Raintown
Encyclopedia
Raintown is the debut album of Scottish
pop
band Deacon Blue
. The album, written largely by lead singer Ricky Ross
, was released in the United Kingdom
on May 1, 1987. It proved a commercial success and has to date sold around a million copies, peaking in the UK album chart at 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 famous images on the cover of the album, the view of a rainy day over Glasgow's West End (with the Finnieston Crane
featuring prominently) and, on the rear, a long-exposure
capture of the Kingston Bridge
blasting through the city centre at night.
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 remains a feature of the atmosphere of the album, reflecting the epitome of the Scots word dreich. Played out in the course of the album is the struggle with money ("Loaded
"), unemployment, dreams of something better ("Dignity
"), culminating in an angry attack upon urban life ("Town to Be Blamed"). The album does feature lighter experiences though, with the love songs ("Chocolate Girl
") and "Love's Great Fears" - a track that Ross has often cited as his all time favourite, featuring a searing slide guitar outro by Chris Rea
.
On 27 February 2006, Raintown was reissued as part of Columbia's Legacy Edition series. The re-issue was expanded to 2 CDs. The first CD featured the original 11 track album. The second CD featured alternate cuts of all 11 album tracks, as well as the two original CD bonus tracks "Riches" and "Kings of the Western World".
The new edition did not include the varied bonus cuts (remixes and b-sides) that were found on the singles from the album.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop band formed in Glasgow during 1985. Their name was taken from the title of the Steely Dan song "Deacon Blues". The band consists of vocalist Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond....
. The album, written largely by lead singer Ricky Ross
Ricky Ross (musician)
Ricky Ross, born Richard Alexander Ross is a Scottish singer-songwriter and broadcaster, most famously for his work with the rock band, Deacon Blue.-Biography:...
, was released in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on May 1, 1987. It proved a commercial success and has to date sold around a million copies, peaking in the UK album chart at 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
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
relating to the struggles of urban life in the inner city
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
- the city being unmistakably Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, referenced by the roots of the band and by the famous images on the cover of the album, the view of a rainy day over Glasgow's West End (with the Finnieston Crane
Finnieston Crane
The Finnieston Crane is a crane and landmark in Glasgow, Scotland. It is now disused but is retained as a symbol of the city's engineering heritage.- History :...
featuring prominently) and, on the rear, a long-exposure
Exposure (photography)
In photography, exposure is the total amount of light allowed to fall on the photographic medium during the process of taking a photograph. Exposure is measured in lux seconds, and can be computed from exposure value and scene luminance over a specified area.In photographic jargon, an exposure...
capture of the Kingston Bridge
Kingston Bridge, Glasgow
The Kingston Bridge is a balanced cantilever dual-span ten lane road bridge made of triple-cell segmented prestressed concrete box girders crossing the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. The largest urban bridge in the United Kingdom, it carries the M8 motorway through the city centre...
blasting through the city centre at night.
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 remains a feature of the atmosphere of the album, reflecting the epitome of the Scots word dreich. Played out in the course of the album is the struggle with money ("Loaded
Loaded (Deacon Blue song)
Loaded is a single released by the Scottish group Deacon Blue in 1987.The main B-side, "Long Distance from Just Across the Road", appears on all versions of the single, which was released on Cassette and on 7" and 12" vinyl...
"), unemployment, dreams of something better ("Dignity
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 is often played as the final song at concerts. "Dignity", particularly the original version, appears on almost every Deacon Blue compilation or greatest hits collection...
"), culminating in an angry attack upon urban life ("Town to Be Blamed"). The album does feature lighter experiences though, with the love songs ("Chocolate Girl
Chocolate Girl
Chocolate Girl is the fourth song released as a single from the album Raintown by the Scottish group Deacon Blue. The single version differs somewhat from the album version of the song...
") and "Love's Great Fears" - a track that Ross has often cited as his all time favourite, featuring a searing slide guitar outro by Chris Rea
Chris Rea
Chris Rea is an English singer-songwriter, recognisable for his distinctive, husky voice and slide guitar playing. The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally...
.
On 27 February 2006, Raintown was reissued as part of Columbia's Legacy Edition series. The re-issue was expanded to 2 CDs. The first CD featured the original 11 track album. The second CD featured alternate cuts of all 11 album tracks, as well as the two original CD bonus tracks "Riches" and "Kings of the Western World".
The new edition did not include the varied bonus cuts (remixes and b-sides) that were found on the singles from the album.
Original 1987 album
- "Born in a Storm"– 1:33
- "Raintown" – 3:50
- "Ragman" – 3:08
- "He Looks Like Spencer Tracy Now" – 3:50
- "LoadedLoaded (Deacon Blue song)Loaded is a single released by the Scottish group Deacon Blue in 1987.The main B-side, "Long Distance from Just Across the Road", appears on all versions of the single, which was released on Cassette and on 7" and 12" vinyl...
