Spanish Train And Other Stories

This is a pop/rock album that sounds dated. "Spanish Train", "Patricia the Stripper" and "A Spaceman Came Travelling" are ok. The ballads ("Lonely Sky", "This Song For You", "The Tower") are over the top and not to my liking. The other songs are boring. I never knew Chris de Burgh apart from "Lady in Red", but don't think I've missed much.

This has got many musical-vibes, with a little bit more rock-n-roll style of music. Really something to sit down and listen to the stories

This grew on me over the course of the album. During the first song I was like, no way, but by the end I could appreciate it. Probably not something I'll listen to again, but glad I heard it once. 3 stars.

Wasn't expecting that!

I’m a big fan of “Don’t Pay The Ferryman” and its storytelling style. This album takes us back to near the beginning of his career. I knew the song “A Spaceman Came Traveling” from various Christmas playlists over the years, but the rest was new. Certainly can see that Chris DeBurgh’s storytelling is core to his style - these songs all have that going for them. I liked this album quite a bit and enjoyed hearing some early DeBurgh.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Spanish train, Lonely sky, A spaceman came travelling, Just another poor boy

Although I have limited tolerance for overly melodramatic or theatrical pop music, there's something to be said for the sheer earnestness of a 70s pop vocal. Chris de Burgh's expressive, almost old timey vocal style and knack for storytelling make this an interesting listen. Quality varies from song to song, but this was a refreshing break from the usual fare on here. Fave Songs: Lonely Sky, A Spaceman Came Travelling, I'm Going Home, Spanish Train, Old Friend

It's all very quaint, isn't it? Some nice "stories" once in a while, like the title track, "The Painter" or "The Tower". And I just love how the album goes from the kinky, tongue-in-cheek, roaring twenties yarn "Patricia The Stripper" to the synth-enhanced Christmas song "A Spaceman Came Traveling" -- it's quite a vast scope, lyrically speaking, ha ha. And also musically, I readily admit it. The story in closer "Just Another Poor Boy" doesn't quite work for instance, but that song is a gem harmonically speaking -- the two different key changes between the verses and the memorable chorus do wonders. And speaking of memorable choruses, "I'm Going Home" is a very nice cut as well. Unfortunately the rest of the songs -- around half of the album, going from lachrymose ballads to a few more kitschy novelty pieces -- is instantly forgettable. Plus, as a vocalist, Chris De Burgh often goes to an overkill mode that's quite laughable -- fitting to the tunes' lyrical contents, admittedly, but still a little grating to listen to at times. Also browsed through the man's eighties output, by the way: terrible, terrible pop drivel. But this shouldn't bear upon my assessment of this particular seventies LP, of course. What did give *Spanish Train And Other Stories* a bonus half-point however, is the fact that its original version was banned in South Africa at the time of its release, because of the supposedly blasphemous contents of its title-track. You have to give it to fascist morons: they can turn a somewhat inoffensive pop rock album with Christian undertones into the most subversive piece of art. Good for Chris De Burgh's legacy, I guess. 2.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 3. 7.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 2.5) Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 12 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 16 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 28 (including this one).

I should like this more but it’s really just meh.

May 2, 2025 HL: “Spanish Train”, “Lonely Sky”, “A Spaceman Came Travelling”, “Old Friend” The one song of his I really knew before- besides THAT one- was “Don’t Pay the Ferryman”, a great slice of 80s pop. This is quite different, though bits of synth and strings suggest he wasn’t content to be just a folk troubadour. Knowing he toured with Supertramp around this time makes a lot of sense to me. 1924, lords and ladies, modern day London- de Burgh really plays with time in this album. And while the production dates it to a specific time, 50 years ago, I found myself enjoying those stories more and more as the album progressed- though personally I like the ones about supernatural beings more than the one about the stripper.

What even the fuck? A charming and occasionally jarring series of vignettes and story telling. Worth a revisit.

This wasn't too bad, it certainly wasn't offensive, but it was somehow both theatrical and a bit boring at the same time. I lost interest in it to the point it had finished and I'd been sitting in silence for at least a few minutes before I realised. Again, not a bad album but absolutely nothing stuck out. Like a c-tier Elton John, I guess. 3/5.

Didn’t love it didn’t hate it. 70s storytelling rock about as straightforward as it gets

Real strange vibe on this one. The music was peasant enough but the lyrical delivery - bordering on cabaret throughout and sometimes falling firmly into it - never quite won me over. Seemed like an oddity more than anything. I appreciate the unabashed wierdness though.

Rock. Ni fu ni fa.

Some fun little diddies

Storytelling but make it a little kooky

Some decent tunes here – "Spaceman" is interesting and "Lonely Sky" emotionally engaging and "Going Home" moderately sweet – but the weird and theatrical cuts (opener, "Stripper" and "The Tower") that are way oversung – like Meat Loaf-lite – overwhelm with a typically '70s sense of excess. Def does not belong in the real list.

I liked to listen to it, even though I didn't see anything truly remarkable.

Not in Spanish

Yeah ok I’ll let Chris have one album on the list.

If there was a Jamaican fella on the Titanic, he might have screamed this. (CD) This was somewhat unique and not what I expected, but I can't say I enjoyed it. Spent most of it looking at my watch (metaphorically)

There were some fun instrumentals on this one, at times reminding me of Fleetwood Mac in a positive way. That said, the entire product suffers with Burgh’s vocals on top – he’s clearly being 100% genuine, but the LP starts to resemble a theater play in how goofy and over the top the lyricism gets

Pretty off album overall. De Burgh is known for a couple of his bigger hits but to say this album is anything like those would be inaccurate. This felt like the stylings of an off off broadway piece. The album was a compilation of oddities that to me was disjointed and not impressive. Overall nothing amazing or worth revisiting. 4.4/10

Some good tunes, but the song Patricia the Stripper broke my cringe.

There was a lot more to like on this record than I expected. But that was from an admittedly low bar of "I hate Lady In Red". His voice is annoyingly reedy, and half the album is terrible, but when he goes more left field (the title track, A Spaceman Came Travelling) I can't help but feel there are redeeming features. Still didn't love it, but it has moved De Burgh from "Enemy of the People" to "not my cup of tea".

I am not a fan. The songs are like a bad West End musical and there is a peculiar smugness about the whole thing.

👎🏻

After my friend and I listened to this album, we stood back to back in nothing but our whitey-tighties, bent forward in opposite directions, stuck revolver barrels up each other's buttcracks, and pulled the triggers.