Prefab Sprout - 38 Carat Collection CD1 + CD2 [1999]

PREFAB SPROUT

Prefab Sprout - 38 Carat Collection [1999] CD1 + CD2 

38 Carat Collection (released as The Collection in the U.S.) is a compilation album by the English pop band Prefab Sprout, released in October 1999 by Columbia Records. It was issued in a double CD version. Each disc is arranged in chronological order, with most of the group's singles appearing on disc 1 ("The Devil Has All the Best Tunes" is omitted, and "All The World Loves Lovers" and "I Remember That" appear on the second CD) and tracks from their six previous studio albums on disc 2.  "Where the Heart Is", the theme from the TV series of same name, was issued as a single in May 2000. (Wikipedia)

Paddy McAloon is the most unappreciated, neglected, or just unknown songwriter of his generation. In Britain, he's taken for granted. In the USA, he's all but unknown, which should be corrected by this release. This guy--and his band--deliver song after song brimming with melodicism, inventive time changes and unique chordal touches, beautiful orchestral and vocal arrangements, equal parts melancholy and joy, and just plain good music. Sure, some of the lyrics can be cliched, trite and somewhat precious. But, even when they are, he has an undeniable knack for redeeming the song through melodic hooks. Face it, even in his prime, McCartney's lyrics could be lightweight, but his genius for melody rode to the rescue time and time again. So it is with the other Mac---Paddy McAloon. In fact, if you want to pass the torch...I'd say that McCartney can be mentioned in the same breath as MacManus (Elvis C.) and so with McAloon. In each case, the Irish spirit of heartfelt expression is infused with the British genius for pop imagination resulting in flawlessly written and performed songs. As for the songs, there are 38 gems from the band's entire oeuvre. About 25 are classics, 10 are awesome and 3 are just good--which is still 10 times better than most of the nonsense that passing for songwriting these days. As he sings, "Life's A Miracle." So is this CD. (Amazon)

From this distance, I hear most of what is on this 38-Carat Collection, and I hear the same exuberant/ genius thing that the Beatles had. These songs get way inside of you.

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Track lists
CD1
  01 Prefab Sprout - Lions in My Own Garden 2:36

02 Prefab Sprout - Don't Sing 3:52

03 Prefab Sprout - Couldn't Bear To Be Special 3:49

04 Prefab Sprout - When Love Breaks Down 4:06

05 Prefab Sprout - Faron Young 3:48

06 Prefab Sprout - Appetite 3:54

07 Prefab Sprout - Johnny Johnny 3:55

08 Prefab Sprout - Cars & Girls 4:27

09 Prefab Sprout - The King Of Rock 'N' Roll 4:22

10 Prefab Sprout - Hey Manhattan! 4:46

11 Prefab Sprout - The Golden Calf 5:05

12 Prefab Sprout - Looking For Atlantis 4:00

13 Prefab Sprout - We Let The Stars Go 3:36

14 Prefab Sprout - Carnival 2000 3:23

15 Prefab Sprout - The Sound Of Crying 4:43

16 Prefab Sprout - If You Don't Love Me 3:42

17 Prefab Sprout - Life Of Surprises 4:04

18 Prefab Sprout - A Prisoner Of The Past 5:00

19 Prefab Sprout - Electric Guitars 3:43

CD2

01 Prefab Sprout - Cue Fanfare 4:06

02 Prefab Sprout - Cruel 4:20

03 Prefab Sprout - Bonny 3:44

04 Prefab Sprout - Moving The River 3:58

05 Prefab Sprout - Desire As 5:20

06 Prefab Sprout - Horsin' Around 4:36

07 Prefab Sprout - Pearly Gates 5:29

08 Prefab Sprout - 'Til The Cows Come Home 4:09

09 Prefab Sprout - Enchanted 3:46

10 Prefab Sprout - I Remember That 4:14

11 Prefab Sprout - Nightingales 5:52

12 Prefab Sprout - Jordan: The Comeback 4:10

13 Prefab Sprout - All The World Loves Lovers 3:50

14 Prefab Sprout - Jesse James Bolero 4:09

15 Prefab Sprout - Doo Wop In Harlem 3:43

16 Prefab Sprout - Life's A Miracle 3:42

17 Prefab Sprout - Swans 2:35

18 Prefab Sprout - Andromeda Heights 4:04

19 Prefab Sprout - Where The Heart Is 2:06

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