paranoid android Posted September 18, 2017 Share Posted September 18, 2017 Can't believe there isnae a thread for these bois. Not everyone's cup of tea, I guess, but incredibly emotional music imo. Their albums were recorded just a few miles from where I live. Anyway - I love them - I cannae be the only c**t, surely? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
well fan for life Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 'Hats' is an absolute masterpiece and if anyone wants to say otherwise I am willing to go as far as fisticuffs. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 (edited) Their first two albums in particular are wonderful and "Hats" is my favourite album off all time. Quite a statment from someone who tends to like guitar based music. Although Paul Buchanan is both a great songwriter and vocalist, his solo album is a bit one paced and lacks the textures of the BN; it als shows just how important Robert Bell and Paul Joseph Moore were to the Blue Nile as at times with the media emphasis on Mr Buchanan, it felt like they were becoming the Paul Buchanan band. I always felt that Paul Moores role in the band was under appreciated. If I take "Hats" as an example, the songs are great (with the exception of "7 AM", which doesnt cut it with me) but how diluted would say, "Saturday Night" and "Lets go out Tonight" be without Moores amazing soundscapes? The man sure knows how to capture a mood. Similarly how much better would Buchanans solo album be if Moore were involved? There is also something intrinsically Scottish about some off their songs, not so much the lyrics but those numbers where there is an emphasis on modal tunings and/or a drone. About three years ago, I had the privilege on doing some preliminary backing guitar for Moore's solo project and got an insight into the mans musicality. He is unique; he hears music differently from anyone else I know and its this aspect that informs his decisions. A quite amazing talent that is matched by his modesty. Sadly, I would say there is next to no chance of them ever getting back together, but would love to be proved wrong. Edited September 19, 2017 by PRS spelling 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Capital Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 Hats is a great record. Peace at Last has it's moments, as does Walk Across The Rooftops. High was a bit boring but the band was finished by then. I also really enjoyed Mid Air, but it's not a record you can listen to on any occasion. What was the story with their split? One of them just stopped contacting the other two was what I read. Also, there was a great Radio Scotland documentary on them a while back that might still be on the IPlayer. Really worth a listen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivo den Bieman Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 Headlights on the Parade is one of my favourite all time songs. Just...fragile and very beautiful. Right up there with American Music Club's Western Skies. Must sya Phil Collins' heartfelt praise for the album (on a yellow sticker) made me a bit suspicious when I bought a copy of Hats from the old Fopp on Byers Rd in the early 90s. Think the fanbase of the group is ageing, though. Not sure they are quite so well known /appreciated amongst younger folk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 (edited) 12 hours ago, Ivo den Bieman said: . Must sya Phil Collins' heartfelt praise for the album (on a yellow sticker) made me a bit suspicious when I bought a copy of Hats from the old Fopp on Byers Rd in the early 90s. Paul Joseph Moore told me that Phil Collins had based the sound of one of his albums in that of the Blue Nile. Not a fan of Collins and cannot remember which album it is, maybe “But Seriously” ? Edited September 20, 2017 by PRS Spelling 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paranoid android Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 I'm pretty sure you can hear a Blue Nile influence in some albums by Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel too. Hats is brilliant, and Walk Across the Rooftops was a stunning debut, and there is some incredible stuff on Peace at Last. Some of the best music ever to come out of Scotland. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 1 hour ago, paranoid android said: I'm pretty sure you can hear a Blue Nile influence in some albums by Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel too. Hats is brilliant, and Walk Across the Rooftops was a stunning debut, and there is some incredible stuff on Peace at Last. Some of the best music ever to come out of Scotland. There was a lot of love for the Blue Nile from fellow musicians - their originality and inventiveness would almost certainly have influenced others around the late 80s. Agree with you re Hats and Rooftops, but I found Peace at Last disappointing apart from "Happiness" and "Family Life" with "War is Love" being just downright awful. Out of curiosity, which tracks do you rate "incredible" on "PAL"? