Hats (album)

Hats
Studio album by
the Blue Nile
Released16 October 1989 (1989-10-16)
Recorded1984–1989
StudioCastlesound Studios, Pencaitland, East Lothian, Scotland
Genre
Length38:26
Label
ProducerThe Blue Nile
The Blue Nile chronology
A Walk Across the Rooftops
(1984) 		Hats
(1989) 		Peace at Last
(1996)
Singles from Hats
  1. "The Downtown Lights"
    Released: 18 September 1989
  2. "Headlights on the Parade"
    Released: 10 September 1990
  3. "Saturday Night"
    Released: 14 January 1991
Audio sample
"The Downtown Lights"

Hats is the second studio album by Scottish band the Blue Nile, originally released on 16 October 1989 on Linn Records and A&M Records.

After a prolonged delay in which an entire album's worth of work was scrapped, the Blue Nile released Hats to rave reviews, including a rare five-star rating from Q magazine. It also became the band's most successful album, reaching number 12 on the UK album charts and spawning three singles: "The Downtown Lights", "Headlights on the Parade", and "Saturday Night".

  1. ^ Tavakoli, Mina (20 November 2020). "Almost anarchy: The Style Council and the smooth sounds of sophisti-pop". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  2. ^ Crockford, J.M. (20 June 2018). "I Will Understand You: The Power of The Blue Nile". No Recess. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  3. ^ Holden, Stephen (30 July 1990). "Review/Pop; The Blue Nile's Mystical, Majestic Ballads". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  4. ^ Pitchfork Staff (10 September 2018). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 April 2023. The results aren't far off from the romantic synth-pop that ascended the charts in the '80s...
  5. ^ Toland, Michael (2 April 2019). "The Downtown Lights: The Blue Nile's sophisticated pop classic Hats turns 30". Rock & Roll Globe. Retrieved 2 March 2024.