A Walk Across The Rooftops

Very meh

Did not resonate with me.

First time listen. Sounds like the ‘80s. It’s fine. 2 keepers in 7 (29%). 2 stars.

Astonishing. The Blue Nile is something.

Quintessential 80’s without being essential 80’s

Cool

A beautiful album. And a total innovator. The Blue Nile is a massive influence on some of today's stars in popular music. It's no "Hats" (seriously, how did it miss the list?) but this debut is perfect. I was disliking the first song at first, but I was just a fool, and couldn't see yet the direction this album will take and the demand it has over your attention. Again, seriously, how did "Hats" not make the book? The blurb for "A Walk Across the Rooftops" in the book highly recommends checking out "Hats" as well, which makes me think "Hats" got shut down and the blurb writer (rightfully so) pleas with us to check out "Hats". Phenomenal album that takes what this debut did and perfects it

Hats may be an even better album but this is the one that established The Blue Nile as a very distinctive group - a studio band of audiophile perfectionists, producing sparse collections of immaculate sounds with minimal song structure. I was never quite sure if the soulful vocals quite match the chilliness of their instrumentation, but on balance I've decided that more human touch is welcome because I'm not quite as keen on perfection as they were.

No suenan man, pero sin más

This was one of those major surprises for me in that it was a band I had never heard of before and really, really loved it. The best way I can explain how it affected me... the album created a world. Like in listening to the music it formed a very visual place that I could see and hear and smell and I wanted to step into and live in it.

Never heard of this band. A pleasant surprise. The bass on the first song was something I’ve never heard a bass do before. Would definitely listen to most of these songs again.

I was very surprised this was only 38 minutes.

I enjoyed this album. Classic 80s vibes, with some great David Byrne-esque vocals and some catchy upbeat guitar riffs scattered throughout. Heatwave was far and away the standout of the album for me. 7/10

In my all time top 10

hans ohni netz glost aber isch irgendwie no cool? sie hend viel peter gabriel glost glaub. aber s isch au chli cool? checks nöd emfall.

Solidly enjoy this album. One for the good headphones.

4/5

Bom

This album is a bit of a strange combination of mostly 80s synth and smooth jazz. Which, by all accounts should be really fun. but a couple of things make this less fun than it could otherwise have been. Paul Buchanan's vocals sound like he is squeezing them out. Not that it is laboured or that he cant reach the notes he is going for. It is a stylistic choice. I feel like he has made a decision to try to put a Mick Hucknall/James Brown level of effort into pushing out every syllable when he really could have backed off a bit and it might have felt just as impact-full. The second links to the vocals and if it was resolved, the vocals might not be an issue. All of the songs have a level of significant melancholy. To me, if you have a beautiful melancholy to the song, the vocal should reflect that with a whistful, ethereal or even understated quality. This feels like someone shouting at beautiful sparkling otherworldly lights. Overall, I feel as though I like what The Blue Nile was hoping to do. Then they did it really well in exactly the way they wanted to do it. But, as it turns out, the reality of their creation was less enjoyable that the way I thought it would be. (2.100)

Nope

the music remains light and airy while the lyrics are incredibly heartfelt and earnest. such unique instrumentation as well. somehow makes a harp seem cool. such an outstanding album.

The Blue Nile are great. This album sounds like walking in a quiet city, under the streetlights, at 3am in the morning. It's atmospheric, but not too cold or ambient. The melody of the synth/instrumentation is superb. This stood out immediately on the first track. Good album in my opinion.

More music that isn't really for me. I recognize Tinseltown in the Rain though. Not into jazzy pop music, but like most of these records, I can recognize the artistry.

Sophisti-pop, synth-pop, ambient, blue-eyed soul.

Ok

I think Hats should be here over this, but naturally I'm still gonna thoroughly enjoy it.

Sangeren lyder lidt som Peter Gabriel. MEGET kedeligt. Stor 1’er

Ret unik stil og lyd, kunne godt bruge nogen flere hooks

Very boring, but sounded very nice!

idk I really enjoyed this. felt very emotional and I never got bored

The album did not inspire much in me. The vocal were off-putting to my ears. I don't have much else to say, it was one big ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

it's like if U2 was slightly more listenable, but i'm still not going out of my way to hear this again. a little extra credit to this album for being under 40 minutes, since i knew it wasn't for me roughly 10 minutes in

This was a nice something different that was pretty pleasant. I enjoyed the quieter tracks much less than the others, mostly because the tracks that were really full were places I wanted to stay in for a while. Like “Heatwave,” I did not want that to end. Whole album sounded very experimental for its time, too, I liked how forward-thinking it was.

I found this album really frustrating because it has all the building blocks of something I would be really into but it just can’t get over the finish line, much like Style Council’s Cafe Bleu, which came out like a month earlier. I can see the influence of Peter Gabriel in this one, and I can see the influence of this whole sophisti-pop wave on Richard Hawley’s stuff. I gave both of those 5s but this is just kind of a good workmanlike album that gives me something I could get a better version of elsewhere.

Detta är tråkigt och intetsägande för mig. Jag gillade det faktiskt inte alls. Ett band jag inte tidigare hört talas om, så det var ju kul att lyssna på något nytt för mig men insåg snabbt att detta inte var för mig. Tråkigt rakt igenom.

No thank you

I mean what’s not to love here. Nostalgic. Cinematic. Enigmatic. A great listen!

ok

Nie zuvor gehört und das ist richtig so.

Très nul

14. avgust 2026. 14.59h it was okej, volim 80s muziku i zvuk ali ovaj album me je fr natjerao da potrazim koji su bili kriterijumi za albume koje moras da poslusas

pretty alright. stay and heatwave were fun listens. 6.6/10

Truly incredible ending

Fine, I dunno.... didn't grab me....maybe I'll go back

Just beautiful music. Love the Blue Nile…this album and Hats are just wonderful. 4

I liked this! Second half kinda different than the first - high 3

Genuine background music

this felt unique and i actually really enjoyed it. i listened to the bulk of it while walking my dog on a crisp, cool evening right around dusk and that's exactly what this album sounded like. i really liked "stay" but didn't care much for "easter parade".

