Spanish Train And Other Stories

Product Information

Anyway, I look forward to part 3, safe in the knowledge that you’ll concur that Brazil is one of the most God-awful songs ever committed to vinyl! While, as ever, there’s never enough time to explore these issues deeply, can I just say that I’ll be happy to hear from anyone who has time for Chris, as JDG and Tom obviously do, and that while we may differ in our opinions about what may be his best song or album, what inevitably brings us closer together is our admiration for his songwriting abilities, not to mention the fact that Chris has now been made a goodwill ambassador for the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against Malnutrition.

All of which makes it that much easier for me to begin my examination of CdeB’s second collection of poems, Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975), with one simple observation: namely, that it is in this book that Chris really starts to hit his stride as a poet.

Recommendations

Michaels, Sean (19 August 2008). "No permission for Chris de Burgh Iran gig". The Guardian. London . Retrieved 12 December 2011. a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic . Retrieved 25 December 2015.

In 1984, Chris de Burgh's follow-up album, Man on the Line, also performed well, charting at 69 in the US and 11 in the UK (topping the charts in Germany and Switzerland [11]); its first single "High on Emotion" became an international success, reaching the Top 20 in several countries [12] (entering notably the Top 5 in Ireland, [13] France and Switzerland) and the Top 50 in both the UK [14] and US. [15]In 2007 a concert in Tehran was planned for mid-2008, together with local band Arian, which would have made Chris de Burgh the first western pop singer to perform in Iran since the 1979 revolution. However, the concert never went ahead because he had not been given permission by the Iranian authorities to perform in the country. [20]

But it’s quite another thing to suggest that this spaceman is in fact an angel with a message that he has brought across the universe for our benefit. There is a word in the English language that was invented for such footrot as this, and it’s an anagram of ‘carp’. Chris de Burgh's storytelling prowess comes into fruition on Spanish Train and Other Stories as he carefully grasps the listener's attention with his soft-spoken candor. With songs that are reminiscent of tales told to a young child by his bedside, de Burgh captivates his audience with his serene anecdotes that are enhanced by the music that envelops him. The opening "Spanish Train" is a mysterious yarn about a poker game between God and the Devil, where the victor inherits the soul of a dying train engineer. de Burgh's vocal escalation from serene to flamboyant makes this one of his best songs, as does the marvelous twist at the end of the story. "A Spaceman Came Travelling" has de Burgh blanketing his wispy voice in a tale about the birth of Jesus, only his version substitutes the Star of Bethlehem for an alien visitor who has arrived to reveal a startling message. With "Patricia the Stripper," de Burgh proves that his sense of humor has not escaped him, as the baroque melody and playful banter make this tune one of his most spirited. Both musically appealing and lyrically thought-provoking, it is this style of narrative that causes Spanish Train to be one of his best albums. Even the forlorn tone of the piano in "Lonely Sky" invokes sadness and melancholy with perfection, coupled with de Burgh's vacant air. All the songs on Spanish Train capture de Burgh's flair for singing elegant pieces that are sincerely attractive, all the while illustrating his pliable vocal stylishness. Real winner is common sense in jury awards". Irish Independent. 28 May 2011 . Retrieved 1 January 2012.

Contributors

Such a massive oversight on the part of the publishers of this slim volume casts the authenticity of the rest of its contents into doubt. Take, for example, ‘The Painter’, an obvious rip-off of Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’: For in ‘Lonely Sky’, Chris is actually suggesting that he is capable of flight and is, indeed, some kind of bird, if not in fact a spacecraft carrying a very odd passenger, who conveniently turns up, in ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’, right before the birth of Jesus: Can you imagine finding an instrumental version of the song “Don’t Pay the Ferryman” interesting? I can’t, because the drama is in the story he is telling. In so many of Chris de Burgh’s songs, he posits himself as a storyteller – sure, a storyteller with musical skills, but a storyteller nevertheless. In this context, the way Chris (or Cohen, or Dylan – granted, excellent lyricists) tells his story is crucial to the success of the song. Of course, this is one of those arguments we could continue having for quite a while (and as you can probably tell, I’m quite happy to discuss these issues at length, so don’t be shy in expressing your point of view).