New Chris DeBurgh. Any fans?

[Dan Roth]

I was a big fan of his albums from the 70s and 80s, though I lost track of him - I don't think he has had much of a presence in the USA.

I see he has a new album out and this is the first "single", Big City Sundays:

[JJ88]

'Fan' isn't really accurate, but I do like the mid 70s album 'Spanish Train And Other Stories' quite a bit. Before hearing that my main knowledge of him was the saccharine slush-fest 'Lady In Red'.

[bob_32_116]

I liked his early stuff, "Spanish Train" and "The End of a Perfect Day". Later on as he got more successful he seemed to - well, not actually lose the ability to write good songs, but to lose that sparse individualistic sound that marked songs like Lonely Sky and Broken Wings. Big hits like The Getaway, Don't Pay the Ferryman and Lady In Red were decent songs, but they weren't much different from songs by any one of a dozen other artists around at the time.

Part of his appeal was the difficulty of placing his origin, not surprising for someone of British/Irish ancestry with a French-sounding name, who also spent much of his early life in Africa and South America and whose earliest chart success was in Brazil..

[the winter tree]

He usually has one or two really great songs on his albums with the rest often sounding like rewrites of earlier songs or over-sentimental.

[r2daft2]

[QUOTE=I liked his early stuff, "Spanish Train" and "The End of a Perfect Day". Later on as he got more successful he seemed to - well, not actually lose the ability to write good songs, but to lose that sparse individualistic sound that marked songs like Lonely Sky and Broken Wings. Big hits like The Getaway, Don't Pay the Ferryman and Lady In Red were decent songs, but they weren't much different from songs by any one of a dozen other artists around at the time..[/QUOTE]

Agree 100%
Saw Chis de Burgh live once supporting Supertramp (Quietest Moments tour at Manchester Belle Vue). This was pre-Lady in Red obviously.
John Helliwell joined his band for one number (can't remember which) and later CdB helped out with the backing vox for Hide in Your Shell.

[JJ88]

^I've read that quite a few times- Supertramp fans seeing him as the support and being blown away. Amazing the effect one song can have on how you are perceived. 'Lady In Red' makes some of Phil Collins' 80s ballads seem like death metal.

'Don't Pay The Ferryman' is a good song, that was quite some years before 'Lady In Red'.

[Dan Roth]

In a recent interview before a show in Tel Aviv, De Burgh was asked about being known for "Lady in Red":

"I’m absolutely thrilled to have written a song that’s going to last a lot longer than I am, but it does sometimes surprise me that people are not willing to go any further. They say, ‘eh, lady in red, can’t stand that song – that’s all he ever did and he’s been making a career of it ever since.’ They ignore the fact that I’ve written and recorded about 270 songs – of various kinds, not just ballads. People always try to pigeonhole you, especially the media, who are happy if they can label you as a particular kind of artist. But the spectrum of songs I write and record is vast. And incidentally, if anybody in Israel thinks they’re going to come and see a guy crooning ‘Lady in Red’ and wearing a tuxedo, they’ll have to think again. This is a very high energy rock show with, of course, a couple of ballads."

[BravadoNJ]

i bought Chris DeBurgh's In The Light CD because i saw his picture on the back of the cover and thought he looked talented. i was right. all the songs on this album (including Lady In Red) are great songs. it's a perfect album. his next album Flying Colours was also great, but then his stuff wasn't released in the USA anymore. he keeps going on and more power to him.

[bob_32_116]

i bought Chris DeBurgh's In The Light CD because i saw his picture on the back of the cover and thought he looked talented.

I'd be intrigued to know how somebody can "look talented" - at least look musically talented, which i assume is what you mean.

[3LockBox]

I'd be intrigued to know how somebody can "look talented" - at least look musically talented, which i assume is what you mean.

see, that's how I usually impressed people, because in look rather untalented and made the most of lowered expectations.

DeBurgh is one of those acts that seemed to attract a lot of people who say he's really talented, like All Stewart, but I just never really connected with them... maybe if they had Michael McDonald guest on a song or two I'd have taken more notice.

[the ferret]

I haven't picked up the new album yet but I'd recommend all of his albums up to & including Man On The Line. Since then I'd agree that each album has been more of a mixed bag. However, ignoring the Footsteps covers projects (which I've not heard) he's been in something of a purple patch again of late. The Storyman Is excellent & Moonfleet - a concept album based on J.M. Faulkner's classic smugglers yarn - is even better. Not a weak or bland song between them, to my ears at least.