Chris Rea – Blue Guitars [2005] (11 x CDs)

TRIBUTE CHRIS REA R.I.P.

Chris Rea – Blue Guitars [2005] (11 x CDs)

Christopher Anton Rea (4 March 1951 – 22 December 2025) was an English rock and blues singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He was known for his distinctive gravelly voice, slide guitar playing and music style blending soft rock with blues.

For me, his music has always carried a kind of quiet honesty, those weathered guitars, that gravel‑warm voice, the way he could make a simple melody feel lived‑in and human. Rea never chased trends; he built his own world, one song, one story, one brushstroke at a time. Blue Guitars, Auberge, On the Beach, these weren’t just albums, they were places you could return to, each one shaped by his craft and his stubborn, beautiful independence. Losing him feels like losing a companion on the long road, but the music stays, and that’s where he’ll keep speaking to us.

I am posting the box set Chris Rea – Blue Guitars [2005] I’m posting Blue Guitars because it’s one of those rare projects where an artist goes all‑in on a vision and actually delivers something monumental. Chris Rea didn’t just make an album here, he built an entire blues atlas from the ground up, eleven discs of original material that trace the form from its earliest roots to its modern electric branches. It’s obsessive, handcrafted, and quietly ambitious in a way that fits the spirit of what I like to highlight: music made with intent, depth, and respect for the lineage it draws from. This box set isn’t about hits or nostalgia; it’s about an artist immersing himself in a tradition and emerging with something vast, personal, and beautifully detailed. It earns its place here because it stands as one of the most committed genre explorations ever put to tape.

Blue Guitars was released in October 2005 on Rea’s own Jazzee Blue label in partnership with Edel Records, Blue Guitars is a monumental archival statement—eleven themed CDs, one DVD, and a full-colour hardback book of paintings, lyrics, and liner notes, all housed in an earbook-style box. It’s not a compilation, but a fully original body of work: 137 newly recorded tracks spanning the entire history and geography of blues music, from African roots to modern electric forms. For collectors, it’s one of the most ambitious single-artist blues projects ever issued, with each disc functioning as a standalone concept album.

Rea recorded the set over 18 months, reportedly working twelve hours a day, seven days a week. Each disc explores a distinct blues idiom—Beginnings, Country Blues, Louisiana Blues, Mississippi Blues, Texas Blues, Chicago Blues, Blues Ballads, Gospel Soul Blues, Celtic & Irish Blues, Latin Blues, and 60s & 70s Electric Blues. The sequencing is deliberate, with each volume offering stylistic fidelity and period‑specific instrumentation. Rea plays most instruments himself, using vintage gear and analog techniques to evoke the sonic character of each era.

The accompanying book adds visual and narrative depth, with Rea’s own paintings serving as thematic anchors. The DVD includes a documentary on the making of the project, reinforcing its archival intent. Unlike most blues tributes, Blue Guitars avoids covers and standards; every track is original, written in the style of its respective zone. That makes it not just a homage, but a reimagining—an artist’s attempt to inhabit the form from the inside out. For serious listeners and archivists, it’s a rare example of genre immersion done with integrity, scale, and emotional clarity. (B)

