The Blue Nile

Crafting smart, complex, romantic pop, The Blue Nile helped shape the sound of the 1980s and influence artists such as Phil Collins, Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran. Led by singer songwriter Paul Buchanan, the band formed in Glasgow in 1981 and started out experimenting with electronic arrangements, sampling and drum machines. Local manufacturers Linn Electronics were so impressed when they heard the results, that they hired the group to record some music to showcase their top of the range hi-fi systems. The company even started a record label to release debut album A Walk Across The Rooftops (1984), for which Buchanan's songwriting and the band's dreamy, atmospherics received great critical acclaim. Following album Hats (1989) made it to Number 12 in the UK and was given a 5-star review by Q magazine. Peace At Last (1996) took them in a different direction, using acoustic guitars and gospel choirs, but the band's output was scarce and they relied on a devoted cult following. The band went on to collaborate with Annie Lennox, Julian Lennon and Rickie Lee Jones and made the Top 10 with comeback album High (2004); but their finest moment has to be the elegant 1984 single Tinseltown In The Rain, remixed and used as the theme song for the 2000/2001 BBC Scotland show Tinseltown.