"Hats" by THE BLUE NILE (2019 Confetti Records Reissues – March 2019 2CD set and November 2019 1LP Set – Remastered by Producer Calum Malcolm with The Blue Nile) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

"...I Know A Place...Where Everything's Alright..."

It won't have escaped BN fans that these 2019 versions on Confetti Records for The Blue Nile's magisterial "Hats" album (originally issued October 1989 on Linn Records in the UK) are actually 'remastered reissues'.

Released March 2019, the 2CD variant is an exact re-run of the November 2012 reissue on Virgin/Linn Records – the one that came with six rarities on Disc 2 (see listings below). But the big news for Audiophiles and Vinyl Buffs in general is a November 2019 straightforward LP Repress on 180 Grams Vinyl - unfortunately minus the six Bonus Tracks that come with the second CD. The last LPs issued in 2013 and 2014 sold out in minutes, the original 1989 pressing on Linn can pass hands for up to a hundred quid – so this 2019 LP repress is mightily welcome – especially on an album that is so exquisite, it regularly tops people’s all-time fave lists everywhere. 

For the purposes of location (on Amazon/elsewhere) – here are the Confetti 2019 details...

The March 2019 UK 2CD variant of "Hats" by THE BLUE NILE issued on Confetti Records BLUECD2 is Barcode 5052442014942 - available for about £14 using the Barcode number provided above. The LP variant for "Hats" was issued 29 November 2019 and is a worldwide limited edition of 1000 copies on Confetti BLUELP002 - Barcode 5052442016205. 

29 Nov 2019 has also seen Confetti reissue Vinyl copies of the 1984 debut "A Walk Across The Rooftops" and the "Hats" follow up on Warner Brothers from 1996 "Peace At Last" – they are on BLUELP001 and BLUELP003 respectively – Barcodes 5052442016199 and 5052442016212. All three titles are straightforward LP transfers on 180 Grams Heavy Vinyl with no extras or inners. 

Now to the music of "Hats" (I’ve used my 2012 review)... 

Little will prepare fans for this beautifully remastered reissue - sonically up there with the very best 2012 has to offer. Here are the finite details...

Released Monday 19 November 2012 in the UK - "Hats" by THE BLUE NILE on Virgin/Linn Records LKHCDR 2 (5099901730029) is a 2CD Remaster/Reissue and plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (38:48 minutes):

1. Over The Hillside

2. The Downtown Lights

3. Let's Go Out Tonight

4. Headlights On The Parade [Side 2]

5. From A Late Night Train

6. Seven A.M.

7. Saturday Night

Tracks 1 to 7 are their second album "Hats" - released October 1989 on LP, MC and CD in the UK on Linn Records LKH 2. The first CD issue carried with it a single page inlay with virtually no details and sound quality that was good rather than great. This is the first remaster of the album - handled by Calum Malcolm (a member of the original line-up and long-time Producer for the group) along with Band members Paul Buchanan and Robert Bell (US customers should use the barcode number provided above to get the right issue when searching on Amazon.com).

Like the other title in this reissue campaign (their debut "A Walk Across The Rooftops" from 1984) - the remaster is again breathtaking. The danger would have been to amp everything up - but it's not like that. It's subtle, clean and beautifully realized. "Hats" was put out initially on Linn Records - Linn were (and still are) a high-end turntable manufacturer - and audio quality is their 'thing'. Well those initial production values have served this subtle remaster well - because the detail now is fantastic.

As the echoed drums of "Over The Hillside" fade in with that synth and drums - the smack is immediate - 'so' sweet. It continues with the album's first hit "The Downtown Lights" (later covered by Rod Stewart and Annie Lennox) - when the guitars begin to crescendo towards its six and half minute end - it's so much more powerful. But then comes the album's first real moment of magic - the hurting yet gorgeously romantic "Let's Go Out Tonight" - a song I've seen people cry to when I was at their live gigs. The slow trumpet and acoustic sounds swirl around the room - "...why don't you say...what's so wrong tonight..." - beautifully done - a song that was old now made new again (lyrics from it title this review).

