''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'' is the fourth studio album by Scottish
rock band
Deacon Blue, released in March 1993 by
. It was the group's final original album before their initial dissolution in mid-1994.
Wishing to pursue a new musical direction, Deacon Blue recorded the album with the
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
production team of
Steve Osborne and
Paul Oakenfold, hoping that the team's different background would provide a creative challenge. Oakenfold agreed to the project in hopes of changing the band's sound to something edgier, but recording sessions were fraught with disagreement and Oakenfold, who believed the group were uninterested in his ideas, lost interest in the project. Breaking with the band's earlier, more soulful and folky work, ''Whatever You Say'' is a visceral, guitar-driven
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
record with dance textures and driving rhythms. Lead singer
Ricky Ross pens lyrics with more universal themes than on earlier records.
Promoted by the lead single and
UK Top 20 hit "Your Town", ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'' reached number four in the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
,
but was less successful than the band's earlier albums, and failed to chart in the United States. The album received an unenthusiastic response from music critics and the group's new direction baffled some of their fans. Some critics have described the album as a late entry into the
dance-rock
Dance-rock is a dance- infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and dis ...
and
baggy movements of the early 1990s. In support of the album, Deacon Blue toured Europe in 1993, with an elaborate stage set featuring
scaffolding and
corrugated sheets. The record was re-released in 2012 by
Edsel Records as a two CD and DVD set.
Background
Deacon Blue's third album, ''
Fellow Hoodlums'' (1991), sold half as many copies as its predecessor, ''
When the World Knows Your Name'' (1989), and was critically panned,
though it did receive a
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
certification in the United Kingdom.
Believing that they had firmly "established their sound" by the release of ''Fellow Hoodlums'', lead singer
Ricky Ross comments that the band wished to pursue a drastic change in direction for the follow-up album, ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing''.
Craig Winn of ''
M8'' believed the band's "need to attract a new audience" was comparable to
Wet Wet Wet, who – having been criticised for attracting a
teenage audience – released the "mature" album ''
High on the Happy Side'' (1992) and became fashionable, but writes that Deacon Blue "had the opposite problem" of having a mature audience and wanting younger fans.
On impetus for the band's new stylistic change, Ross commented that after the band achieved their original aim of recording an album and appearing on ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...
'', he realised that he is "actually quite ambitious and
antedto take it somewhere
ehadn't imagined possible". He also credited "boredom factor" as a reason, commenting that, as a songwriter, he originally joined the band because it would be "interesting", adding: "I'm pushing it having done three albums and trying to do four. So you may as well push your luck the whole way and make a fourth album that is actually quite adventurous."
Ross said that, rather than commercial motivations driving the band's desire for new fans, he was more interested in "us being a band and staying a band and having fun being in a band", as "it's about really sparking and really pushing yourself hard because you just get lazy."
Deacon Blue chose
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
producers
Steve Osborne and
Paul Oakenfold to produce the album.
Bassist
Ewen Vernal said that the production duo were recommended by
A&R staff, and that the group chose them because their musical background was highly different to "anything we've ever done", believing that it had "got to the point where any new project we want to get into we try and approach with some kind of challenge in mind."
According to Ross, the duo of Osborne and Oakenfold were one of several "oddball names", another being
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads.
Byrne has ...
, that the band piled with A&R workers, hoping to find "someone to visit the studio every two weeks and be a kind of upsetting factor in the whole thing". He said the decision to hire Oakenfold came down to his vague knowledge of him as a
DJ, but was only familiar with his work on an
INXS
INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as the Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney. The founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, gu ...
song.
Ross has denied that the production team's work with
U2 influenced the band's decision.
Oakenfold and Osborne had recently completed their work on the
Happy Mondays' ''
Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches'' (1990) when
Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
approached them to produce the Deacon Blue album. As Oakenfold later explained, he considered them to be "an out-and-out
pop band, real cheese in some respects", and was uninterested in taking on the project, but was persuaded by the group's A&R man, who ensured him that the band "really want to change, to come up with a more interesting sound."
As Deacon Blue were a Platinum-selling pop band, the producer decided it could be "a great thing to do, because it's not the obvious thing to do. We could completely change their sound. People would be able to see our production qualities, because we'd taken a pop band made them more edgy."
Recording
Deacon Blue recorded ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'' in three English studios: London's
AIR Studios, and Oxfordshire's
The Manor Studio and
Outside Studios.
A fourth studio,
Eden Studios in London, was used to mix the record.
