Christopher Anton Rea is an English rock and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist from Middlesbrough. Known for his distinctive voice and his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty five studio albums, two of which topped the UK Albums Chart, The Road to Hell in 1989 and its successor, Auberge, in 1991. He had already become "a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10" with the single "The Road to Hell ".
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. The album contained three singles which includes several non-album B-sides. 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.
Shamrock Diaries is the seventh studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1985. This album represents the beginning of a creative and commercial zenith for Rea. Shamrock Diaries was a huge seller in Europe, reaching the top 20 in several countries including Ireland, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and spent forty two weeks in the Dutch charts, peaking at No. 3. The album was also successful in Australia, where it charted in the top 50. "Stainsby Girls" became Rea's first Top 30 single since 1978's "Fool If You Think It's Over". In 1988, Magnet Records was taken over by Warner Bros Records, who re-released Shamrock Diaries with a significantly remixed version of "Josephine". The original version was used in the 2019 deluxe re-issue of the album.
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.
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 is the tenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1989. Coming on the back of several strongly performing releases, it is Rea's most successful studio album, and topped the UK Albums Chart for three weeks. Hailed as a "modern masterpiece", it was certified 6× Platinum by BPI in 2004. The album demonstrates a thematic cohesion previously absent from Rea's work, with the majority of the tracks containing strong elements of social commentary, addressing alienation, violence and redemption. The second part of the two-part title track, "The Road to Hell ", is one of Rea's most famous songs, and was his first UK Top 10 single. Geffen Records released the album in the US, adding the 1988 re-recording of "Let's Dance" and different cover artwork.
The Blue Cafe is the fourteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1998. The singles released for the album were "The Blue Cafe", "Thinking of You", "Sweet Summer Day" and "Square Peg, Round Hole". There was also a Japanese version with three bonus tracks, "Kyoto Blue", "Ameno Nakano Kiirono Herumetto" and "On the Beach". It was Rea's sixth successive album to reach the UK top ten, peaking at No. 10.
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.
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 was also 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 the #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 Best of Chris Rea is the second compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1994. The album contains 15 previously released songs plus two new tracks, "You Can Go Your Own Way" and "Three Little Green Candles". The collection notably omits Rea's 1988 Christmas hit "Driving Home for Christmas". The song "If You Were Me" is a duet between Rea and Elton John, originally released on John's Duets album in 1993.
The Very Best of Chris Rea is the third compilation album by the British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2001. The last track, "Saudade", was originally written and recorded in 1994 as a tribute to the Formula 1 racing driver Ayrton Senna who died in a crash at Imola on 1 May that year. In Portuguese, the word saudade roughly means the feeling, emotions and euphoria of a certain moment in time. This album reached number 69 on the UK Albums Chart, and was certified Gold by the BPI in 2004.
Heartbeats – Chris Rea's Greatest Hits is a 2005 compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea. It reached #24 position in UK Albums Chart, and was certified Silver by BPI in 2006.
Still So Far to Go: The Best of Chris Rea is a compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released by Rhino Records in 2009. The album reached number 8 on the UK Albums Chart, making it Rea's first entry in the top 10 in ten years since The Blue Cafe (1998), and was certified Gold by BPI in 2013.
The Journey 1978–2009 is a compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2011 by Music Club Deluxe. It features songs spanning his entire career, from 1978's Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? to 2009's Still So Far to Go: The Best of Chris Rea. It had a modest chart performance, peaking at number 66 on the UK Albums Chart, but was certified Gold by BPI in 2013.
"I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1983 as the second single from his fifth studio album Water Sign. It was written by Rea, and produced by Rea and David Richards. "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" reached number 60 in the UK Singles Chart and number 14 in Ireland.
"Working on It" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1989 as the fifth and final single from his compilation album New Light Through Old Windows (1988). It was written by Rea, and produced by Rea and Jon Kelly. "Working on It" reached No. 53 in the UK and No. 73 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
"On the Beach" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea that was released in 1986, as the second single from his eighth studio album, On the Beach. It was written by Rea and produced by Rea and David Richards. "On the Beach" reached No. 57 in the United Kingdom in 1986, and also charted in France and the Netherlands.
"Stainsby Girls" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1985 as the lead single from his seventh studio album Shamrock Diaries. It was written by Rea, and produced by Rea and Dave Richards. "Stainsby Girls" reached No. 26 in the UK and remained in the charts for twelve weeks.
