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A new Tour "last open Road

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tobi777
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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by tobi777 »

Hi Andrey,

thanks for your review! You wrote
One of the surprises concerning the guitars used for certain songs through this tour and their tuninig, is the appearance of Bluey strat on Let's Dance. Chris usually played this song with Pinky strat which is always in open E, while Bluey was always in standard E tuning. So that, Chris either changed the key in Let's Dance (like he did with On the Beach to fit in Pinky's open tuning) or changed the tuning of the Bluey strat.
I never saw Chris playing Let's Dance live on Pinky! The song was always in D Major and was always played in Standard tuning live. On the record there are some slight parts where he might have used Pinky - but never live.

In 2014 it was Bluey
In 2012 it was the brown one with the Humbuckers
In 2010 it was Bluey
In 2008 it was Bluey
In 2006 it was the brown one with the Humbuckers
In 1998 it was Bluey
In 1993 it was Bluey

These were the concerts I attended but I think that he always played it on Bluey during the old days, too.
At least from old footage I saw that he played Let's Dance live in 1987 also on Bluey.

In the official video clip from '87 he surely he can be seen with Pinky - but he's not playing but rather miming...
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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by andrew fischer »

Hi Tobias!

Thank you very much indeed for this important correction! Of course, it's evident Chris always used Bluey or brown strat in standard tuning to perform Let's Dance. Quite great you listed all the tour versions from 1993 on, what a memory you've got!

I can explain why I made such a dull mistake - I simply mixed up Let's Dance and Stainsby Girls, which is really always in E major and played on Pinky. That's because I cannot say I endlessly love these two evergreen hits (sorry to those who do!) and for me they come up as almost the same, after all these years of constant appearance in the setists in more or less similar versions. I did not pay much attention to the guitar used for Let's Dance on stage, neither did I recall the old promo clip.

Both songs are in a kind of a rocky uptempo, with some heavy riffs, while I got accustomed to Chris's use of Bluey for milder tunes (OTB, Josie, Summer, Just Passing Through, etc.) and Pinky for heavier numbers, hense this confusion. Really sorry, now that I updated my review with your corrections (am I right that it was straight D tuning in this tour as well?)

Thanks a lot once again
best regards
Andrey
My VK fan page for Chris Rea in Russian: http://vk.com/chris_rea
tobi777
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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by tobi777 »

Hi Andrey,

SG and LD are not my favourites, either... I think LD was still in D Major.

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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by jlandon033 »

Hello all,

If I was a betting man I would guess the "mystery" brown Stratocaster with the two humbuckers is the brown Squier Stratocaster he was using on the last tour. The new fad in guitars is to take a brand new guitar and make it look like an old one. The term used when this done is "relic". They will take a new guitar and essentially rough it up to make it look old (and charge a lot for it). I think this is what has been done to the brand new brown dual humbucker Squier Stratocaster Chris was playing on the Santo Spirito tour. In addition someone did the same thing to one of the Italia Maranello's that he is currently playing. They sanded the top layer off and painted in a flat red, made the fret markers to look old (yellowish), and took the Italia label off and replaced it with "Hofner". It's obviously not a Hofner. It's a "relic'd" Maranello. If I had to guess his guitar tech does it for him.

I hope this helps,

Joe
tobi777
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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by tobi777 »

Hi Joe,

as I wrote earlier Chris used this brown Stratocaster as early as in 2006 - so it is not the the Squier from last tour. It may be another Squier with two humbuckers, though. We will never solve this riddle unless we get more details on the the headstock and body.

Cheers,
Tobias
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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by andrew fischer »

Hi all,

there's an intriguing post on the official CR page on FB, by someone named Steven Gizmo Sullivan:

""A collectors item its road to hell as you have never heard before apart from chris and the band from manor studios supplied ro me from k leech who was keyboard player on road to hell tour wow".

https://www.facebook.com/ChrisReaOffici ... 0599120114

Kevin Leech was the leading keyboard and sax player in Chris's band from 1983 to 1993. But the date on the tape is suspicious regarding the mentioned Road to Hell - 17-19/2/92 (Road to Hell was recorded in late 1988). Chris was working on Banana Skin album and Soft Top and La Passione soundtracks at that time and there were no live shows in early 1992...

Image

Hope there would be more information given soon...

best regards
Andrey
My VK fan page for Chris Rea in Russian: http://vk.com/chris_rea
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ann268
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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by ann268 »

The Tour has gone by and nothing is happening. :(
The ladies of Island Sky let us know on their FB site that:
"Thanks for the interest in our album....unfortunately our album is not
available for now but hopefully in the near future. x"

So that is a vague as the new release of Chris his La Passione.
Did anyone buy their USB stick. Sadly I didn't know it was possible and I'm so curious if their material is all Chris his input or anyone else? Anyone knows?
Thanks,
Ann
You're never to old to dance!
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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by ace of hearts »

Hello Ann,
I agree that the silence re La Passione remake is remarkable. I'm sure the project was due for release in February.
We shouldn't be surprised as the PR and news side of Chris Rea has never been fantastic. Without warning the official website will give about 5 days notice of a release !!
could this be true, could this be me..
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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by andrew fischer »

ace of hearts wrote:I agree that the silence re La Passione remake is remarkable. I'm sure the project was due for release in February. We shouldn't be surprised as the PR and news side of Chris Rea has never been fantastic. Without warning the official website will give about 5 days notice of a release !!
Hi Ace of Hearts,

now that I am starting to think that Chris might have decided to combine the new La Passione with his long awaited autobiography, which he announced back yet in mid 2000s and has been frequently being asked about. You know that original La Passione plot is in many a way autobiograpgical or semi-autobiograpgical, loosely based on Chris's own life story which he wished to tell in that way.

Therefore, the long and repeated delay of the new La Passione revealing may be caused by Chris's want to reach perfection and truthfulness of his big story. Chris apparently wants to make it big and no-flop. Hence all this silence and uncertainty. That's how it all seems to me now.

BTW, does anybody want to listen to the full concert played in Sochi last fall? I can help you with that.

best regards
Andrey
My VK fan page for Chris Rea in Russian: http://vk.com/chris_rea
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ann268
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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by ann268 »

A thought went through my head yesterday, what if a new release will be only at the end of the year, he might do a Tour with it, somewhere in 2016. Would not even be suprised...
That biography, only when he is dead, he said Andrey...I hope that won't happen for a long time.
Ann
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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by andrew fischer »

Hi Anneke,

yes, it is possible that Warner liked the income from the latest tour and asked for another tour net year and therefore of course it is logical of them to postpone the album release. This is how it always happens when big companies govern the situation and what Chris has been always wishing to get away from...

I remember what he has been saying of his autbigraphy, but combining it with La Passione project could be a wise compromise...

Thanks for your comments and best regards
Andrey
My VK fan page for Chris Rea in Russian: http://vk.com/chris_rea
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Re: A new Tour "last open Road

Post by Sam_the_MAN »

The Autobiography is a good thing and I am looking forward to it. Combining it with "La Passione" is also a good idea. And of course - another tour would be great. BUT please CHANGE the setlist this time. I don't want to hear the same old songs again and again and again. There are so many good songs waiting to performed once again...
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