Paul Corkett recorded the album with assistance from
Adrian Bushby,
Danton Supple, Gorby and Steve Orchard.
Vernal said the record was difficult to record, due to the band entering "territory which we'd never been in before'."
Music author
Richard Norris writes that although recording with Oakenfold and Osborne was intended to "invigorate the band's creativity with a fresh new approach", the sessions were not wholly successful in this regard.
Oakenfold said that Deacon Blue initially agreed to his ideas about moving their sound in an edgier direction, but that once he and Osborne entered the studio, the band changed their mind, having just released their best-selling single.
The producer said that after completing the first track, which was "great", he told them "we now need to go more edgy...they're all getting nervous, and I'm saying trust me, this is where we're going now."
Oakenfold credits co-vocalist
Lorraine McIntosh – Ross' partner – for driving the band's resistance to his ideas: "it was one of those cliches where she had his ear, and what she wanted was what went on."
According to Ross and McIntosh in an interview with ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'', Oakenfold and Osborne "took their carte blanche control of song selection to extreme tyrannical proportions", on occasion driving McIntosh to tears.
The band's guitarist
Graeme Kelling believed that, despite hiring the producers to break up the band's familiar way of working, "we were trying to force ourselves in to another jacket – a terrible-looking spangly one – and didn't realise that what we had was actually quite special."
Oakenfold lost interest by the end of the sessions as the album "was becoming more and more pop. Obviously it had all our sounds in terms of production, so the
mix was a lot harder than the band were used to, but it was nowhere near where I wanted it to be."
He said: "In the end you just think, fuck it, they ain't listening."
He later said that despite losing interest, Osborne remained engaged. Ross viewed Osborne, rather than Oakenfold, as the album's central influence, saying: "I think Steve's input was 75% and Paul's 25%. Steve’s a huge part of the deal. Paul's very good at coming in and going 'Yeah, I know' to things, and they work together as a team. I think the logic of why they worked together as a team defied some of the band at the time because of how little Paul's input was on anything."
Composition
Musical style and themes
For ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'', Ricky Ross stirred Deacon Blue's sound into a more
rock-oriented direction than their previous
folk-tinged work,
with the "unlikely" team-up with Osborne and Oakenfold contributing to the "major sonic departure" and giving it a dance edge.
Considered an
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
record,
the music is guitar-driven,
something which pleased Kelling, who believed it marked a departure from the keyboard-oriented material on their earlier albums; he stated that Ross "wrote that album on guitar, and the songs were a lot more direct."
The sound is broader and more visceral,
and is further characterised by its driving rhythms,
dense
textures,
and percussive dance flavour, achieved with the producers.
The rhythms have been described as
techno-esque and repetitive,
while the use of "acoustic guitar, strings and a variety of percussion" leads to what reviewer Virginia Trioli describes as the album's distinctive
British rock sound.
Music critic Barbara Jaegar believes the group "boosted its rhythm quotient" for a more immediate feel, departing from the ethereal,
soulful pop sound of its predecessors.
The reviewer
John Harris contends that the album – through Oakenfold and Osborne's input – features a similar sound to Happy Mondays' ''Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches''.
According to critic William Ruhlmann, Ross adopts a "high, breathy singing voice with lots of
echo", and writes lyrics with more universal themes in contrast to earlier songs inspired by the
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
neighbourhood he grew up in.
Kelling's guitar work is raw and melodic, inspiring comparison to
James Honeyman-Scott
James Honeyman-Scott (4 November 1956 – 16 June 1982) was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band the Pretenders.
Honeyman-Scott established a reputation, in the words of AllMusic, as "one of the most original a ...
of
the Pretenders
The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (ba ...
.
Elements of the group's earlier sound remain, such as the
midtempo pacing and the continued interplay between the two vocalists, Ross and McIntosh.
Ross denied that they "set out to make a dance record" but added that a
club mix of "Your Town" was produced because, as the song ran at 125
bpm, Osborne had the idea to "dance-up a Deacon Blue record" and surprise the band's fans.
Nicole Meighan of ''
The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...
'' wrote of the "fierce undercurrent of frustration and ragged anger" that characterises parts of the album, considering it "an impression, perhaps, of a band at sea, fighting against the tide."
Songs
The group's new direction is immediately apparent with the tense opening song, "Your Town",
a galloping
protest song with heavy guitars, keyboards, dance-like rhythms and breathy harmonies.
Ross's unusually-altered vocals are
distorted and muffled,
inspiring comparison with
industrial music,
and
Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...
's vocals on
U2's "
The Fly" (1991).