Big question sign what qualifies this album for this list? I can't stand the weeping voice and the doodle-doodle-sound. 1,5

Interesting stuff, not that memorable tbh

Here’s a first, none of these albums had made me cry beforehand - enter The Blue Nile. What a beautiful surprise! Hadn’t heard a single thing about this album beforehand and I’m happy to say I have not put this album down in over 24 hours, seriously wow! This is, probably, my favourite album of the 80s?? I never gel too well with 80s music at the best of times - way too synthy and dated (you KNOW when you’re listening to an 80s album, which is a part of the identity but god it puts me to sleep) But here’s the rub ladies & gents - it doesn’t sound like it’s from the 80s??? It still has trappings of the time of course but the electronica here just projects this outside that realm of thinking for me - it’s not longer “just 80s music” it’s “evocative as fuck” With that said, ‘A Walk Across The Rooftops’ is the most apt name for this album because that’s what the music feels like. Airy, floating without a care above the world and peering in on the landscape below - on the outside looking in. Truly I was engrossed by this, to the point that I had a little cry (to be specific it was the end of ‘Stay’ going into ‘Easter Parade’, just bloody washed over me lad I stood no chance and I loved it) Long form review over, listen to this, and tell me it’s not a 5, you’ll be arguing with the wall my friends xx

This was a surprise. Good pacing. Vocalist reminded me of Peter Gabriel. Only listened once but marking a 4 to encourage revisit. 4/5

I wasn't aware of this band or album until I had to review it and, after listening to it, I quite liked my original state of being unaware. It wasn't just boring, it was mood-destroying. I didn't make it all the way through, so 1 star only.

This one is new to me and I really enjoyed it. This is twilight music, best served when the sky is dark blue and the streetlights have just turned on. The title track has an instrumental melody and a vocal melody that are almost entirely disconnected, and it works surprisingly well. I think the subsequent track is the stand-out, but there's a lot to like throughout the album. At seven tracks, there's not enough for the sound to get old, and each song is long enough to breathe. It is definitely an 80's album, but it still sounds very contemporary. I'll definitely come back to this one, especially to one particular song... Favorite track: "Tinseltown in the Rain"

Kinda pleasant but also boring.

Meh

I love Hats by the Blue Nile but I've never listened to this one. I was a bit disappointed by the opening track, then Tinseltown in the Rain played and I loved that track. From rags to riches was whatever, I was waiting for that to end. It's overall a decent album. I wouldn't necessarily rush to own it on vinyl but I liked it.

Honestly found it chill, yet not boring. A pretty good, and short listen.

1001 albums to hear before you walk across the rooftops of heaven 175# What a nice surprise. 80s all over, but not sounding dated, I hear Peter Gabriel So similarities a lot. The begining is great. Tinseltown in the Rain made me float a little Stay is a more straightforward synth pop song, even though for the later part of the song it becomes stale on it's structure. The songs can run a bit longer than they should be but the production is so smooth and the album isn't too long so, it's not a big complaint.

Meh, pasó completamente desapercibido. Si no me equivoco, me hizo acordar un poco a U2. Pero no me gustó.

Eh

This is very ok. Nothing offensive but nothing interesting.

Loved this album and this artist. Good find.

My beautiful boys… my beautiful sensitive boys…

I really enjoyed parts of this. Adding to my rotation! 7/10

Got a bit stale by the end, but really good.

The compliment I'd give this is that it seemed to me to be ahead of its time. By this I mean that this album from the mid 1980s sounded a lot like a bunch of artists from the mid 2000s. It's that somewhat ethereal sounding indie folk stuff. To be honest, I find the style quite dull.

Some really good songs here. “Stay” in particular caught my ear, for its really great new wavey guitar solo and its chorus. Also “Heat Wave,” with its instrumentation, and its coasting drumbeat, and its beautiful, passionate vocals. I was also really into the kind of nocturnal vibe the entire thing fostered, that kind of 1980s thing that I can generally take or leave but if I must listen to I enjoy. A lot of the production can err on the sparser side, but I kinda get it; a lot of this album feels like that moment when you’ve been up for a while, and it’s like midnight or 1 in the morning, and you’re just about to fall asleep. The lead singer has this really dreamy voice that’s perfect for this brand of synthy, piano-ey, new wave type music. I honestly really kinda love this one. 9.3/10

Tinseltown, what a name... Love the long and climaxing songs. The singing could be better, but I like the vibe.

"Word of mouth" records can be great, terrible, or anything in between. But they definitely don't belong on a list of the 1001 most important albums of all time. Unless they were the first-ever instance of "word of mouth" music, which AWATR definitely was not. The opener/title track is like an 80s Bowie track gone very wrong. None of the musical elements particularly mesh with one another – they seem thoughtlessly tossed together. The singing itself doesn't impress or offend, but the melody goes absolutely nowhere. I worry about the remaining six songs. Tinseltown In The Rain fares better. Immediately more singable, which is always a plus if vocals/lyrics are involved. The piano and string parts cut nicely through the mix. Though everything is almost aggressively "of its time", in my mind this sort of music is a tongue-and-cheek nod toward that style of music rather than an endorsement of it. From Rags To Riches has a quirky sound, especially with those retro-video-game synths, but ultimately it treads water for six minutes without going anywhere with its musical ideas. Stay is probably the strongest song up thus far, but don't get any crazy ideas. It's good at best. Again the piano does a lot of the heavy lifting, though having a decent-sounding guitar part helps a heck of a lot too. Groovy, happy, floaty. I could see this appearing on a Talking Heads record with some minor reworking. If you were anxiously awaiting a fifth consecutive ballad, look no further than Easter Parade, perhaps the most balladesque of them all. At least keyboard is a good choice of solo accompaniment to the singing. I would have filed Heatwave under the same "too weird and weakly experimental" category as the opening track, but it reminds me strangely of soundscape experimentation from the following decade – the likes of Radiohead and Aphex Twin. It gets a pass! Automobile Noise, though... a very "empty" way to end the album. And that singing is just not good. 2/5 Key tracks: Tinseltown In The Rain, Stay

An all timer, I love nu wave sad boys. Scottish too.

oh this is the band that was referenced in that taylor swift song

Glad to get a other cool Scottish band recommendation. Very interesting sound but I can tell it's the type of album that will need a couple more listens before I can settle on my feelings. Will be coming back to it.

off

another one for the "What The Fuck?" list

I actually quite liked this - perhaps the second time this has been recommended through this website? It has grown on me. I intend to explore more by this artist

Liked this, nice to hear Paul Buchanan before Mid Air

8.5 / 10

Some interesting experimental sounds. VERY 80s tho

Minst sagt experimentellt på gott och ont. Hade inte satt på detta men det är samtidigt intressant att lyssna på. Solid 6/10

Sounds like bad Thomas Dolby.

Feels like a cross between David Byrne and what I used to imagine Bowie albums sounded like before I actually started listening to them. That is to say I think its great, weird and sometimes disjointed in its way but really interesting and enjoyable as music. The vocals convey this classic 80's wailing emotional tone which I have come to enjoy as an acquired taste at this point. The music itself has such a charm to it, "sophist-pop" I guess is the term. Its very ambient, you kind of sit in it and it washes over you with spikes of unique sounds, good for a montage. I would own this album if I collected Vinyls.

