Deacon Blue

Deacon Blue - Homesick - 2001 - Papillon

Newly re-emerged (with the band's original line-up intact) from a lengthy bout of self-imposed exile and with Ricky Ross' still ongoing solo career failing to grip the public's imagination, Homesick is just the kind of record which Deacon Blue ought to have made in 1993--if only they'd had it in them at the time. The occasional chorus is a mite overplayed (the sunny Carl Wilson disposition of "A Is For Astronaut" fails to build on a promising start), but this is a record benefiting from sensible, well-conceived arrangements and the unshakeable belief that every album track ought to good enough to be a single. This aspiration is frequently realised--the lush, loungey "Rae" (imagine a quality Prefab Sprout / Burt Bacharach collaboration), the expression of faith in God on the gospel "Out There" and the soft-pop ballad "Everytime You Sleep" meriting special attention. They've left it late, but clearly it's us not them who've got some catching up to do. © Kevin Maidment © 1996-2010, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.co.uk/Homesick-Deacon-Blue/dp/B00005B16D

Paul Heaton of the great The Beautiful South band once made an "interesting" comment, saying "Who are the people who buy Deacon Blue records? Eh? Do you know any?" The comment sounds a bit cynical, and not having read the full article, maybe it is taken out of context. (I know many people who bought DB's "Raintown", "Fellow Hoodlums", and "Homesick" albums, including "Yours Truly"). Deacon Blue once held the reputation as one of the best live acts in the UK. When they played Glasgow's SECC in May, and December, 1989, they broke the world record at the time for the fastest sell-out concerts. In 1990, DB played in front of 250,000 fans at the free "The Big Day” concert, in Glasgow Green, Scotland. It is estimated that Deacon Blue shifted over six million albums, but considering that one of their albums, "Raintown", was in the UK album charts for over nineteen months, the figure may be underesttimated. If you listen to timeless songs like "Dignity", "Queen Of The New Year", "Fergus Sings The Blues", "Chocolate Girl", and "Real Gone Kid", and albums like " Raintown", and "Fellow Hoodlums", it is obvious that DB was a hugely talented band, and a class act. "Homesick" was the sixth studio album from the Scottish pop band, Deacon Blue fronted by the brilliant musician and songwriter Ricky Ross. As is usual with most of the band's albums, it's subtle, sophisticated, and dominated by Ricky Ross' fabulous songwriting talents. The album is VHR by A.O.O.F.C. "Who are the people who buy Deacon Blue records? Eh? Do you know any?"....YES !! Buy Deacon Blue's classic "Raintown" album. Check out DB's "Ooh Las Vegas" album @ DEACBL/OLV and "Fellow Hoodlums" album @ DEACBL/FH Try and listen to Ricky Ross' 1996 album "What You Are" featuring Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter the brilliant ex-Steely Dan guitarist. For music in the same genre, listen to Prefab Sprout's classic "From Langley Park to Memphis" album.

TRACKS

1."Rae" (Ross, Prime, MacDonald)– 4:46
2."Out There" – 3:46
3."This Train Will Take You Anywhere" (Ross, Slaven) – 4:48
4."Everytime You Sleep" – 4:06
5."Now That You're Here" (Ross, Prime) – 4:00
6."Silverlake" (Ross, Prime) – 4:36
7."A is for Astronaut" – 3:03
8."Beautifully Still" – 4:12
9."Homesick" – 4:14
10."Even Higher Ground" (Ross, Gary Clark)– 3:52
11."I Am Born" - 4:22

All songs composed by Ricky Ross, except where stated

MUSICIANS

Graeme Kelling - guitar (RIP)
James Prime - acoustic guitar, keyboards, bass
Mick Slaven - guitar on "Rae", "This Train Will Take You Anywhere", "A is for Astronaut", "Beautifully Still", "Homesick", and "I Am Born"
Scott Frasier - guitar on "Out There"
Guliano Gizzi - guitar on "Silverlake"
Davy Scott - guitar on "Everytime You Sleep"
Ewen Vernal - bass, glockenspiel
Ricky Ross - keyboards, glockenspiel, vocals
Dougie Vipond - drums
Jim MacDermott - drums on "A is for Astronaut", "Homesick", and "Even Higher Ground"
Kenny MacDonald - drums on "Homesick"
The Kick Horns - brass on "Now That You're Here"
The Scottish BT Ensemble - strings on "Now That You're Here", "Homesick", "Even Higher Ground", and "I Am Born"
Lorraine McIntosh - vocals

