Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh

Last updated

Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh
Sparktoaflame.gif
Greatest hits album by
Chris de Burgh
Released23 October 1989 [1]
RecordedRamport and Scorpio Studios
Genre Rock
Length67:58 (68:38 German)
Label A&M
Producer Chris de Burgh, Rupert Hine, Roy Thomas Baker, Robin Geoffrey Cable, Paul Hardiman and others
Chris de Burgh chronology
Flying Colours
(1988)		Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh
(1989)		 High on Emotion: Live from Dublin
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg link

Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh is the third compilation album by Chris de Burgh, released by A&M Records in 1989. The album was released largely to capitalise on the resurgence of de Burgh's career after the smash hit of The Lady in Red three years earlier. As a result, most of the tracks are drawn from his 1980s albums The Getaway, Man on the Line, Into The Light and Flying Colours. Only "Spanish Train," and "A Spaceman Came Travelling" come from de Burgh's early output from the 1970s.

Contents

Also notable is the pairing of the songs "Borderline" and "Say Goodbye To It All" – originally from two different albums, which tell a story arc of a conscientious objector fleeing to be with his lover.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chris de Burgh

UK release
No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1."This Waiting Heart" previously unreleased 4:08
2."Don't Pay the Ferryman" The Getaway (1982) 3:24
3."Much More Than This" Man on the Line (1984) 2:55
4."Sailing Away" Flying Colours (1988) 4:58
5."The Lady in Red" Into the Light (1986) 4:17
6."Borderline" The Getaway (1982) 4:33
7."Say Goodbye to It All" Into the Light (1986)5:04
8."Spanish Train" Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) 4:47
9."Ship to Shore" The Getaway (1982) 3:47
10."Missing You" Flying Colours (1988) 4:06
11."Fatal Hesitation" Into the Light (1986)4:14
12."Diamond in the Dark" previously unreleased 3:29
13."Tender Hands" Flying Colours (1988) 4:28
14."A Spaceman Came Travelling *" Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) 5:10
15."Where Peaceful Waters Flow" The Getaway (1982) 3:53
16."High on Emotion" Man on the Line (1984) 4:24
US/Canada release
No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1."This Waiting Heart" previously unreleased 4:08
2."Don't Pay the Ferryman" The Getaway (1982) 3:24
3."Much More Than This" Man on the Line (1984) 2:55
4."Sailing Away" Flying Colours (1988) 4:58
5."The Lady in Red" Into the Light (1986) 4:17
6."Borderline" The Getaway (1982) 4:33
7."Say Goodbye to It All" Into the Light (1986)5:04
8."Spanish Train" Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) 4:47
9."Patricia the Stripper" Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) 3:30
10."Ship to Shore" The Getaway (1982) 3:47
11."Missing You" Flying Colours (1988) 4:06
12."Diamond in the Dark" previously unreleased 3:29
13."Tender Hands" Flying Colours (1988) 4:28
14."A Spaceman Came Travelling *" Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) 5:10
15."Where Peaceful Waters Flow" The Getaway (1982) 3:53
16."High on Emotion" Man on the Line (1984) 4:24
German/Australasian release
No.TitleOriginal AlbumLength
1."This Waiting Heart" previously unreleased 4:08
2."Don't Pay the Ferryman" The Getaway (1982) 3:24
3."Fire on the Water" Into the Light (1986) 4:28
4."Sailing Away" Flying Colours (1988) 4:58
5."The Lady in Red"Into the Light (1986) 4:17
6."Borderline" The Getaway (1982) 4:33
7."Say Goodbye to It All" Into the Light (1986)5:04
8."One Word (Straight to the Heart)"Into the Light (1986) 4:16
9."A Spaceman Came Travelling *" Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) 5:10
10."Ship to Shore" The Getaway (1982) 3:47
11."Missing You" Flying Colours (1988) 4:06
12."Diamond in the Dark" previously unreleased 3:29
13."Tender Hands" Flying Colours (1988) 4:28
14."The Getaway" The Getaway (1982) 3:52
15."Where Peaceful Waters Flow" The Getaway (1982) 3:53
16."High on Emotion" Man on the Line (1984) 4:24

" Not on LP-Version

Charts

Chart (1989)Peak
position
UK Albums Chart4
Swiss Albums Chart3

Sales and certifications

Certifications for Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria) [2] Gold25,000*
Canada (Music Canada) [3] Gold50,000^
Germany (BVMI) [4] Platinum500,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [5] Platinum50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [6] 2× Platinum600,000^

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

Related Research Articles

<i>Led Zeppelin Remasters</i> 1990 compilation album by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin Remasters is a three-LP compilation album of digitally remastered material by English rock band Led Zeppelin. Containing songs from the band's eight studio albums, it was initially released in the UK and Japan by Atlantic Records on 15 October 1990. The album is essentially a scaled-down version of the four-CD Led Zeppelin Boxed Set.

<i>Unplugged</i> (Eric Clapton album) 1992 live album by Eric Clapton

Unplugged is a 1992 live album by Eric Clapton, recorded at Bray Studios, England in front of an audience for the MTV Unplugged television series. It includes a version of the successful 1992 single "Tears in Heaven" and an acoustic version of "Layla". The album itself won three Grammy awards at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993 and became the bestselling live album of all time, and Clapton's bestselling album, selling 26 million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris de Burgh</span> British-Irish singer (born 1948)

Christopher John Davison, known professionally as Chris de Burgh, is a British-Irish singer-songwriter and musician. He started out as an art rock performer but subsequently started writing more pop-oriented material. He has had several top 40 hit singles in the UK and two in the US, but he is more popular in other countries, particularly Norway and Brazil. His 1986 love song "The Lady in Red" reached number one in several countries. De Burgh has sold over 45 million albums worldwide.

