Chris Rea: Blues singer?

Subject: Chris Rea: Blues singer?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 03 Sep 02 - 05:06 AM

Just heard on BBC radio that pop singer Chris Rea has become disenchanted with pop and recorded a blues album. Not too bad, judging from the brief clip played. Hope it may be the start of a trend for more exposure for blues. Remember the 60s when bands like the Stones sadly went the other way from their blues roots to pop?
Thread creep: I picked up a library book recently called Gutbucket Quest by Anthony & Leming. I don't normally read fantasy but the title caught my eye. Most of it was rubbish (hero saves the world by playing on a magic guitar!) but the premise of an alternative world was interesting: blues was the prominent music as rock and roll hadn't caught on and Texas was independent ("Tejas", covering most of the South and Mexico), the Native Americans had their own country over most of the mid-west USA and the United States was just a few NE States!
RtS (white boy lost in the blues)

Subject: RE: Chris Rea: Blues singer?
From: fogie
Date: 03 Sep 02 - 05:22 AM

I just wondered if he was following the trend for early folk blues, on the band wagon of Brother where art thou, and Songcatcher, as opposed to a radical mind shift. But either way best of luck to him. The snatches were full of echo-reverb, and didn't sound pure to me. Ry cooder surely has done all this before?

Subject: RE: Chris Rea: Blues singer?
From: GUEST,Fat B****rd
Date: 03 Sep 02 - 03:13 PM

I'm not a guest but i'm fed up with signing up all the time. Anyhow , I believe Mr. Rea was in fact far more blue-eyed blues orientated before he became sussessfulin the "Pop" world.

Subject: RE: Chris Rea: Blues singer?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 06 Sep 02 - 04:28 AM

I see CR will be on Paul Jones BBC2 Blues prog on 19th Sept. I'll be in Greece then but will listen to it online later.
RtS

Subject: RE: Chris Rea: Blues singer?
From: GUEST,forty two
Date: 06 Sep 02 - 09:13 AM

The interview I heard with him on Radio 4 he said he was very ill last year and given a 50% chance of survival. He promised himself that if he survived he would do a recording of the music he played before he hit the big time - blues. After his first hit he found himself under pressure from the music industry to keep doing the stuff that made him famous so the blues became history

Subject: RE: Chris Rea: Blues singer?
From: Rustic Rebel
Date: 06 Sep 02 - 12:16 PM

I read that he is also releasing a documentary on the making of this blues album (dancing down the stony road). Released on Sept 13th. That will be interesting I think.
I haven't heard any cuts from the album but I want it!
what is strange is I heard it wasn't released yet but you can buy the cd's on E-Bay right now. So I must be misinformed somehow.
Anyway I think this is going to be a kick-ass album.
Peace, Rusic

Subject: RE: Chris Rea: Blues singer?
From: GUEST,Muddy
Date: 06 Sep 02 - 12:41 PM

A kick ass album from Chris Rea? Have you ever listened to the boring shit he usually churns out? Not close to blues, not close to folk, at times barely close to music.

Subject: RE: Chris Rea: Blues singer?
From: Rustic Rebel
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 01:04 AM

Muddy, the only way I can respond to that is
To Each His Own
Peace, Rustic

Subject: RE: Chris Rea: Blues singer?
From: C-flat
Date: 07 Sep 02 - 02:47 AM

A few more responses here from a couple of weeks back.