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Truly Gifted Kids: A Book About a Band Called Prefab Sprout
A freewheeling and irreverent exploration of one the UKs biggest cult bands.
Who are Prefab Sprout? Alternative eighties high dramatists? High gloss ‘hot dog, jumping frog’ hitmakers? Unlikely songwriters for hire? A vehicle for hirsute polymath Paddy McAloon and his obsessional and prolific collection of unreleased records? A band hobbled by their own terrible name?
Or….all of these things and more?
Nige Tassell – the Columbo of Pop - investigates the most uncategorisable band of all time.
Who are Prefab Sprout? Alternative eighties high dramatists? High gloss ‘hot dog, jumping frog’ hitmakers? Unlikely songwriters for hire? A vehicle for hirsute polymath Paddy McAloon and his obsessional and prolific collection of unreleased records? A band hobbled by their own terrible name?
Or….all of these things and more?
Nige Tassell – the Columbo of Pop - investigates the most uncategorisable band of all time.
- GenresMusic
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 13, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 2, 2026
Well, it's official: You may not have been aware of it, but this has been Prefab Sprout Summer.
I offer as evidence:
1. The use of "Cars and Girls" in the trailer for the upcoming offering in the wildly popular "Grand Theft Auto" game franchise.
2. The fact that when I entered the local health-food store (Cornucopia in Sayville, NY -- I might as well give them a plug) last Saturday, "Cue Fanfare" was playing -- an unexpectedly deep cut from Prefab Sprout's 1984 debut, "Swoon." Was someone in the store playing DJ? Had they just thrown in a Spotify playlist? I don't know -- the next song was by Belle and Sebastian, though.
3. The publication of Nige Tassell's delightfully impressionistic "Truly Gifted Kids: A Book About a Band Called Prefab Sprout." To be honest, it's not THAT hard to get me choked up over a subject I care about, but, still, I had a tear or two in my eyes when I got to the end of the book's "Outro." Tassell is wholeheartedly a huge fan of the band and its songwriter and lead vocalist, Paddy McAloon, and doesn't pretend otherwise. I have no problem with that. (If you want to read a book by a writer who obviously hates his subject, read Albert Goldman's "Elvis" or, perhaps to a lesser extent, "The Lives of John Lennon." But I recommend skipping them because they are bad.)
I discovered Prefab Sprout via a review of their second album, 1985's "Steve McQueen" (aka "Two Wheels Good" in America) in New York City's alternative paper, the Village Voice. Kids, back then, if you were interested in music that wasn't getting played on the radio or MTV, you had to find critics on your wavelength and make some blind buys -- this is long before the internet and finding almost any song you want online. This was one of those blind buys for me. (Other acts I discovered, and loved, based on reviews in the VV: Blue Nile and Jane Siberry. One album that was a big flop -- and I'll blame this on a review in Billboard and not the Village Voice -- was an effort by a Belgian band called Won Ton Ton. Oof, that was a dog. I eventually tossed that disc in the garbage.)
I bought "Steve McQueen" (again, it was titled "Two Wheels Good" at the time, but if you're looking for it now, it is officially "Steve McQueen" in the US, too) on LP rather than CD, though I had a CD player by then. That was because ... well, because CDs were more expensive than LPs at the time. That's perhaps hard to believe in 2026 when a brand-new LP will set you back at least $30 or even $40.
I loved Paddy McAloon's clever, word-drunk lyrics and melodies, as well as Thomas Dolby's production, and I dubbed the album onto cassette so I could play it on my Walkman (jeez, this is unintentionally turning into a real nostalgia fest) while commuting on the Long Island Rail Road into my job in Manhattan. That tape eventually would not suffice, and I splurged on the CD as well. A not inconsiderable expense, given I was living on the wages of an editorial assistant at a book publisher. (Starting salary of $11.5K in 1984. In -- hey! -- Manhattan! I had interviewed for the same position at another publishing house and was offered a salary of -- get ready -- $9.5K. This was a pittance, even in 1984.)
I bought all the other Prefab Sprout releases on CD as soon as they came out, and they remain in steady rotation for me. (Well, not "The Gunman" -- ugh, those saxophones, and the band's worst track, "Farmyard Cat." Nevertheless, I'll give it a re-listen soon -- perhaps I will find more to appreciate now.)
This is all to say that the band means a lot to me, and yes, Nige Tassel's "Truly Gifted Kids" is essential reading for any fan. Will it convert you if you're not already a fan? Perhaps not, but if you've read this far, you probably are, so go ahead and buy it. (Note: It hasn't been published in the US yet, but I bought it on Waterstones' website, and it was shipped from the UK to the US for free.)
I offer as evidence:
1. The use of "Cars and Girls" in the trailer for the upcoming offering in the wildly popular "Grand Theft Auto" game franchise.
