There's More Shades Of Blue Here Than At A Quo Gig. (Blue Guitars - Chris Rea)

Member Name: Farting Weasel

Product:	Blue Guitars - Chris Rea
Date:	10/05/06 (956 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Yep, this hits the spot.

Disadvantages: No horns.

There’s More Shades Of Blue Here Than At A Quo Gig.

Chris Rea – Blue Guitars
11 CD and 1 DVD box set with accompanying hard back book.

Released October 2005 on the Jazzee record label
This edition on Edel Records’ E.A.R. Books series.
ISBN 3-937406-32-8
£31.00 from Caiman USA, via Amazon.com.

Hey you! Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you boy. What y’all lookin’ at? What you want? Y’all wantin’ some blues? Well step right on up here buddy ‘cause have I got something real special for you? Hell yeah. How d’yer like it? Soft ‘n easy or loud ‘n hard? With finger pickin’ banjo or would you prefer a little of that honky tonk piano thang? Y’all from texas? Try a little Chicargo. You like yer country? What about some Louisiana country slide then? Maybe you’re into a bit of soul? Shit dude, I got s'mthin’ here that will make your tears weep, and then some. It don’t matter none how you take it.

Mercy mercy mercy. Oh my Lord! Pity this poor mortals soul, but I think heaven just landed on my doormat and it ain’t in no hurry to leave.

This is impressive: very, very impressive.

Now, I’ve never been a particularly avid Chris Rea fan. In the past. he's been a bit too suburban for me; very lounge-lizardy smooth; cocktail party muzak. When he did turn it up (on the likes of Stainsby Girls or Working On It, say), that’s when Fartings ears pricked up too. However, that didn’t happen very often.

Not, that is, until now. I did know Chris Rea had a bit of a passion for the blues, his slide playing betrays the fact that his major influences come more from the Mississippi Delta than the dockyards of Teesside. I just didn’t know it ran so deep.

If you get Blue Guitars thinking your going to get more of the same old Chris Rea, think again people, think again. This is a work of the heart, from the heart. Having survived a life threatening illness (his Pancreas pack up), Rea recovered and decided to do what he has always wanted to do. Play the blues. But, he didn’t want to knock out just another blues album of barely disguised covers etc… No, he decided to take the whole subject and literally do a historical musical walk-through of the genre. He does it using his own stuff too. No covers. Every song here is a Chris Rea original. How refreshing is that?

Blues can appear to be quite a straightjacket, there seemingly being not much scope for change or room to manoeuvre for most musicians. Hence we get an endless stream of different takes on “woke up this mornin’” or loose Allman Bros style jams. It all gets just a bit tedious after a while, I don’t care how good the playing is.

Not on Blue Guitars though. Oh no. Sure, there’s all the hallmarks of the stuff here right enough. Plenty of twelve bar and slide. But there’s so much more. The depth of the material here is phenomenal. There’s none of the slick blandness of, say, Buddy Guy or Robert Cray. This isn’t an easy listening set for the average middle class and middle aged white male. The light and shade, the different textures of the songs, the obvious love and understanding Rea has for the stuff is evident in every note. Here Chris Rea is more like a passionate teacher trying to get a message through. The kind of passion displayed here I have not heard since Gallagher passed on. And there are no twenty-minute epics. Hoorah! Better yet, Rea captures the exultation and torture that few ever truly manage to find. There’s that ‘feel’ about it. Just don’t ask me what, I couldn’t tell you.

This album has been a long time comin’.

Each of the eleven CDs is a collection of songs on a particular aspect of the blues. Kicking off on disc one (Beginnings) with stuff that is very African in flavour, right through to disc eleven (60’s & 70’s) with it’s R&B swing and chunky rock, Rea pretty much covers all bases along the way and they cover such eclectic variations as Celtic and Irish Blues, Gospel & Soul and blues from various hot beds around America – Louisiana, New Orleans, Texas, Memphis, and Chicago. He even touches on Motown and Latin. How about the English blues of the 60’s and 70’s? Yep, that’s here too. Now how comprehensive do you want it? My particular favourite, if I had a gun at my head, would be disc 2, Country Blues. For now. There’s so much going on here that my favours change all the time I’m not a great one for the likes of Gospel or Motown, I really have to be in the mood. But here, Rea makes it a joy to listen to. The Irish blues? Just pick me up when the disc finishes, man. I ain’t goin’ anywhere.