The kick out of the bopping "Headlights On The Parade" is again amplified - especially the bass and walls of synth-counter-melodies that arrive when Buchanan sings the chorus. But then comes the two album sleepers which in my opinion benefit the most from this sonic upgrade - "From A Late Night Train" and "Seven A.M." - their ethereal and aching nature suddenly feel more poignant than ever - so deftly handled. And last - probably everyone's favourite - the impossibly gorgeous "Saturday Night". By now my stroke-addled eyes are bloodied and the cheeks puffy - I'm mush for this song. I fell in love with my wife and partner of 23 years to this melody - walking down streets with my Sony Discman singing "...an ordinary girl...can make the world alright...meet me outside the cherry lights...you and I walk away..." I defy the hardest of hearts not to be moved by it.

But again (like "A Walk Across The Rooftops") the packaging and bonus disc are a combination of missed opportunities and genuine discoveries. The minimalist gatefold card digipak is pretty for sure (the internal flaps are the plain blue colour of the sleeve too) - but the 16-page booklet is fluffy and vague rather than being informative. There's a series of colour photos from the time - but with no history - no liner notes - no lyrics - no input from the band - not even any real info on the 'bonus' stuff (the last page literally). Frankly - an acknowledged masterpiece like "Hats" deserved a little more effort than this. But things improve a lot with some shocking new discoveries on the 'bonus disc'...

Disc 2 - Bonus Disc (33:19 minutes):

Exclusions first - the 'Bob Clearmountain Remix' of "Headlights On The Parade" and the beautiful duet with Rickie Lee Jones on "Easter Parade" (both tracks on the 12's and CD singles of 1990) are missing. The non-album track "Halfway To Paradise" and the Edit of "Saturday Night" that were on varying CD singles are both AWOL too. But what is on here is surprisingly good...

Track 2 is "Christmas" - a Previously Unreleased five-minute studio song. There's no annotation as to where it came from and its hissy - but its also pretty - lyrically festive as the title suggests. But if I'm to be honest - I don't think it's as good as the previously unreleased track "St. Catherine's Day" on the "Walk" reissue (which sounds suspiciously like an outtake from the "Hats" period - perhaps put on there to bolster up proceedings). Having said that - and having lived with it a day or two now - it's gently growing on me. Fans will make up their own mind of course...

Track 6 is "The Wires Are Down" - a six-minute non-album song that turned on the 12" and 3" CD single of "The Downtown Lights" in 1989. The sound quality on that was always weedy - here its remastered form is an absolute revelation. Suddenly sounding all grown up - "The Wires Are Down" is a genuine bonus track now - and one of the highlights on Disc 2. But there's even better...

Although not stated as 'new' - Tracks 1, 3, 4 and 5 are previously unreleased versions. First up is "Seven A.M. - Live In The Studio". Fans will know that there was a non-album version on the 1990 "Saturday Night" CD single called "Seven A.M. (Live U.S.A.)" - this is NOT that track. "Live In The Studio" is a fully-fledged new version with fabulous sound quality. Track 5 is a "Live In Tennessee" version of "Headlights On The Parade" recorded with Larry Saltzman, Steve Gaboury and Nigel Thomas on some unknown date. Again - it is well recorded - and a good version with crowd appreciation at the end. But then comes the real prizes - two new versions of people's favourites - "Let's Go Out Tonight" and "Saturday Night". They're called "Vocal 2" in each case and offer early versions of the songs - the "Saturday Night" take in particular hears Buchanan go off into lyric rapping at the end and accentuates the strings throughout - it's properly gorgeous. Joyful surprises...

