May as well post the sequel to the above-linked mix that's heavily inspired by/in the vibe of the Blue Nile:
https://musicophilia.wordpress.com/2017/06/29/post-post-punk-evensong-1985-1995/
https://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/musicophilia_00_various_-_evensong_1985-1995_2017_cover.jpg?w=1024
Various – ‘Evensong’ (1985-1995) Part I 01 [00:00] It’s Immaterial – New Brighton” (Song, 1990) 02 [05:31] Tears for Fears – “The Working Hour” (Songs From the Big Chair, 1985) 03 [12:06] Tortoise – “His Second Story Island” (Tortoise, 1994) 04 [14:14] Michael Brook & Pieter Nooten – “Searching” (Sleeps With the Fishes, 1987) 05 [17:07] Shelleyan Orphan – “One Hundred Hands” (Helleborine, 1987) 06 [21:29] Stina Nordenstam – “A Walk In the Park” (Memories of a Color, 1991) 07 [24:54] Sade – “Pearls” (Love Deluxe, 1992) 08 [29:38] Massive Attack – “Protection” (Protection, 1994) 09 [37:26] The Cure – “The Same Deep Water As You” (Disintegration, 1989) 10 [46:19] Depche Mode- “Waiting For the Night” (Violator, 1990) Part II 11 [52:41] Evelyn Glennie – “Light in Darkness” (Light In Darkness, 1991) 12 [55:59] R.E.M. – “Sweetness Follows” (Automatic For the People, 1992) 13 [60:21] The Innocence Mission – “Medjugorje” (The Innocence Mission, 1989) 14 [61:53] Disco Inferno – “Second Language” (Second Language EP, 1994) 15 [66:52] Slowdive – “Rutti” (Pygmalion, 1995) 16 [76:53] Rain Tree Crow – “Cries and Whispers” (Rain Tree Crow, 1991) 17 [79:26] Bark Psychosis – “Pendulum Man” (Hex, 1994) 18 [82:37] Peter Gabriel – “Mercy Street” (So, 1986) 19 [88:27] Low – “Sunshine” (I Could Live In Hope, 1994) 20 [91:35] Portishead – “Roads” (Dummy, 1994) 21 [96:44] Hector Zazou & Bjork – “Visur Vatnsenda-Rosu” (Songs From the Cold Seas, 1994) [Total Time: 1:40:43]
Part I
01 [00:00] It’s Immaterial – New Brighton” (Song, 1990) 02 [05:31] Tears for Fears – “The Working Hour” (Songs From the Big Chair, 1985) 03 [12:06] Tortoise – “His Second Story Island” (Tortoise, 1994) 04 [14:14] Michael Brook & Pieter Nooten – “Searching” (Sleeps With the Fishes, 1987) 05 [17:07] Shelleyan Orphan – “One Hundred Hands” (Helleborine, 1987) 06 [21:29] Stina Nordenstam – “A Walk In the Park” (Memories of a Color, 1991) 07 [24:54] Sade – “Pearls” (Love Deluxe, 1992) 08 [29:38] Massive Attack – “Protection” (Protection, 1994) 09 [37:26] The Cure – “The Same Deep Water As You” (Disintegration, 1989) 10 [46:19] Depche Mode- “Waiting For the Night” (Violator, 1990)
Part II
11 [52:41] Evelyn Glennie – “Light in Darkness” (Light In Darkness, 1991) 12 [55:59] R.E.M. – “Sweetness Follows” (Automatic For the People, 1992) 13 [60:21] The Innocence Mission – “Medjugorje” (The Innocence Mission, 1989) 14 [61:53] Disco Inferno – “Second Language” (Second Language EP, 1994) 15 [66:52] Slowdive – “Rutti” (Pygmalion, 1995) 16 [76:53] Rain Tree Crow – “Cries and Whispers” (Rain Tree Crow, 1991) 17 [79:26] Bark Psychosis – “Pendulum Man” (Hex, 1994) 18 [82:37] Peter Gabriel – “Mercy Street” (So, 1986) 19 [88:27] Low – “Sunshine” (I Could Live In Hope, 1994) 20 [91:35] Portishead – “Roads” (Dummy, 1994) 21 [96:44] Hector Zazou & Bjork – “Visur Vatnsenda-Rosu” (Songs From the Cold Seas, 1994)
[Total Time: 1:40:43]
That It's Immaterial track "New Brighton" is the best Blue Nile track that isn't by Blue Nile...
