Paul Buchanan | |
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Born | Paul Gerard Buchanan 16 April 1956 Edinburgh, Scotland |
Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
Known for | Co-founder and lead singer of the Blue Nile |
Website | www |
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 and for his solo material.
Buchanan was the writer of the Blue Nile's album Hats , which was identified by The Herald newspaper as Scotland's favourite album of all time, in 2018.
Paul Gerard Buchanan was born on 16 April 1956 in Edinburgh. [1] 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. [2]
Buchanan attended St. Matthews Primary School, then St Ninian's High School, Kirkintilloch, before studying literature and medieval history at the University of Glasgow, leaving with a post-graduate qualification. [2]
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. [2]
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 [3] (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. [4]
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. [5] [6] Buchanan is often described as reticent to perform and as a perfectionist who has discarded many songs during the creative process. [7] [8] His songs have been covered by artists including Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, Annie Lennox, and Isaac Hayes. [9] Bono and Matty Healy have cited him as an influence. [9]
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". [6] His work, both with the Blue Nile and as a solo artist, has appeared with long intervals between. [10]
Buchanan was previously romantically involved with American actress Rosanna Arquette. [11] As of 2012, Buchanan lived in Glasgow. [5]
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The Blue Nile were a Scottish band which originated in Glasgow. 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, the Blue Nile gained critical acclaim, particularly for their 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.
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A Walk Across the Rooftops is the debut album by Scottish band The Blue Nile, released on 30 April 1984 on Linn Records in the UK and on A&M Records in the US. Although the album was released to little fanfare and was not a big hit on its initial release, it slowly accumulated fans and sales through word of mouth as the years passed, and by the time the follow-up Hats was released in 1989, A Walk Across the Rooftops had sold 80,000 copies. It continued to gather praise when reissued in 2012.
Hats is the second studio album by Scottish band the Blue Nile, originally released on 16 October 1989 on Linn Records and A&M Records.
Peace at Last is the third studio album by Scottish band The Blue Nile, released on 10 June 1996 via Warner Bros. Records.
High is the fourth and final studio album by Scottish band The Blue Nile, released on 30 August 2004 on Sanctuary Records. A single, "I Would Never", was released one week prior to the album: a second song, "She Saw the World", was made available as a promotional single, but never released officially.
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"Happiness" is a song by Scottish band The Blue Nile, which was released in 1996 as the lead single from their third studio album Peace at Last. It was written by Paul Buchanan and produced by the band. "Happiness" reached No. 88 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for two weeks.
"Tinseltown in the Rain" is a song by Scottish pop band The Blue Nile. It was released as the second single from their 1984 debut album A Walk Across the Rooftops. The song was written and produced by lead singer Paul Buchanan and bassist Robert Bell. It has been described as an "ode to the city" of Glasgow.
"The Downtown Lights" is a song by Scottish band The Blue Nile, released in 1989 as the lead single from their second studio album Hats. It was written by Paul Buchanan and produced by the band.
"Headlights on the Parade" is a song by Scottish band The Blue Nile, released in 1990 as the second single from their second studio album Hats (1989). The song was written by Paul Buchanan and produced by the band. It reached number 72 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for four weeks.
"Saturday Night" is a song by Scottish band The Blue Nile, released in 1991 as the third and final single from their second studio album Hats (1989). It was written by Paul Buchanan and produced by the band. "Saturday Night" reached number 50 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for three weeks. It remains the band's highest charting single in the UK.
Mid Air is the debut solo studio album by Scottish musician Paul Buchanan. It was released on 21 May 2012, through Newsroom Records.