To sum up - the remaster of the original album is an absolute triumph - 10 out of 10. Ok - the side is let down somewhat by the bare-knuckles packaging and those sloppy omissions on Disc 2 - and it doesn't take a Mensa membership card to work out that the playing times of both discs could have been amalgamated into one (with more added on too) - and the second disc could have been a DVD featuring those rare videos - but - and I must reiterate this - what's on offer is superb - and worth the upgrade.

"Hats" has been name-checked by influential music-industry-types and world-famous musicians for decades now as their 'what to grab when the bomb drops' album - and I'm thrilled to say that this 2CD reissue of it does that affection genuinely proud. Melodious, sad and life affirming - "Hats" is a beautiful thing. And it's just been made better.

Now if we could just get those stroppy Scottish buggers to tour again...

PS: there is also a 2CD Virgin/Linn DELUXE EDITION of "A Walk Across The Rooftops" - their debut album from 1984 - and "Peace At Last" from 1996 (originally on Warner Brothers) - see separate reviews. These are also part of Confetti's 2019 Reissue campaign..

"Peace At Last" by THE BLUE NILE - A Review Of The 2014 2CD “Deluxe Set” Remaster and Reissue.

Here is a link to the "Deluxe Edition" on Amazon UK (with the best price also):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HS90I3U

“…Could Be Singing…Could Be Together…”

First things first - the idea that The Blue Nile's 3rd album "Peace At Last" 'needs' to be remastered was to me ridiculous. I bought the original CD on Warner Brothers 9362-45848-2 in June 1996 - the day it came out - and it was (and still is) a beautifully crafted and produced album. So it was with a healthy amount of scepticism that I plopped Disc 1 into my snazzy Marantz this afternoon...

Well take me sideways with a can-opener from Mars - but they've only gone and done it again. Because like "A Walk Across The Rooftops" and the sublime "Hats" that were both remastered in 2012 - this is truly gorgeous return to the original tapes. There's undeniable sonic improvement on every track - especially in the background instrumentation. Here are the poets and typewriters...

UK released Monday 3 March 2014 - "Peace At Last DELUXE SET" is a 2CD reissue on Virgin/Linn/Universal LKHCDR 3 (Barcode 0602537618071). Disc 1 is 44:56 minutes (3 seconds longer than the original issue) while Disc 2 offers up 6 New Outtakes (29:42 minutes). Original band members ROBERT BELL and PAUL BUCHANAN in conjunction with their long-standing Engineer CALM MALCOLM have remastered the lot.

The 16-page booklet housed within a foldout card digipak retains none of the original artwork (excepting the cover) and there's nothing on any of the inner flaps. It's massively disappointing and feels utterly superfluous to requirements. There's a title page - one page of bare-knuckle credits - followed by 15 pages of photos of the band sat in the studio or the steps of some building somewhere - none of which advance your knowledge of the album one jot. There's no liner notes - no personal explanations or insights - no lyrics - it's rubbish frankly. The only explanation I can offer is that the band is keeping with its previous minimalist approach to artwork. But I'd say - I think the mystery is common knowledge now boys and we could have done better. Back to the good news...

The opening track "Happiness" has a synth opening with a count in - it's crystal clear - and the slight hiss that was on the original hasn't been compressed or removed - just given more presence. But when the choir of Eddie Tate and Friends kicks in - it sounds HUGE - just glorious. "Tomorrow Morning" has always moved me to tears (lyrics above) - and today it has done so again. The strum of the acoustic guitars and the delicate piano - compliment Buchanan's aching vocal as the strings come pouring in halfway through - a superbly handled transfer. The wallop out of "Sentimental Man" is again to the fore - funky Rock at its best (I remember gigs when this slayed them in the aisles - especially the guitar solo). "Love Comes Down" sounds incredible and "Body And Soul" is so sweetly emotive. The piano of "Family Life" seems even more haunting - what a beautiful piece of songwriting - and the hurt in the words is like an open wound that can't be cauterized. "War Is Love" features that huge drum sound with a tight slap bass behind - it's somehow more controlled - you hear the acoustics and gorgeous keyboard fills. It ends on "God Bless You Kid" and "Soon" - both sounding renewed.