― Soundslike, Wednesday, 20 May 2020 22:17 (three years ago) link
And the last one in the trilogy:
https://musicophilia.wordpress.com/2019/07/20/the-liminal-1985-1992/
https://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/musicophilia_00_various_-_liminal_1985-1992_cover-1.jpg?w=1024
Various – ‘Liminal’ 1985-1992 Part I 01 [0:00:00] The Blue Nile – “The Wires Are Down” (‘The Downtown Lights’ Single 1989) 02 [0:05:25] Haruomi Hosono – “Pleocene” (‘Omni Sight Seeing’ 1989) 03 [0:11:30] Massive Attack – “Unfinished Sympathy” (‘Blue Lines’ 1991) 04 [0:16:30] Jansen & Barbieri – “The Night Gives Birth” (‘Stories Across Borders’ 1991) 05 [0:20:00] Bryan Ferry – “Boys and Girls” (‘Boys and Girls’ 1985) 06 [0:25:10] AM 4 – “Streets and Rivers” (‘And She Answered’ 1989) 07 [0:29:20] Bill Nelson – “Contemplation” (‘Getting the Holy Ghost Across’ 1986) 08 [0:38:10] Sinead O’Connor – “I Am Stretched On Your Grave” (‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’ 1990) 09 [0:43:40] Cocteau Twins – “Blue Bell Knoll” (‘Blue Bell Knoll’ 1988) 10 [0:47:00] Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus – “Shadowlands” (‘Mirror’ 1991) 11 [0:51:15] Martin Dupont – “Inside Out” (‘Hot Paradox’ 1987) 12 [0:55:35] David Darling – “In November” (‘Cello’ 1992) 13 [0:59:40] Colin Newman – “But I…” (‘Commercial Suicide’ 1986) Part II 14 [1:04:20] Icehouse – “Man of Colours” (‘Man of Colours’ 1987) 15 [1:09:25] Brian Eno – “Some Words” (‘My Squelchy Life’ 1991) 16 [1:13:45] Lonely Universe – “Passenger” (‘Lonely Universe’ 1990) 17 [1:18:10] Gigi Masin – “Mother Afrik” (Unreleased ‘Wind’ Track 1988) 18 [1:22:10] A Certain Ratio – “Fever 103” (‘Force’ 1986) 19 [1:27:15] Depeche Mode – “Halo” (‘Violator’ 1990) 20 [1:31:40] Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Asadoya Yunta” (‘Beauty’ 1989) 21 [1:36:10] Hector Zazou – “Tanis a Tunis” (‘Geologies’ 1989) 22 [1:40:40] Midge Ure – “Remembrance Day” (‘Answers to Nothing’ 1988) 23 [1:45:05] O Yuki Conjugate – “Out of Nothing” (‘Into Dark Water’ 1987) 24 [1:49:20] The Cure – “Fear of Ghosts” (‘Lovesong’ Single 1989) 25 [1:55:55] Bel Canto – “Picnic on the Moon” (‘Birds of Passage’ 1989) 26 [2:00:20] Xymox – “Tonight” (‘Twist of Shadows’ 1989) 27 [2:05:40] Warren Sampson – “Sweetly” (‘Traveller’ 1987) [Total Time: 2:09:30]
01 [0:00:00] The Blue Nile – “The Wires Are Down” (‘The Downtown Lights’ Single 1989) 02 [0:05:25] Haruomi Hosono – “Pleocene” (‘Omni Sight Seeing’ 1989) 03 [0:11:30] Massive Attack – “Unfinished Sympathy” (‘Blue Lines’ 1991) 04 [0:16:30] Jansen & Barbieri – “The Night Gives Birth” (‘Stories Across Borders’ 1991) 05 [0:20:00] Bryan Ferry – “Boys and Girls” (‘Boys and Girls’ 1985) 06 [0:25:10] AM 4 – “Streets and Rivers” (‘And She Answered’ 1989) 07 [0:29:20] Bill Nelson – “Contemplation” (‘Getting the Holy Ghost Across’ 1986) 08 [0:38:10] Sinead O’Connor – “I Am Stretched On Your Grave” (‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’ 1990) 09 [0:43:40] Cocteau Twins – “Blue Bell Knoll” (‘Blue Bell Knoll’ 1988) 10 [0:47:00] Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus – “Shadowlands” (‘Mirror’ 1991) 11 [0:51:15] Martin Dupont – “Inside Out” (‘Hot Paradox’ 1987) 12 [0:55:35] David Darling – “In November” (‘Cello’ 1992) 13 [0:59:40] Colin Newman – “But I…” (‘Commercial Suicide’ 1986)
