Customer Reviews

Protest Songs

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With the heaps of neglect inflicted on this album, it's pretty much been left to a fate of being overshadowed by the attention-hogging albums that surround it chronologically. And that really blows because in my humble opinion, this album is every bit as brilliant as "Jordan", "Swoon", and "Steve McQueen". You see, what happened was singer/songwriter Paddy McCloon, being the insanely prolific genius that he is, had an album's worth of tunes ready right on the heels of their sophomore effort, "Steve McQueen". But, in good old fascist major label tradition, CBS thought releasing it so quickly after "McQueen" would oversaturate the market with Sprout stuff. Plus the scumbags at CBS also thought it didn't quite live up to the commercial accessibility of "McQueen" (which was more of a critical than commercial success anyhow). So, with the album threatened to a life of rotting in its reel-to-reel cannister, only to be heard by diehards in the format of mysteriously produced "Smile"-type bootlegs, Paddy and co. went on to record the garishly commercial (but still pretty good) "Langley Park".

Fortunately, "Protest Songs" did live to see the light of day, though it had to wait 'til right before the release of "Jordan" (CBS using it to fill the 2 year gap it took to make "Jordan"). And even then, it was only issued as an import. To those unaware of its origins, "Protest Songs" must have seemed stylistically out of place when stuck between "Langly Park" and "Jordan", but really, who cares? What *is* consistent is the quality of Paddy's infectiously melodic songwriting. Some critics cut this one down because they felt the production sounded rough and unfinished, but geez, "Protest Songs" is *still* every bit as slick as any other 80s melodic guitar pop albums of the day (think Go-Betweens, the Smiths, REM, etc...). In fact, I'd take it a step further and say that "Protest Songs" BENEFITS from the fact that it *isn't* over-produced like the others, and has much *less* of that garrish 80s gloss that almost ruined "Langley Park", and cuts back on those cheezy Thomas Dolby synths that make "McQueen" sound kind of dated. It's their most organic sounding album next to "Swoon", which is definitely a good thing.

And the songs are top-notch Paddy concoctions throughout. From the wonderfully lilting and airy feel of "World Awake" and "Life of Surprises", to the rocking "Wicked Things", or the breath-takingly intimate, acoustic "Dublin", it's clear Paddy is in top form, and that's just the first half! "Tiffany's" throws one of those deceptively simple yet sublimely complex and spine-tinglingly beautiful melodies over an irresistable, powerhouse, shuffle-y 1/2 beat, while "Diana" slows the pace down and enters into that wondeful, late-night jazzy atmosphere, supporting some bizarre lyrics about Princess D. "Talking Scarlet" is yet another gentle, gossamer pop gem, the lyrics of which take a first person glance at how the hunky town-priest Dimmesdale was gonna get Hester in the sack and still live with himself (lyrics which could be applied to any contemporary, self-loathing record geek who can't get a date). "'Til the Cows Come Home" is a slow yet punchy, atmospheric, reverb drenched, highly emotional experience. Like much of Paddy's work, it's incredibly dreamy, yet a certain tension is always broilimg just beneath the surface; just enough to keep the listener on his/her toes, and it never really succombs to laziness or excessive languid-ness.

Please stop ignoring this album and treat it right; treat it like "Jordan" or "McQueen" and see how easily it rivals them.

The retrospectively released Protest Songs is a shy beast indeed, lurking in the middle of Prefab's initial purple patch of albums, notably Swoon, Steve McQueen and - at a push - From Here to Langley Park. After the crystal gloss production provided by Thomas Dolby helped give the album a leg up to recognition and acclaim, Prefab opted to produce Protest Songs themselves and the difference is humungous. Gone are the warm, semi-kitschy digiscapes à la Dolby. Instead the results sound sometimes veer closely to Demo City. The label refused to release it and forced Prefab to do another record, this time more commercial, please. Which they duly did, but that's another story.
Protest Songs is definitely worth checking out if you're into the band's earlier stuff - there's a devastatingly beautiful ballad called Dublin which must surely rank as one Paddy Mcaloon's top 10 songs. Trust me, it's a blinder. Diana (yes, it's about her adding poignance after her demise) is also a treat, which, though undermined by woeful production - has more hooks than Mike Tyson.
Opening song World Awake is way too subtle for instant titillation, and therefore perhaps not the ideal choice of first track. The end of World Awake is fabulous, though, with a slow fade of the type which was so successful on Jesse James Bolero off the Jordan: the Comeback album.
Life of Surpioises surfaced on Prefab's greatest hits package and is accessible fare but bordering on musical facileness.
Protest Songs doesn't gleam like some of the other albums (Andromeda Heights, some tracks of Jordan) and indeed is rough and ready (sort of) but there are enough ideas here to keep any devoted Prefab Sprout fan ecstatic.

I agree 100% with the previous reviewer. Protest Songs is as good as anything released by this group, which means that it is a cut above nearly everything else out there. The production is a little rough hewn, but that doesn't detract from the songs, many of which are among Paddy McAloon's most beautiful and moving. Do yourself a favor and give this one a try.

Their best album. Prefab Sprout tend to over-produce and their songs can have too much of a sheen that can hide the craft and sometimes sound cloying. Protest Songs is simple, captures a songwriter at the peak of his powers and is simply charming in abittersweet way.

This disc was recorded in a few weeks in September 1985, scheduled for an end-of-year release and then suddenly shelved, finally appearing in 1989. It may have seemed to lack obvious hit singles, but it's as inspired and solid as "Help!" or "Ziggy Stardust". The songwriting is top rate, dynamic and with lots of small hooks and details, and the band are obviously enjoying themselves (not least, Neil Conti's drumming is amazing). The songs come streaming in lots of different colours, carefully modulating the tempo and beat and producing a very intimate, and often live-sounding range.

Under the sprightly surface dwell a bunch of sharp, ironic and often gently cutting lyrics; they give the record very much an 80s northern England feel, a country of disillusion and dubious, fading glamour. "Till The Cows Come Home" is (I think) about old and new England, the loss of innocence and old-style idealism, the ravishing "Tiffany's" about Manhattan romantic glamour, dirty realities and burnt love (McAloon would revisit this on "The King Of Rock'n'Roll" and "Hey Manhattan!"). "Dublin" is a superb acoustic song about the mythology of the IRA and, by extension, about so many other historically embittered ethnic conflicts.

"Diana" throws a remarkably shrewd light on the cult of Princess Diana at a time when everyone still supposed she was going to be Queen of England one day; the ending is eerily prescient of the breakdown of the marriage, which was still several years into the future at the time. "Talking Scarlet" sounds like it should have been the theme song for "Brideshead Revisited" (another 80s classic). A brilliant album.