Blue Guitars

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Blue Guitars
Studio album by Chris Rea

Publication
(s)

October 15, 2005

Label (s) Jazzee Blue / EarBooks

Format (s)

11 CDs, 1 DVD

Genre (s)

blues

Title (number)

137

occupation
  • Robert Ahwai: guitar
  • Sylvin Marc: Bass
  • Gerry O'Connor: Banjo
  • Martin Ditcham: drums

production

Chris Rea, Andy Wilman

chronology
The Blue Jukebox
(2004) 		Blue Guitars Heartbeats
(2005)

Blue Guitars is a blues album released on October 14, 2005 by singer and guitarist Chris Rea . The album is structured in the form of a book, which contains eleven CDs, a DVD and prints of paintings by Rea. He has also described each of the CDs and the lyrics to all of the songs are printed.

History of origin

Blue Guitars is the last of five blues projects that Chris Rea began after recovering from his pancreatic cancer in 2002. He published this ambitious project, which aims to depict the history of blues music from its inception through to the 1960s / 1970s, as a media package consisting of eleven CDs, a DVD and a book with his own paintings and extensive liner notes. He himself referred to the project as "Earbook" ("ear book"). He founded his own record company, Jazzee Blue / EarBooks, after his major label dropped him during his illness. He uses the new distribution channel to break away from the constraints of the music industry.

The albums contain a total of 137 songs that Rea wrote and recorded between 2004 and 2005. Inspired by Bill Wyman and his book "Blues Odyssey", he sets out on his own path to retell the history of the blues with this album. It starts with the African roots and goes all the way to the 1970s and 1980s blues. Chris Rea and his backing band use authentic instruments of the respective era and the brand new songs also try to serve the themes that were formative for the blues at that time. Some of the now very rare elements were acquired especially for the album. Chris Rea described in Classic Rock magazine that they had set up the studio for the Chicago section ( Chicago Blues ) as a Muddy Waters or a Willie Dixon would have found. Two Supra amps were purchased from EBay especially for the recordings . The songs themselves were largely recorded live in the studio, with each CD taking around a month of recording time. In Germany, the Earbook was even presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair . The project was also commercially successful, even if its unusual format did not make it into the charts.

The individual albums in chronological order are called:

  1. "Beginnings"
  2. "Country Blues"
  3. "Louisiana & New Orleans"
  4. "Electric Memphis Blues"
  5. "Texas Blues"
  6. "Chicago Blues"
  7. "Blues Ballads"
  8. "Gospel Soul Blues & Motown"
  9. "Celtic & Irish Blues"
  10. "Latin Blues"
  11. "60s & 70s"

The individual albums

Beginnings

This album, which is at the beginning of the project, takes the listener to the black continent , where the blues has its roots. Times were difficult and slavery was at its peak. Many colored people were sold and shipped to other continents, often betrayed by their own people. The music itself has little to do with what we know as blues today. The sad and dark mood, however, was already there back then.

  1. West Africa - 4:14
  2. Cry for Home - 4:58
  3. The King Who Sold his Own - 5:18
  4. White Man Coming - 4:01
  5. Where The Blues Come From - 6:18
  6. Lord Tell Me It Won't Be Long - 4:58
  7. Work Gang - 4:32
  8. Praise the Lord - 4:41
  9. Sweet Sunday - 5:38
  10. Sing Out the Devil - 6:08
  11. Boss Man Cut My Chains - 3:21

Country blues

The southern United States arguably had the greatest influence on the culture of slavery in those times. When the people from Africa were shipped there, a real ordeal began. They lived in fear, worked hard till they dropped, and got used to having no value in society. This is how the country blues came about, which musically reminds us of the sounds of the southern states. The titles KKK Blues , Too Much Drinkin ' and Ticket for Chicago , for example, speak of racism, alcoholism and the search for a better life . Social problems began to give the blues a new face.

  1. Walkin 'Country Blues - 3:40
  2. Man Gone Missing - 4:40
  3. Can't Stay Blues - 4:58
  4. KKK Blues - 4:56
  5. Too Much Drinkin ' - 4:52
  6. Catwalk Woman - 4:32
  7. If You've Got a Friend in Jesus - 4:24
  8. Head Out on the Highway - 4:32
  9. Wild pony - 4:10
  10. Steam Train Blues - 3:50
  11. Going Up to Memphis - 4:20
  12. Somewhere Between Highway 61 & 49 - 6:06
  13. Ticket for Chicago - 5:16 am
  14. Dance All Night Long - 4:31

Louisiana & New Orleans

Many people mistakenly believe that the blues originated in Louisiana , New Orleans or the Mississippi Delta . When the music from Africa came to this area, it was mixed with local instruments, for example the clarinet , various brass instruments , the piano , banjo and accordion and the characteristic New Orleans blues emerged . For many modern blues musicians, this became the basis of their work.