<i>ABBA Gold</i> 1992 greatest hits album by ABBA

ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on 21 September 1992 through PolyGram, making it the first compilation to be released after the company had acquired Polar Music, and thus the rights to the ABBA back catalogue.

<i>The Big Picture</i> (Elton John album) 1997 studio album by Elton John

The Big Picture is the twenty-fifth studio album by English musician Elton John. It was released on September 22, 1997 through The Rocket Record Company and Mercury Records. The album was recorded at Townhouse Studios in London and is John's last release to date to be produced by Chris Thomas.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Eurythmics album) 1991 greatest hits album by Eurythmics

Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 18 March 1991 by RCA Records. It contains their successful singles spanning the years 1982 through 1990. The album topped the charts in the United Kingdom for a total of 10 weeks, in New Zealand for eight weeks and in Australia for seven weeks. It remains the duo's best-selling album worldwide and has been certified six-times platinum in the United Kingdom and triple platinum in the United States. Phil Sutcliffe in Q Magazine noted that "this compilation portrays, for once, a band accorded precise justice by the singles charts".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lady in Red (Chris de Burgh song)</span> 1986 single by Chris de Burgh

"The Lady in Red" is a song by British-Irish singer-songwriter Chris de Burgh. It was released on 20 June 1986 as the second single from the album Into the Light. Charting at number one in several countries and reaching the top three in the United States, the song was responsible for introducing de Burgh's music to a mainstream audience worldwide.

<i>More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits</i> 1993 greatest hits album by ABBA

More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits is a compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA. Released in 1993, it was the follow-up to the highly successful Gold: Greatest Hits, released the previous year, and went on to sell 3 million copies.

<i>The Best of Chris Rea</i> 1994 greatest hits album by Chris Rea

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.

<i>Best of Rockers n Ballads</i> 1989 compilation album by Scorpions

Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads is a compilation album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released in 1989. All songs on this album are from their tenure with Mercury Records, from 1979 to 1988, in addition to rare or never-before released material.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Gipsy Kings album) 1994 greatest hits album by Gipsy Kings

Greatest Hits is a best of album by the French rumba catalana band Gipsy Kings, which was released in 1994 in Europe.

<i>The Very Best of Supertramp</i> 1990 greatest hits album by Supertramp

The Very Best of Supertramp is a greatest hits album by the English rock band Supertramp, originally released by A&M Records in June 1990.

<i>Memories</i> (Barbra Streisand album) 1981 compilation album by Barbra Streisand

Memories is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1981. It is primarily a compilation of previously released material, but includes three newly recorded songs. First released on Columbia, it was re-released under the CBS imprint in 1981 with four additional tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Spaceman Came Travelling</span> 1975 single by Chris de Burgh

"A Spaceman Came Travelling" is a song by Chris de Burgh. It first appeared on his second studio album, Spanish Train and Other Stories, which was released in 1975. It has been released numerous times as a single, becoming a popular Christmas song, and has appeared on many festive compilation albums.

<i>Flying Colours</i> (Chris de Burgh album) 1988 studio album by Chris de Burgh

Flying Colours is the ninth studio album by British-Irish singer Chris de Burgh, released in 1988 by A&M Records.

<i>Best Moves</i> 1981 greatest hits album by Chris de Burgh

Best Moves is the first compilation album by Chris de Burgh, released by A&M Records in 1981. It includes songs from his first five studio albums as well as new tracks, "Every Drop of Rain" and "Waiting for the Hurricane". It was the first de Burgh album to chart in the UK, entering on 12 September 1981, peaking at number 65 and staying on the chart for four weeks.

<i>Notes from Planet Earth – The Ultimate Collection</i> 2001 compilation album by Chris de Burgh

Notes from Planet Earth – The Ultimate Collection is a 2001 compilation album by Chris de Burgh. Mercury Records released it on March 19, 2001. The official Chris de Burgh website shows two different tracklists, one for the UK version and one for the Canadian version, and also notes "Brand new compilation album, featuring the brand new song "Two Sides to Every Story" with Shelley Nelson ."

<i>High on Emotion: Live from Dublin</i> 1990 live album by Chris de Burgh

High on Emotion: Live from Dublin is the first live album by Chris de Burgh, released by A&M Records in 1990. The album was recorded at the RDS, Dublin in December 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris de Burgh discography</span>

The discography of British-Irish musician Chris de Burgh consists of 24 studio albums, 9 compilation albums, 4 live albums, and 66 singles, along with 8 videos and DVDs and one box set. His 23 studio albums consist of 19 of completely new material, 2 albums of cover versions, 1 album featuring a mix of new songs, cover versions, and re-recordings and 1 consisting of acoustic versions of previously released tracks. His debut album, Far Beyond These Castle Walls, released in 1974, reached number 1 in Brazil, but failed to chart elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Five Hours</span> 2014 single by Deorro

"Five Hours" is a 2014 single by Mexican-American DJ Deorro and has appeared in a great number of dance compilations in 2014. The song charted in a number of countries and notably reached number 8 on SNEP official French Singles Chart. In the United States, the single reached number one on Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart in its 6 September 2014 issue, giving Deorro his first number-one single and his debuted single in his home country. The American version that was first released featured vocals by DyCy and charted as "Five Hours ". Later, a third vocal version entitled "Five More Hours" was released and was successful in the charts.

References

  1. ↑ "BPI".
  2. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Chris De Burgh – Spark to a Flame" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Chris De Burgh – Spark to a Flame". Music Canada . Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Chris De Burgh; 'Spark to a Flame')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Spark to a Flame')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "British album certifications – Chris De Burgh – Spark to a Flame". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 22 July 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.