As to be expected the 6 new tracks that make up Disc 2 (3 versions and 3 new songs) are a mixed bag of the good and the dismissible. Both "Soon" and "War Is Love" are 'Laurel Canyon Mix' versions in which the synth fills and treatments clutter up the songs to a point where they interfere with the lovely melodies ("War Is Love" is the better of the two). We then get a pretty version of another album track "Holy Love" in the guise of a 'Picture Mix' that ambles nicely but never really takes off.

Better is the first new song "Turn Yourself Around" which sounds like an early run-through for "Love Comes Down". Featuring those impassioned vocals that make Buchanan so special - it could have been a sought-after B-side. The unreleased 'Demo' of "A Certain Kind Of Angel" could easily have been a "Hats" outtake with the same synth patterns and five-minute length. It's lovely. But best of all is "There Was A Girl" - as pretty a song as Paul Buchanan has ever written. At five and a half minutes - it's a beautiful melodic slowy that will make fans swoon and notice the pimples on their arms. It ends a patchy Disc 2 on a genuine and much-needed high.

So there you have it - a 10-star album in a 4-star repackage. But man when I play that new remaster and those new songs - I'm gone baby gone.

"Raise the children ...hold them to sky..." Paul Buchanan sang on "Body And Soul". I did and I still do.

The Blue Nile people - God is jealous of them - and he's God...

"Hats" by THE BLUE NILE (2012 Virgin/Linn Records 'Deluxe Edition' 2CD Reissue and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...I Know A Place...Where Everything's Alright..." 

I can't be rational about "Hats" - few who love THE BLUE NILE can be. But little will prepare fans for this beautifully remastered reissue of their 1989 masterpiece - sonically up there with the very best 2012 has to offer. Here are the finite details...

Released Monday 19 November 2012 in the UK - "Hats" by THE BLUE NILE on Virgin/Linn Records LKHCDR 2 (5099901730029) is a 2CD 'Deluxe edition' Remaster/Reissue and plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (38:48 minutes):

1. Over The Hillside 

2. The Downtown Lights

3. Let's Go Out Tonight

4. Headlights On The Parade [Side 2]

5. From A Late Night Train

6. Seven A.M.

7. Saturday Night

Tracks 1 to 7 are their second album "Hats" - released October 1989 on LP, MC and CD in the UK on Linn Records LKH 2. The first CD issue carried with it a single page inlay with virtually no details and sound quality that was good rather than great. This is the first remaster of the album - handled by Calum Malcolm (a member of the original line-up and long-time Producer for the group) along with Band members Paul Buchanan and Robert Bell (US customers should use the barcode number provided above to get the right issue when searching on Amazon.com).

Like the other title in this reissue campaign (their debut "A Walk Across The Rooftops" from 1984) - the remaster is again breathtaking. The danger would have been to amp everything up - but it's not like that. It's subtle, clean and beautifully realized. "Hats" was put out initially on Linn Records - Linn were (and still are) a high-end turntable manufacturer - and audio quality is their 'thing'. Well those initial production values have served this subtle remaster well - because the detail now is fantastic.

As the echoed drums of "Over The Hillside" fade in with that synth and drums - the smack is immediate - 'so' sweet. It continues with the album's first hit "The Downtown Lights" (later covered by Rod Stewart and Annie Lennox) - when the guitars begin to crescendo towards its six and half minute end - it's so much more powerful. But then comes the album's first real moment of magic - the hurting yet gorgeously romantic "Let's Go Out Tonight" - a song I've seen people cry to when I was at their live gigs. The slow trumpet and acoustic sounds swirl around the room - "...why don't you say...what's so wrong tonight..." - beautifully done - a song that was old now made new again (lyrics from it title this review).