It was a nice enough album, but a bit spaced out abstract

Too slow and not that charming for it to be remembered. Didn't bother me on any level.

Not heard this album, but I have listened to their other album, Hats a few times. I'm a big fan of Craig Armstrong's solo work, enjoyed this.

Sound familiar but not quite to my liking.

A walk across the folk rivers of yore.

The Blue Nile pop up every now and again on playlists I randomly stick on – usually of Scottish or just Glasgow based bands. They have some decent tunes, but a full album of them might be a bit much for me. I think I probably like the idea of this more than I do the album. It's my era certainly, and has some nice moments. Interesting to see the recursively named Calum Malcom's involvement and Castlesound being used – both names I associate more with Runrig – and I certainly prefer this to the countless Bowie albums that have been thrown at me. But I don't like that much. I'd listen again certainly, but only occasionally.

Truly, staggeringly boring. Bad singing, synthy, dull backing. So unmemorable that's it's actually an achievement. I forgot every song the instant it finished, and this review is going to be the only record that I ever experienced this album.

3.5

Sounds like a Bowie/Byrne hybrid doing karaoke

I hated this. Truly hated everything about it. Especially From Rags To Riches and Heatwave. Stuck with it to the end though, every track from every album and all that but bloody hell I was glad when this ended.

Some nice, experimental tunes I wouldn't have expected from the 80s.

Similar to Talk Talk where I'm like - this seems hard to make? It's just soooo 80s sounding that it's kinda hard to separate from silly new wave bullshit even though I know it's better. I had fun at times and didn't hate his voice.

peter gabriel with a sprinkle of david bowie that somehow doesnt really work

Not compelling enough to compete with similar bands of the time (im thinking Talk Talk) in terms of singing and musical structure

Es muy chill, emocionante y atmosférico, me ha gustado. Me recuerda un poco a lo que harán mas tarde The Hours (solo que ellos sin ningún exito).

Another to add to the pile of albums that I started to enjoy at the end, only to realize that the album had already ended and Spotify was auto-suggesting better songs

Another fun new wave album, so much more out there than I realized

No thanks. 1 star

Another album on this list that makes me think that maybe there aren’t 1001 albums worth hearing.

I wasn't sure about this during the first track, but it really grew on me. I love the sparseness of some of the tracks. I like the experimental nature of the sounds. Stay and Heatwave are really cool songs

During the majority of my listening, I felt off. It took me a while to figure out why that was - I realized that the singer sounded (to me) like he was trying to imitate Bowie, but he wasn't doing a great job at it.

Weirdly captivating and incredibly glad to be able to experience something completely new to me like this. Some tracks are obvious standouts like Tinseltown in the Rain and Automobile Noise but as much as I enjoyed this (particularly compared to other people on here) I will concede that several tracks struggle to form unique identities and feel like they bleed into each other. Albums like this desperately make me wish I could give .5 ratings because I’d give this a firm 3.5 if I could. I don’t love it enough for a 4/5 though, sadly.

This reminds me of shit my dad listened to after my parents got divorced but mixed with Talking Heads.

That was one of the most incredib…ly boring things I’ve ever heard.

Normally I reserve 1-star reviews for albums deserving of my vitriol, hate, bile and general disenchantment. This is not one of those reviews. Instead this album gave me nothing. Not hate, not disdain, there's no opprobrium here. It literally give me nothing. No reason to like any of the songs, nothing catchy to memorise or hum or tap along to. It didn't even leave me cold. Just... nothing. Sorry.

This is Scottish Peter Gabriel, mixed with Simple Minds, mixed with the soundtrack of every John Hughes film and all of Stranger Things. I wasn't expecting much from this album, to be honest. When I saw it was listed as "sophisti-pop" on Wikipedia, I shuddered, dreading the reappearance of another pretentious 80s album about nothing, but this was surprisingly endearing, groovy, and ambient. This needs to be the soundtrack to a movie set in the 80s, right fucking now.

thats a sidewalk, but i'll overlook this mistake.

A solid 3.5….didnt love the Seinfeld bass on the first track but the rest was great.

This is probably meaner than it deserves, but this record sounds like someone smeared mayonnaise all over Roxy Music

This album is incredibly boring. The first song is the only one that seemed remotely interesting. as it flows through the songs it just gets more and more boring. the songs feel very monotone and bleak. The mix is not good; they really like the low to mid-range and that tends to make all the instruments become a little muddy and blend together to become almost indistinguishable. Would not ever recommend this album to anyone.

Never heard of them somehow and grew up in the 80s.

Good listen. Very chill vibes and smooth vocals.

Never heard of this act before, but the album was a pretty chill affair, and didn't overstay its welcome.

Dude this shit bangs so hard it's crazy.

This is the first time hearing this album and I loved it. This is everything I love about 80 synth music. More of this please!

fine

Missed this the first time through. Went back to listen. It started out innocuously enough, then devolved into an awful annoying mess.

Absolutely just ok.

TO ME this sounds like an unfinished demo that desperately needs more layers and to be handed to an accomplished lead singer. I understand that for a lot of people the vocal style is what they are drawn to. I would like to have a sit down with the person that thought this needs to be on a list of albums you need to hear before you die so they can explain exactly what about this I needed to hear. Melancholy synth/pop/folk? I've heard 20 artists on this list that do it better and 100 others that didn't make this list. 2.5, this exists and I am no better or worse from having heard it and never need to hear it again.

i can’t tell if i’ve hit some sort of mid-1001 burnout or if this project is actually making me more critical of music. this album made me open up spot*fy and wistfully glance at other, better albums i could be listening to. i’m not cut out for sophisti-pop.

This sounded good but very pretentious. It sounds like they are very arrogant people. Very 80s. It didn't sound bad but it got boring.

This felt kind of meh to me, which sounds harsh but it’s just not my sound and the singer almost seemed dispassionate and uninterested

Overall, nothing too exciting, just alright leaving it in the background.