Rea has used instruments contemporary to the various styles too. And where he has been able to, he’s used kit from the same period in time. Y’know what I mean, Hammond B3 C3 organs, Supra and old Fender amps, RCA and Astatic mics. The list goes on. But what you get is a sound throughout this collection that is about as near to the originals as you can get whilst using modern electronics and studio environments. If you’re a bit of a techno freak, then all the instruments and equipment are listed in the book for you

The book is a work of art too. Quite literally. It’s really so much more than just a glorified CD booklet. There’s an interview that is reproduced from The Times. All, and I mean all, the lyrics to the songs and a whole collection of colour reproductions of Reas’ paintings. I’m not an art critic; I’m really not arty at all, so I’ll leave that side alone for others to comment on. There are band photos, instrument lists, and a short description of each disc. Fascinating stuff. In fact, the book is of such quality that it could be a stand-alone item by itself. Eight CDs are pocketed at the front, the rest at the back.

And all through it is Chris Reas’ voice. I’ve long suspected he would be better off singing blues, and I was right. It’s perfect. A whiskey stained rasp, dripping of North Eastern coal fields and shipping-steel. And the close call of death has added that extra sprinkle of magic. Dues paid? Rights earned? Damn right sweetheart. What more can I say?

The accompanying DVD, Dancing Down That Stoney Road, chronicles the making of this collection. It’s a subject I find fascinating. Seeing a song evolve from a basic idea to the finished article. But for me, the best bits on the disc are those showing Rea just sat on his own, in the sun, playing acoustic bottleneck slide. He sounds just like the originals. Inspirational. Rea also takes the opportunity to give a little insight as to how the blues evolved, from the gospel of the Deep South to the electrics of the Chicago clubs.

The DVD also serves to compound the suspicion that not only is Blue Guitars a work of passion; it’s also a massive finger in the face of the major record companies (you’ll have to watch it to see what I mean). The whole thing, from the price to the presentation is quality far beyond that which we have become accustomed to (like anything up to £15 for less than forty minutes of music?). Even the individual discs have their own slip cover. And it’s all done independently too, on his own Jazzee label. Not bad, not bad at all.

There are blues men coming at us from all directions these days. They always seem to be one-dimensional white boys wishing they could be black too. Unfortunately, most are happy to peddle rehashed old and tired themes, riffs and motifs; preferring to tweak old traditional songs rather than write something a bit more original. Think Gary Moore and Walter Trout as you read this. Nothing more than tribute acts to the blues. The old black guys can only take so much ripping off, and they’ve taken more than enough already.

With Blue Guitars, Chris Rea has in one fell swoop, put himself right up there with the originals in my estimation. The Chris Rea ‘sound’ is, of coarse, indelibly stamped on everything, including his ability (tendency?) to get real smooth. But then he lets rip with a bit of electric slide or some acoustic bottleneck, and that’s when even Gods’ heavy hand of retribution is stayed. Just for a while. And now, even He understands why Rea was allowed to stay on this mortal coil.

I’m totally bowled over by this production. I haven’t heard so much depth and breadth wrung from such a tight genre of music from a single performer since Rory Gallagher (echoes of whom can be heard here). Whether it’s just rhythm, or Chris Rea is making his guitars howl and sing, it really makes no difference, it’s all quality. I really cannot fault this set. The music here is absolutely class 1+, grade A1 pukka top notch. Brilliant.

Who said white boys can’t do the blues? Whoever it was, they’re wrong. And here’s the proof.

Get this.

If for no other reason get it because for thirty quid you get a shed load of discs plus a book of art. BUT! You’ll also get twelve hours of Chris Rea doing what he does best. The blues. An audio and visual delight. How much more could you ask for?

Spellbinding!

Not bad for a poor white boy from the ‘Boro.

Recommended.

Summary: Even the Grim Reaper was pleased he left this boy alone after hearing this.