14 [1:04:20] Icehouse – “Man of Colours” (‘Man of Colours’ 1987) 15 [1:09:25] Brian Eno – “Some Words” (‘My Squelchy Life’ 1991) 16 [1:13:45] Lonely Universe – “Passenger” (‘Lonely Universe’ 1990) 17 [1:18:10] Gigi Masin – “Mother Afrik” (Unreleased ‘Wind’ Track 1988) 18 [1:22:10] A Certain Ratio – “Fever 103” (‘Force’ 1986) 19 [1:27:15] Depeche Mode – “Halo” (‘Violator’ 1990) 20 [1:31:40] Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Asadoya Yunta” (‘Beauty’ 1989) 21 [1:36:10] Hector Zazou – “Tanis a Tunis” (‘Geologies’ 1989) 22 [1:40:40] Midge Ure – “Remembrance Day” (‘Answers to Nothing’ 1988) 23 [1:45:05] O Yuki Conjugate – “Out of Nothing” (‘Into Dark Water’ 1987) 24 [1:49:20] The Cure – “Fear of Ghosts” (‘Lovesong’ Single 1989) 25 [1:55:55] Bel Canto – “Picnic on the Moon” (‘Birds of Passage’ 1989) 26 [2:00:20] Xymox – “Tonight” (‘Twist of Shadows’ 1989) 27 [2:05:40] Warren Sampson – “Sweetly” (‘Traveller’ 1987)
[Total Time: 2:09:30]
― Soundslike, Wednesday, 20 May 2020 22:19 (three years ago) link
looking forward to listening to these. “new brighton” is one of my favorite songs you’ve hipped me to
― k3vin k., Sunday, 24 May 2020 11:49 (three years ago) link
i really enjoyed listening to hats this week-end. it took about 20 years. guess i am getting old. maybe it was the ricard...
― walking towards the sun since 2007 (alex in mainhattan), Monday, 25 May 2020 17:48 (three years ago) link
one of us!
― k3vin k., Monday, 25 May 2020 18:36 (three years ago) link
but i still haven't gotten into "across the rooftops"!
― walking towards the sun since 2007 (alex in mainhattan), Monday, 25 May 2020 18:41 (three years ago) link
anyone listen to the new songs yet?
― k3vin k., Sunday, 14 June 2020 16:26 (three years ago) link
Yes, I thought they were pretty good.
― michaellambert, Sunday, 14 June 2020 17:27 (three years ago) link
New songs?!?
― Soundslike, Sunday, 14 June 2020 20:29 (three years ago) link
They’re previously unreleased songs that have been made available on the second CD of the ‘High’ reissue.
― michaellambert, Sunday, 14 June 2020 20:33 (three years ago) link
I don't know if I will continue to love "i" but hearing it for the first time is so thrilling. the greatest band
― k3vin k., Monday, 15 June 2020 02:00 (three years ago) link
the trombone is fucking absurd!!
― k3vin k., Monday, 15 June 2020 02:03 (three years ago) link
where the nile pile at
― k3vin k., Monday, 15 June 2020 14:45 (three years ago) link
Still waiting on my copy to arrive.
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Monday, 15 June 2020 15:55 (three years ago) link
yeah those extra unreleased tracks are as good as anything else, really bites that there hasn't been a new BN album since. Also High is really good. I remember people being kind of cool on it at the time because it bewilderingly sounded too much like the Blue Nile. Yeah well what do you want? This Blue Niles all over the fucking place.