  1. Two Days Missing Down the Viper Room - 2:56
  2. Who Cares If I Do - 4:23
  3. What Made Me Love You - 3:16
  4. You Got Dixie - 4:41
  5. One Night With You - 5:29
  6. Talking 'bout New Orleans - 5:27
  7. Le Fleur de la Vie - 3:13
  8. Catfish Girl - 3:50
  9. Only a Fool Plays by the Rules - 4:00
  10. Baby Come Home - 3:30
  11. Dance Avec Moi - 3:15
  12. L'ete Eternal - 3:31

Electric Memphis Blues

In busy bars it was sometimes impossible to play against the crowd. That changed the electronic revolution in music. The blues got new tones, organ , keyboard and guitar were all electronically operated and a new recording age in the studios has begun. Rea makes this clear in the song "Electric Guitar", in which he sings: "Now I can play above the bar noise, Man I'm bigger than the crowd" (Now I can play louder than the noise in the bar, man, I'm taller than the crowd) .

  1. Electric Guitar - 4:42
  2. Electric Memphis Blues - 4:15
  3. All Night Long - 4:11
  4. Born Bad - 3:46
  5. Let's Start Again - 3:52
  6. What I'm Looking For - 4:26
  7. Rules of Love - 3:12
  8. What You Done to Me - 3:28
  9. Hobo Love Blues - 3:38
  10. Pass Me By - 3:06
  11. The Soul of My Father's Shadow - 3:52
  12. My Blue World Says Hello - 4:06

Texas blues

Later, the blues made their way to the sandy, hot wild west , with its endless streets and its burning sun. The music was given a new coat of paint with typical instruments as they were known in the desert regions of the USA ( harmonica , slide guitar ) and the lifestyle of the second largest US state was clearly emphasized. Rea also addresses the migration problem in this album. In the song The American Way he tells the story of an illegal migrant who tries to live the American dream .

  1. Lone Rider (Texas Blues) - 4:44
  2. Texas Blue - 5:10
  3. No Wheels Blues - 5:02
  4. Lone Star Boogie - 5:16
  5. Blind Willie - 6:48
  6. The American Way - 4:07
  7. Angellina - 4:47
  8. Truck Stop - 4:49
  9. Weekend Down Mexico - 4:20
  10. Texas Line Boogie - 4:41
  11. Too Big City - 5:02
  12. Houston Angel - 3:59

Chicago blues

Over time, life shifted more and more to metropolitan areas and people moved from the south to the north. Chicago , an up-and-coming, modern city that promised a lot of work and prosperity, was particularly popular . The music also went along with it. It kept the blues style created in Louisiana, New Orleans and Memphis as a base and then mixed with jazz sounds (especially the saxophone ) which made it more intense and rougher. The Chicago Blues also changed the focus of the lyrics and now focused more on drugs, sex, alcohol and homelessness, but also the hopes of a new generation (celebrated in the song Chicago Morning ).

  1. I'm Moving Up (Chicago Blues) - 4:30
  2. Maxwell Street - 4:39
  3. Bob Taylor - 5:15
  4. She's a Whole Heap of Trouble - 2:30
  5. Jazzy Blue - 3:24
  6. Hip-Sway - 3:39
  7. That's the Way It Goes - 3:32
  8. To Get Your Love - 5:07
  9. Chicago Morning - 4:56
  10. Catwalk Woman - 3:35
  11. Since You've Been Gone - 4:09
  12. All Night Long - 5:27
  13. Here She Come Now - 4:14

Blues Ballads

When the piano took on an increasingly prominent role in the blues, the blues ballads emerged, a very calm and artificially draped subspecies of the once wild and irregular style of music. The music of broken lives became the music of broken hearts. However, the foundations of the blues from the past persisted.

  1. Last Call (Blues Ballads) - 3:41
  2. Maybe That's All I Need to Know - 4:28
  3. Deep Winter Blues - 5:09
  4. If I Ever Get Over You - 5:08
  5. I Love the Rain - 4:35
  6. My Soul Crying Out for You - 3:38
  7. If That's What You Want - 4:18
  8. There's No One Looking - 5:34
  9. What Became of You - 4:54
  10. My Deep Blue Ways - 4:25

Gospel Soul Blues & Motown

Each generation creates almost its own musical styles, which are based on the classical ones. So the Indy / Hippie movement took the blues, leaving it with its classical elements, but slightly changing the main instruments. Electronic guitars and banjos now had priority and the formerly hard and edgy blues, among others, the artists who were under contract with the record company Tamla Motown from Detroit , turned the formerly hard and edgy blues into a soft and pleasant listening experience.

  1. Sweet Love - 4:25
  2. Break Another Piece of My Heart - 4:39
  3. Ball & Chain - 5:08
  4. Gospel Trail - 5:05
  5. Shy Boy - 3:52
  6. Come Change My World - 4:15
  7. Call on Me - 4:10
  8. Just in Case You Never Knew - 4:29
  9. Let Me In - 5:52
  10. I'll Be There for You - 4:18
  11. The Pain of Loving You - 3:57
  12. Are You Ready - 6:08

Celtic & Irish Blues

The blues made its way through many cultures, including those of Irish and Scottish immigrants. With a melancholy mood, for which the Scots and Irish are very well known, completely new perspectives for the blues and its development were created. Traditional instruments of the northern European immigrants found space and gave the style a Celtic touch.

