From Langley Park to Memphis

From Langley Park to Memphis
Studio album by Prefab Sprout
Released 14 March 1988 (1988-03-14)
Genre Pop
Length 45:32
Label Kitchenware
Producer Thomas Dolby, Jon Kelly, Paddy McAloon, Andy Richards
Prefab Sprout chronology
Steve McQueen
(1985)		 From Langley Park to Memphis
(1988)		 Protest Songs
(1989)
Singles from From Langley Park to Memphis
  1. "Cars and Girls"
    Released: February 1988
  2. "The King of Rock 'n' Roll"
    Released: April 1988
  3. "Hey Manhattan!"
    Released: July 1988
  4. "Nightingales"
    Released: November 1988
  5. "The Golden Calf"
    Released: February 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

From Langley Park to Memphis is the third studio album by English pop band Prefab Sprout. It was released by Kitchenware Records on 14 March 1988.[2] It peaked at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart, the highest position for any studio album released by the band.[3] The album featured guest appearances from Stevie Wonder and Pete Townshend.[1] Five singles were released to promote the album: in order of release, "Cars and Girls", "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", "Hey Manhattan!", "Nightingales" and "The Golden Calf".[4] "I Remember That" was later released as a single in 1993 to promote the greatest hits album A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout.[4]

Critical reception

Dave Rimmer of Q considered From Langley Park to Memphis "probably their best album yet" but found "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" "a mite irritating". He felt that "the only true duff part is the overblown imagery of 'Golden Calf'".[5] NME's Len Brown wasn't enamoured with the album's production style, calling it "sickly" and "cluttered". He considered the album "a largely bland affair", but praised "Cars and Girls" and "Nancy (Let Your Hair Down for Me)".[6] Melody Maker's David Stubbs felt it was "less strong" than Steve McQueen but "more ambitious".[7] Vogue's Barney Hoskyns commented "at least seven of its 10 songs are more accessible, more ravishingly beautiful than anything McAloon has written".[8]

Among retrospective reviews, Jason Ankeny of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5, calling it "Prefab Sprout's spiritual journey into the heart of American culture".[1] He added, "while ambitious in both concept and execution, From Langley Park to Memphis pales in comparison to its masterful predecessor Two Wheels Good -- a shortcoming acknowledged by Prefab Sprout themselves with the title of their next album, Jordan: The Comeback."[1]

Track listing

All tracks written by Paddy McAloon.

No.TitleLength
1."The King of Rock 'n' Roll"4:22
2."Cars and Girls"4:25
3."I Remember That"4:14
4."Enchanted"3:47
5."Nightingales"5:53
6."Hey Manhattan!"4:45
7."Knock on Wood"4:16
8."The Golden Calf"5:06
9."Nancy (Let Your Hair Down for Me)"4:02
10."The Venus of the Soup Kitchen"4:29

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Prefab Sprout

Additional musicians

Technical personnel

  • Thomas Dolby – production (1, 3, 7, 10)
  • Jon Kelly – production (2, 4, 5, 9)
  • Paddy McAloon – production (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9)
  • Andy Richards – production (6)
  • David Leonard – mixing (1, 3, 7, 10)
  • Richard Moakes – mixing (2, 4, 9)
  • Mike Shipley – mixing (5)
  • Tony Philips – mixing (6)
  • Michael H. Brauer – mixing (8)
  • Tim Young – mastering
  • Stephen Male – design
  • Nick Knight – photography

Charts

Chart Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 5

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ankeny, Jason. "From Langley Park to Memphis - Prefab Sprout". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  2. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. p. 760. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
  3. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 433. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. 1 2 McIntosh, Bedford. "Prefab Sprout discography". browningmcintosh.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Rimmer, Dave. "Prefab Sprout: From Langley Park To Memphis". rocksbackpages. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  6. ↑ Brown, Len. "Prefab Sprout: From Langley Park To Memphis". rocksbackpages. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  7. ↑ Stubbs, David. "Prefab Sprout: All The Way To Memphis". rocksbackpages. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  8. ↑ Hoskyns, Barney. "The Enchanter: Paddy McAloon". rocksbackpages. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  9. ↑ "Prefab Sprout". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
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