Brilliantly crafted, with an eye firmly on the prize of commercial triumph, it includes no fewer than five hit singles, among them their first Top 10 hit, Real Gone Kid, as well as Wages Day and Fergus Sings The Blues.

Ross has never shirked his artistic responsibility to explore the big questions – just because said exploration is undertaken within a popular medium doesn’t make it any less valid.Glasgow, the city Deacon Blue formed in, has remained an important part of the band’s identity. Familiar skylines and landmarks feature in much of their album artwork, illustrating the clear sense of nostalgia they feel towards their musical catalyst. The band signed their record deal under the Finnieston Crane, pictured on the cover of ‘Raintown’ and this is echoed in the artwork for, ‘When The World Knows Your Name’ which has a cityscape of Finnieston, taken from the vantage point of nearby Royal Terrace. Ross filled his lyrics with imagery too. ‘Wages Day’ was the anthem inspired by a man lighting a cigar outside a Finnieston newsagent. In ‘Fergus Sings the Blues’ the lyric "...this is my country, these are my reasons..." couldn’t be more poignant, with the Scottish independence referendum approaching this September. The band's ninth studio album City of Love was released on 6 March 2020. In February 2021, they released their tenth studio album entitled Riding on the Tide of Love to commercial success in the UK.

DEACON BLUE Announce new mini-album 'Riding On The Tide Of Love' | XS Noize | Online Music Magazine". www.xsnoize.com. 28 October 2020.

Reviews

Everyone was going on about unemployment at the time, but there were also a lot of people unhappy with the work they were in.” Fellow Hoodlums (1991) and Whatever You Say, Say Nothing (1993) went platinum and silver respectively, while they maintained a consistent chart presence with singles such as Twist And Shout, Your Town and a cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David standard, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again. Then, in 1994, Vipond’s decision to pursue a career in television led to the group’s demise. Ross seems to have traded his inner Boss for his inner Bono, especially on the histrionic Bethlehem’s Gate and All Over The World. Pop as social commentary, with Deacon Blue reflecting the struggles of ordinary folk in Thatcher’s Britain – and particularly their home city of Glasgow – on the likes of Born In A Storm and Town To Be Blamed, while proffering hope on Dignity and The Very Thing. Top 100 Albumes – Semana 11: del 6.3.2020 al 12.3.2020" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España . Retrieved 18 March 2020.