Customer Reviews

Life of Surprises: Best of

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I've been a Sprout fan since way back, so hearing the songs in this order is kind of jarring. But since the strength lies in the songs, I think this is a pretty good introduction to their world ... which is to say our world. Here, love doesn't always work (When Love Breaks Down), rock idols bellow (King of Rock and Roll), and good ideas sometimes fail (Cruel). Mellow stuff, but so tuneful it'll make you hum all day. Could they have succeeded with a different band name? Yup. At least that's my theory.

A Life Of Suprises by Prefab Sprout is testimony to the fact that there is great music out there that never sees the light of day on american radio. The cd does not contain a weak track, only strong and stronger cuts. Highlights include: A Life Of Suprises, We Let The Stars Go, Hey Manhattan, and Cars and Girls. I first heard them in the mid 1980's with "Two Wheels Good" after that came "From Langley Park Park To Memphis" and I could not understand how this band could not be superstars. To this day, "A Life Of Suprises" is one of the few cd's that I share with everybody. The only "suprise" with Prefab Sprout and this cd is that they never made it big in America.

A wonderful collection of Prefab's materials, showcasing many of the hit tunes (in the UK) that made the band famous. In addition to the "greatest hits" aspect of this disc, the fans are treated to two new tunes "If You Don't Love Me" (my fave) and "The Sound of Crying", as well as the rare gem "A Life of Surprises" from the hard-to-find "Protest Songs" album. Great stuff! Many cool album tracks are omitted, sadly, and some b-sides or other extras would have really been nice, but there is only so much space on a disc of this kind. For newbies, you can't go wrong with this CD! Dig in and enjoy the surreal songwriting craft of Paddy McAloon and company!!

Ahhhh... Prefab Sprout just carries you to a dreamland full of romance and love. I love this group because of their lyrics and the calm dreamy tune they carry with it . This album is a must have to anyone who loves Prefab Sprout and to anyone who is in love. Listen to Wild Horses, Cars and Girls, We Let the Stars Go and All the World Loves Lovers. Just hearing the first few notes will bring cold goosebumps and fond romantic memories on you. If you're looking for music that'll hug your senses, look no further. Grab this CD now!

When a friend first played this for me, I thought I was listening to one of their studio albums, the flow is so good, each tune its own complete blossom. I finally said, Wait a minute, what Sprout album IS this? If you like Sprout, this is a very satisfying way of refreshing yourself on their work. The selections are very well made, with the one complaint that Swoon and Jordan are under-represented. If you are unfamiliar with Sprout, but don't want to immediately buy and delve into Swoon, Wheels, Langley and Jordan, this is a great way to dip your toe in. If you are trying in advance to understand the appeal of this band, it is this: Paddy McAloon writes the best songs he possibly can. He does not let categories (rock, pop, etc.) get in his way. And more importantly, he believes in Beauty -- as the purpose of life and art. He is not afraid to make his music beautiful, challenging, personal. If you believe in those values too, you will gain a new friend.

Among the most deftly written and intelligent pop songs ever recorded. "When Love breaks down" accurately chronicles the dissolution of a relationship. "The Sound of Crying" is painfully prophetic no matter what age we live in, for the sound of crying is always the number one sound across the earth. "Cars and girls" is an indictment of the shallowness of pop itself, pointing out that we need to move beyond Chuck Berry. Finally "The King of Rock and Roll" is a wry take on the decline of fame after being a one- or multi-hit wonder as you hit the rubber chicken diner show in Vegas sessions, and contains wonderful silliness beloved of children in the lyrics.

In addition, the music is extremely well crafted and catchy. An excellent album to own.

The Best Of Prefab Sprout - A Life Of Surprises - The Video Collection [VHS]

Label: Sony Music Videos
Release Date: September 1, 1992
Run Time: 45 minutes
Track List
Track Listings
01. The King of Rock'n'Roll
02. The Sound of Crying
03. Cars and Girls
04. We Let the Stars Go
05. The Golden Calf
06. Looking for Atlantis
07. Hey Manhattan
08. If you don't love me
09. When love breaks down
10. Carnival 2000
11. Appetite

Released at the same time as "The Best Of Prefab Sprout - A Life Of Surprises" CD compilation and titled the same. The compilation has all six videos from their video "From Langley Park To Memphis". There are five other videos which include "If You Don't Love Me" & "The Sound of Crying" from the CD compilation of the same title and "We Let the Stars Go", "Looking for Atlantis" and "Carnival 2000". The video compilation was released in NTSC and PAL VHS format.

Hope This Helps,
Cheers,

In it has not been included "Bonny" and "Looking for Atlantis", without these songs I consider that it cannot said that it is the best of Prefab Sprout

While that line appears in a Prefab Sprout song not on this compilation, it nicely sums up Paddy McAloon's literate attempts to write the great universal pop song. "A Life Of Surprises" draws from three PF albums released in America (Two Wheels Good (aka Steve McQueen), Jordan: The Comeback and the somewhat lesser middle album From Langley Park to Memphis) for a grand overview of one of the late 80's great bands.

The four member PF (I kind of count Thomas Dolby as an unofficial 5th Sprout) would have been folkies had they come of age in the 60's. There is a rich, Joni Mitchell quality to "When Love Breaks Down" or "Wild Horses," wistfulness to the heartbreaking "We Let The Stars Go" and a terrific sense of humor to "Cars and Girls." Dolby, as a producer,' put an electronic sheen to all of these that was akin to his The Flat Earth's mixture of synths and emotion, and it was a perfect setting for PF.

McAloon also served up one of the most optimistic coming of the century songs on "Carnival 2000" with a Brazilian Beat and the Irish Prayer

"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."

I can heartily recommend both "Steve McQueen" and "Jordan" as individual albums. But if you're just looking to sample (or track down the band's best known 'hit,' "When Love Breaks Down"), then this is the place to go.

Seminal 80s British alternative rock. Polite, quirky, sophiticated, inspired, with velvety hooks and melodies of incomparable sweetness (comparable to Lightning Seeds, Aztec Camera). After a promsing beginning with two outstanding albums (Swoon, Two Wheels Good), record industry pressure was brought to bear and Sprout had to go more commercial and mainstream - goodbye originality and melodies; hello easy-listenuing shmaltz (From Langley Park to Memphis). Typically, this compilation overlooks some of the bands best early moments, e.g. the debut singles, Lions In My Own Garden or Don't Sing, and prefers to concentrate on the shmaltz of All the World Loves Lovers and I Remember That. Some of you may like the later stuff - my mom loves it - I, however, prefer the angular brilliance of the first two albums and would therefore recommend you staying well away from Life of Surprises and checking out the Collection compilation which is both more representative and has some good early toons.