The kick out of the bopping "Headlights On The Parade" is again amplified - especially the bass and walls of synth-counter-melodies that arrive when Buchanan sings the chorus. But then comes the two album sleepers which in my opinion benefit the most from this sonic upgrade - "From A Late Night Train" and "Seven A.M." - their ethereal and aching nature suddenly feel more poignant than ever - so deftly handled. And last - probably everyone's favourite - the impossibly gorgeous "Saturday Night". By now my stroke-addled eyes are bloodied and the cheeks puffy - I'm mush for this song. I fell in love with my wife and partner of 23 years to this melody - walking down streets with my Sony Discman singing "...an ordinary girl...can make the world alright...meet me outside the cherry lights...you and I walk away..." I defy the hardest of hearts not to be moved by it.

But again (like "A Walk Across The Rooftops") the packaging and bonus disc are a combination of missed opportunities and genuine discoveries. The minimalist gatefold card digipak is pretty for sure (the internal flaps are the plain blue colour of the sleeve too) - but the 16-page booklet is fluffy and vague rather than being informative. There's a series of colour photos from the time - but with no history - no liner notes - no lyrics - no input from the band - not even any real info on the 'bonus' stuff (the last page literally). Frankly - an acknowledged masterpiece like "Hats" deserved a little more effort than this. But things improve a lot with some shocking new discoveries on the 'bonus disc'...

Disc 2 - Bonus Disc (33:19 minutes):

Exclusions first - the 'Bob Clearmountain Remix' of "Headlights On The Parade" and the beautiful duet with Rickie Lee Jones on "Easter Parade" (both tracks on the 12's and CD singles of 1990) are missing. The non-album track "Halfway To Paradise" and the Edit of "Saturday Night" that were on varying CD singles are both AWOL too. But what is on here is surprisingly good...

Track 2 is "Christmas" - a Previously Unreleased five-minute studio song. There's no annotation as to where it came from and its hissy - but its also pretty - lyrically festive as the title suggests. But if I'm to be honest - I don't think it's as good as the previously unreleased track "St. Catherine's Day" on the "Walk" reissue (which sounds suspiciously like an outtake from the "Hats" period - perhaps put on there to bolster up proceedings). Having said that - and having lived with it a day or two now - it's gently growing on me. Fans will make up their own mind of course...

Track 6 is "The Wires Are Down" - a six-minute non-album song that turned on the 12" and 3" CD single of "The Downtown Lights" in 1989. The sound quality on that was always weedy - here its remastered form is an absolute revelation. Suddenly sounding all grown up - "The Wires Are Down" is a genuine bonus track now - and one of the highlights on Disc 2. But there's even better...

Although not stated as 'new' - Tracks 1, 3, 4 and 5 are previously unreleased versions. First up is "Seven A.M. - Live In The Studio". Fans will know that there was a non-album version on the 1990 "Saturday Night" CD single called "Seven A.M. (Live U.S.A.)" - this is NOT that track. "Live In The Studio" is a fully-fledged new version with fabulous sound quality. Track 5 is a "Live In Tennessee" version of "Headlights On The Parade" recorded with Larry Saltzman, Steve Gaboury and Nigel Thomas on some unknown date. Again - it is well recorded - and a good version with crowd appreciation at the end. But then comes the real prizes - two new versions of people's favourites - "Let's Go Out Tonight" and "Saturday Night". They're called "Vocal 2" in each case and offer early versions of the songs - the "Saturday Night" take in particular hears Buchanan go off into lyric rapping at the end and accentuates the strings throughout - it's properly gorgeous. Joyful surprises...

To sum up - the remaster of the original album is an absolute triumph - 10 out of 10. Ok - the side is let down somewhat by the bare-knuckles packaging and those sloppy omissions on Disc 2 - and it doesn't take a Mensa membership card to work out that the playing times of both discs could have been amalgamated into one (with more added on too) - and the second disc could have been a DVD featuring those rare videos - but - and I must reiterate this - what's on offer is superb - and worth the upgrade.