One reviewer commented that Ross' vocals are "
compressed and
equalized into an
AM-radio buzz."
His vocals are surrounded by the swirling guitars and the restrained,
martial
Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman and Celtiberian poet born in Bilbilis, Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of '' Epigrams'', pu ...
drums,
while acoustic textures more typical of the band are placed low in the mix.
Meighan describes the song as an "emotional juggernaut" through which drummer
Dougie Vipond evokes
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
's "
Big Love
''Big Love'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer that aired on HBO from 2006 to 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a Mormon fundamentalism, fundamentalist Mor ...
" (1987).
The lyrics express anger at former Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
, who had been out of office since 1990, with lines like "When you're gone, they will curse you".
Ross credits the venomous lyrics to the song being written in the leadup to the
1992 general election, saying: "We had had three
Tory governments, and everyone was really sick, fed up with them, and it was that sort of
political song."
McIntosh has since described the song as one of her favourites by the group, praising its "unbelievable energy and power."
The sombre nature of "Your Town" continues with "Only Tender Love".
"Peace & Jobs & Freedom" is a political song that features the highest prominence of McIntosh's vocals.
Harris compares it to the "filthy-sounding" Happy Mondays song "Bob's Your Uncle" (1990).
The driving, guitar-driven "
Hang Your Head" features dance beats and "stainless
steel guitar strings",
while "Bethlehem's Gate" is one of several songs characterised by what Ruhlmann describes as "relentless, martial drumming and rhythmic instruments that played pulse patterns rather than complete chords".
"Will We Be Lovers" is driven by a "semi-dance beat",
and was compared by Harris to the Happy Mondays' "Judge Fudge" (1991),
while "Fall So Freely Down" features some atypical guitar work atop its heavy beats.
"Cut Lip" is a
funky,
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
-esque song with a
Motown
Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
-style piano
lick, an example of the
soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
-styled beats that appear throughout the record.
"Last Night I Dreamed of Henry Thomas" was singled out by reviewer Andy Gill as an anomaly for its "odd, miasmic arrangement and sounds lurking and looming out of the work".
The final song, "All Over the World" is midtempo and anthemic.
Release and promotion
As the lead single from ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'', "Your Town" was released in November 1992 and debuted at number 14 on the
UK Singles Chart, becoming the highest new entry that week.
The song stayed on the chart four eight weeks.
In their review of "Our Town", ''
i-D'' wrote that "Oakenfold did with U2 and does it again here..."
Reviewing the United States single release in May 1993, ''The Hard Report'' compared the song to
the Beloved and praised it as a "great tune" which "has
adult
An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...
appeal written all over it", adding that it could attract both "the
flannel wearing
college kids ''and'' your corporate
commercial radio
Commercial broadcasting (also called private broadcasting) is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship, for example. It was the United States' first model ...
guys".
Further singles charted in the UK: "Will We Be Lovers" reached number 31 in February 1993, "Only Tender Love" reached number 22 in April, and the ''Hang Your Head'' EP reached number 21 in July.
The latter contained the title track, "Freedom Train", "Here on the Wind" and "Indigo Sky".

Deacon Blue's fourth album,
''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'' was released in the United Kingdom on 1 March 1993 through
.
Similarly to U2's ''
Achtung Baby
''Achtung Baby'' ( ) is the seventh studio album by the Irish rock music, rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 18 November 1991 by Island Records. After criticism of their 1988 documentary film and ...
'', the album is titled with an "ironic slogan",
and coinciding with its release, Ross began wearing sunglasses and "rock star togs", in a manner that Harris compared with Bono.
It reached number four on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
, but was relatively unsuccessful compared to earlier records by the band. It only spent three weeks in the Top 20 and fell off the chart completely seven weeks later.
It has been certified
Gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
by the
British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
for 100,000 sales.
The record also reached number 43 in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
,
and number 91 in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
In the United States, the album was released on 23 June 1993,
featuring alternate artwork. It was a major flop in the country and failed to chart.
Deacon Blue followed the album with a 1993 European tour. For the shows, Ross dressed in silvery
lurex
Lurex is the registered brand name of the Lurex Company, Ltd. for a type of yarn with a metallic appearance. The yarn is made from synthetic film, onto which a metallic aluminium, silver, or gold layer has been vaporized. "Lurex" may also refer ...
and wraparound sunglasses, drawing comparison to Bono, and used a megaphone and inspection lamp, similar to
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...
