Deacon Blue have unveiled the title song from their new acoustic LP.
Included as part of their ‘You Can Have It All’ albums box set, ‘Peace Will Come’ features stripped-back classics, cover versions and the new single of the same name.
Ricky Ross says: “We really enjoyed playing our campfire sets on the last tour, when we deconstructed and rearranged songs to fit an acoustic format.
“Essentially, ‘Peace Will Come’ is an extension of that concept. It’s rough around the edges, but it captures the core of what we do. There are no overdubs or drops – we all just sang and played together and took the best take.”
Listen to Peace Will Come below.
Thirty-six years since their debut single, Dignity, the group offers the most comprehensive anthology of their work to date across two new projects, with the double-disc best-of set bringing together classics like Wages Day and Real Gone Kid, and more recent cuts such as City of Love and Wonderful.
“We’ve added so many songs, albums and EPs which have become a strong part of Deacon Blue and our live repertoire since ‘The Hipsters’ in 2012,” adds Ricky of the releases, out September 1. “It feels like the right time to celebrate that; to release something that’s a true compilation of our music so far.”
Meanwhile, the box set features all of their studio long-players, along with two well-loved B-sides and rarities compilations and a brand-new, stripped-back compendium of hits, live favourites and cover versions, titled ‘Peace Will Come’.
“We really enjoyed playing our campfire sets on the last tour, when we deconstructed and rearranged songs to fit an acoustic format,” adds Ricky. “Essentially, ‘Peace Will Come’ is an extension of that concept. It’s rough around the edges, but it captures the core of what we do.”
Of the acoustic collection, which includes the brand new title song, plus takes on Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark and their long-standing live encore of Bob Dylan’s Forever Young, he smiles: “It ended up being a vital artistic exercise for us. After we’d finished, I did think – ‘Why have we never done this before?’”
The release coincides with Deacon Blue’s return to the live stage across the UK and Ireland later this year, which is billed as “a Greatest Hits show with a difference”.
“Yes, we intend to play all (or nearly all) the old 45s, but we also want the first half of the evening to be an intimate acoustic performance, the band gathered round the piano with acoustic guitars and whatever Dougie decides to hit,” teases the vocalist.
“We’ll play some album tracks and reinterpret a few favourites from the back catalogue. We’ll take a short break then come back and make a lot of noise. We hope you can be part of that noise.”
Tickets for the tour are on sale now.
READ MORE: Deacon Blue has no plans to slow down anytime soon: ‘We are loving it more than ever!’ [Exclusive]