So… somehow I came across this a few years ago. Spotify sent me down a Scottish rabbit hole because I was having a Frightened Rabbit fest. Btw are FR on the list? No. They’re on the user list. The Midnight Organ Fight. Good addition. That’d be my choice. Anyway, I actually ended up listening to this album. I enjoyed it and left it behind. Listening to it again that’s my feeling - again. It’s good - but why is it here? In perusing others reviews I realize we all have our own criteria for rating and agreeing/ disagreeing with the inclusion of some album on some list of important-albums-to-hear as a music lover/connoisseur. I personally appreciate albums that aren’t necessarily obvious. But they should demonstrate something remarkable in their production, their writing, their music, or their future influence. Slint’s Spiderland isn’t for everyone. But its cult status and influence are undeniable. By this standard, I would argue for more Elliott Smith, less Adele on the list. Adele’s 25 doesn’t do anything new that wasn’t already done on 21. 21 is enough. Elliott on the other hand, whether you like him or not, is an extraordinary song writer with a matching influence. I would argue that much is to be gained from following his progression from Heatmiser through his own career, from a song writing tutorial standpoint, personal enjoyment aside. Which brings me back here. On another day, I might give this a 4 from a personal perspective. But months into this project and I can’t say it deserves better than a 3 in this rating system. And it certainly does not belong on the list. 3 Boolean: FALSE

Never heard of these guys before, which is for some reason, a bit surprising. Too absent-minded this morning to properly soak it in, so I'll try to give it another spin at work this morning. Quite enjoyable 80s stuff, really not bad at all so probably easy 3 stars, but at the same time this is not super my cup of tea so I am afraid no more than 3! I could see myself listening to this though why not.

Not a band that I'd heard at all before, so a great discovery. Loved it, will be listening to this and more from their back catalogue. Marvelous to discover a "new" band!

Slightly dated in production and too short in length (only 7 songs). Otherwise this is a mighty album. Tinseltown in the rain is a gorgeous song which belongs in any best of 80s collections. A great band but just not busy enough over the years. What a voice as well.

Oei, ik hoor eigenlijk al meteen iets waar ik niet zo vrolijk van word: Een zeikerige zanger. Muzikaal zit het verder wel best interessant in elkaar met strijkers enzo. Maar ik merk dat ik eigenlijk meteen al de zanger niet zo goed vind. Goed, we geven het , zo neutraal mogelijk, toch een kans, misschien valt de zang me toch mee? Het is wel duidelijk new wave, en dat vind ik ergens nog wel geinig, maar dit hele album is zo ontzettend pretentieus. Je hoort gewoon bijna dat de zanger een driedelig pak aan heeft tijdens het zingen en continue sigaretten aan het roken is ook al mag je niet roken in de studio. Dat hoort nou eenmaal bij zijn creatieve proces, want net als Vincent van Gogh wordt hij niet begrepen bij leven, maar zal iedereen er later achter komen hoe geniaal hij was. Ugh, ik krijg een nare smaak van dit album, gelukkig duurt het maar 38 minuten, maar het zijn wel 38 ontzettend lange minuten zo... FAVO:

So so good

Es klingt wie ein nächtlicher Blick über eine leere Stadt: kühl, elegant, distanziert. Die Blue Nile bauen eine Atmosphäre, die beeindruckt, aber manchmal auch zu sehr im Nebel bleibt. Stark in Stimmung, schwächer in Dynamik.

this felt like listening to stale bread

While I prefer longer songs (given modern pop's under 3 minute epidemic), in this case the songs averaging 5 minutes did make the album overstay its welcome a little. More positively, Brit pop's easy listening has the advantage of never being exceptionally bad. Though, it's contentious to say if this is a true strength, as taking little risks also means a lot of projects in this genre aren't exceptionally amazing either. All that said however, "A Walk Across The Rooftops" is certainly one of the best ones I've listened to so far, as it incorporates more coarse and artsy production that I really enjoyed!

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-blue-nile/a-walk-across-the-rooftops/ This is amazing! Why did I not know of them before? Feel like this influenced so many things I listen to (hello, Destroyer???). Will absolutely get back to this one.

Whenever I review an album, I really try my best to give my thoughts in a reasonable amount of detail, without just writing a straight up entire essay. And I guess technically that is what I'm doing with this review too. To be fair, I am writing this a good few hours after having actually listened to the album, but even then I feel like I should still remember *something* about it. Was this good? Was this bad? Honestly I have no idea, all I can tell you is that it was forgettable, since I genuinely can't recall anything on this entire album that stuck with me.

Interesting, intriguing, I definitely want to explore it more, but definitely recommend

Archetypal 80s pop of a certain type. Spiky bass, drums machine, swirling synths. It hasn’t aged well stylistically and it doesn’t help that the songs (despite sounding quite portentous) are pretty mundane in content.

This one's alright. We have another 80s British sophisti-pop album on our hands for today. This isn't the worst of the bunch, but it's certainly not the best either. I did like it though. The production is a little dated, but there are some elements that I really liked to it, namely the bass on the first few songs. The vocals are solid. I don't have any issues with them. The writing is good, I will say that. "Tinseltown in the Rain" is a pretty good song. I might be crazy for saying this, but the instrumental for "Stay" kinda reminds me of Kraftwerk at times. I like it. I don't really have a ton to say about this album, but none of what I have to say is particularly negative, so I guess I'd call the album good. Apparently this album's followup, Hats, is better than this album, so maybe they should've chosen that one over this. I wouldn't know though. I've never heard it. For now, I feel okay about the Blue Nile. Solid 3/5.

4 and a half? Have to spin it a few more times but I listened twice and liked it enough that I fell asleep to the follow-up. This hazy alley, late night, forlorn music which still be dry much suits me. Big blue Nile fan 24 hours after my first listen.

*1984. *This was a very pleasant surprise - U2, Peter Gabriel vibe, with a touch of Talk Heads occasionally. *A little two synthy and 80s to score more than a 3 of 5 though. *These are long songs (5-6 mins each), but it works as an album. RATING - 7/10

This sounds like a soundtrack for a very pleasant life

I enjoyed this very much. I've never listened to a full album of theirs but I love The Downtown Lights. This is very artsy synth pop, reminds me a lot of Talk Talk's The Colour of Spring, which I love. From Rags to Riches uses some sonic elements that made me think of Baba O'Riley. Easter Parade was kind of like a Tom Waits ballad. All good things. Would absolutely listen again (and already did).

An okay album, I liked From Rags to Riches the most.

holy fuck this one is bad. Heatwave was so dog Will I listen to again: 0%

Me estresó, no es mi estilo

I'm feeling generous - this has a late Peter Gabriel fell although his voice is not a Gabriel knock-off

bit boring

Quirky but not brilliant

2/5

It was ok, but for the time it was not as good as other bands who nailed this sound. They feel more like an 80's cover band that decided to write their own music.

Det høres litt ut som om to album spille oppå hverandre, og æ e ikke nødvendigvis motstander av sånt, men det ene albumet va fint og det andre litt slitsomt, så æ e ikke superentusiastisk – det blei bedre etterhvert, og den siste sangen va egentlig ganske vakker.

