Light Evenings

Just a quick post tonight on my music for the drive home. Tonight I had “From Langley Park to Memphis” by Prefab Sprout.

It’s a bit of a mixture of tracks on this album. A couple of good tracks like “Cars and Girls” but there are a few weak songs. It seems this album attempted to cater for a more mass market appeal after their big indie album of Steve McQueen.

Although the light hearted nature of it matched the lovely sunny trip home.  Good old British Summer Time; it might cause problems with lots of other things but it’s good when the evenings suddenly get lighter.

An old double header

Probably going to get back on the running craze over the weekend but for today it was still CDs in the car. It was a double header of old CDs today; one going and one coming back from work. First up was “Jordan: The Comeback” by Prefab Sprout.

Well what can I say about this album? I thought it was pretty dull listening back to it today. It isn’t as catchy as their earlier work, having more synths and hence a more pop music feel to it. Overall it comes across as a bit bland; can’t remember what my thoughts were when I first bought it.

However I did see them live when they were touring supporting this album. It was at Hammersmith Apollo in London. The gig was quite muted because I was in the balcony which was seated and not many people stood up. In fact the balcony had quite a steep rake and it was a bit unnerving to be bopping around up there.

Second up on the way home was “100% Colombian” by Fun Lovin’ Criminals.

Forgotten what a great album this is. FLC are a good example of “Lounge Music” as it is called; smooth, laid back and lazy beats. This is a good example of them at their best; you can put this album on and just chill out. Perfect for driving home on a Friday when the traffic is busy with people rushing one for the weekend.

Christmas is nearly here

Feel like I should be winding down for Christmas but still have quite a bit to do at work before the break. To suit my mood I felt like something a bit unexpected for the trip to work. I dived into the back of the CD cupboard (metaphorically speaking as it’s not a cupboard but more of a set of shelves) to get “Steve McQueen” by Prefab Sprout.

What shocked me was that this album is nearly 30 years old coming out in ’85. I think it is probably about 10 years since I last listened to this. It reminds me of the end of my student days. Prefab Sprout were very much favorites of the indie music scene at the time. I didn’t buy this when it first came out but a little while later, my wife had it on cassette. But when I did eventually buy my own copy it was one of the first CD I bought.

I was actually quite looking forward to hearing this album again once I picked it out. But I had forgotten how easy going it is; it has a real 80’s sound. However considering some of the other rubbish that was around in the 80’s this is head and shoulders above them. The lyrics are bit quirky in places but that adds to the enjoyment.