Jordan: The Comeback
Jordan: The Comeback | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by Prefab Sprout | ||||
Released | 7 September 1990 | |||
Genre | Pop, art pop | |||
Label | Kitchenware | |||
Producer | Thomas Dolby | |||
Prefab Sprout chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Jordan: The Comeback | ||||
|
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[3] |
NME | 9/10[4] |
Select | 4/5[5] |
Sounds | [6] |
Vox | 10/10[7] |
Jordan: The Comeback is the fifth album by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released in September 1990.
Album
Jordan: The Comeback showed Prefab Sprout continuing their musical evolution from the prickly jangle guitars of Swoon, their debut. The use of synths is more prominent, lending the album a poppier feel, and Paddy McAloon explores other genres on some songs, from samba to doo wop.
The album with its cover designed by Gerry Judah was critically acclaimed: it was nominated for Best Album at the Brit Awards, and reached #7 on the charts in the UK. The next album, 1997's Andromeda Heights, was released seven years later, with only their greatest hits collection appearing in the meantime.
The 64-minute album was, unusually, issued as a single vinyl LP running for over 30 minutes each side.
Themes
Jordan: The Comeback is to some extent a concept album, though what the concepts are is somewhat opaque. NME described the album as covering "Love, Elvis, God and Death"—all the big topics. Allmusic described songwriter and lead singer Paddy McAloon as "chasing his twin preoccupations of religion and celebrity, creating a loose thematic canvas perfect for his expanding musical palette".[8]
Singles
Three singles were released from the album in the UK: "Looking for Atlantis", "We Let The Stars Go" and a four-track EP titled "Jordan: The EP" on which the featured track was "Carnival 2000".
Track listing
All tracks composed by Paddy McAloon
- "Looking for Atlantis" – 4:03
- "Wild Horses" – 3:44
- "Machine Gun Ibiza" – 3:43
- "We Let the Stars Go" – 3:39
- "Carnival 2000" – 3:23
- "Jordan: The Comeback" – 4:13
- "Jesse James Symphony" – 2:15
- "Jesse James Bolero" – 4:10
- "Moon Dog" – 4:12
- "All the World Loves Lovers" – 3:50
- "All Boys Believe Anything" – 1:34
- "The Ice Maiden" – 3:19
- "Paris Smith" – 2:55
- "The Wedding March" – 2:50
- "One of the Broken" – 3:55
- "Michael" – 3:02
- "Mercy" – 1:23
- "Scarlet Nights" – 4:17
- "Doo Wop in Harlem" – 3:44
Personnel
Prefab Sprout
- Paddy McAloon
- Martin McAloon
- Neil Conti
- Wendy Smith
with:
- Luís Jardim - percussion
- Judd Lander - harmonica on "Looking for Atlantis"
- Jenny Agutter - "I Want to Have You" vocals on "Wild Horses"
- Phantom Horns - horns on "Carnival 2000"
References
- ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Jordan: The Comeback – Prefab Sprout". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-857-12595-8.
- ↑ Robbins, Ira (5 October 1990). "Jordan: The Comeback". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ↑ Collins, Andrew (18 August 1990). "Prefab Sprout: Jordan: The Comeback". NME.
- ↑ Linehan, Graham (October 1990). "The King Of Jordan". Select (4): 118.
- ↑ Berger, George (1990). "Prefab Sprout: Jordan: The Comeback". Sounds.
- ↑ McCann, Ian (October 1990). "Prefab Sprout: Jordan: The Comeback". Vox (1).
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r15586