― akm, Monday, 15 June 2020 16:57 (three years ago) link
Stay Close is the best non Hats Blue Nils song
― k*r*n koltrane (Simon H.), Monday, 15 June 2020 17:02 (three years ago) link
that's "heatwave" but "stay close" is up there
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Monday, 15 June 2020 17:04 (three years ago) link
I was delighted by “I” on first listen.
― michaellambert, Monday, 15 June 2020 17:17 (three years ago) link
I’m just sitting here listening to “here come the bluebirds” and trying to keep it together
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 16 June 2020 03:07 (three years ago) link
wow @ "big town". love these!
― Tim F, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 03:37 (three years ago) link
^^^^ that song and the two remixes of album tracks seem to pick on a specific vibe of steve reich disco that they otherwise never really revisited after "Rags to Riches", and I'm loving this unexpected gift.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 05:32 (three years ago) link
Mail delivered. Listening to disc 2 now. "Here Comes the Bluebirds" is beautiful. Reminds me of PAL's b-sides, "O Lolita", "Wish Me Well" and "New York Man".
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Tuesday, 16 June 2020 14:46 (three years ago) link
I'm really appreciating this reissue, it's made me reconnect with High which, if you asked me right now, I'd say is my second favorite after Hats; plus, these new songs are amazing, particularly Wasted (is that new? or was it a b-side I'd just never heard?). I've ordered the vinyl but I wish they'd pull together the bonus tracks from all of these and put that out by itself.
― akm, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 16:31 (three years ago) link
that remix of Days of Our Lives turns it into a Security-era Peter Gabriel track
― akm, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 16:32 (three years ago) link
I’m struggling to find antecedents for “bluebirds” and, especially, “i”, parts of which almost seem closer to 70s singer-songwriter stuff than anything they’ve done. other parts remind me a little of “christmas” and “from a late night train”
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 16 June 2020 17:21 (three years ago) link
Thank you for turning me into 'It's Immaterial'! It's a shame the Song album is not in Spotify. This is probably the closest thing I've heard to the Blue Nile. Not as elegant and missing some of the great synth work but still pretty close.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 16 June 2020 17:46 (three years ago) link
It might be recency bias but I'd even say this 'Song' album is better than any Blue Nile album that is not Hats..
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 16 June 2020 17:48 (three years ago) link
that meme format where you post one smiling image and one frowny image:
"new" unreleased blue nile songs - smilehigh era - frown
― Rik Waller-Bridge (jim in vancouver), Tuesday, 16 June 2020 20:53 (three years ago) link
shit I gotta get my act together and hear this
― J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Tuesday, 16 June 2020 20:58 (three years ago) link
xpost: nothing wrong with high era!!!
― akm, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 21:08 (three years ago) link
also, looks like I slept too long on getting Peace at Last on vinyl since it's sold out everywhere and the few copies I can find are over $100. guess I can live without it.
― akm, Tuesday, 16 June 2020 21:45 (three years ago) link
pretty curious to me that “here come the bluebirds” couldn’t find a place on high, seems like a pretty perfect bridge between that record and mid air. a really fitting closer
“i” I sort of get how it doesn’t really fit, parts of it are very hats (the other one it reminds me of is “saturday night”) and the retrain is much more later-period. I’m still on the fence about whether the song really holds together — it’s bursting with really affecting moments and motifs but I just feel like it switches up a little too much to be as effective as it could be
“big town”, as tim says, is straight out of a walk across the rooftops. (tim is always right about the blue nile)
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 16 June 2020 22:31 (three years ago) link
dammit you guys i have zero money to spend on recreational stuff right now and you all just keep talking this stuff up.
off to start a new thread: THE BLUE NILE RULES
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 00:47 (three years ago) link
― k3vin k., Tuesday, June 16, 2020 5:07 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink
<3
'I' and 'Bluebirds' are plain amazing imo. What a gift.
