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I've been wondering...

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marcolino
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I've been wondering...

Post by marcolino »

.... what about "Memphis Fireflies"? At the end of the so-called "Farewell Tour" (Farewell to what?) we have been left with the announcement that next time on record and on tour Chris Rea would perform as a band with a new name, and also that the tour itself would not have been an intensive one.

Now we have a band with a different name, which performs (apart from "The Delmonts" CD, which is a most enjoyable one) a twenty or so classic Rea's songs, and a 3-months, nearly everyday tour. Is this the "looser way" for Chris to perform, due to his illness?

It seems as though it was only a publicity stunt...

Why we've been told some things, and now things are going differently? I also was thinking of a "course changing" with new band, with a different kind of music, but if you take CD 2, it seems as if you are listening to songs from previous albums such as "Blue Cafe" and other releases onward (believe it or not, certain songs and a certain sound even recall me of "God's great banana skin"), while CD 3 could have been the twelfth from "Blue guitars".

Don't get me wrong, I'm listening to this new work with unadulterated pleasure, but it seems as if Chris was "playing itself", if you know what I mean...

Just to discuss... :wink:

Ciao!
Marcolino
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chrismiller
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Re: I've been wondering...

Post by chrismiller »

I think it's a question most of us have been wondering since last November when news came of the HBN album and tour. Let's see...
In the booklet and the documentary of The Road to Hell and Back Chris says two things:
'Is this really your final tour? Well it depends on how successful is it.'
'You can't have a re-union tour until you have a farewell tour first.'

The Farewell Tour had a bigger success than they expected, I think so. (Remember, not only smaller venues were sold out but the biggest ones e.g. in Paris, Moscow or here in Budapest.) Also the people went to his concerts made a great atmosphere to him, I'm sure; they didn't want that concert would be the last - it's kinda unbelievable someone like CR to step off stage.
This is a kind of experience that can 'heal' an artist and make him able to give an other shot. It could sound trivial but most cases it's not the different medicines and therapies that cures an ill person but these simple things like love, passion and enthusiasm of the people. I think this was one of the reasons.
Besides, Chris had this idea, this story of the Delmonts and the HBN and he simply decided to do that; and fortunately his health allowed him to do that. I read and watched a couple of interviews and it seems to me he has new ideas every day. For instance in a phone interview aired the other day he said he's about to do an other earbook with CDs, DVD and paintings in it.
So I think two years ago he really believed it's over and there would only be Fireflies and small club gigs in England... but things and times have changed.
And one more thing he said in that interview (somehow it seems to me, too, he planned the whole thing in advance :D ):
'Last time I said this was the very last tour and I keep my word; there will never be Chris Rea again, we were doing that for fifteen years. I warned you: next time it won't be only Josephine, On the Beach or Road to Hell but some new materials.'

Think what you think, the truth about this never comes out... :)

Chris
You can waste a whole lifetime trying to be what you think that's expected of you
But you'll never be free.
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lilybee
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Re: I've been wondering...

Post by lilybee »

This is a kind of experience that can 'heal' an artist and make him able to give an other shot. It could sound trivial but most cases it's not the different medicines and therapies that cures an ill person but these simple things like love, passion and enthusiasm of the people. I think this was one of the reasons. So I think two years ago he really believed it's over and there would only be Fireflies and small club gigs in England... but things and times have changed.
I totally agree with Chris (Miller) statements, and maybe, who knows, Chris Rea might be living his life like it's the last day for him, and just doing what he wants while he can. He did say in another interview that the rest of his pancreas may go at any time... :(

Whatever he's planning, I wish him the best of health and I can't wait for another couple of earbooks and dvds.

Lily B.
alan1958
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Re: I've been wondering...

Post by alan1958 »

Things change , and possibly the Memphis Fireflies will now never happen ,but as far as it being a publicity stunt............. no way ,it is not the man's style.
Chris
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Re: I've been wondering...

Post by Chris »

Hi everyone,
You have a point, Marcolino. I truly believed that after "the Farewell Tour" we'll be "dealing with a different Chris Rea" or him playing almost anonymously nothing but the blues. After all he said for health reasons he "would be taking it easy" in a new band called "the Memphis Fireflies", being only an ordinary member of the band. But I understand his plans have since changed.
We still don't know the reasons why ("for reasons still unknown") Chris parted with the base player Sylvain Marc and the keyboard player Paul Hirsh. Probably they didn't fit into his new musical concept...
But I can live with the FHBN, all right.
I knew long before Chris admitted it, that he was rewriting his own music. He said in an interview that he kept "remodeling" his songs, taking a musical phrase from here and a piece of a song from there and putting them together again, just like a puzzle. And again, I don't mind listening to his compiled songs. Chris is continuously playing himself, profiting from his huge songs' collection.
He is providing some information though about his plans and intentions at his numerous press conferences and interviews.
That's why it was interesting for me to read in Russian (from Minsk!) where his future plans might lead him to. He said he wants to continue composing, playing and recording on vinyl and would love to publish his albums the same way the "Blue Guitars" and the FHBN have been issued (as earBooks.) His next album should contain some 90 (!) songs, he said. The live music is what he's after, not the music from a machine.
I wonder if someone in Russia, Andrew or Andrey, could find out more on Chris' press conference at "Minsk" hotel on Feb. 29? You are more skillful in the language than I am, because it's all in Cyrillic.
Best regards to you all,
Chris
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Bart
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Re: I've been wondering...

Post by Bart »

Chris wrote:We still don't know the reasons why ("for reasons still unknown") Chris parted with (...) and the keyboard player Paul Hirsh. Probably they didn't fit into his new musical concept...
Talked about this with Pat Baker (the tour manager). He told me (hope I remember correctly) that for years everybody around Chris had been advising him to play with Neil, but one way or the other he never got round to do this. During this tour, there were some problems with Paul's schedule, so they had to look for someone else, so they tried a session with Neil and it was very satisfactory. They only decided this some weeks before the start of the show ... At least this is what I heard / remembered from our conversation!
REAgards, Bart (webmaster)
marcolino
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Re: I've been wondering...

Post by marcolino »

Thanks to everybody for your useful news and points of view!

Ciao!
Marcolino
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