SHORT BIO

Taking their name from a Steely Dan song, Deacon Blue is one of the best unknown bands in Scotland. With the vocals of singer-songwriter Ricky Ross backed by jazz and soul-inspired melodies, the group recorded several British hits in the late-1980s. Their success, however, failed to carry over to American audiences. Frustrated by their inability to secure international popularity, the group disbanded in the summer of 1994. Although he launched a solo career, Ross had no greater success than he had as frontman for Deacon Blue. In May 1999, the group agreed to reunite for a series of concerts in Great Britain and Europe. Their first new album in five years, Walking Back Home, was released shortly afterwards. Formed in 1985, Deacon Blue performed their first concert as the opening act for The Waterboys' first show in England. The group continued to go through personnel changes with only Reed and drummer Dougie Vipond remaining from the original band. As of November 1999, Deacon Blue was rounded out by bassist Ewen Vernal, guitarist Graeme Kelling, keyboardist Jamis Prime and second vocalist Lorraine McIntosh. Craig Harris © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gifrxqe5ld6e

BIO (WIKI)

Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop band. Their name is rumoured to be taken from the title of the Steely Dan song "Deacon Blues". Formed in 1985 once Ricky Ross moved from Dundee to Glasgow, Deacon Blue were one of the top-selling UK bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The group's members were Ricky Ross, Lorraine McIntosh, James Prime, Dougie Vipond, Ewen 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, generating five UK top 30 hits, including "Real Gone Kid", "Wages Day", and "Fergus Sings the Blues" (all five singles from the album were top 10 hits in Ireland). However, music critics began to criticise the band for pursuing commercial success over artistic integrity, citing the earlier achievements with Raintown. By this time, the band had 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 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 Ooh Las Vegas, a double album of B-sides, extra tracks, film tracks, and sessions. 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 the album Fellow Hoodlums. The album was met with more critical success, but by now the group's honeymoon period was over and their success had started to wane somewhat—the album peaked at No. 2 on the UK album charts. Fellow Hoodlums was followed up by 1993's Whatever You Say, Say Nothing, a much more experimental album in the vein of U2's Achtung Baby. The album garnered critical praise, but was not as commercially successful as the previous two albums, peaking at No. 4 on the UK album charts. The band embarked on another sold out UK tour in 1994, but not before recording new material for their 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 and You Were Wrong" and a re-release of "Dignity" saw the band reenter the Top 20 singles chart. With Vipond's decision to quit the group in favour for a career in television, Deacon Blue split up in 1994. Five years later, the band held an unexpected reunion gig in 1999, and this led on to a new album, Walking Back Home, with the band now working on a part-time basis. The band released another album, Homesick, in 2001. Though Graeme Kelling died from pancreatic cancer in 2004, the band has vowed to continue in his absence. The year 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 Stirling's New Year party in 2006, but this was cancelled at the last minute due to extreme weather. They did appear at Stirling's Hogmanay in 2008. Deacon Blue appeared at the Montrose Music Festival Deacon Blue appeared at The Homecoming Live Final Fling Show, at Glasgow's SECC on 28 November 2009, and headlined Glasgow's Hogmanay on 31 December 2009. Ricky Ross, who had released a solo album before the formation of Deacon Blue, released two solo albums during the time between Deacon Blue's breakup in 1994 and reformation in 1999. Due to Deacon Blue's part time status after reformation, Ross released additional solo albums in 2002 and 2005 and has written for and with other recording artists. In 2009 Ricky and Lorraine McIntosh recorded an album together under the name 'McIntoshRoss'. This album, The Great Lakes, will be released on 28 September 2009.

