Prefab Sprout - Swoon (Gatefold 180 gram vinyl LP)

Superb album for 1984

Swoon, Prefab Sprout's debut album shows the band and songwriter / singer Paddy McAloon in their purest state, before outside hands and Top 20 chart prospects streamlined their approach. Swoon is a highly original record, melding various styles into one unique vision, resulting in a sophisticated sound the band could claim as its own. It has been sited as a strange fusion of Aztec Camera and Steely Dan, which makes sense, but ultimately Swoon proves too complicated for simple comparisons. Too rough and angsty to sit alongside Sade; too melodic, and richly complex to fit with most new wave or "new pop" of the era, Swoon is pure, untainted Prefab Sprout.

Side 1
1."Don't Sing" (3:51)
2."Cue Fanfare" (4:07)
3."Green Isaac" (3:32)
4."Here On The Eerie" (4:00)
5."Cruel" (4:21)
Side 2
1."Couldn't Bear To Be Special" (3:49)
2."I Never Play Basketball Now" (3:40)
3."Ghost Town Blues" (3:21)
4."Elegance" (3:46)
5."Technique" (4:37)
6."Green Isaac II" (1:30)