Deacon Blue: Fellow Hoodlums - 1991

After two critically-acclaimed albums (the second containing three big hit singles) this, Deacon Blue's third album, was, in some respects, their best. 

It was their most mature in many aspects, and it was certainly their most blatantly Scottish. Glasgow and Edinburgh place-name checks abound and there is plenty of Caledonian imagery in the lyrics. 

As on Raintown, the album begins with a short-ish, sparse ballad in James Joyce Soles before the Scottish vibrancy of Fellow Hoodlums with its references to "breeches", "Tizer", "macaroons", "Hampden", "Partick", "Cowcaddens", "Buchanan Street" and "the Clyde". It has a good bluesy rock sound to it too. 

Your Swaying Arms is a lilting, slow and appealing number with dual vocalists Ricky Ross and Lorraine Macintosh (now husband and wife) on fine form and a melodic, shuffling backing. The mournful Cover From The Sky has Macintosh on lead, beautifully and convincingly. The Day That Jackie Jumped The Jail is a lively tale of a Glasgow hoodlum with a Dignity-style piano and guitar and some great Scottish-Glasgow lyrics. The atmospheric The Wildness, with its beautiful bass line, gives Macintosh another chance to shine. 

The album's one "commercial" single was the jaunty, Celtic-influenced Twist And Shout (not The Isley Brothers' number). Closing Time is a lengthy, sombre but interesting song with bleak hints of parts of the debut Raintown album and a blatant steal from Sly & The Family Stone's Family Affair at the beginning, (it has some excellent funky guitar in it though). 

One Day I'll Go Walking is an upbeat closer that has, for me, vague hints of Van Morrison's On The Bright Side Of The Road. Goodnight Jamsie is one of the band's short piano and vocal interludes, while A Brighter Star Than You Will Shine is a laid-back, rhythmic, gently alluring number with a soulful vocal from Ross, lifted by a rousing chorus with some slide guitar. I Will See You Tomorrow is another Ross-Macintosh vocal duet on a slow, soulful song. Overall, a polished, evocative and attractive piece of work.