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 ".
"Loving the Alien" is a song written and recorded by David Bowie. It was the opening track to his sixteenth studio album Tonight. One of two tracks on the album written solely by Bowie, an edited version of the song was released as a single in May 1985, nine months after the release of lead single "Blue Jean" and eight months after the release of the album. "Loving the Alien" peaked at No. 19 in the UK Singles Chart. "Loving the Alien" inspired the title of Christopher Sandford's 1997 biography of Bowie and the 2018 Bowie box set release, Loving the Alien (1983–1988).
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.
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.
The Works is the eleventh studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 27 February 1984 by EMI Records just shortly after recording for the album had been completed in the United Kingdom and it is the band's first studio album to be released by Capitol Records in the United States. After the synth-heavy Hot Space (1982), the album saw the re-emergence of Brian May and Roger Taylor's rock sound, while still incorporating the early 80s retro futuristic electronic music and New York funk scenes. Recorded at the Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California, and Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany, from August 1983 to January 1984, the album's title comes from a comment Taylor made as recording began – "Let's give them the works!".
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.
New Light Through Old Windows is the first compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1988. The album consists primarily of re-recordings of songs from Rea's earlier albums, as well as the new track "Working on It", which peaked at No. 73 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was Rea's only No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "On the Beach" peaked at No. 9 on the US Adult Contemporary singles chart, and No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart. The album reached number five on the UK Albums Chart, charted for over a year, and was certified 3× Platinum by BPI until 1992. It charted in the Top 10 in New Zealand, Australia and West Germany.
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.
"Fool (If You Think It's Over)" is a song written and originally released in 1978 by English singer-songwriter Chris Rea. It appears on his debut album, Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?, and peaked at number 12 in the US, becoming his highest charting single there. The single's charting success in the US earned him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1979.
"Driving Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written and composed by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea. The first version was originally released as the B-side to his single "Hello Friend" in 1986. In October 1988, a re-recorded version served as one of two new songs on Rea's first compilation album New Light Through Old Windows. It was issued as the fourth single from the album in November 1988, where it peaked at number 53 on the UK Singles Chart as the lead track of The Christmas EP.
"Josephine" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released on 22 June 1985 as the second single from the album Shamrock Diaries. The song performed strongly, reaching the top 10 in France and the Netherlands, and a remix enjoyed popularity on the Balearic beat scene. It was written for his daughter of the same name. Rea would later name a song after his youngest daughter, Julia, on the album Espresso Logic (1993).
"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.
"Tell Me There's a Heaven" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1990 as the third single from his tenth studio album The Road to Hell (1989). It was written by Rea and produced by Rea and Jon Kelly. "Tell Me There's a Heaven" reached No. 24 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for six weeks.
"Hello Friend" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea that was released in 1986 as the third single from his eighth studio album On the Beach. The song was written by Rea, and produced by Rea and David Richards.
"Ace of Hearts" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, which was released by Magnet in 1984 as the fourth and final single from his sixth studio album Wired to the Moon. The song was written by Rea, and produced by Rea and Dave Richards.
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