. The stage set was "cheapjack", featuring
scaffolding and several silver-painted
corrugated sheets. The set design was compared by some to U2's eccentric
Zoo TV Tour
The Zoo TV Tour (also written as ZooTV, ZOO TV or ZOOTV) was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock music, rock band U2. Staged primarily to support their 1991 album ''Achtung Baby'' and later their 1993 album ''Zooropa'', the tour visited ...
, but according to Ross, the actual inspiration was Tom Waits'
Big Time tour.
''
Liverpool Echo
The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St. Paul's Square, Liverpool, England. It is published Monday through Sunday, and is Liverpool's da ...
''s Penny Kiley, reviewing the two April shows in Liverpool's
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...
, noted that while the album had been criticised for its "
stadium rock direction", the group eschewed large-size venues for theatre gigs, evidencing the band's "commitment to reaching local audiences that fits their
grass-roots style of song". This, she contends, was in contrast to the ambitious and highly visual nature of the shows, which heavily used lanterns, spotlights, torches and candles.
The group cancelled their planned autumn 1993 tour, instead postponing it for spring 1994.
Ross recalled that by the start of 1994, it had become clear that the tour "would be our last outing together", ahead of their split later in the year.
Critical reception
''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'' received unenthusiastic reviews from
music critic
'' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...
s,
and the group's new direction baffled many of their fans.
In his ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' review, John Harris criticised the album for exuding "the wish to play the reinvention game ''à la'' U2, and suddenly become fashionable", believing that the band's A&R staff told them to "get trendy" in face of their failure to reach
stadium
A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...
-selling status. He added that "among all the cod-
baggy wooliness", the band had "lost the knack of writing silly-but-hummable pop songs".
''
Cross Rhythms
Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music.
His ...
'' critic Rupert Loydell noted how the band joined many other bands in "the reinvention game", adopting "the U2-esque semi-
collage
Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...
method of dance music, grandiose songs and sonic interruption/layering." He considered the approach to work effectively on songs like "Your Town" but believed the songs are otherwise "lost", feeling that Ross was "trying too hard to be
hip" and not allowing his lyrics and melodies to "speak for themselves", resulting in a generally unmemorable album.
Andy Gill of ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' described the album as "a belated jump onto a baggy bandwagon" that fell out of fashion with the Happy Mondays' ''
Yes Please!'' (1992), but noted that while Oakenfold and Osborne were hired to "jolly up" Deacon Blue's sound, they "seem baffled by Deacon Blue's mundanity, and seem to settle for an approximation of
concert acoustics on many songs."
In his review, ''
The Daily Herald''s Rick Anderson described ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'' as "just plain better than average" and praised "Your Town", but believed the album failed to keep its momentum, with the following songs "shadows of the opening track".
''
Sunday Republican'' critic Kevin O'Hara wrote that Deacon Blue "comes out hitting hard", with some songs profiling Ross' best ever singing. While he considered the album's second half weaker, overall he lauded the band's broadening style.
''
The Sunday Record''s Barbara Jaegar believed the band's new direction had not spoilt their "tasteful pop sound, which underscores thoughtful, sometimes cinematic lyrics",
while ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...
'' opined that Deacon Blue changed their 'fragile' sound without "affecting the quality of the songwriting", further praising the record for covering political subjects that "really matter, especially with such good music under it."
Lou Carlozo of the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' believed that, due to Oakenfold and Osborne's production, Deacon Blue's sound was comparable to rowdy bands like
Jesus Jones,
the Charlatans and the Happy Mondays, and considered ''Whatever You Say'' to "
ozeattitude".
A reviewer for the ''
Calgary Herald
The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network.
History
''The C ...
'' compared the album to a mixture of INXS and the
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...
merged with "a dreamy, hazy production that make the lead vocals sound like they were recorded through
asbestos
Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...
", but deemed this the fashionable way to create "good white-boy
disco
Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
– oops, dance music."
Virginia Trioli of ''
The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' opined, "''Whatever You Say'' is a really terrific album – solid, thematically tight with a rich and seeping sound reminiscent of
Prefab Sprout at their best."
In his review for ''
The News-Pilot'', Anthony D. Tranfa considered the record to be a continuation of Deacon Blue's "intriguing style" and noted that while they indulge in big choruses and the "sweeping, spiky guitar sound" popular at the time, they succeed at advancing their sound with creative "soul-tinged beats" and "unabashed joyful melodicism".
The ''
South Florida Sun-Sentinel'' reviewer John Lannert opined that Deacon Blue should achieve US success with their "smart, rhythmic rock album replete with eloquent, slate-gray narratives about genuine love and societal injustice".
