Man on the Line [IMPORT]

Chris De Burgh

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 10, 1985)
• Original Release Date: May 1984
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Universal Int'l
• ASIN: B000006Y1S
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,067 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
1984 Release from Chris Deburgh, the Man who Would Write and Release the International Hit "Lady in Red" Two Years Later in 1986. Includes the Minor Hit "High on Emotion", plus "Sound of a Gun", "Ecstacy of Flight (I Love the Night)" and Seven More.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deeply personal recording, February 10, 2001

By	T. Burger (Chicago) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I think DeBurgh was trying too hard with this release. The success of Don't Pay the Ferryman -- in my opinion -- seemed to convince him that his strength was in a powerful song, and he tried to recreate DPTF's energy here, as there were several songs that seemed very commercial, and were engineered more for pop appeal than art. That said, this is still another deeply personal recording for DeBurgh, perhaps more so than others. I could be nuts, but I have always believed that he and his wife, "Na" were going through a rough spot in their relationship, and that boiled over into this music. The title song, Man on the Line, is revealing in that it is about a woman receiving mysterious phone calls from a strange man. "There's a man on the line, and he is wasting our time, he calls me day after day, he's got nothing to say, and in the dead of the night, when I turn off the light, the telephone rings, it's him again. He must be totally crazy, he must be out of his mind, to be in love with a lady, ah when that lady is mine, he's whispering your name...whispering your name" (Forgive me if the words aren't exact, I did it from memory -- you get the idea.)

As on all of his albums, DeBurgh has one song that stands out far above the rest, and on this album it is The Head and the Heart. I have never, and likely will never, hear a song that better characterizes a person torn between love and logic. The head is saying "it's time to let her go," but the heart yearns that "I don't want to let her go". Even now, remembering the haunting vocal and melody, I shiver. It's played out in the theater of his mind and soul, and even someone with a heart as cold as an Antarctic bath would be touched.

Edit 8/12/07: Over the past two years (since the iPod entered my home) I've found that I listen to this recording all the way through more than DeBurgh's other recordings. I couldn't be more surprised. If I were rating the CD today, it would get a 4.5 from me, rounded up to a 5. The "high energy" music is still appealing to me, some fourteen years or so after its release.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Calm before the storm?, November 22, 2003

By	Dave (Wales) - See all my reviews

After massive critical acclaim for "Don't Pay The Ferryman" and "The Getaway" album, Chris released another near-miss with this album. As previously suggested, it is likely that a rough patch in his relationship caused his feelings to boil over onto this album. "High On Emotion", despite its optimistic lyrics, has a thundering, biting, sniping, almost 'angry' edge to it. Up until then, this was probably the most uncharacteristic recording that he had ever committed to vinyl - like with "Don't Pay The Ferryman", how "High On Emotion" failed to break into the UK Top 40 is a mystery! In the 1990s, it enjoyed a new lease of life when used heavily to promote the Driving Rock compilation, but on initial release, was largely ignored by radio.

The title track is another example of Chris' ability to move away from the ballad wizadry with which he made his name, and saw him taking on a harder, more rocky sound.

This was one of the three oustanding albums that Chris made in his early career between 1973 and 1983 (the others being "Spanish Train and Other Stories" (1975) and "The Getaway" (1981).

Of course, after this album again failed to break him into the commercial mainstream, we all know what happened next - he would disappear for three years, return to take the world by storm with "The Lady In Red" in 1986, and lose his way for the remainder of the decade, before dramatically returning to form with 1992's "Power of Ten" album.

Whatever the critics may say about their disdain for Chris De Burgh, you can't deny that before the success of "The Lady In Red", he DID make some truly excellent records.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Taking it to the Top, May 30, 2005

By	Anthrowolfe "anthrowolfe" (NC) - See all my reviews

My dad bought this CD in Europe and it's one of his all time favorite cds. Recently I've become very fond of it myself. It's up-beat, but not abusive to the ears like many of the "up-beat" bands today. DeBurgh is very smooth lyrically and musically.

I love to listen to Chris, but I'm not entirely sure the price is worth it if you are not already a fan of his music. My dad says that he has a very European style of music. I find DeBurgh very refreshing for ears when they become weary of American music.