Customer Reviews
amazing! - By: laura-louise, 01 Apr 2008 
i bought the us/canada release of this for my dad's birthday i was expecting it to be some old crap that i wouldnt like but when he played it i was blown away by the amazing songs on it & how powerful they effect you, i can remember i was about 12 & he played "patrica the stripper" & i used to sing a long word by word, but my favourite song ever by him was " don't pay the ferryman" its totally a rock ballad & has such power & its an addictive song it always reminds me of me n my dad singing alongin the car *memories*, if anyone hasnt bought it yet i suggest you do because it's worth more than what you pay for it! XX
can you handle THE EMOTION????!!!!! - By: Koala, 27 May 2006 Wow! How many times will this man reinvent music? De Burgh is De Lightfulin this, yet another stonking collection of earth-shaking, bowel-clenching explorations into the soul of man. In "This waiting heart" he paints a moving picture of what it is like for a heart having to wait (something I imagine we can all relate to). "Don't Pay the Ferryman" offers sound advice for holidaymakers, & "Borderline" shows that he can even take a Madonna song & put his own stamp on it.
If there was an elected council of music, I would definitely vote for Chris de Burgh to be head music guy, because he truly understands it. He knows how to take a song & caress it delicately like a velvet flower. Such sensitivityin this age of MTV & "Spliffy" jackets is rare, & something to be treasured. Thanks again Chris, for showing that there is light at the end of the tunnel!
What, no 'Patricia'? - By: amboline, 16 Nov 2004 
Chris de Burgh is one of my favourite songwriters. In theory, this collection covers the whole gamut of the first 9 albums' worth of his musical output. Unfortunately, it doesn't succeed all that well.
The vast bulk of the album is taken up with de Burgh's romantic ballads. Now, granted these are his biggest earner these days, & far more people know "The Ladyin Red" than, say, "Patricia the Stripper". Butin my opinion the whole point of a compilation album is to introduce listeners already familiar with the famous songs to the highlights of their back catalogue, not just to rehash what is overly familiar. So on this compilation, the absence of "Patricia" (and indeed anything much from de Burgh's superb back catalogue of quirky folktales, protest songs & murder ballads) is simply inexcusable - particularly when songs like "Much More than This" (filler if ever there was filler) merit an appearance as album track 3!
There are a few saving graces. The album opener, "This Waiting Heart", is a fantastic piece of uplifting singalong pop; "Don't Pay the Ferryman" shimmers, as it has always done, with eerieness; & the new vocal recording on "A Spaceman Came Travelling" is sublime. The pairing of "Borderline" & its sequel, "Say Goodbye to it All", is a token favour to long-standing fans, & the inclusion of "Spanish Train" is certainly welcomed, although its deranged narrative jars completely with the soporific easy-listening style which otherwise dominates the album.
The album merits two stars because de Burgh's songwriting, when not over-indulgentin the love department, is always very good, & the glimpses of the great back catalogue offered here should hopefully get people wanting more. But really, the producers could have done much better. Little thought seems to have been given to substance, musical quality or true representation of the artist's work. Fortunately, there are at least 9 good albums from which the listener can discover the real highlights.
Chris De Burgh Spark to a Flame - By: Mr M E Wall, 02 Aug 2004 I bought this album on cassette when it came out, I wore it out it is so fantastic. I have purchased it on CD because the cassette got wrecked & I cannot live without hearing it!!! fantastic!
brilliant brilliant brilliant - By: jspowart@aol.com, 11 Feb 2001 this is just the most fantastic collection of beautifully worded songs around from a romantic singer. i can't praise this C D enough nor recomend it highly enough it is a wonderful example of thought going into a song & not just thrown together as other artist do. buy it you won't regret it
