Label: Pony Canyon Inc. (Japan), D18Y4129
Style: Art Pop, Pop Rock
Country: U.S. / U.K. / Santa Fe Province, Argentina (15 October 1948)
Time: 44:23
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 247 Mb
Chris
de Burgh has never really received proper credit for his lyrics. While
his reputation as a musician was cemented early on by such classic
tracks as ‘Spanish Train’, ‘Crusader’ and ‘The Traveller’, his equally
poignant use of the English language deserves attention.
Let us, however, not speak of ‘Lady in Red’.
If
we pretend, for a moment, that each of Chris de Burgh’s albums is
instead a collection of poems, the results are startling. Far from being
merely a competent guitarist and composer with a talent for soaring and
majestic melodies, Chris de Burgh is also a poet.
However, Far
Beyond These Castle Walls ... (1974), Chris de Burgh’s first collection
of poetry, showcases a poet who, alas, does not yet know it.
(daveydreamnation.com/non-fiction/essays/lyrics-chris-de-burgh-far-beyond-castle-walls/)
On
Chris de Burgh's debut album, his gentle, beguiling vocal style is
introduced, which instantly trademarks him as a genuine master of the
soft ballad. de Burgh's engaging dominance of words and lyrics carries
both his love songs and his simple light rock tunes to a higher level,
thanks to the attention and care given to each of his pieces. As an
inaugural album, the songs hold well as they are delicately cushioned by
his voice, but are substantially thin where melody or appealing
choruses are concerned. Both "Windy Night" and "Watching the World" draw
the most attention, bringing de Burgh's silkiness to the focal point.
"Satin Green Shutters" beautifully illustrates his knack for sounding
sincere and charismatic within the boundaries of a love song. What is
most important about this album is the manner in which it reveals de
Burgh as one of the finest mood-invoking artists ever. Even the last
song, entitled "Goodnight," ends the album with his lush voice still
hovering in the air once the music has finished. While the lyrics and
recipe of the songs themselves come across as rather nimble compared to
future releases, it is here that he lets his song styling make a name
for himself.
(allmusic.com/album/far-beyond-these-castle-walls-mw0000373485)
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