Raintown

Jon Kelly insisted on recording at George Martin's AIR in London. Ross recalled that the title track was the first song they cut, and Vipond's classical percussion, including an orchestral bass drum, shaped the record's sound. Chris Rea played slide guitar on Love's Great Fears and B.J. Cole pedal steel on Chocolate Girl. The songs circle urban Glasgow life: money, unemployment, dreams and love. Oscar Marzaroli's photograph of a rainy West End with the Finnieston Crane is on the front, and a long-exposure night shot of the M8 and the Kingston Bridge on the back.

Released in May 1987 with a return offer for unhappy buyers, it caught on only after the re-recorded Dignity and the February 1988 reissue with the bonus album Riches, when it rose to 14 and went platinum. Record Mirror gave it five stars and AllMusic four and a half; Ian Rankin called it a breath of fresh Scottish air. A two-disc Legacy Edition in 2006 added alternate cuts of every track, and the 2012 Edsel deluxe edition gathered the B-sides, remixes and a DVD of six videos.