Paul Gerard Buchanan (born 16 April 1956), is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician, known for critically acclaimed compositions both as a co-founder of the Blue Nile. Since forming in 1981, the band have released four studio albums, with their debut A Walk Across the Rooftops being released in 1984. It spawned the critically acclaimed single "Tinseltown in the Rain" which has been described as an "ode" to the city of Glasgow in which the band formed.
In 1989, they released "The Downtown Lights" as the lead single from their second album, Hats (1989). The single achieved moderate success in the United States, peaking at number ten on the BillboardAlternative Airplay charts.[4] The album achieved commercial success in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and featured strongly on the end of year critics' lists, making number eight on Melody Maker's albums of the year list,[5] number 18 on NME's list,[6] and voted number 345 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[7]Q placed Hats at number 92 on its list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever" in 2000 and at number 38 on its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s" in 2006.[8][9]
Commercial success continued with their subsequent albums – Peace at Last (1994) and High (2004). Following the released of High, the Blue Nile began a period of inactivity, essentially beginning an indefinite hiatus, although an official breakup of the band has never been confirmed.[10] In 2006, Buchanan featured on the single "Sleep" by Texas which achieved commercial success, and in 2012, released his debut solo album Mid Air which reached number one on the Scottish Albums Charts and fourteen in the United Kingdom.[11]
Early life and education
Paul Gerard Buchanan was born on 16 April 1956 in Edinburgh.[12] He was the first born of four children to civil servant John "Jack" Buchanan and Jesse Maria Buchanan (née Murray). His father worked at the Department of Trade and Industry. After his birth, the family moved to the Glasgow suburb town of Bishopbriggs.[13]
After university, Buchanan worked as teacher, as the manager of a theatre, and for the Scottish Society of Playwrights Magazine. A guitarist, he started the Blue Nile band with friends from university: keyboardist Paul Joseph "PJ" Moore and synthesiser player and bassist Robert Bell. The band progressed from covers to releasing their own work. Their first album was produced in 1981 through RSO records.[13]
The group's early music was built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works featured guitar more prominently. Following early championing by established artists such as Rickie Lee Jones and Peter Gabriel[14] (the band later worked with both acts), the Blue Nile gained critical acclaim, particularly for its first two albums A Walk Across the Rooftops and Hats, and some commercial success in both the UK and the US, which led to the band working with a wide range of musicians from the late 1980s onwards. The Blue Nile's highest chart placement came when "Tinseltown in the Rain" reached No. 28 in the Netherlands in 1984, their only Dutch charting song. The band has had four top 75 hits on the UK Singles Chart, the highest being "Saturday Night" which reached No. 50 in 1991. In the United States, "The Downtown Lights" was its only chart entry, peaking at No. 10 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.
The band members have also gained a reputation for their avoidance of publicity, their idiosyncratic dealings with the recording industry and their perfectionism and slow work rate, which has resulted in the release of just four albums since the group's formation in 1981. The group appears to have disbanded since the release of the fourth album High in 2004, although there has never been any official confirmation. In 2018, the Blue Nile's album Hats, written by Buchanan, was identified by The Herald as Scotland's favourite album of all time.[15]
Solo career (2006–present)
In 2006, Buchanan had a top 10 hit in the UK when he featured on Texas' song "Sleep", which reached No. 6. Buchanan released his first solo album, Mid Air, in 2012. BBC Music described it as "a masterpiece".[16]Mid Air was met with widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 82 based on nine reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[17]The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? has the critical consensus of the album at a 7.8 out of 10, based on fourteen reviews.[18] The album was included on Uncut's Top 75 albums of 2012 list at number 14.[19]
His work, both with the Blue Nile and as a solo artist, has appeared with long intervals between.[20]
Influences
Buchanan's work, including four albums with the Blue Nile and one solo album, has received critical praise although has met with relatively modest commercial success.[21][16] Buchanan is often described as reticent to perform and as a perfectionist who has discarded many songs during the creative process.[22][23] His songs have been covered by artists including Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, Annie Lennox, and Isaac Hayes.[24]Bono and Matty Healy have cited him as an influence.[24]
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