Raintown

Infobox Album | Name = Raintown
Type = Album
Artist = Deacon Blue


Released = May 1 1987 (UK)
February 1988 (US)
Recorded = Air Studios, London
December 1986 - February 1987
Genre = Pop, Rock
Length = 41:48 (Standard)
47:06 (UK CD version)
Label = Columbia Records
Producer = Jon Kelly
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:67d1vw9va9rk]
Last album =
This album = "Raintown"
(1987)
Next album = "Riches"
(1988)
|

"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 getting by in life in the inner city of urban life - 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".

Sadly, this new edition overlooked the varied bonus cuts (remixes and b-sides) that were found on the singles from the album.

Track listing

All songs written by Ricky Ross, except where noted:

Original 1987 album

# "Born in a Storm"– 1:33
# "Raintown" – 3:50
# "Ragman" – 3:08
# "He Looks Like Spencer Tracy Now" – 3:50
# "Loaded" (Prime, Ross, Kelling) – 4:29
# "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" – 5:05
# "Chocolate Girl" – 3:18
# "Dignity" – 4:00
# "The Very Thing" – 3:34
# "Love's Great Fears" (Ross, Prime) – 3:42
# "Town to Be Blamed" (Ross, Prime) – 5:19

CD Bonus Tracks (UK Release)

# "Riches" – 2:39
# "Kings of the Western World" – 2:39

Legacy Edition Bonus CD [2006]

External links

* [http://www.deaconblue.com/albums/raintown/raintown.html Deacon Blue's official website page on the album]
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1048415-1,00.html The TIME magazine article that inspired the title for the song "He Looks Like Spencer Tracy Now"]