"Hats" has been name-checked by influential music-industry-types and world-famous musicians for decades now as their 'what to grab when the bomb drops' album - and I'm thrilled to say that this 2CD reissue of it does that affection genuinely proud. Melodious, sad and life affirming - "Hats" is a beautiful thing. And it's just been made better.

Now if we could just get those stroppy Scottish buggers to tour again...

PS: there is also a 2CD Virgin/Linn DELUXE EDITION of "A Walk Across The Rooftops" - their debut album from 1984 - and "Peace At Last" from 1996 (originally on Warner Brothers) - see separate reviews...

"A Walk Across The Rooftops" by THE BLUE NILE (2012 Virgin/Linn 'Deluxe Edition' 2CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Ocean's Deep..."

I was quite literally trembling with excitement as I ripped the shrinkwrap off this reissue. I've loved Scotland's BLUE NILE for decades now (saw them live 3 times - religious experiences all of them) - and 'Remasters' of their first two masterpieces is enough to make me animated in the trouser area. But typical of Virgin's supposed 'DELUXE EDITIONS' (the useless reissue of Peter Gabriel's "So" jumps to mind) - it's a case of the sublime and seriously missed chances. Here are the finite details...

Released Monday 19 November 2012 in the UK - "A Walk Across The Rooftops" by THE BLUE NILE on Virgin/Linn Records LKHCDR 1 (5099901730326) is a 2CD 'Deluxe Edition' Remaster and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (38:04 minutes):

1. A Walk Across The Rooftops

2. Tinseltown In The Rain

3. From Rags To Riches

4. Stay [Side 2]

5. Easter Parade

6. Heatwave

7. Automobile Noise

Tracks 1 to 7 are their debut album "A Walk Across The Rooftops" - released April 1984 on LP in the UK on Linn Records LKH 1. It was first issued on CD in mid-1989 with a page inlay and not great sound. This is the first remaster of the album - handled by Calum Malcolm (a member of the original line-up and long-time Producer for the group) along with Band members Paul Buchanan and Robert Bell (US customers should use the barcode number provided above to get the right issue when searching on Amazon.com).

The remaster is breathtaking. The danger would have been to amp everything up - but it's not like that. It's subtle, clean and beautifully realized. You may still have to crank the volume knob a bit - but the sonic clarity on every song is 'so' good. Linn were a high-end turntable manufacturer (still are) and the album was their first - used almost as an example of sonic greatness. That initial production has stood the album well. From the moment "A Walk Across The Rooftops" fades in with synths to when it opens up with that bass in the background - is just incredible. "From Rags To Riches" completely comes alive and "Automobile Noise" sounds newly minted. "Heatwave" is fantastic - full of detail - the differing instruments suddenly in your speakers. And I've waited over 20 years to hear the sublime electro-funk of "Stay" in proper audiophile quality - so I'll confess to some pogo-shapes being thrown in my home as I listened to it. But the peach on here is "Easter Parade" which is now HUGE but in an opened-up way. Superbly done. In fact the album stills sound strangely other-worldly - but in a luscious way. What a starting point (and their follow-up "Hats" would only trump it ten-fold).

I wish I could be so enthusiastic about the packaging and the bonus disc. The minimalist gatefold card digipak is pretty for sure - but the 12-page booklet is a joke. There's 10-pages filled with a singular photo on each (none any use nor explained). There's no history - no liner notes - no lyrics - no input from the band - not even any real info on the 'bonus' stuff. It has more than a feel of what you can get away with rather than an appreciation of a masterpiece. Nothing under the see-through CD trays either. Which brings us to the 'bonus disc'...

