Customer Reviews
One of CdB's best - By: S. Langworthy, 03 Apr 2007 
This CD is definately one of CdB's best. "Carry on" is a really lovely song, a really great tune with really strong vocals, especially through the chorus. "I had the lovein my eyes" is a song quite a few of us can relate to. The French Horn solo at the end of it is so so beautiful, although i may be a bit biased considering I too play the French Horn. "The Girl with Aprilin her Eyes" is CdB at his best, telling a moving story & putting it to such a wonderful tune. "The Devil's Eye" is an amazing song, such a good idea & so original! It came off superbly as always! The only other really outstanding song is "Crusader". This tells the story of the crusadesin about five tunes, all so different but all powerful.
My only complaint is that "Crusader" is historical b*llsh*t. He got it ALL wrong. Richard the Lionheart did not capture Jerusalem. And Saladin's men would not have been drinking, they were muslim & did not drink alcohol! And Saladin was famed for being much more civilised than Richard I! However, its a damn good song so i'll overlook that :P
BUY THIS ALBUM!
When a Troubadour Was Still a Troubadour ... - By: Themis-Athena, 02 Apr 2005 Once, there was a troubadour whose songs told stories about Country Churchyards & houses with Satin Green Shutters, about Lonesome Cowboys, Spacemen & Strippers, & about the devil cheating the Lordin a game of chess for the souls of humanity played on a Spanish Train. In those years, that troubadour's songs were simple, straightforward & enchanting, both musically & lyrically, & he published albums fittingly entitled "Far Beyond These Castle Walls," "Spanish Train & Other Stories" & "At the End of a Perfect Day."
Then, he was discovered. And while (initially) his lyrics at least maintained their poignancy (see "The Getaway"), his music suddenly joined the flood waves of overproduced pop. But just before that point,in 1979, he released what many to this day consider his masterpiece; the album most pointedly embodying the traditionin which, if interviews he gave at the time were to be believed, he saw himself. Supported by the better part Alan Parson's "Project" (minus Parsons himself & Eric Woolfson) - guitarist Ian Bairnson, bassist David Paton, drummer Stuart Elliott & keyboardists Mike Moran & Andrew Powell, the latter of whom also served as the album's producer & conductor - he put together a collection of 12 songsin turn seducing, stirring & soothing the listener's soul. There are soft songs of love & loss like "I Had the Lovein My Eyes," "Something Else Again," "It's Such a Long Way Home" & "Quiet Moments." There is the heartrending fairy tale of the "Girl With Aprilin Her Eyes." There is De Burgh's bow to the era's "save the earth" movement, the rallying cry of "Justin Time". There is the sequel to the ghastly game of chessin "Spanish Train" (to which the song's lyrics expressly make reference), the dramatic story of "The Devil's Eye" gazing back at you from your TV screen. And there is a troubadour's look at "Old-Fashioned People" wishing to be carried back to the times & places that they knew.
But the album's piece de resistance is its title track, an (especially considering the time of its release) epic, nine-minute long tale retelling the story of Richard the Lionheart's crusade; beginning quietly but rising to dramatic heights as the enemies face each other over Jerusalem, & yet, ending on a quiet, pensive note. True, the song's lyrics reflect enormous bias & are, at the very least, historically debatable; & the mere fact that the story is told from a crusader's point of view doesn't do anything to change this, for those who participatedin the crusades knew better than to underestimate Saladin or put him down like this - the version we're getting here is the propaganda spread throughout Christian Europein support of the campaign to "free" Jerusalem. But ultimately, I don't think this part of the song represents the point that Chris De Burgh wants to make. Rather, the song's most important lines are those of the last, reflective verses, which are well worth considering, particularly these days:
"What do I do now?" said the Wise man to the Fool,
"I have spent my whole life searching, to find the Golden Rule,
Though centuries have disappeared, the memory still remains,
Of those enemies together, could it be that way again?"
Then the Fool said "Oh you Wise men, you really make me laugh,
With your talk of vast persuasion & searching through the past,
There is only greed & evilin the men who fight today,
The song of the Crusader has long since gone away ..."
The album's last song, "You & Me," is a short, gentle farewell: "The time has come for me to take my bows & leave the stage," De Burgh sings, & promises to return & again take his audience "through the ancient halls & stories of the past, & the many ways of loving." Well, return he certainly did, but would that he had remembered the rest of his promise as well! Alas, that was not to be the case. But even for those of us who think he later sold out, there are still his first four albums - & particularly this one - to turn to for enchantment, comfort, & exceptional storytelling ...
The best of the "old-style" albums - By: , 04 Jan 2001 To clarify what I mean by the title line - CdeB writes according to a limited set of styles, but he is a master of each of those. In the early part of his recording career he predominantly wrote ballads & stories, living up to his reputation as a modern day minstrel - a teller of tales. More recently he has been influenced (for better or worse) by the more commercial soft rock genre. The last 6 or so albums have been smoothly produced collections to a steady formula. Of the early albums, however, Crusader stands out as a treat to the senses - passionate, raw, melancholy, but most of all evocative. Listening to this music, you are struck by an almost cinematic sense of the dramain each track. The track "Crusader" itself is one of his epic works, here, as so often, setin a pivotal & romantic pointin history. He is not afraid to make good use of rich orchestral textures where appropriate - harpsichord & oboe featuring prominentlyin the track. "The Girl with Aprilin her Eyes" is a beautifully crafted folk legendin the style of the Brothers Grimm. Again the setting is 100% appropriate - mostly solo guitar emphasising the folky nature of the story. "Old Fashioned People" tugs at the heartstrings, not by the use of overworked cliches, but by a recurring & dramatic musical device (falsetto jump of a sixthin a minor key, to be precise!).
I could go on, but you'll think I am obsessed. Suffice it to say that I agree with the previous contributor & that, although he rarely performs any of these songs live any more, this is perhaps my favourite single album of all time.
Devils eyes is a stroke of genius! - By: , 30 Dec 2000 Chris De Burgh is not only a singer, song writer, but a poet. His songs tell a story, & entertain at the same time. The crusader album is one of his best, the songs are imaginitive, & even make refrences to previous albums. For De Burgh fans, this is a must. And if you have'nt heard his music then this is the one to buy.
