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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