Raintown (album)
''Raintown'' is the debut album by Scottish pop rock band Deacon Blue. The album, written largely by lead singer Ricky Ross (musician), Ricky Ross, was released in the United Kingdom on 26 May 1987. It proved a commercial success and has to date sold around a million copies, peaking in the UK Albums Chart at no. 14 and remaining in the charts for a year and a half. The album, widely praised as Deacon Blue's finest work, has the overtones of a concept album relating to the struggles of urban life in the inner city. The city being unmistakably Glasgow, referenced by the roots of the band and by the images by photographer Oscar Marzaroli on the cover of the album: the view of a rainy day over Glasgow's West End (with the Finnieston Crane featuring prominently). Background The short intro, "Born in a Storm", melodic and interspersed with an unmistakably gloomy atmosphere created by the name, launches into the title track "Raintown", a natural extension of this plot. The weather ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop rock band formed in Glasgow during 1985. The line-up of the band consists of vocalists Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond. The band released their debut album, '' Raintown'', on 1 May 1987 in the United Kingdom and in the United States in February 1988. Their second album, ''When the World Knows Your Name'' (1989), topped the UK Albums Chart for two weeks, and included "Real Gone Kid" which became their first top ten single in the UK Singles Chart and reached number one in Spain. Deacon Blue released their fourth album, ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'', in 1993. The band split in 1994, following which Vipond began a career in television. Five years later, the band held a reunion gig, and this led on to a new album, ''Walking Back Home'', with the band now working on a part-time basis. The band released another album, '' Homesick'', in 2001. Though Graeme Kelling died from pancreatic cancer in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 635,640. Straddling the border between historic Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire, the city now forms the Glasgow City Council area, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and is governed by Glasgow City Council. It is situated on the River Clyde in the country's West Central Lowlands. Glasgow has the largest economy in Scotland and the third-highest GDP per capita of any city in the UK. Glasgow's major cultural institutions – the Burrell Collection, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera – enjoy international reputations. The city was the European Capital of Culture in 1990 and is notable for its architecture, cult ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ewen Vernal
Ewen Vernal (born 27 February 1964) is a Scottish musician. Born in Glasgow to a musical family, Vernal began taking piano lessons at 8 years old — inspired by a Beatles-singing mother and a choir-leading, saxophone-playing father. Singing competitions and local talent contests followed, but it was not until his teenage years that the bass guitar became the focus of his musical aspirations. Discovering an old guitar in the family loft with only a single low E-string left, he started to pick out bass-lines from favourite records, finally graduating to the real thing at 16 years old. From the early 1980s, Vernal began playing in a variety of Glasgow-based bands and some jazz residencies throughout Scotland until, after some persuasion from their drummer, joined newly signed Deacon Blue in the autumn of 1986—until 1994, the band enjoyed worldwide success. In 1997 Vernal joined Capercaillie, of which he is still a member. He has appeared with the Scottish progressive rock ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lorraine McIntosh
Lorraine McIntosh (born 13 May 1964) is a Scottish singer, vocalist with Scottish band Deacon Blue, and actress. Career McIntosh is a vocalist with Deacon Blue, whose second studio album, ''When the World Knows Your Name'' (1989), topped the UK Album Charts for two weeks, and included "Real Gone Kid", which became their first UK top ten single. McIntosh took a break from music to play the character Alice Henderson in the Scottish soap opera ''River City'', which was set in a fictitious suburb of Glasgow. Her character first appeared in 2002 and was written out during May 2010. McIntosh has also appeared in a few Scottish films, including Ken Loach's ''My Name Is Joe'' and Lone Scherfig's ''Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself'', as well as in three episodes of the TV police-drama series, ''Taggart''. She also starred in BBC One's comedy-drama, '' Hope Springs''. In 2017, McIntosh made a guest appearance in an episode of the fourth series of Scottish comedy series, ''Scot Squad''. P ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)
"When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" is a single released by the Scottish group Deacon Blue in 1987 and in 1988. The song features prominent backing vocals from members of R&B group Londonbeat. It was the very first song to be played on Radio Luxembourg (English), Radio Luxembourg after it went satellite at 3AM on 30 December 1991. The video for the song was directed by John Scarlett-Davis and produced by Nick Verden for Radar Films. In an interview given to the ''Daily Record (Scotland), Daily Record'' in 2012, songwriter Ricky Ross (musician), Ricky Ross explained that "It’s so hard to remember. I think that song is actually about waiting to be discovered, spurred on by the unrequited love of an old girlfriend". Multiple releases "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" has been officially released as a single twice. It was first released in August 1987 as the third single from Deacon Blue's first album ''Raintown (album), Raintown''. It peaked at No. 86 in the UK Si ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Graeme Kelling
