Album · Prefab Sprout
From Langley Park to Memphis by Prefab Sprout
From Langley Park to Memphis is an album by Prefab Sprout, released in 1988. 1 song from it has charted on rock radio countdowns, with 2 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Cars and Girls”, on 2 lists with a best position of #703.
From Langley Park to Memphis, Prefab Sprout's third album, came out on Kitchenware on 14 March 1988, and it's the sound of Paddy McAloon deciding the whole world should be let in on the secret. Out go the knotty, bookish angles of the earlier records; in come simpler tunes, huge productions and a cover photo with nothing to decode. McAloon shared production duties with Jon Kelly, Thomas Dolby and Andy Richards, the sessions hopped between Newcastle, London and Los Angeles, and Stevie Wonder and Pete Townshend dropped by.
Brother Martin McAloon on bass, Wendy Smith's cool backing vocals and Neil Conti's drums keep it recognisably Prefab Sprout under all that gloss. Not every critic bought the lavish sheen, but the songwriting won praise. "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" became their only UK top 10 single, and the album climbed to number five, the band's best studio showing. "Cars and Girls" missed the top 40 as a single, yet it's the one that later surfaced on the countdowns.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from From Langley Park to Memphis on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cars and Girls | 2 | #703 | – | 2002–2003 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.