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Chris de Burgh - High on Emotion: Live from Dublin Audio CD

A fair review of the Chris de Burgh "High on Emotion: Live from Dublin" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Chris de Burgh reviews here, or go back to the Chris de Burgh tabs.

Chris de Burgh Band: Chris de Burgh
Title: High on Emotion: Live from Dublin
Rating:
Release Date: 1990-09-17
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Last Night 2: Sailing Away 3: Revolution 4: I'm Not Scared Anymore 5: Spanish Train 6: Borderline 7: Risen Lord 8: Last Time I Cried 9: Lady in Red 10: Spaceman Came Travelling 11: Patricia the Stripper 12: Missing You 13: Say Goodbye to It All 14: Don't Pay the Ferryman 15: High on Emotion

A Sublime Performance
Previously he had been an exponent of the traditional love ballads but with 1983's "The Getaway" he revealed an ability to conjour up amazingly powerful rock ballads such as the strangely popular "Don't Pay the Ferryman". In the 1980's a strange dichotomy emerged in Chris de Burgh's music. In my opinion it was the power of the story that each song told which was what gripped the listener. Yet de Burgh never abandoned his stock standard love ballads and somehow managed to make these slow numbers fit in perfectly alongside the rock ballads. There was both an incredible power and a softness to de Burgh's voice that made this possible.

This live album, recorded in Dublin in 1995, shows that de Burgh is not only a very good recording artist but also a damn good live performer. All of the elements that I spoke of above are present in a performance that really makes a definite impact on the listener. de Burgh transfers effortlessly from the powerful ballads to the love ballads. It is clear from listening that de Burgh leaves nothing on the shelf in this one.

Despite a tendency to cover well-known songs when he performs live de Burgh sticks to the well known ones on this album. All of the favourites are present from "Don't Pay the Ferryman" to the immensely popular "Lady in Red" to "Spanish Train" (a brilliant example of de Burgh's storytelling ability).

The audio mix is excellent. de Burgh comes through clearly and the band's volume is just perfect. The guitar solos, which crop up more often than one might expect, come through crisply. The ambient crowd noise is done perfectly. There is enough crowd noise to give you a good feel of a live performance without drowning out de Burgh at any time. At times de Burgh turns the mic to the crowd who sing along which is fine because its not overdone.

This album is a perfect example of how a live album should be done. It has all the elements present. An axcellent performance from de Burgh, superb music from the band to back de Burgh, a great audio mix and excellent ambience that gives the listener a real sense of "being there". There isn't any way you could give this album less than 5 stars. Simply brilliant.


Brilliant Live LP which captures his concert atmosphere.
Sure, he sold out concerts OK but mainly to existing fans. Surprisingly, until Lady in Red became a massive hit single in Britain, Chris de Burgh was not a particularly well-known artist. What's even more surprising is that he was a major star in mainland Europe for years, particularly in Germany.

This CD presents most of his best-known hit songs in a lively and enjoyable concert setting. I bought it mainly for one song; it's a song that has haunted me for years; it's the very beautiful "A Spaceman Came Travelling" which I first heard de Burgh perform at a mid-December concert in Bradford, Yorkshire in the '70s.

I adore this man's style, his voice and even his lyrics (even though his Christian beliefs leak into the songs). I've only ever known one person who didn't enjoy this CD: unfortunately, it was my partner who summed-up CdB as a singer of 'melancholic laments in the minor key'.


High On Emotion
One of my favorite songs from that era was "Don't Pay the Ferryman". As my ten-year reunion approached last year, I began rummaging through the nostalgia of the late eighties. Looking it back up, I dusted off my "High On Emotion" tour tape of Chris de Burgh. This high-energy concert had me updating to cd in no time.

De Burgh was quite high on emotion the night that this album was recorded. He plays right up to the audience putting them in a frenzy giving them what they want. The music is classic eighties flare and will bring back memories. The mixing on this album is spectacular. The band sounds like they are actually playing in your living room, and the crowd can be heard between songs, but is largely absent while the band plays (overly loud crowd noise is an annoyance). The audience only can be heard singing on a couple of tracks.

This live album has a lot of the great songs of de Burghs repertoire. The highlights to this album are "The Revolution", "Last Night", "Spanish Train," "High On Emotion" and my favorite. The immensely popular "Lady In Red" appears here as well, although I never really appreciated it. If you're a fan of eighties music, or would just like a trip down memory lane (or want to see what all the fuss is about), then you would do yourself good taking a listen to this one.


Superb live album
All songs are performed with a passion beyond believe. I heard this album many times a long time ago on tape and loved it every time. Of course, the public responds accordingly. Can't comment on the CD version of it, hope the quality of the transfer to digital is okay 'cause I have it ordered.


sublime
I already knew the music of Chris de Burgh, but after have listened this album i have no ddoubt about his musical quality.


You can see a complete list of all Chris de Burgh discography, or go back to the Chris de Burgh tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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