Very interesting, ambient production for the 80's - that's simultaneously very 80's too. Too little harmonic variation for my taste though, the songs get repetitive. Faves: Tinseltown in the Rain, Stay

Klingt wie eine schlechte Version von etwas, das ich sehr mag

This wasn't bad bad, but it wasn't for me. I'd love to know the criteria that got this on the list and meant I simply had to hear it before I died.

I feel like there’s a lot of potential here, but many of the songs drag on and I tend to lose interest in them. 3/5

Despite the difference in number of listens, I actually really like From Rags to Riches more than Tinseltown In the Rain. The latter is pretty generic, in my opinion, but Rags to Riches hits a really cool fantasy sound.

Gostei muito do álbum, som super atual

Bom álbum, parece ter sido influente nos primórdios do rock.

Definitely enjoyed how weird this got at some point. There is certainly more to this than the 80s sheen that coats most of these tracks; I can hear real artistry in this one. Favorites: Tinseltown In The Rain, From Rags To Riches, Stay

I don't think I've heard any of these songs. While the 80's production and synth everything grate my nerves, I have to admit I really enjoyed the mood of this record. In fact, I hear a lot of Kaputt era Destroyer in this, and that's essentially what I'm looking for from this type of record. Keep the songwriting, keep the sad disco vibes, but use more live instruments and less gated reverb. So this comes very close to a record I can fully embrace, but rather I see and appreciate what they're going for, and I'm glad others could build off it.

It definitely occupies a unique space. It was pleasant enough but I have no urge to listen again. Rating: 1.8

The town is abuzz with excitement over the new installation down at the art gallery. You go in, and see a crowd of people around the new exhibit. When you make your way to the front, you see a blank canvas, and upon it is a broken bicycle pedal, a popped latex balloon, half of a soda can, and a banana. You take a deep breath, blink hard a couple of times, and take it in. No matter how many artsy folks in berets talk about how amazing it is, you just don't get it. It's just a bunch of shit on the wall. That's the visual equivalent of this album. The singing is so wistful, I hope that guy eventually found happiness, but I doubt it. I certainly didn't listening to this album.

The Good: We get a different view from the city! The Bad: The police thought we were cat-burglars… The Ugly: Falling off the rooftops, realizing we are no cats… When I was introduced to The Associates, or Orange Juice, I was grateful to this journey. The Associates, due to the rawest of energies, while Orange Juice just embodies ‘80s fun perfectly. Blue Nile, The Blue Nile, well… this one’s a head-scratcher. I am certain that, should I have been one of few to listen to this back in the ‘80s, then I might be a massive fanboy. Defending the off key singing as a perfect way of showing one’s feelings… But I did not listen to Blue Nile in the ‘80s… I gave The Human League 3* yesterday… in all fairness this means that this album should get 1 1/2… Not my cup of tea… keeping my fingers crossed to see what kind of odd ball I am presented today. 2*

Great album, I really enjoyed it despite never having heard of them before today. It's kind of lite 80's synth popish music. Very chilled out and enjoyable. Good music and the singer's vocals are really well done. I decided to go back through for a second listen. This is something that is right up my alley and I will definitely be listening to it again.

never heard of this album or band they not bad? little bit too much into sad ghost noises tho, bit too slow, bit too emo/weepy 💥tinseltown in the rain

This was so pretty and yet still cool and minimalist. Liked the production. Felt ahead of its time.

Wow, what a delight this was! I'm not really familiar with the band, but this felt like a blend of a lot of music I really like - U2 and Talking Heads and maybe a little Bruce Springsteen. Couldn't even pick a standout track. I loved em all.

Hmm, never heard of this band despite being quite familiar with 80s UK acts. Let me look them up... "The Blue Nile's highest chart placement came when "Tinseltown in the Rain" reached No. 28 in the Netherlands in 1984,". Right. So... Notable? Not sure about that. Pleasant enough.

Snooze fest.

love it

I hadn't heard of The Blue Nile before, and they sound like a new wave band that isn't quite as over-the-top as the genre's best-known acts. There isn't much to say about *A Walk Across The Rooftops* - I like the distinctive bass sound on the title track, and the other songs are generally okay. Solid.

I was surprised to have never heard of this album. It's right in a pocket of things I like. The band name was familiar for sure. I dug it.

This just isn’t very good. Weirdly structured sons, pretentious lyrics and dated.

Although the tracks were harmless enough, I found the album a tad boring.

Really cool but the production ruins it a bit

Enjoyed this one much more than expected. Good stuff.

This sounds like what would happen if David Byrne did a bunch of cocaine instead of biking and shit. There’s a real audacity in thinking anyone would want a deluxe version of this crap.

mildly interesting

I'm not into new wave, but this record left me with something smooth, sweet, and lovely.

Some good music, especially in the synth textures. The tone chosen by the singer is a bit too whiny.

Reminded me of both The Cure and LCD Soundsystem… I love that.

Kinda felt like I could walk off the rooftop. Didn’t really think it was anything special

Wasn’t into it tbh, just boring imo.

this is my first album by these guys, i’ve heard a song off their album Hats and it’s amazing, this album brought that same vibe and it was really good, some amazing guitar on this too, in a smooth way, a very night time sounding album in a great way, quality

Not to my taste felt pretty droney where songs kept going and i didn’t know where in the song I actually was

Really enjoying the 80s new wave vibes on this record - it feels cool and confident yet still very measured. The basslines are super groovy at times and the songwriting is abstract & interesting throughout. The more experimental ambient tracks are decent too, albeit they don't fully grab me like the more energetic ones. Tinseltown In The Rain itself is an absolute standout.

I feel like I have some disease, as a result of this challenge where every new album sounds like a derivative of some other artist. The singer here is an art rock crooner who sounds like an imitation of Bowie with a heavy dose of Peter Gabriel — a cheap imitation. He can’t sing as well as those two and the musical backdrop is not as interesting. A 2.

Solid

The sleepy crooner. An album you forget you're listening to while listening to it

It was ok. Wouldn’t have ever listened it otherwise and glad I have.

Influence of both David Bowie and Talking Heads is obvious. I love both so it makes sense that I enjoyed this too though I’d struggle to recall any of the songs as particular stand outs as soon as it ended….

Funky

Sikke en perle der lå og gemte sig!! Så forfriskende at høre. Meget 80'er men samtidig også helt sit eget! Synes virkelig at der er nogle meget fede ideer i det her album, og en meget defineret lyd!! Det er muligvis det album på listen der både inspirerer mig mest, og som jeg har mest lyst til at lytte til efterfølgende. Det er SKIDEGODT!!! I hvert fald Disk 1, jeg skal lige finde ud af om Disk 2 er en tilføjelse eller en del af "selve albummet" Hans stemme lyder en anelse som forsangeren fra The Cure, men det er jo heldigvis en god ting. Måske sang man bare sådan i 80'erne Highlights: Easter Parade From Rags to Riches Automobile Noises

This is objectively bad, come on. A very average voice over drums and electronic keyboards. All of the songs very similar to each other, likely because the singer has no range.

