Deacon Blue
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop band. The name of the band is taken from the title of a Steely Dan song, whose lyrics seem to reflect the group's early outlook:
- They got a name for the winners in the world
- I want a name when I lose....
- Call me Deacon Blues [1]
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[edit] Career
Formed in 1985, this predominantly Glaswegian act were one of the top-selling UK bands of the late 1980s/early 1990s. The group's members were Ricky Ross, Lorraine McIntosh, James Prime, Dougie Vipond, Ewan Vernal and Graeme Kelling.
Ross, a former school teacher originally from Dundee, was the group's frontman, penning the vast majority of Deacon Blue's songs. He married female vocalist Lorraine McIntosh in the later years of the band's career.
In 1986, the band contributed a track ('Take the Saints Away') to a compilation cassette entitled 'Honey at the Core', featuring then up-and-coming Glasgow bands, including Wet Wet Wet and Hue and Cry.
The band's debut album, Raintown, produced by Jon Kelly and released in 1987, is regarded by many as the band's finest effort, spawning the singles "Dignity", "Chocolate Girl" and "Loaded". Many consider Raintown to be a concept album, since nearly all the songs contribute to the overall theme of being stuck in a dead-end life in a deprived city, longing for something better. The city that the album's title refers to is Glasgow, and the memorable cover art of the album is a photograph (by the Scottish-Italian photographer Oscar Marzaroli) of the River Clyde's docks taken from Kelvingrove Park on a miserable day.
The second album, 1989's When The World Knows Your Name, was the band's most commercially successful, featuring the extremely popular singles "Real Gone Kid", "Wages Day", and "Fergus Sings The Blues". However, music critics began to criticize the band for pursuing commercial success over artistic integrity, citing the earlier achievements with Raintown.
By now the band had also gained a reputation as one of the best live acts in the UK. Ticket sales for shows in Glasgow's SECC in both May and December of 1989 would break the world record at the time for the fastest sell-out. The following year saw the band play in front of an estimated 250,000 fans at the free concert on Glasgow Green "The Big Day", which was held to celebrate Glasgow being named that year's European City of Culture. The band also played Glastonbury and the Roskilde festivals that summer, as well as released a double album of B-sides, extra tracks, film tracks and sessions titled "Ooh Las Vegas". This seemed to confirm the band's eminent status by reaching No. 3 in the UK album charts.
Jon Kelly returned to the producer's chair in 1991 for Fellow Hoodlums, and the album was met with more critical success, but by now the group's honeymoon period was over and their success started to wane (the album only peaked at No.2 in the UK album charts). This album was followed up with 1993's Whatever You Say, Say Nothing , a much more experimental album in the vein of U2's Achtung Baby, which garnered critical praise, but was something of a commercial failure.
The band embarked on another sold out UK tour in 1994, but not before recording new material for the greatest hits compilation "Our Town". This saw the band return to No. 1 in the UK album charts and was one of the year's top sellers, while "I Was Right & You Were Wrong" and "Dignity" saw the band reenter the Top 20 singles chart.
[edit] Subsequent events
With Vipond's decision to quit the group in favour for a career in television, Deacon Blue split up in 1994. Ricky Ross had a short-lived solo career in the mid-'90s. The band made an unexpected reunion gig in 1999, and this led on to a new album in 2000, Walking Back Home, with the band now working on a part-time basis. Though Graeme Kelling died from cancer in 2004, the band has vowed to continue in his absence.
Ross later resurrected his solo career. Epic released his second solo album "What You Are" in 1996 (his first was released on the Glasgow independent label Sticky Records in the 1980s). He then released "New Recording" on his own label in 1997. After landing a new publishing deal with Warner Chappell UK he also found a new label Papillion through whom Deacon Blue's "Homesick" album was released in 2001. This was followed by Ricky's solo effort "This Is The Life" in 2002. He then released "Pale Rider" in 2005 through P3 Music. As part of his publishing deal with Warner Chappell he also began co-writing with other artists. He currently spends more time on this than on his solo career or Deacon Blue projects. To date he has written for and with James Blunt, Ronan Keating, K.T. Tunstall, David Sneddon, Cathy Burton, Gareth Gates, Emma Bunton and several others.
2006 saw Deacon Blue returning to the studio to record three new tracks for a "Singles" album - including the track "Bigger Than Dynamite". The band performed at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium, as the pre-match entertainment for the Rugby League Super League Grand Final on the 14 October, and continued on to a full UK tour in November. They were also due to open Stirlings New Year party, but this was cancelled at the last minute due to extreme weather.
[edit] Discography
- Raintown (May 1987)
- Riches (bonus LP of live recordings and BBC sessions) - included in limited edition pressings of Raintown (Feb 1988)
- When the World Knows Your Name (April 1989)
- Ooh Las Vegas (September 1990)
- Fellow Hoodlums (June 1991)
- Whatever You Say, Say Nothing (March 1993)
- Our Town (the greatest hits) (March 1994)
- Riches & More (Feb 1997)
- Walking Back Home (October 1999)
- Homesick (April 2001)
- The Very Best of Deacon Blue (Nov 2001)
- Raintown Legacy Edition (27th February 2006)
- 'Singles' (16th October 2006)
A DVD was released 23rd October 2006 featuring all the band's videos alongside the 1989 Big Picture concert.
[edit] External links
- Official Deacon Blue / Ricky Ross Site
- Deacon Blue live at Cornbury Music Festival UK July 2006
- Glasgow Skyline : Deacon Blue / Ricky Ross Site
[edit] References
- Deacon Blue at Quasimodo Bell Full Discography with all singles, covers & lyrics inc. UK Charts.
