Prefab Sprout - Jordan: The Comeback

Paddy MacAloon is arguably one of England's finest modern songwriters, and this 1990 release was a gloriously overlong melange of styles, bound together by some of his most inspired melodies. The nineteen tracks cover a typically diverse range of subject matters, including a quartet of songs about the rise and fall of Elvis Presley that provide the album with it's thematic core. Elsewhere, on songs such as "We Let the Stars Go", "All the World Loves Lovers" and "Doo Wop in Harlem" MacAloon's songwriting hit new peaks. Never gaining the commercial success it deserved, "Jordan: The Comeback's" heady brew even appeared to be a step too far for MacAloon, who did not release another album for seven years.