2. The fact that when I entered the local health-food store (Cornucopia in Sayville, NY -- I might as well give them a plug) last Saturday, "Cue Fanfare" was playing -- an unexpectedly deep cut from Prefab Sprout's 1984 debut, "Swoon." Was someone in the store playing DJ? Had they just thrown in a Spotify playlist? I don't know -- the next song was by Belle and Sebastian, though.
3. The publication of Nige Tassell's delightfully impressionistic "Truly Gifted Kids: A Book About a Band Called Prefab Sprout." To be honest, it's not THAT hard to get me choked up over a subject I care about, but, still, I had a tear or two in my eyes when I got to the end of the book's "Outro." Tassell is wholeheartedly a huge fan of the band and its songwriter and lead vocalist, Paddy McAloon, and doesn't pretend otherwise. I have no problem with that. (If you want to read a book by a writer who obviously hates his subject, read Albert Goldman's "Elvis" or, perhaps to a lesser extent, "The Lives of John Lennon." But I recommend skipping them because they are bad.)
I discovered Prefab Sprout via a review of their second album, 1985's "Steve McQueen" (aka "Two Wheels Good" in America) in New York City's alternative paper, the Village Voice. Kids, back then, if you were interested in music that wasn't getting played on the radio or MTV, you had to find critics on your wavelength and make some blind buys -- this is long before the internet and finding almost any song you want online. This was one of those blind buys for me. (Other acts I discovered, and loved, based on reviews in the VV: Blue Nile and Jane Siberry. One album that was a big flop -- and I'll blame this on a review in Billboard and not the Village Voice -- was an effort by a Belgian band called Won Ton Ton. Oof, that was a dog. I eventually tossed that disc in the garbage.)
I bought "Steve McQueen" (again, it was titled "Two Wheels Good" at the time, but if you're looking for it now, it is officially "Steve McQueen" in the US, too) on LP rather than CD, though I had a CD player by then. That was because ... well, because CDs were more expensive than LPs at the time. That's perhaps hard to believe in 2026 when a brand-new LP will set you back at least $30 or even $40.
I loved Paddy McAloon's clever, word-drunk lyrics and melodies, as well as Thomas Dolby's production, and I dubbed the album onto cassette so I could play it on my Walkman (jeez, this is unintentionally turning into a real nostalgia fest) while commuting on the Long Island Rail Road into my job in Manhattan. That tape eventually would not suffice, and I splurged on the CD as well. A not inconsiderable expense, given I was living on the wages of an editorial assistant at a book publisher. (Starting salary of $11.5K in 1984. In -- hey! -- Manhattan! I had interviewed for the same position at another publishing house and was offered a salary of -- get ready -- $9.5K. This was a pittance, even in 1984.)
I bought all the other Prefab Sprout releases on CD as soon as they came out, and they remain in steady rotation for me. (Well, not "The Gunman" -- ugh, those saxophones, and the band's worst track, "Farmyard Cat." Nevertheless, I'll give it a re-listen soon -- perhaps I will find more to appreciate now.)
This is all to say that the band means a lot to me, and yes, Nige Tassel's "Truly Gifted Kids" is essential reading for any fan. Will it convert you if you're not already a fan? Perhaps not, but if you've read this far, you probably are, so go ahead and buy it. (Note: It hasn't been published in the US yet, but I bought it on Waterstones' website, and it was shipped from the UK to the US for free.)
August 25, 2026
This is the 3rd book about one of my all time favourite bands that I have read and by far the best of the bunch. Mr. Tassell is a truly gifted writer, who has a deep understanding of the peculiarities of a unique band. I taped Steve McQueen from my babysitter in 1985 and fell in love instantly, sparking a long love affair with them. Having lived in Newcastle for 30 years, I have met Martin and Wendy on a couple of occasions. The one time I saw Paddy in Waterstones, I bottled it… kind of glad I did. He didn’t look particularly happy as I passed him on the stairs.. I just couldn’t do it. I enjoyed listening to their whole discography whilst reading on holiday in Spain. The structure of the biography is really nice and works terrifically. Fan of the band? Buy it.
August 27, 2026
Nige Tassell writes great books. It’s that simple whether it’s music, films or football, they are always a joy. This one is about one of the greatest bands and song writers these islands have ever produced. The story is a fascinating one, full of details you might have known (if you’re a fan obviously) or simply didn’t know even though Paddy McAloon’s wonderful songs have soundtracked your life since the early 80s. Warm, witty and brilliantly researched you don’t have to be a fan of the band to enjoy it but my God it helps. The biggest compliment I can give any music book is that it has sent me scurrying back to the records. My record player has played nothing else but Prefab Sprout for two weeks, I cannot praise this book any higher than that.
August 26, 2026
A two-hundred-and-fifty page love letter to a band that's worth writing a two-hundred-and-fifty page love letter to. And there aren't too many of them...
August 26, 2026
A terrific, entertaining book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews