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Prefab Sprout's excellent 1990 album, Jordan: The Comeback was not well-known. But it was a favorite among a handful of my friends. As the years rolled by, we graduated from college, moved on with our lives. All along, we just assumed that Prefab Sprout had broken up, ceased to exist.So imagine our surprise, when, in the summer of 1997, my friend Ken and I went to the Tower Records on Jones & Columbus, and spotted a Prefab Sprout CD called Andromeda Heights.
At the time, I had a fat-sounding Theta/Classe'/Thiel/Kimber stereo, which overloaded the room. But in a way, it sonically matched the warm, pallid, unfocused, and boring production of Andromeda Heights. Anyway, seven years after Jordan: The Comeback, the bucket of boring ballads on Andromeda Heights was disappointing. My friend Melissa bellowed, "We waited seven years for this?!"
After 2 years with ACS, I was back with my college gf, KJ. But it wasn't the same. Romantically, there was a lack of spark, kind of like Andromeda Heights. It was difficult to overcome the hangups of the past. Arguably, the best songs on Andromeda Heights are the first two tracks, "Electric Guitars" and "Prisoner Of The Past." However, they are songs which look back. So instead of making us feel mature, they made us feel, for the first time in our lives, old. So if we felt old in 1997, imagine how we feel in 2015.
Okay, I know that Record Store Day just passed. No, I did not go out and buy the BSCD2 of Andromeda Heights from a brick-and-mortar store. Rather, I ordered it. Tonally, not much has changed. However, the BSCD2 has a clarity, which is lacking in the original misty and flaccid CD. This sonic clarity, especially on the slow songs, crystallizes my memories of listening to Andromeda Heights in 1997-98.
For example, the BSCD2 reminded me that I would buy foreign hi-fi magazines from stores in Union Square and Japantown. A large part of me missed ACS' spunk and participation in sports. Similarly, instead of wasting thousands on the Theta/Classe'/Thiel/Kimber, I could have spent more time with ACS, less money on hi-fi, had I just gotten a Creek integrated amp, original Sonus Faber Concertino, and XLO Ultra, as she suggested. A Creek/Sonus Faber/XLO system would have been a better match for our small room(s), and in absolute terms, sounded better than what I had.
The BSCD2 of Andromeda Heights also brings back memories of KJ stating that Paddy McAloon "must have spent too much time watching X-Files."
And some of the jazzier ballads remind me of how KJ would accompany me on my newspaper route through Japantown. When going through some of the hotels, she and I could picture Prefab Sprout playing in one of the lounges. Hell, it would have been sweet, if they had opened for Swing Out Sister!
In all my years of being The Audiophiles' DJ, I have not recommended Andromeda Heights for parties, gatherings, shows, and other audiophile listening sessions. But if you like getting misty-eyed about the late-90s, Andromeda Heights stylistically fits the era. By having cleaner sonics, the BSCD2 of Andromeda Heights will do a better job of transporting you back to the late-90s.
The Audiophiles' DJ,
-Lummy The Loch Monster
Edits: 04/21/15 04/21/15Follow Ups:
Not sure if I'd want to go back there again but I do share your enthusiasm for much of the music of Prefab Sprout. I've never heard this album before. How would you rate it on the Prefab Sprout scale of 1 - 10?
Again, after waiting 7 years for a Prefab Sprout album, fans were disappointed in Andromeda Heights ' over-reliance on slow, lifeless, often boring ballads.
When someone else listens to this album, it doesn't really matter what score I give it. The first two songs, "Electric Guitars" and "Prisoner Of The Past," are staples of mine. I may not recommend them for parties, but for personal/private listening, they often grip the listener. Especially if you were around when Beatlemania first hit the U.S., "Electric Guitars" is kind of a sad but mature acknowledgement that you've reached the gray twilight. Back in 1981, some of my Baby Boomer friends were disturbed by Steely Dan's "Hey Nineteen." It was the first time they realized that their youthful ways weren't working any more, that another generation had taken their place. Well, in 1997, "Electric Guitars" made these Baby Boomers feel better about closing this chapter, about being okay with their part in the arc of life.
I'm not the only one, for whom "Prisoner Of The Past" makes clear that we are no longer in childhood. However, innocence lost can be wisdom gained. And that is a powerful lesson.
I guess the point of all the slow songs is to set a mood. Unfortunately, that mood can invoke and induce afternoon siestas. So fans have to get past that, and then delve into Paddy McAloon's messages. And just when the audience is starting to fall asleep, McAloon revives us with the crafty "The Fifth Horseman." I mean, who else, but McAloon can write:
"The Bible mentions four
I tell you there's one more...
Love is the fifth horseman of the apocalypse"
Andromeda Heights will never be the most popular Prefab Sprout offering. Since backup singer Wendy Smith isn't utilized that much on this album, it further reinforces just how much we miss her [McAloon carries on under the Prefab Sprout moniker, but is really a solo artist]. Andromeda Heights may not be a strong entry, but that doesn't mean we should ignore or overlook it. And for those of us who are building music collections, it adds much-needed depth to the repertoire.
Playing this disc on a Moon Andromeda player?
Along with the dCS Puccini and Wadia 781i, the Simaudio Andromeda was one of my so-called "Big 3" CD players.
Hands down, the Andromeda provided THE BEST sound I've ever had in my home. Nothing else has come to matching the Andromeda's living, breathing sense of "live."
But as my readers know, the Andromeda, like the other CD players I've reviewed, had its negatives.
For over half a decade, I've been trying to find a player which has the Andromeda's sound quality, but in a more usable package.
Simaudio's own Supernova had better ergonomics, but its sound erred on the warm side, wasn't as transparent and lively as the Andromeda.
Simaudio's more affordable CD-3.3X had a good DAC section, but a lousy transport. So the search continues...
Consider and demo the Levinson No. 512 and Parasound's newest spinner...
why not own at least (1) of your big 3 ?
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