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A Life of Surprises: the Best of Prefab Sprout | 
 enlarge | Artist: Prefab Sprout
Label: Sony
Category: Music
List Price: £6.99
Buy Used: £1.29
You Save: £5.70 (82%)
New (49) Used (23) Collectible (4) from £1.29
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 4824
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.4
EAN: 5099747188626
ASIN: B0000245SK
Release Date: January 12, 1998
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | King Of Rock 'n' Roll | | • | When Love Breaks Down | | • | Sound Of Crying | | • | Faron Young | | • | Carnival 2000 | | • | Goodbye Lucille | | • | Cruel | | • | I Remember That | | • | Cars And Girls | | • | We Let The Stars Go | | • | Life Of Surprises | | • | Appetite | | • | If You Don't Love Me | | • | Wild Horses | | • | Hey Manhattan | | • | All The World Loves Lovers |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Though each of their studio albums is worth seeking out, this "best of" collection is a neat shorthand way of experiencing the technologically perfect, intellectually stimulating pop music Paddy McAloon and his cronies from Newcastle, England created during the second half of the 1980s. Two tracks, "The Sound of Crying" and "If You Don't Love Me" are previously unreleased. Since they have had little chart success, the rest are somebody's idea of what makes a great Prefab Sprout song. "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" has a lilting bounce; "Wild Horses" benefits from producer Thomas Dolby's computer wizardry as sounds pop up and out of the mix instantaneously; "We Let the Stars Go" is McAloon at his most emotionally sincere. --Rob O'Connor
From Amazon.com
Though each of their studio albums is worth seeking out, this "best of" collection is a neat shorthand way of experiencing the technologically perfect, intellectually stimulating pop music Paddy McAloon and his cronies from Newcastle, England created during the second half of the 1980s. Two tracks, "The Sound of Crying" and "If You Don't Love Me" are previously unreleased. Since they have had little chart success, the rest are somebody's idea of what makes a great Prefab Sprout song. "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" has a lilting bounce; "Wild Horses" benefits from producer Thomas Dolby's computer wizardry as sounds pop up and out of the mix instantaneously; "We Let the Stars Go" is McAloon at his most emotionally sincere. --Rob O'Connor
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| Customer Reviews:
 The King Of Rock 'n' Roll Completely. August 30, 2008
Alan Burridge (Poole,, Dorset. United Kingdom)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
In this factory I worked in from 1981 to 1993, there was a staff restaurant with the social club bar adjacent to it. After eating, people would play darts or pool, or just sit and relax and talk. And every weekday for 6 months or more, this young kid would walk in, stick a 50 pence piece in the jukebox and the first record he'd play would be Prefab Sprout's 'The King Of Rock 'n' Roll.'
With it's laughably nursery rhyme / clever but throw-away lyrics, the track gradually became embedded into everyone's psyche, and it wasn't a bad tune, really. Feet would start tapping, I noticed, and it seemed to cheer people up. So, when the factory closed down, I happened to bump into this CD somewhere, (maybe here?), and I bought it just for track one on this compilation.
The balance of tracks are OK, easy listening and pleasant and ideal to have on as background music after the bombast and quirkiness when 'The King Of Rock 'n' Roll' has ended, of course.
Paddy McAloon may be remembered by his fans for many of the other tracks on here, as they are decent pop songs from the era, but for me, 'The King Of Rock 'n' Roll' will always be their 'Stairway To Heaven,' so that has to be a fair old doff of the cap, hasn't it. A corker!
 a must have October 10, 2000
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
"A Life Of Surprises" is the greatest hits album by one of the most underrated British bands of the eighties. With a style that was somewhere in the middle of the styles of the Smiths and the Style Council, the band had a few medium sized hits, but never really got the credit that their true brilliance deserved. Generally the album has two halves the first half featuring the more upbeat tracks they released in the eighties and the second half featuring the more mellow, dark and moody tracks they have released in the nineties. Overall the album is spectacular and includes their two biggest hits from their brilliant 1988 album "From Langley Park To Memphis", namely "Cars And Girls" and "The King Of Rock And Roll". The other highlights on this album include the brilliant "Life Of Surprises", "When Love Breaks Down" and "All The World Loves Lovers". Overall it's an excellent album and is highly recommended.
Hot Dogs are top of the menu. November 16, 1999
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This album comprises all the originality produced by Prefab Sprout over their long and successful career. Lyrics such as 'Hot dogs jumping frogs' remain, to this day, a great achievement in songwriting. This album also includes such greats as Hey Manhattan, Carnival 2000 and Ice Maiden. The variety is both exciting and inspiring.
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