Album: Steve McQueen

This finally revealed itself to me at about “4 in the (metaphorical) morning”

If ever the line “Every other sentiments an antique” is true it is true now as it’s taken me about 20 odd years to listen Prefab Sprout properly. So all my sentiments on just how great the vinyl for Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen on vinyl are, had I being paying proper attention, should now be verging on antique. But they’re not, they’re very new as I only picked up copy of the album recently in the excellent Stranded Records store in East Village, NYC.

Apparently, the lead songwriter and vocalist, Paddy McAloon, wanted to call the album Steve McQueen because (and this is my interpretation after reading various interviews online) is that he loves how people can become brands and the person’s name begins to mean something outside of the person and kind of dehumanises them. I guess it means their name becomes an association with something that is not necessarily the actual person. As I work in branding I get this – a great brand contains an essence, a feeling, an intangible, most times it means more then the actual workings of the business / brand itself. It is worth more then the sum of actual parts.

When I saw this vinyl in the store, I was looking at the album cover thinking “what a naff photograph” but then the magic brand action happened, I thought, yeh but Steve McQueen is cool, and the motorbike scene in The Great Escape is cool, so therefore, this band and album must be cool and I have heard people talk about it. Hallow effect, pier to pier reviews, and guilty by association are very real in the world of branding and of course, music and superb albums.

When I heard the band in the 80s (I was very young) all I thought was the song ‘The King of Rock’n’Roll’ was really bad and that no one should take the piss out of Elvis – he is my musical hero after all. I clearly picked it all up completely wrong, same thing with the “but what do Bruce Springsteen characters really feel” masterpiece that is ‘Cars and Girls’ – both songs from the later album Form Langley Park to Memphis and not from Steve McQueen but very much the chart toppers. When I first started to become more aware of the abum and saw the vinyl re-release of Steve McQueen my opinion was also completely wrong. Thankfully the Steve McQueen brand, true to form, and Paddy McAloon’s thinking, steered me back on course and I now get to enjoy it in all it’s polished, catchy, and slightly sinister, glory…

And it’s produced by Thomas Dolby…another great brand.

Favourite songs and lines…

Faron Young

“Antiques !
Every other sentiments an antique
As obsolete as warships in the baltic”

When Love Breaks Down

“When love breaks down
The things you do
To stop the truth from hurting you”

Goodbye Lucille #1

“Ooh Johnny Johnny Johnny what are you twenty-one?”

Track Listing