The Best Of Chris Rea

Chris Rea | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: December 15, 1998
• Release Date: December 15, 1998
• Label: EastWest U.K.
• Copyright: 1998 Magnet Records Ltd.
• Total Length: 1:14:56
• Genres:
• ASIN: B003A96XSQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This is NOT the old 'Best of' - It's the new 'Best of'., May 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

If you're looking for the hits as they were originally recorded, this is NOT it. These are remakes from the original artist. His voice has changed considerably, and not for the better.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great pop blues, February 19, 2004

By 

J. Houzet "wozamoya" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

This is a nice enough "Best of" album by one of the best blues guitarists out there. Chris Rea is well known in Europe, South Africa and Australia it seems, but quite unheard of in the US. He has a unique sound, different from many American bluesmen in that he incorporates some world music sounds, most notably Caribbean influences, and he has some happier, poppier songs sprinkled throughout his works.
This collection is different from his earlier Best of (New Light Through Old Windows), in that it obviously includes more recent material while foregoing some of the older, more familiar hits. It's too heavy with songs from Auberge in particular (tracks 5, 10, 14 and 15). I probably like New Light better, but this compilation serves well as an introduction to Chris Rea.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice introduction to a little known artist, March 15, 2005

By 

Patrick Earley (Edmond, Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of (Audio CD)

A friend of mine at work just recently introduced me to the music of Chris Rea via this very nice Best Of comp. He also recommended getting his Road To Hell cd. Both of these cd's were money well spent. I'm surprised that this artist flew by my radar screen in the 80's when he was at the peak of his songwriting and popularity, mainly due to his top 20 hit "Fool (If You Think It's Over)". For some reason I never equated that song with this artist. The thing I like most about Rea is his musical diversity. He can lay down a very memorable AM pop hit like "Fool" or "Let's Dance" and then turn around and make a great blues rock album like "Road To Hell". No matter what the genre of music, this artist is very good at laying down a nice groove. There's plenty of catchy tunes to be found throughout this cd. "Auberge" and especially the wonderful "On The Beach" stuck out for me. But you get many styles here. And each song sets a different mood. From the easy listening "Winter Song" or the catchy "Looking For Summer". Or some excellent blues rock like "Road To Hell", "God's Great Banana Skin" or the excellent instrumental hidden track at the end of the cd that shows off Rea's tasty slide guitar skills. I don't know how I missed this artist after all of these years. But I'm a new Rea fan who now looks forward to his next album. Whatever style that it might be, I'm betting it will have some versatile playing and some very well composed melodies like this superb Best Of. This is a nice place to start listening to this fine artist. If your like me, after hearing this cd you'll probably want to search out some of his individual albums. I've since picked up his late 80's album "Dancing With Strangers". Another very nice cd. Most of the music on this Best Of cd is almost 20 years old, but it feels like it could have been written today. In other words it's well composed music that holds up very well over time. And I'm sure if your like me and not familiar with Rea's music, the minute you hear "Fool" or "On The Beach" it's going to bring the good part of the 80's back to you. Greatest hits cd's should all be this good. Highly recommended!