Singer
Ricky Ross missed the target with solo album So Long Ago (1983) but hit with Deacon Blue's debut Rainown (1987)- named after their home, Glasgow (the band name came from Steely Dan's 'Deacon Blues'). Although its success was better measured in airplay and acclaim than sales, the album clinged to the
UK chart for 77 weeks, buoyed by classy singles like 'Dignity' and the repackaged reissue Raintown & Riches (1988). Their "woo-woo"-ing chorus of '
Real Gone Kid', however, went Top 10 and When The World Knows Your Name (1989) toppled Madonna from the UK No 1 spot. Now giddy with success, the group sanctioned
B-sides collection Ooh Las Vegas (1990)- a moderate success, but definite case of overkill.
More modest and self-explanatory was EP 'Four Bacharach And David Songs' (1990)- their biggest UK hit (No. 2)- which set the tone for the more reflective Fellow Hoodlums (1991). However, Whatever You Say, Say Nothing (1993) was helmed by voguish Dance producers Steve Osborne and Paul Oakenfold. An Osborne/Oakenfold-produced single, 'Your Town' (1992) entered the Dance Chart but eroded much of their fanbase.
When faced with domestic decline, an invisible international profile and the increasing dominance of partners Ross and singer Lorraine McIntosh, the group split, leaving Our Town- The Greatest Hits (1994) as their chart-topping epitaph. Ross' solo albums- What You Are (1996) and New Recording (1997)- and CBS' barrel-scraping Riches & MOre (1997) failed to scale similar heights.
Sources: Just What I Feel
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