| The Blue Nile | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Adult alternative, dream pop |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | RSO Records Linn Records Virgin Records Warner Bros. Records Sanctuary Records |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | |
| Paul Buchanan (vocals, guitar) Robert Bell (bass) |
|
| Past members | |
| Paul Joseph Moore (keyboards) | |
The Blue Nile is an adult alternative/pop band from Glasgow.[1] The music of The Blue Nile is built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works featured acoustic guitar more prominently.
Contents |
The band was formed in 1981 when Paul Buchanan (born 16 April 1956, Edinburgh) and his friend, Robert Bell, met Paul Joseph Moore after graduating from the University of Glasgow in the late 1970s.[2] Although their individual degrees did not reflect their future career wishes (English Literature, Electronic Engineering and Mathematics, respectively), their mutual friendship grew out of their shared interest in music, and they began writing and recording together.
Bell and Buchanan were previously the key members of the band Night by Night, who had a small but enthusiastic following in the Glasgow area; they had made demos of songs like "Rio" and "Stay", but were not commercial enough at the time to secure a recording contract.
They formed their own label, Peppermint Records, and released their first single, "I Love This Life", which was later picked up and issued by RSO Records.[1] Soon afterwards, RSO was absorbed into Polygram, and The Blue Nile's first single disappeared from view. The trio kept writing and recording over the next couple of years, including a couple of tracks that would later surface on their debut album.
When local hi-fi manufacturer Linn Electronics heard their music, through friend and recording engineer Calum Malcolm, the company offered the band money to record a track that would showcase the sonic range of the company's high-end audio equipment.[3][4] Linn was so pleased with the result, they formed their own record label in order to release The Blue Nile's debut, A Walk Across the Rooftops, in 1983.[1] Buchanan later commented that during that time Linn was not really a record company, and The Blue Nile was not really a band.[2] Although it received positive reviews, it sold modestly.
1984 saw a greater exposure for the band throughout Europe with the videos for their two singles "Stay" and "Tinseltown in the Rain" often shown on the video channel Music Box.
After a prolonged delay in which an entire album's worth of work was scrapped, The Blue Nile released Hats in 1989 to rave reviews, including a rare five-star rating from Q magazine.[5] The album was recorded in the same studio as much of their previous work, Castlesound in Pencaitland, East Lothian. The album explores the highs and lows of romantic love. At the time, Hats reached #12 on the UK Albums Chart and slipped into the Billboard 200 in the United States. Rickie Lee Jones, a fan of the band, selected The Blue Nile as her opening act for her 1990 tour. She would later record a duet with them, a cover version of the band's own "Easter Parade", which was featured as a B-side to the single "Headlights on the Parade". She also sang live with the band on the Scottish television programme Halfway To Paradise, performing her song "Flying Cowboys".[2]
In 1992, the band worked on Annie Lennox's debut solo album, Diva, and co-wrote the track "The Gift". Lennox later covered "The Downtown Lights" (from the Hats album), for her album, Medusa, released in 1995.
In 1996, seven years later, The Blue Nile released their follow-up to Hats, entitled Peace at Last. In a radical departure from the band's prior two albums, the record is primarily driven by Buchanan's acoustic guitar. A gospel choir made a brief appearance on the lead-off single, "Happiness". Despite the release of Peace at Last on a major label, the album sold poorly, and the critical reaction to the album was more mixed.[1]
After the longest period between albums, eight years, The Blue Nile released High in 2004. Although acoustic guitar is still present on some tracks, the overall musical sound is more reminiscent of Hats.
The album was recorded in Glasgow, as the group had tired of travelling and living in other countries, such as the United States, Ireland, Italy and France.[6] They also decided to release it on Sanctuary Records instead of a corporate label, following Sanctuary's A&R, John Williams, calling the band and suggesting releasing a record. According to Buchanan, the people at Sanctuary do not promise "to call on a Tuesday and then nothing comes of it".[6]
Buchanan and Bell toured England and Scotland in May and June 2006, followed by Scotland and Ireland in November 2006, billed as 'Paul Buchanan sings the songs of The Blue Nile'. The band consisted of Buchanan on vocals and guitar; Bell on bass guitar and keyboards; Alan Cuthbertson and Brendan Smith on keyboards; Stuart McCredie on guitar; and Liam Bradley on drums. It was later revealed that Paul Joseph Moore was no longer with the band,[7][8] and that Buchanan and Bell had refrained from simply billing themselves as The Blue Nile as a mark of respect for their former colleague.
On 14 July 2007, Buchanan and Bell played Manchester's Bridgewater Hall as part of the Manchester International Festival.
In July 2008, the band played shows at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, London Somerset House and Galway Radisson Hotel.
In September 2010, a biography of The Blue Nile, by Allan Brown, ('Nileism - the strange course of The Blue Nile') was published. The writer claims that the band members have not spoken to each other for some years and that the band has for the time being for all intents purposes broken up, although Buchanan hopes they will find a way to make a fifth album.
Buchanan has collaborated with Shirley Manson (lead singer of Garbage) on her, as yet, unreleased solo album.
Non-album single:
From A Walk Across the Rooftops:
From Hats:
From Peace at Last:
From High: