Christopher Anton Rea is an English rock and blues singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough. A "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart" known for his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty five solo albums, two of which topped the UK Albums Chart. Described as "rock's ultimate survivor", given his recovery from several bouts of serious illness, Rea was "a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10" with his single "The Road to Hell ". The album, The Road to Hell (1989), topped the album chart, as did its successor, Auberge (1991). His many hit songs include "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat", "Stainsby Girls", "Josephine", "On the Beach", "Let's Dance", "Driving Home for Christmas", "Working on It", "Tell Me There's a Heaven", "Auberge" and "Julia". He also recorded a duet with Elton John, "If You Were Me". Rea was nominated three times for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist: in 1988, 1989 and 1990.
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard is the thirteenth solo studio album by Paul McCartney, released on 12 and 13 September, 2005. Some 18 months in the making, the album was produced by Radiohead and Beck collaborator Nigel Godrich at George Martin's suggestion.
Chris Rea is the fourth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1981. It charted on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number fifty-two. The single "Loving You" peaked at number 65 on the UK Singles Chart, and charted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at 88 and charted for three weeks.
Water Sign is the fifth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1983. The album reached No. 64 on the UK Albums Chart. "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" was released as a single, initially peaking on the UK Singles Chart at No. 60, while a re-recorded version for Rea's 1988 compilation album, New Light Through Old Windows, reached No. 74. Water Sign reached No. 36 in New Zealand. It sold well in Ireland, prompting Rea to mount an extensive tour there, which marked the beginning of an upswing in the musician's fortunes.
Wired to the Moon is the sixth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1984. The album reached No. 35 on the UK album charts. Three singles were released. "I Don't Know What It Is But I Love It" peaked at No. 65 on the UK Singles Chart, "Touché d'Amour" reached No. 86, and "Ace of Hearts" peaked at No. 79. The latter was re-released in 1985 and climbed one position higher, to No. 78.
On the Beach is the eighth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1986, and built on the success of the preceding Shamrock Diaries. It reached No. 11 on the UK Albums Chart, topped the Dutch charts, reached number two in West Germany and No. 4 in New Zealand. It also reached the top 10 in Norway. In 2019, a deluxe remastered version of the album was released.
Blue Guitars is the twenty-first studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released on 14 October 2005 by his independent record label Jazzee Blue and Edel Records. The Blue Guitars album, packaged as a box set in the style of an earbook, consists of eleven CDs, one DVD and a full colour book, including paintings by the artist, liner notes and song lyrics. It is an ambitious project about blues music with the 137 songs recorded over the course of 18 months with a work schedule—according to Rea himself—of twelve hours a day, seven days a week. 2007 saw the release of a 2-CD "best of" compilation Blue Guitars: A Collection of Songs, which with individual albums can be also found in digital format.
Auberge is the eleventh studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1991. The album, as well as the title song, is notable for its association with the Caterham Super Seven that Rea owned, which he called the "Blue Seven". The car appears on the album cover, illustrated in oil by renowned motoring artist Alan Fearnley. The album makes several references to the car over several tracks, as well on the video of the title song, and its cover illustration was used for its adverts. In 2005, Rea sold the car in an auction.
Dancing with Strangers is the ninth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1987. It became Rea's first major success in the UK, peaking at No. 2 behind Michael Jackson's Bad, and spent 46 weeks in the charts before going platinum. The album entered the Top 10 in six other European countries, and topped the chart in New Zealand.
The Road to Hell: Part 2 is the fifteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1999, ten years after The Road to Hell. The single released for the album was "New Times Square". There was also a Japanese edition with the songs "Be My Friend" and "Driving Home for Christmas" included as tracks. It reached number 54 on the UK Albums Chart, and was certified Silver by BPI.
King of the Beach is the sixteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2000. The singles released for the album were "All Summer Long" and "Who Do You Love". The album reached number 26 in the UK. There was also a Japanese version with "Mississippi" and "There’s Only You" included as tracks.
La Passione is a British 1996 drama film written and produced by Chris Rea, directed by John B. Hobbs, and starring Sean Gallagher, Paul Shane and Shirley Bassey. The film premiered on 14 November 1996 at the BFI London Film Festival. The film features a cameo appearance by Rea, as well the same-titled soundtrack also composed by him. It reached #43 position in UK album charts, and was certified Silver by BPI in 1997.
Espresso Logic is the thirteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1993. The US edition of the album has a significantly different track listing, featuring two songs from Rea's previous album, God's Great Banana Skin, which was not released in the US, along with "If You Were Me", a track recorded with Elton John for his 1993 Duets release. The cover art of the US edition is the same as the UK single "Espresso Logic". The song "Julia" was dedicated to his daughter Julia Christina, who was four years old at the time.
Dancing Down the Stony Road is the seventeenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2002 on his own record label, Jazzee Blue. The album has also been released in Europe by Edel under the shorter title Stony Road with different cover art and only one CD, while the original UK is double CD edition with additional tracks. The album is notable for its change of Rea's previous rock music style to Delta blues and gospel blues. It reached #14 position in UK album charts, and was certified Gold by BPI. A version of Dancing Down The Stony Road was used in the BBC television programme Speed.
The Blue Jukebox is the twentieth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2004 by his independent record label Jazzee Blue. The cover artwork is inspired by Edward Hopper's Nighthawks painting. Compared to the Dancing Down the Stony Road (2002) has a smoother and jazzier take on the blues.
Road Movies is the third and final album by the American group Land. Road Movies was recorded between June, 1998 & February, 1999 at Jack Straw Productions in Seattle and was released on February 13, 2001 on the First World Music label. It was named one of the Top Ten releases of 2001 by Pulse! (Instrumental/Ambient) and the Seattle Weekly (Jazz).
The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes is the twenty-second studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2008 by his own record label, Jazzee Blue. It comprises three CDs and double 10" vinyl records in an 80-page hardback book. It is the second album of his project, the Hofner Blue Notes (2003).
Santo Spirito Blues is the twenty-third studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2011 by his independent record label Jazzee Blue and Rhino Entertainment.
Road Songs for Lovers is the twenty-fourth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released on 29 September 2017 by Jazzee Blue and BMG labels.
"Looking for the Summer" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1991 as the third single from his eleventh studio album Auberge. It was written by Rea and produced by Jon Kelly. "Looking for the Summer" reached No. 49 in the UK and remained in the charts for three weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single. It also featured in a diner scene in the 1992 Hollywood blockbuster Basic Instinct.