― Le Bateau Ivre, Wednesday, 17 June 2020 12:01 (three years ago) link
i haven't gotten to the new tracks yet but man, high sure is a great album
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 15:08 (three years ago) link
i love how propulsive "broken loves" and "she saw the world" are, it felt new for them
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 17 June 2020 15:09 (three years ago) link
yeah those are a couple of my faves. the propulsive-ness of “she saw the world” kind of anticipates “buy a motor car”
― k3vin k., Wednesday, 17 June 2020 17:46 (three years ago) link
i can’t believe i have “new” blue nile music to enjoy nor can i believe it’s so good. “i” just knocked me flat today
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 18 June 2020 00:31 (three years ago) link
yeah I just want to retract all my reservations about “i”
― k3vin k., Thursday, 18 June 2020 00:55 (three years ago) link
Just got the vinyl reissue of High in the mail. It sounds fantastic. The title track still kills me.
― kitchen person, Thursday, 18 June 2020 01:26 (three years ago) link
also thanks to all of this I just discovered the track Paul Buchanan wrote on Jesse Ware's Glasshouse, Last of the True Believers, which is wonderful, but I really wish he was 'featured' on more than one line repeated twice in the last 30 seconds. I guess he cowrote it though and it sounds like it.
― akm, Friday, 19 June 2020 17:36 (three years ago) link
lol that would contradict the credits i was given when i reviewed the record but then again there were a lot of holes in those credits
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Friday, 19 June 2020 17:51 (three years ago) link
Sorry, who's this by?
― does it look like i'm here (jon123), Friday, 19 June 2020 18:11 (three years ago) link
https://www.allmusic.com/album/song-mw0000886575
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Friday, 19 June 2020 19:04 (three years ago) link
Ah right, thanks. I remember that one hit single they had in 1986. Slightly strange but really good.
― does it look like i'm here (jon123), Saturday, 20 June 2020 09:03 (three years ago) link
ok well I'm not positive he cowrote it, but in an interview i found she said she wrote it with him:
https://www.iheart.com/content/2017-11-09-interview-jessie-ware-shares-track-by-track-breakdown-of-glasshouse
"Track 11. "Last Of The True Believers" featuring Paul Buchanan
"I wrote after my first record and it was a song that I wrote this with this amazing guy called Paul Buchanan, who is from this cult band of the 80's called The Blue Nile. They're a Scottish band. I managed to get in the studio with him, and we wrote this song, and it was in demo form, and I loved it.
I started to play it when I was doing my American tour because I toured the Devotion record so much, and my last ever tour was in the States. It was a six-week tour. It was amazing, one of my favorite times, and I never do encores, because I think they're annoying, but I did do an encore and so I had to backtrack on what I'd said. I don't think we went off stage though, because I think that's naff. We started doing this, and it's nothing. I've never done that before. We had a demo. We didn't do it how the demo is and we kind of learned it, and I felt like I was in a real band. I didn't feel like I was dictated by the album track. It was just this idea, and people really liked it. Pitchfork put it up. It became this thing that was on the Internet, and people asked me, 'Are you gonna put it on your second record?' I didn't, and it didn't make sense to put it on the second record.
My sister reminded me of this song, because she adored it, so I got my friends (and) they're in a band called The Maccabees, who are really good friends of mine from school. They're massive fans of The Blue Nile. I asked Hugo if he'd like to produce it, and he did, and he brought it to life. He brought it back to life, and I'm really, really happy that it made it onto this record. It fits this record so much more than the second record."
so this doesn't mention that he sang on it, so maybe he didn't? It kind of doesn't sound like his voice.
― akm, Saturday, 20 June 2020 15:30 (three years ago) link
he def sings on it
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Saturday, 20 June 2020 15:31 (three years ago) link
but i'll take jessie's word for it! again the credits for that album were a mess
Paul does sing on the track, but not as much as I expected based on having a feat. credit.
― michaellambert, Saturday, 20 June 2020 15:42 (three years ago) link
Does anybody know the story of "Young Club"? It haunts me. From the sound of it, I would take it to be post-'Hats' but pre-'High,' but really don't know, and kind find anything about it. But it's just so, so, so fucking good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvcd0ADqu94
― Soundslike, Saturday, 20 June 2020 16:14 (three years ago) link