Formed in 1978[5] by brothers Paddy and Martin McAloon and joined by vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player Wendy Smith in 1982, they released their debut album Swoon to critical acclaim in 1984.

Their subsequent albums, including 1985's Steve McQueen and 1990's Jordan: The Comeback, have been described by Paul Lester of The Guardian as "some of the most beautiful and intelligent records of their era".

[6] Frontman Paddy McAloon is regarded as one of the great songwriters of his time and the band have been credited with producing some of the "most beloved" pop music of the 1980s and 1990s.

Songwriter Paddy McAloon wanted a song title where the first letters of the words spelled out Limoges, the French city where his former girlfriend was studying at the time.

[1][9] Music journalist Stuart Maconie described the track as "enigmatic, melancholy, tuneful and therefore perfect for a jobless literature graduate with girlfriend problems".

[10] Their lineup expanded shortly after to incorporate vocalist Wendy Smith, and they recorded a second single "The Devil Has All the Best Tunes / Walk On" that September.

The album attracted the attention of musician Thomas Dolby, who began producing a new batch of what McAloon would describe as simpler songs with the band.

[19] Graham Lant's relationship with Prefab Sprout ended soon after recording of Swoon, so Neil Conti joined the band as drummer.

In 2001 the band, now reduced to Paddy and Martin McAloon, released The Gunman and Other Stories, a concept album themed on the American Wild West, produced by Tony Visconti.

After being diagnosed with a medical disorder that seriously impaired his vision, Paddy McAloon released the album I Trawl the Megahertz under his own name in 2003 on the EMI Liberty label.

In early 2007 a remastered edition of Steve McQueen was released in a two-CD package, containing new versions of eight of the songs from the original album, in different arrangements performed by McAloon on acoustic guitar.

[citation needed] Crimson/Red, consisting of developed versions of tracks from the vaults,[6] was released on 7 October 2013 on vinyl and CD on the Icebreaker records label.

[citation needed] In a 2013 interview, McAloon explained that his health issues (in particular, the deterioration of his hearing and eyesight)[27] now dictated the way in which Prefab Sprout music was recorded, making it impractical and even impossible for any other musicians to be involved,[28] but that he remained fond of and grateful to his former bandmates.

[31] The Sony press release notes that although this was originally a solo album, it is now fitting to classify it as a Prefab Sprout record.

According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, the band's name was a mondegreen from the song "Jackson" ("We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout"), misheard by frontman Paddy McAloon.