This is such a cool album. Strong Talking Heads vibes.

Ugh. So dumb

This album sits in the very strange middle space between great music and ambient soundscapes. I found myself working too hard to appreciate the lyrics and gave up. So, more ambient soundscape in the long run.

Too 80’s for me

Quite enjoyed FROM RAGS TO RICHES, felt like a jaunt through a space forest. A 2nd listen helped me appreciate the texture. Some really cool guitar insertions.

Felt like a wannabe bowie

Not a new wave person but I liked this one. Very listenable. Sting qualities

sounded fine but I didn’t care Why it matters: One of the earliest and best examples of atmospheric synth-pop, replacing 1980s excess with loneliness, space, and mood. Its influence can be heard in artists from U2 to The xx, yet it remains largely unknown outside music-obsessive circles, where it’s regarded as a cult masterpiece.

liked some parts, but some sounds where not there, started off kinda weird, then it came back, idk... i have mixed feelings

Buen album, no conocía a la banda y me sorprendió para bien. Buen sonido, buenas letras y seguro alguna canción de esta album va para mi playlist. Dentro de todo, es más que una buena escuchada.

Empezó muyy bien, me venía re gustando, pero no me acuerdo en qué canción cambió y se puso re denso y aburrido, igualmente siguió estando bien. Son álbumes que gustan, pero no me van a cambiar la vida.

Me da una vibra parecida a Depeche Mode pero no tan electronico y con menos levante que Depeche. No me atrapo mucho en realidad, la voz del cantante no me llamo la atencion, el sonido y el ambiente no me hacen meterme en la cancion, le falta fuerza para usar tantos sonidos que deberian de captar la atencion. Sin dudas es una banda importante del genero New Wave o Pop pero no me gusta tanto como otros exponentes, hay algo que es constante en las canciones que es el ritmo de la misma no tiene grandes variaciones, es como un set en loop y eso me parece dificil de llevar a cabo en una cancion escrita. Top Picks: 1 - Stay (Por lejos la mejor) 2 - Tinseltown in the Rain (Es lo que refleja el album. tristeza y un ambiente desolado con ruidos) 3 - I Love this Life (La cancion mas movida, me gusto mucha, tipica cancion de Radio para escuchar como Old Hit, me suena mucho a una cancion de Keane que se llama Perfect Symetry

I never heard of this band before, I will definitely be checking out more of them. Fresh sounds and killer bass.

5/10

Just completely unmemorable. Nothing bad, but ten minutes after listening I don’t think I can say one thing in this album that I had an actual reaction to.

Another Talking Heads, Genesis sounding wannabe band. It gets two because I didn’t absolutely hate it but man, it wasn’t great.

Beautiful lyrics and voice

3.7 Enjoyed that, sounded very different to the vast majority of this list. Almost came across emotional-new-wave esque if that's a thing, internet seems to tell me this is 'ambient folk' but not quite sure what's ambient or folky about it. Anyway, not sure putting a label on it really helps, nice vibe to have on in the background. Ironically the tinsel town track which seems to be the only popular one on the album was my least fave. Some of the rest though, really good.

1 aardig nummer. De rest vind ik niets.

Really not my cup'a tea. I liked the second song but after that it's just bad slam poetry

Meh. This was fine but nothing jumped out at me.

A boring record.

Fine I suppose!

Not great.

High on fidelity, low on tunes.

Some decent new wave/pop stuff, pretty forgettable but it's a nice listen

Dunno, it was meh or mid, I actually forgot how it was 24 h later

🤮

Its not awful, but at the same time I wasnt sad when it ended.

Pretty boring. Nothing bad but nothing good either. Fine background music.

We have Peter Gabriel at home

New to me, a sort of 80s baroque synth pop oddity, and another left field act from Scotland. I enjoyed some of it, and hated none of it. Worth a spin

Цікаві 80ті. Альбом іноді майже переходить допустимий для мене рівень примхуватості та витонченості, але якось вдається їм триматися цієї межі. Початок альбому сильно сподобався. Десь на середині трохи пригрузив, а під кінець знову трохи призвичаївся. 3.5, яка сильно хилиться до 4

Один з моїх улюблених гуртів 80х, і саме цей альбом мабуть в них найкращий. Тут ізі 4 ставлю, культовий гурт, який (як виявилось) дуже любить сабріна карпентер. До речі мене з блю найл познайомив Ігор Сидоренко, ще в неформатні часи.

Dreamlike sophisti-pop and ambient new wave shaped by glowing synthesizers, restrained rhythms, and intimate vocals unfolds like staring out of a train window at a sleeping city—beautifully atmospheric, but so muted it feels distant to the point of inertia, drifting into monotony.

Interesting, enjoyed it most of the time! Sad boy music. But gets kinda repetitive in melody

If David Bowie and Sting had a baby, I can imagine the voice would be like this front man. Synth and melodies were good. Enjoyed the lyrics, saved several tracks.

So '80s. What does the synth on From Rags to Riches remind me of? Interesting listen. A few good tracks going in my regular shuffle. Bonus points for being Scottish.

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: A Walk Across The Rooftops When I read that this was another Scottish band on the List, my eyes rolled into the back of my head so hard they could have caused a seizure. I've had to endure the likes of The Shamen, Primal Scream and The Incredible String Band, just to name a few and so I was not looking forward to this. SO, color me surprised when I started listening; this is actually pretty good. It's totally outside of my comfort zone and what I would normally listen to, but I quite enjoyed what I heard. It doesn't overstay its welcome, its got great instrumentation, including that really deep bass spring-sound (that I can't articulate). I don't really know which other artists to relate this music to. Genesis comes to mind? I scroll though the "related artists" at the bottom of the artist page on YTM and no one stands out as familiar. There's not really a concrete genre this can be classified into. It's sort of standing on its own legs, at least IMO. Dare I say, I might even call this beautiful, which after 400+ albums, is not an adjective I think I've used yet. Good job, The Blue Nile

No, not really.

I couldn't help but think of the similarities between this and Peter Gabriel. At times I can see where Blue Nile were going for, but overall it was such a bore

Too much moaning on the album. Bascially a boring sound.

