Jordan: The Comeback
Jordan: The Comeback | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 7 September 1990 | |||
Genre | Pop, art pop | |||
Length | 62:45 | |||
Label | Kitchenware | |||
Producer | Thomas Dolby | |||
Prefab Sprout chronology | ||||
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Singles from Jordan: The Comeback | ||||
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Jordan: The Comeback is the fifth studio album by English pop band Prefab Sprout. It was released by Kitchenware Records on 7 September 1990. It peaked at No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart.[1] "Looking for Atlantis" and "We Let the Stars Go" were released as singles, peaking at No. 51 and No. 50, respectively, on the UK Singles Chart.[1] Additionally, Jordan: The EP peaked at No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart.[1]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[4] |
NME | 9/10[5] |
Pitchfork | 8.8/10[6] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Select | 4/5[8] |
Sounds | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Vox | 10/10[10] |
Jordan: The Comeback received rave reviews that compared songwriter and lead singer Paddy McAloon to everyone from William Shakespeare to Marvin Gaye.[11]
Jason Ankeny of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it "Prefab Sprout's largely successful attempt to embrace the breadth of popular music".[2] He added: "Over the course of no less than 19 tracks, McAloon chases his twin preoccupations of religion and celebrity, creating a loose thematic canvas perfect for his expanding musical palette".[2] David Wild of Rolling Stone said, "If Brian Wilson at the height of his creative powers had spent a year in the studio working up a concept album about love, God and Elvis, the result might have sounded like Jordan: The Comeback."[11] Ira Robbins of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a grade of B+, saying: "Those accustomed to musical junk food may find Jordan: The Comeback too subtle and complex at first, but this airy delicacy is a taste worth acquiring."[4]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Paddy McAloon
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Looking for Atlantis" | 4:03 |
2. | "Wild Horses" | 3:44 |
3. | "Machine Gun Ibiza" | 3:43 |
4. | "We Let the Stars Go" | 3:39 |
5. | "Carnival 2000" | 3:23 |
6. | "Jordan: The Comeback" | 4:13 |
7. | "Jesse James Symphony" | 2:15 |
8. | "Jesse James Bolero" | 4:10 |
9. | "Moondog" | 4:12 |
10. | "All the World Loves Lovers" | 3:50 |
11. | "All Boys Believe Anything" | 1:34 |
12. | "The Ice Maiden" | 3:19 |
13. | "Paris Smith" | 2:55 |
14. | "The Wedding March" | 2:50 |
15. | "One of the Broken" | 3:55 |
16. | "Michael" | 3:02 |
17. | "Mercy" | 1:23 |
18. | "Scarlet Nights" | 4:17 |
19. | "Doo-Wop in Harlem" | 3:44 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
Prefab Sprout
- Paddy McAloon
- Martin McAloon
- Wendy Smith
- Neil Conti
Additional musicians
- Luís Jardim – percussion
- Judd Lander – harmonica (on "Looking for Atlantis")
- Jenny Agutter – "I Want to Have You" vocals (on "Wild Horses")
- The Phantom Horns – horns (on "Carnival 2000")
Technical personnel
- Thomas Dolby – production
- Paul Gomersall – recording
- Eric Calvi – mixing
- Paul Cuddeford – engineering assistance
- Karen White – engineering assistance
- Adrian Moore – engineering assistance
- Charlie Smith – engineering assistance
- Derek McCartney – engineering assistance
- Chris Puram – engineering assistance
- Mark Williams – engineering assistance
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Tim Young – mastering (on "Looking for Atlantis")
- Gerry Judah – cover concept, art direction
- Peter Barrett – cover design
- Andrew Biscomb – cover design
- Jonathan Lovekin – cover photography
- Trevor Hart – cover photography
- The Douglas Brothers – group portrait
Charts
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Albums (OCC)[1] | 7 |
References
- ^ a b c d "Prefab Sprout". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ a b c Ankeny, Jason. "Jordan: The Comeback – Prefab Sprout". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Sodomsky, Sam (28 September 2019). "Prefab Sprout: Swoon / From Langley Park to Memphis / Jordan: The Comeback / A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ Evans, Paul (1992). "Prefab Sprout". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). [The Rolling Stone Album Guide] (3rd ed.). Random House. pp. 552–53. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
- ^ 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).
- ^ a b Wild, David (7 March 1991). "Paddy McAloon: The Last Pop Genius". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
External links
- Jordan: The Comeback at Discogs (list of releases)
- Jordan: The Comeback at MusicBrainz (list of releases)