Chris Rea Vinyl Records – Road to Hell, Auberge & Essential Albums on Vinyl

Chris Rea is one of the finest singer-songwriters Britain has produced — a slide-guitar master with one of the most distinctive voices in popular music, born in Middlesbrough in 1951 to an Italian-Irish family. His best records blend blues, rock, soul and occasional jazz into something unmistakably his own, with production that values space and warmth over polish.

The Road to Hell (1989) is the record most people know — six million copies sold, a title track that still gets heavy rotation on British radio, and Looking for the Summer as a gorgeously underrated deep cut. But the earlier Shamrock Diaries (1985), Dancing with Strangers (1987) and the follow-up Auberge (1991) contain equally excellent work. Rea on vinyl is a particular pleasure — the slide guitar and the warmth of his voice come alive on a proper pressing. The 180g remasters are consistently good.

Best Chris Rea Albums on Vinyl

The Road to Hell (1989)
His commercial peak and artistic peak in one. The title track's two-part opening remains spine-tingling; Looking for the Summer, Texas, That's What They Always Say — a record that balances cynicism and warmth with genuine grace. Essential.

Auberge (1991)
The follow-up, slightly less celebrated but arguably as good. The title track, Heaven, Every Second Counts — more Mediterranean warmth, less English gloom, and some of his finest guitar playing on record.

Shamrock Diaries (1985)
The album that turned the commercial tide in his favour. Stainsby Girls, Josephine, Steel River — a breakthrough record with enormous heart. Often overlooked compared to the later hits.

Dancing with Strangers (1987)
Let's Dance, Loving You Again, Joe's 45 — the record that set up The Road to Hell. More upbeat than its successor and with some of the most immediate singles he ever wrote.

The Very Best of Chris Rea (1994)
The compilation most fans own first. Driving Home for Christmas, Fool (If You Think It's Over), Julia, On the Beach — an exceptionally well-sequenced overview. The Gatefold 2xLP 180g is the definitive vinyl pressing.

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