Smart, sophisticated, and timelessly stylish, Steve McQueen (titled Two Wheels Good in the U.S.
after threats of a lawsuit from the actor's estate) is a minor classic, a shimmering jazz-pop masterpiece sparked by Paddy McAloon's witty and inventive songwriting.
McAloon is a wickedly cavalier composer, his songs exploring human weaknesses like regret ("Bonny"), lust ("Appetite"), and infidelity ("Horsin' Around") with cynical insight and sarcastic flair; he's also remarkably adaptable, easily switching gears from the faux country of "Faron Young" to the stately pop grace of "Moving the River." At times, perhaps, his pretensions get the better of him (as on "Desire As"), while at other times his lyrics are perhaps too trenchant for their own good; at those moments, however, what keeps Steve McQueen afloat is Thomas Dolby's lush production, which makes even the loftiest and most biting moments as easily palatable as the airiest adult contemporary confection.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faron YoungPaddy McAloon | Prefab Sprout | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | BonnyPaddy McAloon | Prefab Sprout | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | AppetitePaddy McAloon | Prefab Sprout | Play | 03:55 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | When Love Breaks DownPaddy McAloon | Prefab Sprout | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | HallelujahPaddy McAloon | Prefab Sprout | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Moving the RiverPaddy McAloon | Prefab Sprout | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Horsin' AroundPaddy McAloon | Prefab Sprout | Play | 04:36 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Desire AsPaddy McAloon | Prefab Sprout | Play | 05:20 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Blueberry PiesPaddy McAloon | Prefab Sprout | Play | 02:23 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | When the AngelsPaddy McAloon | Prefab Sprout | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Goodbye Lucille #1 | Prefab Sprout | Play | 04:28 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 45 mins | 103 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Barry | Assistant Engineer |
| 2 | Neil Conti | Drums, Performer |
| 3 | Thomas Dolby | Keyboards, Mixing, Musician, Producer, Remixing |
| 4 | Tim Hunt | Engineer |
| 5 | Mark Lockheart | Saxophone |
| 6 | Martin McAloon | Bass, Performer |
| 7 | Paddy McAloon | Composer, Guitar, Performer, Vocals |
| 8 | Prefab Sprout | Primary Artist |
| 9 | Andrew Scarth | Engineer |
| 10 | Chris Sheldon | Engineer |
| 11 | Mike Shipley | Mixdown Engineer, Mixing |
| 12 | Kathy McKay Smith | Assistant Engineer |
| 13 | Wendy Smith | Performer, Vocals |
| 14 | Sven Taits | Assistant Engineer |
| 15 | Phil Thornalley | Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |