Cabin Essence Blog

Protest Songs may be an arresting title but what was Prefab Sprout’s third recorded album actually ended up being released “under the radar” four years after it was recorded, and indeed after From Langley Park To Memphis, an album that was recorded after Protest Songs.

And while the opener, The World Awake, could be a title to a call to arms, the lyrics and tone suggest a resigned acceptance of the human condition

That frightening little sound it’s just the world awake

It’s just a way of saying we’re in business

It’s just a lightning strike, it’s just a family row

It’s just the give and take of forgiveness

The sense that the protest is far more personal than political is reinforced in Life Of Surprises, the best-known track from the album and a belated single, and surely one of the greatest songs about those personal relationships that suddenly go pear-shaped

Darling it’s a life of surprises

It’s no help growing older or wiser

You don’t have to pretend you’re not crying

When it’s even in the way that you’re walking

The album continues in this vein, focussing on the minefield of relationships between people, the connections -broken and otherwise, and the real protest seems to be against all the heartbreak and anguish we seem to endure in human relationships. There is an amazingly perceptive song about Princess Diana (called Diana) that captures the obsession with her to a tee, especially in the lines

The darling of, the darling of, creation of the editor

I guess that’s what, suppose that’s what she’s for

I hope they’re crying in their sleep for promises they cannot keep

For disappointments rooted deep

That’s why the boys and girls love Diana

Finally, we get to a sense of hope with the final track of the Pearly Gates, but even here there is a sense of tiredness and world-weariness as one gets close to a sense of redemption.

There’ll be no stampede on the Pearly Gates

I’ll say ‘after you,’ you’ll say ‘I don’t mind the wait’

There’ll be no stampede on those imposing doors

Naked and afraid, cowering we crawl on all fours

Protest Songs is by no means an upbeat album, but it is encouraging in the exploring of human emotions that we all feel, much like another album that shares the same initials, Pet Sounds. This is a quiet protest that I encourage you all to be part of.

One of the most exciting times for a commited fan of any musical group is when the box set comes out. And when that box set contains all previously unreleased material, it really does feel like an early Christmas.

So Saint Etienne’s release of their unreleased (or previous exclusive fan club music) on a 4CD box set has been one of the early highlights of my musical year. Saint Etienne may be in the electronica genre but with album titles like So Tough,  You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone and Good Humor, their credentials to be discussed on Beach Boys blog are pretty solid.

Three of the CDs contain music on previous fan club exclusive releases (sent free to fan club members a la Beatles) while the fourth disc called Eric Random collects some odd and ends unreleased and other fan club songs. So the whole collection is pretty much outtakes and material not considered suitable for other albums.  This means there are a few failed experiments, a Message In A Bottle that Sting fans won’t want to hear, and a few descents rather close to techno hell, but there are also a lot of jewels here that make this more than worthwhile. In particular, Please and Summer Song are perfect pop jewels that remind that life is very much worth living.

3000 copies were made of Boxette and they are all sold out. So EBay may be your best way to get one, but why not join their fan club now and make sure you don’t miss out on future exciting goodies.