In a retrospective review for
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, William Ruhlmann characterised the band eschewing their earlier folky sound for a rockier direction: "It was as if, having failed at becoming the next
Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...
, Ross decided to become the next Bono."
Legacy
Working on ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'' discouraged Oakenfold from producing further albums for other artists, later commenting: "It's months out of your life. Three months in a studio with the band every day, six days a week does my head in."
He credits the project as the start of him and Osborne beginning to work apart, "because I ain't gonna spend six months of my life working on a record if I'm not into it. But it was Steve's only source of income, so he would go and do it."
Colin Larkin credits the album's poor reception, as well as Deacon Blue's lack of commercial success in the US, as contributing factors in the band's decision to split in mid-1994. McIntosh recalled that "there was a feeling that we weren't entirely sure where we were going. Musically, ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'' was brave and passionate in lots of ways. But it was quite a difficult record for us."
The album was re-released on 29 October 2012 in a set of two CDs and a
bonus DVD.
Issued by
Edsel Records, the set's contents remixes and
B-sides issued on the album's singles, alongside a casebound book and liner notes from Ross.
In an article on Deacon Blue's career, David Belcher of ''
The Herald'' reflected that by "risibly" employing Oakenfold as producer, the album "openly signalled a clueless leap aboard a
dance-rock
Dance-rock is a dance- infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and dis ...
bandwagon that had sho' nuff done gone left town two years previous. The Happy Mondays and
Primal Scream? They went that-a-way."
In a guide to Deacon Blue's work, David Burke of ''
Classic Pop'' believes that as part of the shift in musical direction, Ross "traded his inner
Boss for his inner Bono, especially on the histrionic 'Bethlehem’s Gate' and 'All Over the World'. And while the songs sometimes become submerged in the mix, you have to admire Ross' chutzpah".
Burke also listed "Your Town" among the group's 'essential' singles.
Writing in ''
The Rough Guide to Rock'' (1999), Justin Lewis said that, despite the promising single "Your Town", ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'' is "potentially intriguing but, in the event, unspectacular". He commented that the producers' background as "dance gurus" was "hardly in evidence", and that aside from the single "Will We Be Lovers", there was "little sign of the band's old inspiration." In ''
The Great Rock Discography'' (2000), Martin C. Strong opined that the album "smacked of desperation."
However, Dougie Adam of ''Cross Rhythms'' considers it to be the group's "bravest and most underrated album".
Track listing
All songs written by
Ricky Ross, except where noted:
# "Your Town" – 5:21
# "Only Tender Love" – 5:10
# "Peace & Jobs & Freedom" – 4:52
# "
Hang Your Head" – 4:05
# "Bethlehem's Gate" – 4:47
# "Last Night I Dreamed of
Henry Thomas" – 3:45
# "Will We Be Lovers" (
Ross,
Osborne) – 3:56
# "Fall So Freely Down" – 4:17
# "Cut Lip" – 3:36
# "All Over the World" – 3:28
Vinyl edition
;Side one
# "Your Town" – 5:21
# "Only Tender Love" – 5:10
# "Peace & Jobs & Freedom" – 4:52
# "
Hang Your Head" – 4:05
# "Bethlehem's Gate" – 4:47
;Side two
# "Will We Be Lovers" (
Ross,
Osborne) – 3:56
# "Fall So Freely Down" – 4:17
# "Cut Lip" – 3:36
# "Last Night I Dreamed of Henry Thomas" – 3:45
# "All Over the World" – 3:28
Personnel
Adapted from the liner notes of ''Whatever You Say, Say Nothing''
;Deacon Blue
*
Ricky Ross – vocals, guitar, piano, keyboard
*
Lorraine McIntosh – vocal
*
James Prime – keyboard, strings
*
Ewen Vernal – bass
*
Graeme Kelling – guitar
*
Dougie Vipond – drums
;Others
*
Steve Osborne – production
*
Paul Oakenfold – production
*
Paul Corkett – recording
*Steve Orchard – recording assistance
*
Adrian Bushby – recording assistance
*Gorby – recording assistance
*
Danton Supple – recording assistance
*
Gavin Wright – strings
*Ann Wood – violin
("Your Town")
*Pascal Benadjaoud – bongos
("Fall So Freely Down")
*Michael Nash Associates – design
Weekly charts
Certifications
References
External links
Deacon Blue's official website page on the album
{{Authority control
1993 albums
Deacon Blue albums
Albums produced by Steve Osborne
Albums produced by Paul Oakenfold
Columbia Records albums
Dance-rock albums
Baggy albums
Pop albums by Scottish artists