An enjoyable listen that's most interesting feature is similarities with Bowie

Day856 - i thought this was a really good one. i have never heard blue nile and then i heard tinseltown in the rain on the radio right after i listened to the album

80s pop music is the best pop music. Rode the line of familiar and catchy but different enough to be unique and interesting, close to a 4 for me but not quite

3.5 Tinseltown in the rain is the standout. Sound quality/engineering/producing is pretty darn good.

A slice of David Byrne, a little Peter Gabriel, plus a whole lot of nondescript synth and moaning.

I don’t hate it, it’s listenable and I would finish the album, but probably will not listen to it again because it’s not memorable

Might be the first album where, after listening through AND reading reviews, my opinion of it isn't swayed in the slightest. This album had me totally blissed out, focusing on it's lyrics and assisting me in staring into space with wide-eyed wonder. Does it have that pretentious 'morrisey-esque' vocals? Yup. Does it have pretentious sounding, disjointed musical arrangements? Also yup. I didn't care, it sounded gorgeous the whole way through and hit a perfect length for this kind of music too. Favourite tracks were "A Walk Across The Rooftops", "Tinseltown in Rain", "From Rags to Riches", "Stay" and "Heatwave". "A Walk..." especially, with those deep, twangy bass strings. Would happily listen to more of these guys, to hell with criticisms about overproduction.

Scottish band I would listen to this again but I felt that it was really hard to get into this album. Felt it was forgettable

Good but boring

Being Scottish, I’ve long known the legend of The Blue Nile and their reputation for appearing on the same mysterious schedule as cicadas. I finally gave "A Walk Across The Rooftops" a listen, and yeah, it's definitely an 80s record, kinda on the edge of its own problems. It leans into that sophisti-pop thing, or even fancy smooth jazz, which can come off as a bit much or just old. There's this feel to it, all polished and held back, which some will think is boring, others will see as cool, atmospheric minimalism. Even with those occasional slow songs, the production really gets to you. The bass on the title track and the rainy feel of "Tinseltown In The Rain" make this a unique, late-night city vibe (honestly, I'm 99% sure this inspired Deacon Blue's "Raintown" album), and "Heatwave" is the highlight of the whole album. It's one of those albums that people either hate or love, but it does capture a certain 80s feeling. Not every song is a winner, but Paul Buchanan's vocals make it worth checking out.

Pretty cool new wave sound, didn’t hate this. Glad it ended before I got tired of it.

Folky, but not my favourite cup a tea

pretty sounds :)

The Blue Nile was the nickname for Len Houmous’ Spam Javelin 4.1 6/7 Heatwave

First off, I have never heard of this band or album. It came out in 1984, so I believe I’ll take a stab at the band being new wave? By that point, new wave and post-punk had taken over, especially on MTV. I’ll also guess they’re English. Track 1 is A Walk Across Rooftops and it builds slowly up to a fat bass groove with plucking orchestral strings and a snare hit. The production puts it in the 80s for sure. According to our good friends at Wikipedia, The Blue Nile are known as sophisti-pop, ambient, synth-pop and blue-eyed soul. I’m not sure they can be all those, but we’ll see. The song is a love song, but sonically hasn’t gone much past how the song opened. The singer is good. He sings with passion. The band is Scottish, rather than English. A piano has now joined the song. And a trumpet solo of sorts to close the song. It has a harp or chimes or something playing in the background that gives it this dream-like quality. Not blown away by this first track, but it gives me an idea of what to expect. Chill vibes, love songs, and no rock. Track 2 is Tinseltown In the Rain. Oooh, this song starts out a bit peppier with a nice groove. You’ve got another bass groove, electric piano, the whole drum set, and some Nile Rodgers-like guitars. I’m not sold on the lead singer, Paul Buchanon, but he’s giving it his all. I hear the synth now. The band uses synths to essentially create an atmosphere, so you don’t really pay attention to them. This was the second single released from the album. It seems it never charted in the U.S. and barely did so in the U.K. According to my good friend, Wikipedia, this is Blue Nile’s debut album. And the reason the songs are so sparse is that Buchannon wasn’t a great guitarist. So, to hide your deficiencies, you play up your strengths, which were synths and the ability to create a mood. And the bass playing of Robert Bell, the only other member of the band as The Blue Nile are a duo. By the time they got around to recording the album, they added drummer PJ Moore. I like this song. Track 3 is From Rags To Riches. Again, very sparse beginning. Synths and someone whacking a hollow log in the background. There are synths in this song that sound like the synth riff from The Who’s Baba O’Riley. No matter what I think of the album, it’s barely 37 minutes long. The good old 80s, where songs were barely over three minutes and albums were almost always around 40 minutes long. This song is boring to me. Maybe it’s the caffeine I’ve ingested. I want to chair dance or at least shake my knee 100 miles a second. This album seems to be more for winding down after a long day, maybe for taking a nap. It’s not appreciably bad, it’s just not….Oooh, I like this breakdown at the end. The song is six minutes long, but this band is experiential, so I don’t fault them too much. When the singer dips out, and you’re just left with all the synths and bass, it’s a pretty good song. From a review in Sounds magazine when the album came out, “The Blue Nile's stunning debut album seduces the emotions as well as the senses, and instead of fighting its effect, the sensible thing to do is relax and enjoy it ... There's a mesmeric quality in this music that makes you want to savour every track with the respectful appreciation of a connoisseur.” I’ll agree with most of that. Stunning? I’m not sure. I’m beginning to think this is an album you need to hear a few times before truly understanding what it’s trying to be. Though I do catch glimpses. Track 4 is Stay, which was the first single off the album. I like this song from the start. It has a good, catchy chorus. It’s the first true pop song on the album. I can find no info on how it charted or if it did, or Wikipedia has no info. I will say the chorus does sound familiar. It does have a nice, simple guitar solo in it. It fits the song perfectly. Not all solos need to be high wankery like Steve Vai. I’m adding this song to my singles playlist. It also has a timelessness to the production. It doesn’t give 80s vibes off of it. Track 5 is Easter Parade. The song starts out with both a piano and an electric piano with soft vocals. I like it. The singer reminds me of someone, but I can’t pull it out of my brainpan. He doesn’t sing with a deep Scottish brogue, but you can hear his accent subtly in there. Okay, here’s another one going on my singles playlist. I don’t know if it took me four songs to get into it, but I love this song. Still basically just piano and vocals. Synths kind of wash up every now and then, but for the most part just a beautiful, soft song. Buchanan described the song as a “Sunday song.” It has a quitness and almost sacredness to it. It’s a waking up on Sunday morning and just sitting and finding peace in the hustle and bustle. Loved it. Track 6 is Heatwave, and I’m expecting this to be a bit more uptempo. Nope. I’m not sure what’s playing the melody in this song. I assume synths, but they sound like wind chimes. Now we have a piano and a guitar joining the music during the chorus. Back to the wind chimes. I don’t much care for this song already. The last track is Automobile Noise and again, this song seems to be about living in the city. After listening to every song and doing some research, it seems the whole album is about living in the city, both the highs and the lows. The song is a lot of beating and banging, or synths programmed to make it sound like beating and banging. It sounds more like construction noise than automobile noise. After thinking I was getting into the album, it closes with two songs I dislike. This album is one of those albums on the list that I have no idea why. I’m not saying the album stunk, in fact, I quite liked it, at least the first six songs. As I said earlier, this may be one of those albums you need to hear a few times before it sticks with you. Though I’m doubting I ever listen to this again. If you like chill, ambient, synth pop, this is probably for you. Otherwise, you can listen to Cheap Trick At Budokan again.