" (PrimeJames PrimeJames "Optimus" Prime is best known as the keyboard player for Deacon Blue. He also lectures at the University of the West of Scotland. Known as a Hammond/piano player, his talents have been sought after by John Martyn, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Cunningham, Eddi Reader and Little Richard...
, RossRicky Ross (musician)Ricky Ross, born Richard Alexander Ross is a Scottish singer-songwriter and broadcaster, most famously for his work with the rock band, Deacon Blue.-Biography:...
, KellingGraeme KellingGraeme Hunter Kelling was a guitarist with the Scottish pop band, Deacon Blue.He was born in Paisley, Scotland, and educated at the High School of Glasgow. He died in 2004 in Glasgow at the age of 47, after a four year battle with pancreatic cancer.-External links:* * *...
) – 4:29 - "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)"When Will You " 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...
" – 5:05 - "Chocolate GirlChocolate GirlChocolate Girl is the fourth song released as a single from the album Raintown by the Scottish group Deacon Blue. The single version differs somewhat from the album version of the song...
" – 3:18 - "DignityDignity (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 is often played as the final song at concerts. "Dignity", particularly the original version, appears on almost every Deacon Blue compilation or greatest hits collection...
" – 4:00 - "The Very Thing" – 3:34
- "Love's Great Fears" (RossRicky Ross (musician)Ricky Ross, born Richard Alexander Ross is a Scottish singer-songwriter and broadcaster, most famously for his work with the rock band, Deacon Blue.-Biography:...
, PrimeJames PrimeJames "Optimus" Prime is best known as the keyboard player for Deacon Blue. He also lectures at the University of the West of Scotland. Known as a Hammond/piano player, his talents have been sought after by John Martyn, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Cunningham, Eddi Reader and Little Richard...
) – 3:42 - "Town to Be Blamed" (RossRicky Ross (musician)Ricky Ross, born Richard Alexander Ross is a Scottish singer-songwriter and broadcaster, most famously for his work with the rock band, Deacon Blue.-Biography:...
, PrimeJames PrimeJames "Optimus" Prime is best known as the keyboard player for Deacon Blue. He also lectures at the University of the West of Scotland. Known as a Hammond/piano player, his talents have been sought after by John Martyn, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Cunningham, Eddi Reader and Little Richard...
) – 5:19
Legacy Edition Bonus CD [2006]
|
Deacon Blue
- Ricky RossRicky Ross (musician)Ricky Ross, born Richard Alexander Ross is a Scottish singer-songwriter and broadcaster, most famously for his work with the rock band, Deacon Blue.-Biography:...
– lead vocals (additional guitar, piano & keyboard on bonus tracks on reissue version) - Graeme KellingGraeme KellingGraeme Hunter Kelling was a guitarist with the Scottish pop band, Deacon Blue.He was born in Paisley, Scotland, and educated at the High School of Glasgow. He died in 2004 in Glasgow at the age of 47, after a four year battle with pancreatic cancer.-External links:* * *...
– guitar, low voice - James PrimeJames PrimeJames "Optimus" Prime is best known as the keyboard player for Deacon Blue. He also lectures at the University of the West of Scotland. Known as a Hammond/piano player, his talents have been sought after by John Martyn, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Cunningham, Eddi Reader and Little Richard...
– keyboards, backing vocals - Ewen VernalEwen VernalEwen Vernal 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...
– bass guitar, backing vocals - Dougie VipondDougie VipondDougie Vipond is a Scottish musician and television personality. He studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating in 1985. He was one of the founding members of Scottish soft rock / pop band, Deacon Blue.Dougie Vipond is one of the busiest and most versatile broadcasters in...
– drums, percussion
Additional musicians
- Lorraine McIntoshLorraine McIntoshLorraine McIntosh is the female vocalist, with the Scottish pop band, Deacon Blue, and is married to lead singer Ricky Ross. They have three children...
– backing & harmony vocals - Chris ReaChris ReaChris Rea is an English singer-songwriter, recognisable for his distinctive, husky voice and slide guitar playing. The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally...
(slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
on "Love's Great Fears") - B.J. Cole (pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
on "Chocolate Girl") - Jimmy Helms, George Chandler, Jimmy Chambers (LondonbeatLondonbeatLondonbeat was originally a UK and American R&B and Dance band who scored a number of pop and dance hits in the early 1990s.-History:Londonbeat's career started in the Netherlands where "There's a Beat Going On" reached the Top 10, and then "9 A.M " which subsequently became a modest success in the...
) (backing vocals on "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)")