Editing Prefab Sprout (section)

{{Short description|English pop band}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|name = Prefab Sprout
|image = File:PrefabSproutPromoCard1988.jpg
|caption = Prefab Sprout in 1988
|origin = [[Witton Gilbert]], [[County Durham]], England
|genre = {{Flatlist|
* [[Pop music|Pop]]<ref name="AMG"/><ref name="Clarke">{{cite book|first= Donald |last= Clarke |author-link= Donald Clarke (writer) |title= The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music |publisher= [[Penguin Books]] |year= 1998 |page= 1016 |isbn= 978-0-1405-1370-7}}</ref>
* [[sophisti-pop]]<ref name="sweet">{{cite web |last1=Jenkins |first1=Jake |title=Sophisti-pop: The '80s' Most Elegant Genre |url=https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/sophisti-pop-the-most-elegant-genre/ |website=Sweetwater |date=30 July 2021 |access-date=13 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Pop/Rock » Punk/New Wave » Sophisti-Pop |website= [[AllMusic]]|url= http://www.allmusic.com/style/sophisti-pop-ma0000011994 |access-date= 30 April 2016}}</ref>
* [[jazz-pop]]<ref name="AMG"/>
* [[New wave music|new wave]]<ref name="Clarke"/>
* {{nowrap|[[art rock]]<ref name="sweet"/>}}
}}
|years_active = 1978–present
|label = [[Kitchenware Records|Kitchenware]]<br>[[EMI Records|EMI Liberty]]<br>[[Epic Records|Epic]] ([[United States|US]])
|website = 
|current_members = [[Paddy McAloon]]
|past_members = <!--Members should be arranged by chronology, not by importance.-->Martin McAloon<br />Michael Salmon<br />[[Wendy Smith (singer)|Wendy Smith]]<br />Feona Attwood<br />Graham Lant<br />Steve Dolder<br />[[Neil Conti]]
}}

'''Prefab Sprout''' are an English pop/rock band from [[Witton Gilbert]], [[County Durham]] who rose to fame during the 1980s. Formed in 1978<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> by brothers [[Paddy McAloon|Paddy]] and Martin McAloon and joined by vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player [[Wendy Smith (singer)|Wendy Smith]] in 1982, they released their debut album ''[[Swoon (Prefab Sprout album)|Swoon]]'' to critical acclaim in 1984. Their subsequent albums, including 1985's ''[[Steve McQueen (album)|Steve McQueen]]'' and 1990's ''[[Jordan: The Comeback]]'', have been described by [[Paul Lester]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' as "some of the most beautiful and intelligent records of their era".<ref name="Paul Lester">{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/sep/05/paddy-mcaloon-prefab-sprout-make-music | title=Culture: Paddy McAloon: 'I'll do without an audience to make the music I want' | work=The Guardian | date=5 September 2013 | access-date=24 March 2019 | author=Lester, Paul | author-link =Paul Lester}}</ref> Frontman Paddy McAloon is regarded as one of the great songwriters of his time and the band have been credited with producing some of the "most beloved" pop music of the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name="AMG">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/prefab-sprout-mn0000300024/biography |title=Biography by Stewart Mason |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=4 December 2008}}</ref>

Nine of their [[album (music)|albums]] reached the [[top 40]] on the [[UK Albums Chart]] and one of their [[single (music)|singles]], "[[The King of Rock 'n' Roll]]", peaked at number seven on the [[UK Singles Chart]]. The band's other popular songs include "[[When Love Breaks Down]]" and "[[Cars and Girls]]".<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> The band has not played live since 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2015-03-29 |title=The 2000 Tour Revisited in Real Time - Fifteen Years to the Day |url=https://www.sproutology.co.uk/concerts/the-2000-tour-revisited-in-real-time-fifteen-years-to-the-day/ |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=Sproutology |language=en-US}}</ref> Starting from 2003, Paddy McAloon has retained the Prefab Sprout name as a solo project.<ref name="Paul Lester"</>