2017). "Why Prefab Sprout's return with America is a whim and a wonder". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  23. ^ "Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout Posts New National Anthem for Trump-Troubled USA – Stereo Embers Magazine". Stereo Embers Magazine. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  24. ^ "Prefab-Sprout-Sänger Paddy McAloon: Pro-Einwanderungssong "America"". Rolling Stone (in German). 7 March 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  25. ^ "'Do what's right': Prefab Sprout debuts new pro-immigration song 'America'". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  26. ^ "Paddy McAloon the Return of the Prefab Sprouts Elusive Genius". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  27. ^ Liner notes Crimson/Red
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