Spanish Train and Other Stories
Encyclopedia
Spanish Train and Other Stories is the second album
by Chris de Burgh
, released by A&M Records
in 1975.
All songs written by Chris de Burgh.
. God
and the Devil
are playing Poker
- gambling with the souls. The Devil cheats and wins the game. The song finishes with the stanza:
The song was deemed blasphemous in South Africa
, and a ban was ordered. A&M records sued to get the ban overturned - the suit was eventually successful. However, while the suit was in progress, A&M released the album under the title "Lonely Sky and Other Stories" (without "Spanish Train"). This album is considered a collector's item today - copies are extremely rare.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
, released by A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
in 1975.
Track listing
- "Spanish Train" – 5:00
- "Lonely Sky" – 3:52
- "This Song For You" – 4:14
- "Patricia the Stripper" – 3:30
- "A Spaceman Came TravellingA Spaceman Came Travelling"A Spaceman Came Travelling" is a song by Chris de Burgh released on the album Spanish Train and Other Stories in 1975 . It became a popular Christmas song in the UK, and has been released numerous times as a single, first in 1976, then 1981, 1984 and 1986...
" – 5:10 - "I'm Going Home" – 3:34
- "The Painter" – 4:20
- "Old Friend" – 3:40
- "The Tower" – 5:22
- "Just Another Poor Boy" – 4:46
All songs written by Chris de Burgh.
Personnel
- Chris de Burgh – Acoustic Guitars, Lead and all Backing Vocals, Piano on The Tower and This Song For You
- Barry de Souza – Drums
- Ray Glynn – Electric Guitars
- Lennox Laington – Percussion
- Tony HymasTony HymasAnthony 'Tony' Hymas is an English keyboard player, pianist, composer and is well known for being a founding member of Ph.D. He is a very versatile musician and contributes in different styles of music....
– Keyboards - Tony Reeves – Bass, String Bass on A Spaceman Came Travelling
- Phillip Goodhand-TaitPhillip Goodhand-TaitPhillip Goodhand-Tait is a singer-songwriter, record producer and keyboard player.-Life and career:Goodhand-Tait is his real surname, although at school and into the mid 1960s, he was known as Phil Tait. His mother taught piano and his father was an active Trades Unionist...
– Harmonium - Chris Laurence – String Bass
- Ken Freeman – String Synthesizer
- Chris Mercer – Sax on The Painter
- Mick Eves – Sax on The Painter
Other credits
- The Strings, Choir, Recorders and Ocarinas on The Tower and Lonely Sky were arranged by Robert KirbyRobert KirbyRobert Kirby was a British born arranger of string sections for rock and folk music. He is best known for his work on the Nick Drake albums, Five Leaves Left and Bryter Layter, but has also worked with Elton John, Ralph McTell, Strawbs, Paul Weller and Elvis Costello.-At Cambridge:Patrick...
who also arranged the Brass for Old Friend and This Song For You - David HentschelDavid HentschelDavid Hentschel is an English recording engineer, writer and music producer who engineered on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, as well as with artists including Genesis, Elton John, Ringo Starr, Queen, Marti Webb, Andy Summers, Mike Oldfield, Peter...
arranged and performed Synthesizer on A Spaceman Came Travelling - Richard Hewson arranged the Strings and Brass for Just Another Poor Boy and Spanish Train
- Mixed at Scorpio and A.I.R. Studios
- Engineered by Robin Groffrey Cable, assisted by Mark Dobson, Ian Major, and John Kelly
Chart positions
| Date | Position | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| August 31, 1985 | 48 | New Entry |
| September 7, 1985 | 37 | Highest & Final Entry |
Controversy
The title track is a story about a train carrying the souls of the dead to the UnderworldUnderworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
. God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
are playing Poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
- gambling with the souls. The Devil cheats and wins the game. The song finishes with the stanza:
"Far away, in some recess,
The Lord and the Devil are now playing Chess.
The Devil still cheats and wins more souls,
as for the Lord - he's just doing his best."
The song was deemed blasphemous in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and a ban was ordered. A&M records sued to get the ban overturned - the suit was eventually successful. However, while the suit was in progress, A&M released the album under the title "Lonely Sky and Other Stories" (without "Spanish Train"). This album is considered a collector's item today - copies are extremely rare.