Graeme Hunter Kelling (4 April 1957 – 10 June 2004) was a Scottish musician and the original guitarist with the Scottish pop band Deacon Blue. Born in Paisley, Scotland, Kelling was brought up in Mount Vernon in the East End of Glasgow and educated at the High School of Glasgow. Born into the Plymouth Brethren sect, he turned away from it in order to travel and to follow music. In the early 1980s he worked in the Glasgow rock music scene as both bandmember (Tune Cookies, On a Clear Day, Precious, and The Painted Word) and session guitarist. Having joined Deacon Blue in 1984 (while the band was still called "Dr Love"), Kelling went on to co-write their 1987 single "Loaded" and the B-side "Ronnie Spector" (the latter from the second single release of "Dignity"). He played on the first four Deacon Blue albums – '' Raintown'', ''When the World Knows Your Name'', ''Fellow Hoodlums'' and ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'' – before the band's first split in 1994. Following th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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James Prime
James Prime (born 3 November 1960) is a Scottish musician best known as the keyboard player for rock band Deacon Blue. Prime also lectures at the University of the West of Scotland. Known as a Hammond organ, Hammond/piano player, his talents have been sought after by John Martyn (singer), John Martyn, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Cunningham (folk musician), Phil Cunningham, Eddi Reader and Little Richard.. Career Altered Images Born in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Jim's career began properly as a session musician on an Altered Images tour of the US in 1980. Altered Images, famous for their singer Clare Grogan's voice on such hits as "Happy Birthday (Altered Images song), Happy Birthday" (no 2, U.K hit), "I Could Be Happy", "See Those Eyes" and latterly a smash U.S top ten with "Don't Talk to Me about Love" finished a successful tour by splitting up. A disillusioned Grogan wanted to continue her acting success on ''Gregory's Girl'' by pursuing a role on the next Bill Forsyth film named ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Daily Record (Scotland)
The ''Daily Record'' is a national tabloid newspaper which is published online also based in Glasgow, Scotland. The newspaper is published Monday-Saturday while the website is updated on an hourly basis, seven days a week. The ''Record'''s sister title is the '' Sunday Mail''. The title has been headquartered in Glasgow for its entire history. It is owned by Reach plc and has a close kinship with the UK-wide ''Daily Mirror'' as a result. The ''Record'' covers UK news and sport with a Scottish focus. Its website boasts the largest readership of any publisher based in Scotland. The title was at the forefront of technological advances in publishing throughout the 20th century and became the first European daily newspaper to be produced in full colour. For much of the last fifty years, the ''Sun'' has been the largest selling newspaper in Scotland. As the ''Records print circulation has declined in line with other national papers, it has focused increasing attention on expanding i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chris Rea
Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ... singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough. A "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart" known for his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty five solo albums, two of which topped the UK Albums Chart. Described as "rock's ultimate survivor", given his recovery from several bouts of serious illness, Rea was "a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10" with his single "The Road to Hell (song), The Road to Hell (Part 2)". The album, ''The Road to Hell'' (1989), topped the album chart, as did its successor, ''Auberge (album), Auberge'' (1991). His many hit songs include "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat", "Stainsby Girls", "Josephine (Chris Rea song), ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chocolate Girl (Deacon Blue Song)
"Chocolate Girl" is the fourth song released as a single from the album '' Raintown'' by the Scottish group Deacon Blue. The single version differed from the album version of the song. It is a remix by the American mixer Michael Brauer, which adds a longer musical interlude in the middle of the song and gives greater emphasis to B.J. Cole's pedal steel guitar in parts of the song. The track reached No. 43 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1988, spending seven weeks in the listing. In an interview given to the '' Daily Record'' in 2012, songwriter Ricky Ross explained that "Chocolate Girl" was "about someone’s relationship which sounded bad. I don’t really like sexist love songs, that awful song by Eric Clapton, "Wonderful Tonight". There’s a song by Prefab Sprout which says the same thing, called "Cruel", which I love". '' The Herald'' also spotted "Chocolate Girl’s dysfunctional Don Juan" running through the lyrics. Paddy McAloon claimed in a 1990 interview that the b ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dignity (Deacon Blue Song)
"Dignity" is a song by Deacon Blue, which was the band's first official release. It is one of their most popular songs and it is usually played as the final song at concerts. It received the most public votes for the 1980s songs in the Scotland's Greatest Album contest run by STV in 2011, and was featured on the 12 track compilation. It was also sung at the closing ceremony at the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow. In an interview given to the '' Daily Record'' in 2012, songwriter Ricky Ross stated, "I have no idea why I started writing a song like that in Greece, but that's why there's a reference to raki in it, the local firewater. I was sitting messing around with lyrics, bored on holiday, in a far away scene. There were men from the Glasgow cleansing department depot who walked up and down the street with brushes outside my flat in Pollokshields." Multiple releases "Dignity" has been officially released as a single three times. It was first released as the lead si ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |