Re: The Blue Nile's first album

Listening to it now for the first time in 30 years, I think, and it's both way more weird and slightly more interesting to me than I remember. But I saw the following account on AllMusic and wondered if others already knew this. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention at the time, but I definitely never heard that story. Kinda fascinating if true:

The Blue Nile's debut album has a rather fascinating genesis. Scotland's Linn Electronics wanted a demo track to demonstrate the fidelity and versatility of their new recording console and tapped a struggling local trio, the Blue Nile, to provide it. Their effort was a deliberately disjunctive song called "A Walk Across the Rooftops." To demonstrate the recording equipment's dynamic range and clarity, the song was arranged most peculiarly, with vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and full string and horn sections all appearing, but never at the same time. Linn liked the song so much that they formed a record label and bankrolled the recording of this full album.

I read that at one point years ago (that is, in the last 20 years or so). I can remember when I bought that album...it was in 2000 in a record shop in Newport News, VA.

I don't think they ever surpassed their debut album. Hats is generally viewed as their best from what I can tell, but I'm not on board with that opinion.

rhettlawrence Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Listening to it now for the first time in 30
> years, I think, and it's both way more weird and
> slightly more interesting to me than I remember.
> But I saw the following account on AllMusic and
> wondered if others already knew this. Maybe I just
> wasn't paying attention at the time, but I
> definitely never heard that story. Kinda
> fascinating if true:
>
> The Blue Nile's debut album has a rather
> fascinating genesis. Scotland's Linn Electronics
> wanted a demo track to demonstrate the fidelity
> and versatility of their new recording console and
> tapped a struggling local trio, the Blue Nile, to
> provide it. Their effort was a deliberately
> disjunctive song called "A Walk Across the
> Rooftops." To demonstrate the recording
> equipment's dynamic range and clarity, the song
> was arranged most peculiarly, with vocals, guitar,
> bass, keyboards, drums, and full string and horn
> sections all appearing, but never at the same
> time. Linn liked the song so much that they formed
> a record label and bankrolled the recording of
> this full album.

Just finished reading Tim Blanchard's book "Like Magic in the Streets" which covers five indie albums made in the UK in the early 80's: Orange Juice's debut, Aztec Camera's debut, The Go- Betweens "Before Hollywood", The Smiths debut, and the first Blue Nile album. The story about the Linn record label is in this book as well...not sure if that validates it or one source lifted the story from the other. Anyway, really enjoyed the book, and would recommend it if you're into any of those bands. The Blue Nile was the only band of the five I'm not into, but I may need to check them out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/2025 08:43PM by Chucky.

I can recall nothing of the sort from reading this book:


I always felt that The Blue Nile [on their first two albums, at least] represented the surge past the vibe of "Avalon" to the next level that Bryan Ferry always struggled to achieve.

Former TP subscriber [81, 82, 83, 84]

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/2025 09:27PM by Post-Punk Monk.

A Walk Across the Rooftops is an album I married into. I haven't given it a listen in quite a long time -- honestly, since just after I was married. But clearly, a re-visit is in order.

I guess everyone’s got their favourites based on varying criteria - peak, sheer volume of solidly above-average work, best band since point ‘x’ on the timeline, etc. - and The Blue Nile would be my favourite on strike rate: the first three LPs (there are only four) all sit inside my top 25 of all-time; Buchanan and Tinseltown In The Rain figure in my top-five singers and songs.


I’ve got the Blanchard book, too*. It’s always queued to read every spring - it seems like either a springtime or autumn read - and maybe this is the year I get ‘round to it.

* - He’s published a sequel, moving into the ‘90s. Similar structure; the bands this time are Sundays, Fatima Mansions, Prefab Sprout, Apartments and Trashcan Sinatras