On the Beach (Chris Rea album)

Last updated

On the Beach
On The Beach (Chris Rea).jpg
Studio album by
Released14 April 1986 [1]
StudioAnderburr Recording Studios, Bray, Berkshire
Genre Rock, soft rock, adult contemporary
Length59:58 (CD)
48:40 (LP)
Label Magnet
Producer Chris Rea, David Richards
Chris Rea chronology
Shamrock Diaries
(1985)
On the Beach
(1986)
Dancing with Strangers
(1987)
Singles from On the Beach
  1. "It's All Gone"
    Released: March 1986
  2. "On the Beach"
    Released: May 1986
  3. "Hello Friend"
    Released: November 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

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 (and also in Sweden), topped the Dutch charts (where it charted for more than nine months), reached number two in West Germany and No. 4 in New Zealand (where is also spent more than nine months in the charts). [3] It also reached the top 10 in Norway. In 2019, a deluxe remastered version of the album was released.

Contents

Songs

In an interview for the deluxe edition of the album, Rea said of the song Giverny, written after a visit to Monet's celebrated home, "I didn't want to be there. I was only there because she (his wife, Joan) was there... so there's kinda, a funny twist to it". [4]

Critical reception

AllMusic notes that, "while The Road to Hell shows the darker side of Rea's worldview, On the Beach is an excellent introduction to his brighter, more optimistic songwriting". [5] A retrospective review finds that the album "taps into the same kind of jazzy, introspective pop/soul sound that the likes of John Martyn, Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison were flirting with in the same period, helped by an excellent band including Fairport Convention/XTC drummer Dave Mattacks", adding that Little Blonde Plaits is "a vehicle for [Max] Middleton's expressive Mini Moog, very redolent of his atmospheric playing on John Martyn’s Glorious Fool ". [6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chris Rea

On the Beach track listing
No.TitleLength
1."On the Beach"5:04
2."Little Blonde Plaits"4:17
3."Giverny"5:39
4."Lucky Day"3:57
5."Just Passing Through"5:20
6."It's All Gone"7:28
7."Hello Friend"4:19
8."Two Roads"3:44
9."Light of Hope"4:34
10."Auf Immer und Ewig"4:11
11."Freeway" (CD only)4:12
12."Bless Them All" (CD only)2:30
13."Crack That Mould" (CD only)4:34

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Studios

Singles

  1. "It's All Gone" b/w "Crack That Mould", "Look Out For Me", "Bless Them All", "Let's Dance" (original version)
  2. "On the Beach" b/w "On the Beach (special remix)", "If Anybody Asks You", "One Golden Rule" (live), "Midnight Blue"
  3. "Hello Friend" (re-recording) b/w "Driving Home for Christmas" (original version), "It's All Gone" (live), "Steel River"

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for On the Beach
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP) [18] Gold100,000*
Germany (BVMI) [19] Gold250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) [20] Gold50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [21] Platinum15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [22] Platinum300,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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