  1. Celtic Blue (Celtic and Irish Blues) - 8:11
  2. Too Far from Home - 7:28 am
  3. 'Til the Morning Sun Shines on My Love and Me - 5:39
  4. Lucky Day - 5:16
  5. What She Really Is - 5:03
  6. Wishing Well - 4:11
  7. Irish Blues - 4:14
  8. No More Sorrow - 6:05
  9. While I Remain - 5:30
  10. Last Drink - 5:17
  11. 'Til I Find My True Love's Name - 3:42
  12. Big White Door - 5:36

Latin blues

In the southern United States, the blues not only migrated north to Chicago, but also came to Latin America . At the same time, the African slaves brought the blues from their homeland to Brazil , where it went through its own development. The result was a mixture of Mississippi blues , bossa nova and even reggae . But instead of texts, which should convey sun and a good mood, the leading themes in this development stage of the blues were rather dark and sad.

  1. Hey Gringo (Latin Blues) - 6:04
  2. Immigration Blues - 5:19
  3. Still Trying to Clear My Name - 4:26
  4. Sun Is Hot - 4:28
  5. Screw You and Your Deep Blue Sea - 4:43
  6. Nothing Seems to Matter No More - 3:55
  7. Sometimes - 5:00
  8. Lampiou - 5:46
  9. Keep on Dancing - 3:56
  10. Lucifer's Angel - 5:08
  11. How I Know It's You - 4:17
  12. Forever - 5:03
  13. You Got Soul - 5:27
  14. Bajan Blue - 4:57

60s & 70s

Times change, generations pass, and the blues is also undergoing a clear metamorphosis. After 200 years of development, the style of music went back to its roots. You could hear the original, the old again. But the flower power movement at the end of the 1960s gave the blues new elements, which gave it a new face. The hippies provided him with the attitude towards life of their generation and wanted to pay their respects to the predecessors of this music genre, due to the unchanged basis.

Tracklist:

  1. My Baby Told Me (Blues) - 2:55
  2. Got to Be Moving - 4:03
  3. My Baby Told Me (Gospel) - 3:19
  4. Heartbreaker - 2:58
  5. Yes I Do (instrumental) - 3:28
  6. Wasted Love - 4:44
  7. Cool Cool Blue - 4:15
  8. Clarkson Blues - 5:09
  9. Who Killed Love - 4:27
  10. Never Tie Me Down - 4:13
  11. Mindless - 3:55
  12. Ain't That Just the Prettiest Thing - 5:20
  13. Nobody But You - 3:55
  14. Waiting for Love - 4:57
  15. Blue Morning in the Rain - 4:50

Dancing Down the Stony Road DVD

This DVD is a little extra that shows the process of making Rea's 2002 album "Dancing Down the Stony Road". In the film he tells about his serious cancer and his desire to produce a blues album. It contains interviews with the band members and shows the production process of the album from writing to recording.

Best of

In 2007 Edel Records released a kind of best of the CD box set under the title (Blue Guitars) - A Collection of Songs - This contains 22 songs on a total of two CDs and a booklet with liner notes and paintings.

CD1
  1. Where The Blues Comes From - 6:18
  2. Too Much Drinking - 4:52
  3. Only a Fool Plays by the Rules - 4:00
  4. The Soul of My Father's Shadow - 3:52
  5. Lone Star Boogie - 5:16
  6. She's a Whole Heap of Trouble - 2:30
  7. If I Ever Get Over You - 5:08
  8. Come Change My World - 4:15
  9. Lucky Day - 5:08
  10. Screw You and Your Deep Blue Sea - 4:43
  11. Clarkson Blues - 5:09
CD2
  1. Work Gang - 4:32
  2. Wild pony - 4:10
  3. One Night With You - 5:29
  4. Born Bad - 3:46
  5. The American Way - 4:07
  6. Catwalk Woman - 3:35
  7. If That's What You Want - 4:18
  8. Gospel Trail - 5:05
  9. Till I Find My True Love's Name - 3:30
  10. Sometimes - 5:00
  11. Who Killed Love - 4:27

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chris Rea's come-back. BBC News , October 7, 2005, accessed November 16, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Christian Schleifer: "Blue Guitars" by Chris Rea: 11 new albums! Krone.at , October 29, 2005, accessed on November 16, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Hugh Fielder: Chris Rea: Serious illness helped Chris Rea re-discover his muse. In: Classic Rock . No. 1/2005 , p. 28 ( chrisrea.biz ).
  4. ↑ Chris Rea at laut.de
  5. ↑ Blue Guitars on Discogs