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paranoid android Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 11 minutes ago, PRS said: There was a lot of love for the Blue Nile from fellow musicians - their originality and inventiveness would almost certainly have influenced others around the late 80s. Agree with you re Hats and Rooftops, but I found Peace at Last disappointing apart from "Happiness" and "Family Life" with "War is Love" being just downright awful. Out of curiosity, which tracks do you rate "incredible" on "PAL"? 'Body and Soul' and 'Family Life' for starters - also 'Sentimental Man' - it's the sheer amount of emotional intensity. On certain days, I'd rate Peace at Last over Hats - real drums, acoustic guitars, and 'the sound of his voice'. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 See we have "Family life" in common from PAL. "Hats" is alwaysnot just my favourite BN album, but my favourite album off all time. Pity they never got around to a studio recoding of this gem that was played on the 2005 tour Spoiler 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paranoid android Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 There 's also the fabled 'lost' album between Rooftops and Hats that Nile heads mourn - the band obviously knew that it wasn't up to scratch - when asked about the legend of the band burning the tapes in the courtyard at Castle Sound, Buchanan shrugs "Aye, some tapes were burned - meh" 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paranoid android Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 I also can't agree that 'War is Love' is "awful" - yes, the drum machine isn't great, and the synth patch could be better, but that's The Blue Nile - it's almost like a demo, but they've captured a great moment. Bless them. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 58 minutes ago, paranoid android said: There 's also the fabled 'lost' album between Rooftops and Hats that Nile heads mourn - the band obviously knew that it wasn't up to scratch - when asked about the legend of the band burning the tapes in the courtyard at Castle Sound, Buchanan shrugs "Aye, some tapes were burned - meh" Paul Moore also confirmed the tape burning 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paranoid android Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 41 minutes ago, PRS said: Paul Moore also confirmed the tape burning JP - nobody plays a Jupiter 8 like him. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 He still has the receipt for that synth! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paranoid android Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 38 minutes ago, PRS said: He still has the receipt for that synth! Money well spent! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 5 hours ago, paranoid android said: Money well spent! Back in the day, these things were a helluva lot of money. When launched in 1983, list price was £2250, about £8k today. With a strong background in physics, PJ was able to delve into the synths sounds and edit them, hence those unique soundscapes that is his trademark. Synths don’t hold their value as I know to my cost. I bought a Korg Wavestation in 1991 for £1100, sold it recently for £80! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paranoid android Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 10 hours ago, PRS said: Back in the day, these things were a helluva lot of money. When launched in 1983, list price was £2250, about £8k today. With a strong background in physics, PJ was able to delve into the synths sounds and edit them, hence those unique soundscapes that is his trademark. Synths don’t hold their value as I know to my cost. I bought a Korg Wavestation in 1991 for £1100, sold it recently for £80! Synths ain't what they used to be either - I recently bought a Korg Krome - it's ok, but it doesn't have anything like the depth or body of the sound of my old Korg X3 - also bought a Roland Juno G, which is much tamer that my long-dead JX3P or even the JX1 - was seriously tempted to get a Jupiter purely because that's what JP used. Wouldn't sound remotely as good in my hands, of course. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 (edited) 4 hours ago, paranoid android said: Synths ain't what they used to be either - I recently bought a Korg Krome - it's ok, but it doesn't have anything like the depth or body of the sound of my old Korg X3 - also bought a Roland Juno G, which is much tamer that my long-dead JX3P or even the JX1 - was seriously tempted to get a Jupiter purely because that's what JP used. Wouldn't sound remotely as good in my hands, of course. I'm no expert on synths, but dabbled with them after hearing "Hats" and along with the aforementioned Kork Wavestation, bought a Casio VZ1 second hand from "Rikkis" near the foot of Leith Walk, an EVS1 Expander and a Roland Guitar Synth. However, many keyboard players I know would agree with you that nothing digital matches the warmth of analogue synths. Edited September 21, 2017 by PRS spelling 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Capital Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 (edited) Just out of interest, what does Paul Buchanan do now? Does he just live off the royalties? Edited September 26, 2017 by Highland Capital 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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