SPROUT UPDATE

So at last they have sprouted.
How long has it been ? Too long !
"Looking For Atlantis" got it's first airplay in the middle of July on Radio One and I missed it ! Sprout fan David Jackson broke the news to me.
 
Incidentally, if we have any "Throwing Muses" or "Pale Saints" fans reading, David Jackson is your man! He's just issued his first fanzine and wishes other TM or PS fans..
 
Going back to the single, the "Oracle" television service stated that release was due on 23 July, but it was actually made on Monday 30 July. The B-side is "Michael" and for the first time the single will be available on cassette due to market forces.
 
Hopefully in the next issue we shall have our own commissioned review of the single and maybe some of your views also ?
Let us cast our minds back to 1985. The group thought what a nice gesture it would be for their fans to have two albums released in one year (a Sprout dream!) ie. "Steve McQueen" and "Protest Songs". We all know why the latter was grounded, so I won't go on unnecessarily.
 
I recently began to wonder if that "Sprout dream" may become reality this year with the release of Paddy's "modern" Christmas album "Total Snow", which we know has already been written for some time now. After enquiring, however, this is unfortunately not to be.
Then I found out that the album we are expecting, "Jordan: The Comeback" (due for release probably in late August) is a double album, having nineteen tracks on it ! A Sprout dream indeed !!!!
 
There's a lot going on at the moment, so send me copies of any news cuttings you find and we can share them with other Sprout fans out there. Than to Nicola Cole for hers - see back page.
At last the Sprouts have decided to tour (dates on inside back page). It's just as well, as I hear on good authority that Neil was getting quite pissed off with not playing with the band live. He has kept himself busy however, having had quite a full diary of session work over the last few years.
Wendy's solo single project has made no progress, for those of you wondering.
 
I wonder if they managed to get in touch with Barbra Streisand to make an alternative version of "Nightingales" and I wonder if this will become one of the songs on Paddy's "Total Snow" album when it eventually does surface ?
 
Incidentally, for those who wondered why this issue was called "Hiding Behind Odd Names", it was inspired by fan Tracey Cole's comments raised after her first listen of "Oh, The Swiss!" (B-side of "Appetite").
 
Can anyone guess why on the cover of the "Atlantis" Fanzine there was a line which read "Find a northern zest in Newcastle's existence" ? or why on this issue's cover I'm asking where Jo Grimes is ?

MORE STUFF IN THE NEXT ISSUE !!

John Birch