“Were they the band that did that jumping frog song? That’s all I remember them for!”
That was the response at work, when I mentioned that I had prepared an interview with Neil Conti, formerly of Prefab Sprout. Sadly, the hidden meaning and humour of striving to have a top 10 hit seemed to be lost on the general population, as it ironically gave them a Top 10 hit. It is also sad that a band responsible for some of the ‘hopelessly romantic’ songs of the Eighties would be mostly remembered for a song arguably written as a joke.
Neil, who was for a large portion of his music career the drummer for one of the most under-rated bands of the eighties, also worked on singles and albums of other successful musicians; notably David Bowie, Cher, Annie Lennox, Steve Winwood and Primal Scream to name but a few. He now resides in France, but has taken the time to offer insight into the joys and perils of being in a band often ‘critically acclaimed’, but never getting the recognition they deserved.
GC: When did you first start drumming, and why?
NC: I started at 12 years old because my cousin became a big star in Mott the Hoople rock group and I used to be at the side of the stage watching the drummer who was amazing. I was a classical pianist before that.
GC: What was the story behind your Prefab Sprout audition?
NC: I heard the first album (Swoon) and really liked it so I called their management in Newcastle (I'm from London) and said 'I know you don't have a permanent drummer yet - I'm the man for the job!
GC: Around the time of which album was it the best time to be in the band?
NC: My personal favourite was when we were recording the 'Protest Songs' album in Newcastle - the walk from my hotel to the studio every morning anticipating another day in the studio playing Paddy's great songs. We'd just been touring so the band was really firing on all cylinders at the time.
GC: Which song and album are your favourites from a musician's point of view, and from a fan's point of view?
NC: From a musician’s perspective, there's some good performances on ‘Steve McQueen’ and ‘Protest Songs’. From a fan's point of view I guess ‘Steve McQueen’ because it really has a special sound and a feeling of being a complete record. I really can't choose an individual favourite song - there's so many. I've had the good fortune to work with some great artists but I would put paddy McAloon up there with the very best.
GC: Who are your favourite songwriters?
NC: (David) Bowie / Jeff Buckley / Joni Mitchell / David Sylvian / Paddy McAloon.
GC: Paddy has been regarded by various journalists as 'the finest songwriter of his generation.' Would you agree?
NC: I'm his biggest fan.
GC: What do you think of the current eighties renaissance, and the impact of these bands on the charts 20 years later?
NC: I think that there were some ok songs written in the eighties but the music was not so great. As for renaissances - Record Companies are always looking for an angle to milk more money from a shrinking market - they are too stupid to realise that it's all the problems are caused by their own conservative A+R attitudes.
GC: What sort of music do you listen to at the moment?
NC: Cinematic orchestra - Best album of last year. Sade 'Lovers Rock'.... actually a really good album. Anything by Howlin' Wolf
GC: Who amongst your peers of the eighties did you rate or respect, and why?
NC: Peers? hmmm... most of the music I love is not from the eighties.... lemme see... Crowded House wrote some good songs ... Danny Wilson too. We always got compared to certain eighties UK bands which I won't mention because frankly I hated their music.
GC: How did you feel about the publicity that came along with 'Langley' (From Langley Park to Memphis) I.e. 'miming on kids shows', 'King of Rock n Roll' video etc?
NC: Good question! It was all a huge mistake by the record company. They became obsessed with turning us into a singles band, which turned off a lot of the regular 'album' fans. They also started spending huge amounts of money making videos which got shown once on TV, the singles bombed, and then they told us that there was no money left for touring! Basically they completely messed up (as record companies so often do).
GC: How do you feel about the albums you haven't worked on? (Andromeda Heights, The Gunman and Other Stories)
NC: Not so bothered about it really. there's some great songwriting but naturally I believe that I could have made them sound better - I'm biased after all!
GC: How did it feel to return for the tour and the Fleadh Festival in 2000?
NC: Great but then I adore playing live anyway. It's such a shame that Paddy doesn't enjoy touring because he's a good guitarist and a superb singer - technically one of the best I've worked with.
GC: Do you have any projects planned at the moment?
NC: There's a news update on my website - www.conti.uk.com
GC: Can you see a future for Prefab Sprout?
NC: Well Paddy pretty much works on his own now but he's had terrible problems with his eyes so I think that kinda limits what he can do. I'm sure that he will continue writing songs though. Prefab sprout as an actual band really finished when we did the last gig at the Fleadh in 2000 - I'd be very surprised if there were any more gigs in the future.
GC: How does life in France differ from your time with the Sprouts?
NC: I'm not in a band anymore and it's very sunny.
GC: Are there any promising French bands that you would like to session for?
NC: I'd quite like to work with Jean-Luis Murat again sometime. Air are quite an interesting band too.
GC: Finally, If Paddy decided to write another 'Jordan' (Jordan: the comeback) or another 'Langley', would you be interested in being involved in the recording?
NC: I'd be there before you can say 'jumping French-frog'
GC: Thank you very much for your time.
NC: No problem - you owe me a pint.
Craig Aston.
Comments?
gc(uk) Email Advanced Site Search