Blue Guitars by Chris Rea

Introduction

I was unsure whether this should be in the Beat community or Art because it covers both, but as I am entering it into the Vocal "Painted Prose" challenge then it has to go into ART. Below is the back cover of the set with a list of the albums in it.

I hope the fact that this is a white man taking on a whole essentially black music genre does not offend anyone. This was an impressive undertaking and I hope you enjoy the paintings and the music in this story.

There is also Chris Rea's introduction to how he created this. It is a bit blurry so this is how the text reads.

"Blue Guitars is something I have loved to create, and has been eighteen months, seven days a week, twelve hours a day in the making and I have enjoyed every single second of it. The research, the recording, and the writing has inspired me and I hope the enjoyment and fun I have had comes across.

Although I have been inspired by the blues, this is not a series of albums that is meant to educate. This is a collection of songs that, even if you have never even thought of the blues as being close to your heart, you can still enjoy because the roots of Motown right through to metal have their roots somewhere in the blues. I hope you enjoy it."

- Chris Rea

The album was released in 2005 so is now nearly twenty years old but you can read more about it here.

Chris Rea's website has not been updated since 2017 so he has a Facebook page run by his Team here.

And a Wikipedia entry here.

So I will take you through all the paintings he did for the album. You can see the Van Gogh influence on the main cover where the guitars almost threaten to fade into the blue background, it is almost hypnotic like Van Gogh's "Starry Night".

Album One: Beginnings

This album deals with the very source of the Blues from the slave trade in West Africa.

The painting includes blue guitars meshed with The Cross and slaves in chains. THis is a very powerful image for the subject.

This is detailed in the video and is probably appropriate given that today is Juneteenth which you can read about here.

Album Two: Country Blues

I love the acoustic guitars in the forefront of this image with the almost ominous giant blue guitars like guards against the blue distance. The song here is "Walkin' Country Blues"

Album Three: Louisiana & New Orleans

Again this painting is dominated by amorphous blue guitars over three sections, a blue night, a golden-lit place and the city at night.

The song here is "Two Days Missing Down the Viper Room"

Album Four: Electric Memphis Blues

Although electric guitars have featured in all the music so far, this is the first painting that acknowledges the electrification of the blues.

The song, appropriately is "Electric Guitar"

Album Five: Texas Memphis

The focus of this painting is the Mississippi Delta flowing into the Gulf of Mexico with trucks going across the desert, a cactus and a lone blue guitar. The song here is "Lone Rider".

Album Six: Chicago Blues

The song "I'm Moving Up" sounds like an absolutely ancient electric guitar until the vocals break in. The painting features a red Stratocaster against a city backdrop of giant blue guitars and the lights of the city.

Album Seven: Blues Ballads

This painting features a cameo of a singer or crooner. The blue guitars have almost liquified to create the background. The song "Last Call" is piano and saxophone based, so no guitars here.

Album Eight: Gospel Soul & Motown Blues

This painting is a cityscape dominated by blue guitars which is not surprising given the theme of this collection. "Sweet Love" is a definite successful stab at Motown Soul.

Album Nine: Celtic & Irish Blues

This is an unexpected departure. The Guitars are not blue and are almost hidden in wheat-coloured vegetation. There are also pyramids and geometric forms as well. A very interesting painting.

"Celtic Blues" is a brooding melancholic instrumental. I am not sure if it is truly blues but it is a great musical piece.

Album Ten: Latin Blues

In this painting, the blue guitars reappear in a tropically pastoral setting. The song is "Hey Gringo" which does have a Latin feel to it, the feel and mood is blues if maybe to music is not quite. Again an excellent song.

Album Eleven: 60s & 70s

Eighteen blue guitars on nine coloured squares for the penultimate of these paintings. The song "My Baby Told Me" is very close to "Tainted Love" in its rhythm.

Album Twelve: Dancing Down The Stony Road DVD

The final disc is a DVD so no music from it but the painting is a final blue guitar body.

This has been a lot of music and a lot of painting by one man for this project.

I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have

Appendix

The Prompt

Write a story inspired by a work of art. Make the artwork your featured image and give credit to the artist in the caption.

You can read about the challenge fully here.