==========================================================

ALL 

OR

ALL 

OR

ALL 

===========================================================

Track lists

CD01

01 Chris Rea - West Africa 4:16

02 Chris Rea - Cry for Home 4:58

03 Chris Rea - The King Who Sold His Own 5:18

04 Chris Rea - White Man Coming 4:01

05 Chris Rea - Where The Blues Come From 6:19

06 Chris Rea - Lord Tell Me it Won't Be Long 4:58

07 Chris Rea - Work Gang 4:33

08 Chris Rea - Praise The Lord 4:41

09 Chris Rea - Sweet Sunday 5:39

10 Chris Rea - Sing Out The Devil 6:08

11 Chris Rea - Boss Man Cut My Chains 3:23

CD02

01 Chris Rea - Walkin' Country Blues 3:41

02 Chris Rea - Man Gone Missing 4:40

03 Chris Rea - Can't Stay Blues 4:58

04 Chris Rea - KKK Blues 4:56

05 Chris Rea - Too Much Drinkin' 4:52

06 Chris Rea - Catwalk Woman 4:32

07 Chris Rea - If You've Got A Friend in Jesus 4:24

08 Chris Rea - Head Out on The Highway 4:31

09 Chris Rea - Wild Pony 4:10

10 Chris Rea - Steam Train Blues 3:50

11 Chris Rea - Going Up to Memphis 4:20

12 Chris Rea - Somewhere Between Highway 61 & 49 6:07

13 Chris Rea - Ticket for Chicago 5:16

14 Chris Rea - Dance All Night Long 4:33

CD03

01 Chris Rea - Two Days Missing Down The Viper 3:00

02 Chris Rea - Who Cares If I Do 4:35

03 Chris Rea - What Made Me Love You 3:22

04 Chris Rea - You Got Dixie 4:41

05 Chris Rea - One Night With You 5:29

06 Chris Rea - Talking 'Bout New Orleans 5:27

07 Chris Rea - Le Fleur De La Vie 3:15

08 Chris Rea - Catfish Girl 3:51

09 Chris Rea - Only A Fool Plays By The Rules 4:01

10 Chris Rea - Baby Come Home 3:34

11 Chris Rea - Dance Avec Moi 3:17

12 Chris Rea - L'ete Eternal 3:33

CD04

01 Chris Rea - Electric Guitar 4:44

02 Chris Rea - Electric Memphis Blues 4:17

03 Chris Rea - All Night Long 4:14

04 Chris Rea - Born Bad 3:49

05 Chris Rea - Let's Start Again 3:54

06 Chris Rea - What I'm Looking For 4:28

07 Chris Rea - Rules of Love 3:13

08 Chris Rea - What You Done to Me 3:30

09 Chris Rea - Hobo Love Blues 3:39

10 Chris Rea - Pass Me By 3:08

11 Chris Rea - The Soul of My Father's Shadow 3:55

12 Chris Rea - My Blue World Says Hello 4:08

CD05

01 Chris Rea - Lone Rider 4:46

02 Chris Rea - Texas Blue 5:12

03 Chris Rea - No Wheels Blues 5:05

04 Chris Rea - Lone Star Boogie 5:19

05 Chris Rea - Blind Willie 6:49

06 Chris Rea - The American Way 4:07

07 Chris Rea - Angellina 4:48

08 Chris Rea - Truck Stop 4:49

09 Chris Rea - Weekend Down Mexico 4:20

10 Chris Rea - Line Dance Boogie-/ Texas Line Boogie 4:41

11 Chris Rea - Too Big City 5:05

12 Chris Rea - Houston Angel 4:01

CD06

01 Chris Rea - I'm Moving Up 4:33

02 Chris Rea - Maxwell Street 4:39

03 Chris Rea - Bob Taylor 5:15

04 Chris Rea - She's A Whole Heap of Trouble 2:31

05 Chris Rea - Jazzy Blue 3:27

06 Chris Rea - Hip-Sway 3:40

07 Chris Rea - That's The Way it Goes 3:33

08 Chris Rea - To Get Your Love 5:09

09 Chris Rea - Chicago Morning 4:57

10 Chris Rea - Catwalk Woman 3:36

11 Chris Rea - Since You've Been Gone 4:11

12 Chris Rea - All Night Long 5:27

13 Chris Rea - Here She Comes Now 4:16

CD07

01 Chris Rea - Last Call 3:33

02 Chris Rea - Maybe That's All I Need to Know 4:22

03 Chris Rea - Deep Winter Blues 5:03

04 Chris Rea - If I Ever Get Over You 5:00

05 Chris Rea - I Love The Rain 4:28

06 Chris Rea - My Soul Crying Out for You 3:28

07 Chris Rea - If That's What You Want 4:10

08 Chris Rea - There's No One Looking 5:23

09 Chris Rea - What Became of You 4:47

10 Chris Rea - My Deep Blue Ways 4:19

CD08

01 Chris Rea - Sweet Love 4:12

02 Chris Rea - Break Another Piece of My Heart 4:19

03 Chris Rea - Ball & Chain 4:55

04 Chris Rea - Gospel Trail 4:50

05 Chris Rea - Shy Boy 3:34

06 Chris Rea - Come Change My World 4:03

07 Chris Rea - Call on Me 3:58

08 Chris Rea - Just in Case You Never Knew 4:06

09 Chris Rea - Let Me In 5:36

10 Chris Rea - I'll Be There for You 4:05

11 Chris Rea - The Pain of Loving You 3:36

12 Chris Rea - Are You Ready 6:07

CD09

01 Chris Rea - Celtic Blue 7:59

02 Chris Rea - Too Far From Home 7:30

03 Chris Rea - 'Til The Morning Sun Shines on My Love and Me 5:30

04 Chris Rea - Lucky Day 5:10

05 Chris Rea - What She Really Is 4:57

06 Chris Rea - Wishing Well 3:59

07 Chris Rea - Irish Blues 3:59

08 Chris Rea - No More Sorrow 5:51

09 Chris Rea - While I Remain 4:54

10 Chris Rea - Last Drink 4:57

11 Chris Rea - 'Til I Find My True Love's Name 3:32

12 Chris Rea - Big White Door 5:32

CD10

01 Chris Rea - Hey Gringo 5:49

02 Chris Rea - Immigration Blues 5:08

03 Chris Rea - Still Trying to Clear My Name 4:09

04 Chris Rea - Sun is Hot 4:13

05 Chris Rea - Screw You and Your Deep Blue Sea 4:22

06 Chris Rea - Nothing Seems to Matter No More 3:39

07 Chris Rea - Sometimes 4:53

08 Chris Rea - Lampiou 5:40

09 Chris Rea - Keep on Dancing 3:49

10 Chris Rea - Lucifer's Angel 4:49

11 Chris Rea - How I Know It's You 4:00

12 Chris Rea - Forever 4:36

13 Chris Rea - You Got Soul 5:08

14 Chris Rea - Bajan Blue 4:30

CD11

01 Chris Rea - My Baby Told Me (Blues) 2:42

02 Chris Rea - Got to Be Moving 3:46

03 Chris Rea - My Baby Told Me (Gospel) 3:04

04 Chris Rea - Heartbreaker 2:47

05 Chris Rea - Yes I Do (Instrumental) 3:16

06 Chris Rea - Wasted Love 4:30

07 Chris Rea - Cool Cool Blue 3:56

08 Chris Rea - Clarkson Blues 4:56

09 Chris Rea - Who Killed Love 4:04

10 Chris Rea - Never Tie Me Down 4:05

11 Chris Rea - Mindless 3:46

12 Chris Rea - Ain't That Just The Prettiest Thing 5:07

13 Chris Rea - Nobody But You 3:33

14 Chris Rea - Waiting for Love 4:40

15 Chris Rea - Blue Morning in The Rain 4:30

=============================================================

=============================================================

Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

=============================================================

=============================================================