Chris Rea, now there is a name you don't hear a lot of these days. But back in the nineties, a big star. I remember reading somewhere he had to have life threatening operation on his throat and was worried he would never sing again. I think that was about five or six years ago and then about two or three months ago I saw a documentry on Sky following his progress on a new album he was making, but I only caught the last ten minutes of it. So if anyone knows what he's up to??????
I think this should deffinately be on this site. A brilliant song, with well thought out lyrics, esspecially when you realise its about the M25 (worst motorway in Britain).
What follows, is, I think, a pretty good rendition of this song
Enjoy it, :wink: with all its depression. :(
Maybe someone from the slide forum could post the solo :roll:
Am
Well I'm standing by the river,
Dm
But the water doesn't flow.
F E
It boils with every poison -
Am
You can think of.
Am
And I'm underneath the street light,
Dm
The delight of joy I know,
F E
Scared beyond belief,
Am
Way down in the shadows.
C
And the perverted fear of violence,
G
Chokes a smile on every face,
F E
Common sense is ringing, out the bells.
Am Dm
This ain't no technological breakdown,
F E Am
Oh-no, this is the road to hell.
Slide Solo
C
And as the roads jam up with credit,
G
And there's nothing you can do,
F
It's all just bits of paper,
E
Flying a way from you.
Am
Oh look out world take a good look,
Dm
Look who's down there,
F E Am
You must learn this lesson fast, and learn it well.
Am Dm
This ain't no upwardly mobile freeway,
F E
Oh-no, this is the road,
F E
This is the road,
F E Am
This is the road ... to hell.
I dont think we need chord diagrams for this one as they are not unusual
Be excellent to each other & party on dudes!
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=686668
LMAO - the M25, the biggest car park in the world - although I wasn't laughing driving through it.......
Great song Rodders, thanks for posting - haven't heard it for a while....
(picks up guitar.......)
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Cheers rodders,
Going to see Chris in April at the Newcastle City hall on his farewell Tour...... He has been through a lot over the last few years. I have been trying to get the Tab for 'Lets Dance' for ages without any luck any one any Ideas...
Good addition to the ESD Rodders,
Yeah, Chris Rea has been through a rough time healthwise. I heard him say in an interveiw recently that he had his pancreas removed. Not many people survive that. He was missing the fact that he can no longer eat fish and chips or drink Newcastle Brown but he's glad to be alive.
Like Eric Clapton he's a survivor and a great slide and blues player too. If you read into this song its pure blues.
The guitar is all right John but you'll never make a living out of it! (John Lennon's Aunt Mimi)
The M25 is enough to give anyone the blues.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
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Thought I would add part 1 to this for anybody who's still interested. You will have to listen to the song to get the timing right but if your gonna do part 2 as a performance this makes a great intro.
Don't play as strumming, just hit the chords as shown once and get your voice to do all the work.Am
Stood still on a highway
E7
I saw a woman
Am
By the side of the road
With a face that I knew like my own
E7
Reflected in my window
Am
Well she walked up to my quarterlight
Dm
And she bent down real slow
Am E7
A fearful pressure paralysed me
Am
In my shadow
E7 Am
She said "Son, what are you doing here?
E7
My fear for you has turned me in my grave"
Am
I said "Mama, I come to the valley of the rich
Dm
Myself to sell"
Am E7 Am E7
She said "Son, this is the road to Hell"
Am
On your journey 'cross the wilderness
Dm
From the desert to the well
Am E7 Am
You have strayed upon the motorway to Hell
...into part 2...
When you get to this bit
Am E7 Am E7
She said "Son, this is the road to Hell"
I like to pause and do a slow slide on the B & E strings from the 3rd to the 5th fret
e------3////5------------------
B------3////5------------------
G------------------------------
D------------------------------
A------------------------------
E------------------------------
Then I do a small solo (played with a bluesy feel) something like this
bend
e---------------8----------------------
B------8---10-------10////---------
G---/9---------------------------------
D--------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------
More of a fill I guess, but you can make it as short or as long as you like just acts as a bit of padding and lengthens the song. So long as you finish on an A note.
Now theres a little lick he does when going into Part 2 after you have played a few muted Am chords and that is I think this.e--------------------------------------
B--------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------
D-------5------------------------------
A---5/7---75---(3)P-0--3--0-----------
E--------------------------------------
half bend on the 3
Now straight after that lick if your really into this, you might want to play the electric organ bit that fits within the first chord progression and it goes like this. (again listen to the intro to part 2 for the timing)
e-----------------------------------
B-----------------------------------
G---5--7--9---7--5------------------
D---7--9--10--9--7------------------
A-----------------------------------
E-----------------------------------
e-----------------------------------
B-----------------------------------
G---10--12--14--12--10--------------
D---12--14--15--14--12--------------
A-----------------------------------
E-----------------------------------
singing starts here
e-----------------------------0-----
B-----------------------------1-----
G---5----5/7--5--4--4/5--4----2-----
D---7----7/9--7--6--6/7--6----2-----
A-----------------------------0-----
E-----------------------------------
Hear the whole thing here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_Kc8TG9_3s
Hope you enjoy this as much as I do :wink:
Rodders.
Be excellent to each other & party on dudes!
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=686668