Disc 2 (32:58 minutes):

Tracks 1 and 5 "I Love This Life" and "The Second Act" are the A & B-sides of their debut 7" single on RSO Records RSO 84 released in October 1981. They were first made digitally available on the "I Would Never" CD single in August 2004 on Sanctuary Records (a track lifted off the "High" album) - but the sound quality wasn't the greatest. Here they're fully remastered and even though "The Second Act" is hissier than the A - the sonic improvement on both is very real (both tracks have been sought after for years by Electro-Pop fans).

Track 3 is "St. Catherine's Day". Starved of anything new for nearly 3 decades - Blue Nile fans will flip for this lone previously unreleased song. Feeling a lot like an outtake from 1989's "Hats" 5 years later - there's no annotation as to where it came from or why it sounds so fully-formed now. But I will say that it's been worth the wait because it's beautiful in that plaintive melancholic Blue Nile way. It's a genuine nugget on here and easily worth the price of entry alone (lyrics from it title this review). There are times when I just can't stop playing this...

Track 7 is "Regret" - it originally turned up as a UK non-album B-side to the 12" single of the "Tinseltown In The Rain" from 1984 on Linn Records LKS 2-12. It's only LP/CD appearance to my knowledge was on the 1991 compilation called "The Tree And The Bird And The Fish And The Bell - Glasgow Songs By Glasgow Artists" which in itself has been hard to get for years. It's a truly gorgeous song and brill to now hear it remastered to perfection (see PS below regarding a tie-in).

Which leaves us with the absences and seemingly 'new' inclusions. Exclusions first - fans will be gutted to see that "Saddle The Horses" (a non-album B-side to "Stay" in 1984) is missing - still unavailable on CD anywhere. Where's "Easter Parade" recorded with Rickie Lee Jones during the "Hats" period? Worse is the AWOL status of "Heatwave (Instrumental)" and the stunning 'Extended Remix' of "Stay" when it was reissued in 1989. That version beefed up the acoustic and electric guitars to incredible effect and has been one of my favourite 12" singles in the world ever since - and it isn't bloody on here!

For the life of me I can't find the three versions offered here anywhere in the band's Discography - and though not stated as 'new' - typically they're a very mixed bag. The "Mix" of "Tinseltown In The Rain" (Track 4) runs to 6:31 minutes - a full half-minute longer than any other previous version and is the best of the three here (you have to love Virgin who would call a track "Mix" and leave no other info about it). The "Little Mix" of "Stay" (Track 6) at 3:34 minutes is not great - while the "Rhythm Mix" of "Heatwave" (Track 2) at 5:50 minutes is too busy with distorted guitars ruining its original vibe. These are personal opinions of course - others may love them - but for me it's grating to know that there are released vinyl versions out there which are far better and should have been included here. It also doesn't take a Mensa member to work out that the playing times of both discs could have been amalgamated into one (with more added on too) - and the second disc could have been a DVD featuring those rare early videos. But alas...

To sum up - the remaster of the original album is an absolute triumph - 10 out of 10 - but the side is let down by the bare-knuckles packaging and those sloppy omissions on Disc 2 (docked a star for that).

PS: In September 2012 - I reviewed the BLU RAY reissue of Paul Greengrass' magnificent 9/11 movie - "United 93". In the review I mention a YouTube video apparently collated and posted by a fan who wanted to say something about the atrocity on its 10th Anniversary. The video uses "Regret" by THE BLUE NILE played against a backdrop of black and white images from that tragic event. Recorded years before in a country some 6000 miles away (and of course about something entirely different) the song somehow fits perfectly - both musically and lyrically. I urge you to check it out on YouTube. More to the point (and I'll openly admit to this) - it moved me to tears - as did the best bits of this reissue...

PPS: see also my review for the 2CD reissues of "Hats" and "Peace At Last"

“Mark The Hard Earth” by KRIS DREVER. A Review of his 2nd Solo Album from 2010.