ABOUT RICKY ROSS

Ricky Ross is the instantly recognisable frontman of Deacon Blue, one of Scotland's most successful bands. However, he still regards himself as first and foremost, a songwriter. That was the original idea. When he first sat down at a piano, it belonged to the youth project where he worked in his home city of Dundee. His ambitions were not for fame, but to create great songs for other artists. Following his move to Glasgow, Ricky continued to write and play keyboards in bands. Having no outlet for his songs was frustrating, however, and he cites one night in 1984, when his band were supporting The Waterboys, as the point of no return. He needed to concentrate on his own material. Following the release of a solo album on an independent label, his London publishers advised him to put a band together. The rest is ingrained in Scottish music history. A string of top 5 albums, including two numbers 1s, and 18 top 40 singles later, Deacon Blue decided to go their own ways. Ricky has never stopped writing, releasing critically acclaimed solo albums and becoming the writer of choice for artists looking for songs which offer more substance than a fleeting hit. He has also written music for theatre. Whether in a theatre or on a festival stage, his solo live shows are intimate affairs, allowing the audience to experience an increasingly skilled raconteur with a dry sense of humour. His solo work complements his work with Deacon Blue and provides a backdrop for his reputation as a writer for others. So Ricky has come full circle, but with the added bonus of seeing how an audience reacts to many of those songs first hand. [1983 to 1985 - As keyboard player with a band called Woza, Ricky has something of an epiphany on a night when the band is supporting The Waterboys at The Heathery Bar in Wishaw. He decides that he needs an outlet for his own material. In 1984, he releases an album, So Long Ago, on the independent Sticky Records in Glasgow, but on the advice of a publisher recruits a band in 1985, naming it Deacon Blue for a song on Steely Dan's seminal Aja album. [1986 to 1994 - Frontman and main songwriter of Deacon Blue, the band goes on to worldwide success, with five top 5 albums (When The World Knows Your Name, Ooh Las Vegas, Fellow Hoodlums, Whatever You Say, Say Nothing and Our Town: The Greatest Hits. Bizarrely, Raintown reached number 14 but spent 77 weeks on the chart) and 18 top 40 singles. In 1989, the band achieves the record for the fastest-selling show in history at the SECC and in the same year the band's second album When The World Knows Your Know topples Madonna's Like A Prayer from No 1 in the album chart's. Despite Ricky's initial ambition to only write for other people, he proves to be a charismatic and energetic frontman, with the perfect foil in Lorraine McIntosh who becomes his wife in 1990. [1995 to 2001 - Ricky signs a solo deal following Deacon Blue's decision to disband in 1994. He begins work on What You Are, which is released on the Epic Label in 1996. With a band he calls The Sinners, he plays small venues and festivals. A prolific writer, the following year sees another album, New Recording. Throughout the next couple of years, Ricky tours, combining small, intimate shows with theatre venues and festival appearances. In 1999, Deacon Blue tours and an album, Walking Back Home, features new songs and established tracks. The promise of another Deacon Blue album of new material comes to fruition in 2001 when Homesick is released and the band tours extensively. At the end of 2001, the band go their separate ways again. [2002 to 2007 - With a new publishing deal in hand, Ricky starts work on This is the Life, an album which on release suffers from the same poor promotion and availability as Homesick. During 2002, he travels to Japan with Gary Clark (formerly Danny Wilson) and Boo Hewerdine (formerly The Bible) to play a string of solo dates. The district of Tokyo where they play, Kichijoji, inspires a song which appears a few year later. His reputation as a songwriter is stronger than ever however, and he is in demand to write for, and with, other artists. His connection with James Blunt is perhaps the most high profile, but there are collaborations with performers as diverse as KT Tunstall, David Sneddon, Cathy Burton, Gareth Gates and Emma Bunton. Ronan Keating recorded She Gets Me Inside, which Ricky reclaims as the opening track for his 2005 album Pale Rider. This is the solo album which, at last, establishes Ricky's position as a solo artist and receives universal acclaim. He embarks on perhaps the longest solo tour yet, an intimate acoustic show where he is accompanied by friend and Pale Rider producer Davie Scott (The Pearlfishers). In 2006, twenty years of Deacon Blue is celebrated with a Singles collection featuring three new compositions and an extensive greatest hits tour, while 2007 is shaping up to be a year when Ricky can celebrate Deacon Blue and stretch his solo legs in equal measure. Last Updated ( Monday, 16 July 2007 ) © 2010 The official site of Deacon Blue & Ricky Ross © http://www.deaconblue.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=62