Water Sign
The album the label released as demos, which started the Irish upturn that rescued his career.
Chris Rea, 1983
- Released
- March 1983
- Label
- Magnet
- Producer
- Chris Rea and David Richards
Rea's fifth studio album reached number 64 in Britain and number 36 in New Zealand. The record company reportedly would not fund a new record, so tracks meant as demos were released. He told Q he handed in the tapes as demos and was told to put them out. It was the first of several albums he made with the producer David Richards.
It sold well in Ireland and Rea went over for a long tour, which he compared to Beatlemania. Claude Nobs, the founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, plays harmonica on the opening track, his only appearance on a studio album. I Can Hear Your Heartbeat was released as a single and peaked at number 60 in Britain, and a 1988 re-recording reached number 74.
Track listing
- Nothing's Happening by the Sea4:18
- Deep Water4:06
- Candles4:40
- Love's Strange Ways3:38
- Texas3:58
- Let It Loose3:35
- I Can Hear Your Heartbeat3:28
- Midnight Blue4:50
- Hey You4:00
- Out of the Darkness3:27
Personnel
- Chris Rea vocals, guitars, keyboards, other instruments
- Ian Hawkins guitars, bass
- Claude Nobs harmonica
- Kevin Leach saxophone, piano
- David Richards producer, engineer, sequencing, additional drums and percussion
More from Chris Rea
Wired to the Moon (1984), Shamrock Diaries (1985), On the Beach (1986), The Road to Hell (1989), Auberge (1991)
Sources
- Water Sign (Chris Rea album), Wikipedia