"…Dark Sky Above Me…Hard Earth Below…”

Formerly of folk sensation FINE FRIDAY (3 albums) and now very much part of the respected and awarded LAU (3 albums), Scottish born Drever made his stunning solo debut “Black Water” back in 2006 - and I’ve been hooked on his music ever since.

Drever then followed “Black Water” with the more overtly country almost ragtime “Honky Tonk Suite” with EAMONN COYNE later that same year - and has also done stints with the beautiful Kate Rusby and her band (we’re talking class here). With his deft acoustic guitar touches and a deep tonal voice that is the male equivalent of honey dribbling down Rusby’s frankly delicious bosom (a sight that would make many clergymen reconsider celibacy), it’s hardly surprising that this album is awaited by folk fans with bated breath and chattering teeth. I’m therefore delighted to say and a little relieved to report that after a few listens - it’s been worth the wait.

“Mark The Hard Earth” is his 2nd solo album proper and it’s being put out on Navigator Records (the label is named after a track on “Black Water” – cata no: NAVIGATOR30). It was produced by long-time collaborator and Scottish fiddle player JOHN McCUSKER and recorded, engineered and mastered with the help of CALUM MALCOLM of Blue Nile, Prefab Sprout and Simple Minds recording fame. With such talent on board, it’s hardly surprising that the audio quality is truly gorgeous – beautifully clear without ever being over-produced. The 12-page booklet offers little more than song credits and a few photos, but the card-wrap on the outside of the jewel case lends the whole thing a classy feel (44:21 minutes).

The songs are once again a mixture of lesser-known Scottish and Irish traditional airs (“O’ A’ The Airts”, “The Banks Of The Nile” and “Freedom Come A’ Ye”) and a slew of originals from contemporary rock, country and Americana artists - “This Old Song” by CALEB KLAUDER (on his “Dangerous Mes and Poisonous Yous” album) and “Shining Star” and “Wild Hurricane” by SANDY WRIGHT (an American songwriter often compared to Tom Waits or even Johnny Cash), while “Sweet Honey In The Rock” is co-written with BOO HEWERDINE (formerly of THE BIBLE) and JOHN McCUSKER. The only original of his own is the opening track “Mark The Hard Earth” – as lovely a folk song as you’re likely to hear all year (lyrics above).

The accompanying musicians include classy names he’s used many times before - Ian Carr on Guitars, Tim O’Brien on Mandolin, Banjo and Vocals, Donald Shaw on Wurly and Harmonium, John McCusker on Fiddle, Andy Seward on Bass and Phil Cunningham on Accordion. Instead of Eddi Reader or Kate Rusby, the accompanying duet vocals however go to HEIDI TALBOT on “Allegory” and “The Banks Of The Nile” while KAREN POLWART features on “Freedom Come A’ Ye”.

Musically the album is very mellow – quietly beautiful – with the old songs sitting nicely alongside the new ones. His doubled vocals on Sandy Wright’s “Wild Hurricane” are fabulous while the plaintive “O’ A’ The Airts” works its way into your heart almost immediately - washing over you like warm water. Duncan Drever’s “The Crown Of London” is a genuine modern-day beauty – Ian Carr’s guitar picking and Donald Shaw’s work on the Harmonium and Wurly so sweetly complimentary. The only track I found not so good is their short version of “The Banks Of The Nile” which they’ve also speeded up. Despite Heidi Talbot’s lovely duet vocals (similar voice to Cara Dillon) - the Fotheringay version from their lone 1970 LP runs to 8 minutes (Sandy Denny on vocals) and is so much prettier and frankly more magical. But the album ends on a very warm note - the Hamish Henderson song “Freedom Come A’ Ye” which features lovely vocal work from Karen Polwart.

I’ll admit that at first I found the whole thing a little underwhelming and it took a few listens to love it (it’s not as immediately brilliant as “Black Water”), but “Mark The Hard Earth” is yet another gem in a career that seems to know no stopping.

Lovely stuff and nice one.