On the Beach is the eighth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1986, and built on the success of the preceding Shamrock Diaries. It reached No. 11 on the UK Albums Chart (and also in Sweden), topped the Dutch charts (where it charted for more than nine months), reached number two in West Germany and No. 4 in New Zealand (where is also spent more than nine months in the charts). It also reached the top 10 in Norway. In 2019, a deluxe remastered version of the album was released.
Songs
In an interview for the deluxe edition of the album, Rea said of the song Giverny, written after a visit to Monet's celebrated home, "I didn't want to be there. I was only there because she (his wife, Joan) was there... so there's kinda, a funny twist to it".
Critical reception
AllMusic notes that, "while The Road to Hell shows the darker side of Rea's worldview, On the Beach is an excellent introduction to his brighter, more optimistic songwriting". A retrospective review finds that the album "taps into the same kind of jazzy, introspective pop/soul sound that the likes of John Martyn, Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison were flirting with in the same period, helped by an excellent band including Fairport Convention/XTC drummer Dave Mattacks", adding that Little Blonde Plaits is "a vehicle for [Max] Middleton's expressive Mini Moog, very redolent of his atmospheric playing on John Martyn’s Glorious Fool".
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
Chris Rea – lead and backing vocals, keyboards, acoustic piano, guitars, slide guitar, fretless bass Max Middleton – acoustic piano, Rhodes, Minimoog, synthesizers Kevin Leach – keyboards Robert Awhai – guitars Eoghan O'Neill – bass guitar Dave Mattacks – drums Adrian Rea – drums Martin Ditcham – percussion
Production
Chris Rea – producer
David Richards – producer, mixing
Stewart Eales – recording engineer
Stylorouge – sleeve design
Ekkeheart Gurlitt – photography
Francoise La Port – photography
Studios
Recorded at Anderburr Recording Studios (Bray, England). Mixed at Mountain Studios (Montreux, Switzerland).
Singles
"It's All Gone" b/w "Crack That Mould", "Look Out For Me", "Bless Them All", "Let's Dance" (original version) "On the Beach" b/w "On the Beach (special remix)", "If Anybody Asks You", "One Golden Rule" (live), "Midnight Blue" "Hello Friend" (re-recording) b/w "Driving Home for Christmas" (original version), "It's All Gone" (live), "Steel River"
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
Chris Rea albums
1986 albums
Albums produced by David Richards (record producer) Magnet Records albums Geffen Records albums