A Walk Across the Rooftops (1984)

The Blue Nile's debut, released by the Scottish hi-fi maker Linn's record label, turns nocturnal city solitude into widescreen, slow-burning pop. Tinseltown in the Rain shows how Paul Buchanan's fragile voice can lift pulsing synthesisers and strings into pure romantic ache. It sounds less like a set of radio singles than a private walk through wet streets after midnight.