Much preferred this when it was ambient, the cheesy 80s production does it no favours

man I get it that you're in love but most of the songs sound exactly the same

Dark, moody and very 80s, I am glad this is on the list.

(2.75)

Very good album! "Stay" was one of my favourites.

Slow and haunting and beautiful.

The instrumentals are truly a work of art. But the voice threw me off.

got nothing out of this

This was kind of an unexpected solid album if I’m looking at the reviews. Seems like the idea of it pissed some people off but I didn’t hate it personally.

..

Enjoyable, but utterly forgettable music

It makes me want to turn up the collar of my trench coat and moodily smoke outside a 1980s wine bar as I stare at the reflection of the neon sign in a puddle.

It remains unclear to me why someone would choose to listen to this.

Ah, yes. Immaculate 80s vibes that sound like something straight out of the Goldbergs. What's not to love? I'm being only slightly sarcastic by the way.

Tenía poten, pero no me terminó gustando. Muy triste se volvió al final, muy estático todo. No conecté.

Nile

I liked this weird little album. Some parts were a bit draggy but others sounded great. 3.5

Sad there's no Downtown Lights but a fun album and I enjoyed the origin story.

Pretty much unlistenable

What is this broke-ass man's Peter Gabriel?* *No disrespect to Peter Gabriel

pretentious and a little much sometimes but overall enjoyed it and would revisit 3 stars

Interesting overall, liked Stay, had some good moments, short and sweet

God I'm so bored with this album, which is a bummer because I actually thought it started out really interesting. I'm begging for this to be over at this point though. Might be a second 1-star.

At times I really enjoyed this album but I just felt each song was really repetitive. Later songs were less enjoyable. Overall if there was a 1/2 star I'd give it 3.5

First listened to this a few years ago having heard only good things about. The vocals are great but registering to it again I did feel that after the first two tracks (A Walk Across The Rooftops and Tinseltown in the Rain) are a tough challenge for the rest of the album to live up to. A lot of comments favouring this album are from people for whom it evokes nostalgic memories, I have no such connections to this music as I first listened to it almost forty years after it came out. I actually probably enjoyed the OMD album for it's slow burning power more than this, this is more brilliant but in some ways today it just didn't grab me as I thought it might. A strong 3

Buen disco, como para pasar el rato.

I would like this a lot more if they had fun on even one track. I'm not saying they need a dancy pop hit or anything, it's just hard to take the oppressive melancholy of the album seriously when there's no respite from it. You need a couple highs to appreciate the lows I guess? Since they've clearly listened to a lot of Peter Gabriel, I'll just say they need a Sledgehammer.

the name rings a bell I can't quite place. I think an internet friend recommended a song from these guys? nothing on the album is connecting unfortunately so I think this is one of those half-remembered things that wears at me for weeks until the right neural connection sparks. oh well. anyway it mostly sounds like if Duran Duran were forcibly infected with The Smiths-itis and they weren't fun anymore, or if Dead Can Dance had an ill-advised Bowie period, or if someone engineered an unfortunately coherent version of The Pogues and gave it depression there's a version of this album I'm into but this isn't it

4.5

Not sure why this is considered sophistipop. I think of music much smoother than this. It does have the 80s pop feel though. I can hear some influence of some of the slower songs of Gabriel's fourth album two years earlier. Not sure if I totally get into this on first listen, but I found it interesting at least (6.8) ★★★

One of the best sophisti-pop albums I have heard. 4 stars

I'm not normally a sophistipop guy, but this is a good bit cooler than stuff like Scritti Politti and the Style Council. Paul Buchanan has an interesting David Byrne-esque vocal delivery that makes the whole thing sound like the Talking Heads decided to make Roxy Music's *Avalon*. There's a couple songs I don't love, which hurts a 7 track album, but "Stay" and "Heatwave" are cool. 3.5 stars.

Exquisite debut from the Sophisti-Scots. A real aching gorgeous synthtopia made partly of Sinatra and also with girders. Tinseltown In The Rain is a true epic standout track for them but the only gripe I could have is that their 1989 follow-up Hats is even more sumptuous and 1001-worthy with songs like The Downtown Lights and Saturday Night that have the best of these ones beat. “Hats in, gentlemen. Robert Dimery what the fuck are you playing at?! Get Blue Nile Hats in this list as soon as possible.” Robert Schumann - Record Collector Magazine 2026

I like the base, actually not bad, new one on me, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's fine, solid

Maybe this list should have only had 1000 albums on it.

A poor man’s David Bowie. Good vocals on the album, despite lacking stimualting lyrics, and the music itself was never more than simple beats in the background. Nothing extraordinary here.

The syntheeist of synth pop muzak sung by the ghost of the 80s.

Complete rubbish

This did nothing for me

Yeah, no thanks. This is definitely not my cup of cheese.

4/15/26. New to this group and it's a pretty unique sound in a crowded 80s new wave/alternative scene. Really loved Heatwave and Stay.

Kind of meh. I guess this is what it sounds like to my partner when I listen to Joni Mitchell.

I like a few Blue Nile songs, mostly from the follow-up Hats, but it’s just never a world I want to spend that much time in. But, I admire what they were able to accomplish - it’s such a thoroughly deliberate sound - and find their embrace by later generations charming, even winsome.

damn, the start was annoying but then I really felt it at the later songs, where he's like I know you postcards summer clothes and stuff and the the car noise, amazing, at the end I was quite sick of the sound and his voice, but 4 stars

Ну вот как то вроде изысканно, но все равно что то не так. поп музыка не может быть шестиминутной

Wow, an absolutely forgettable, uninteresting, uninspiring, lacklustre, non event of an album. To be fair though it’s listenable, doesn’t mean it’s good

Music to make you want to take a walk off the rooftops.