Can someone tell me why an artist re-records their own songs when there was NOTHING wrong with the originals. Like most 80's albums, this one suffers from the 'let's do a remix' thing. Chris Rea has redone most of the songs on this set including a single which had only been released the year before. I refer to 'Let's dance' which was redone to a disappointing outcome. The difference is annoying. The most notable reworking is 'Fool if you think it's Over' which I cannot understand. The original was just beautiful ... why destroy it? The original is difficult to locate on CD, so thanks for being inconsiderate record company! 'On the Beach' is also redone. Once again, WHY?
Note that the Australian hit 'Diamonds' is missing, and one wonders why that was never released overseas as clearly it is better than several tracks on this set. This compilation could have been so much more if they had left the originals intact. Please release a Greatest Original Hits!

Living in the shadow of Clapton and Mark Knopfler seems to have been the unjust fate of this amazing guitar player-songwriter when he can easily equal them in any of those arias.This is the best introduction to his exceptional and diverse work;the first thing that should be immediately obvious to the new listener is the great class and fine taste of this musician-Chris Rea is indeed a poet of great elegance and refinement.

I bought this album solely for the song Driving Home for Christmas. I heard it 5 years ago and I thought it was fabulous. I still do. It is now my favorite Xmas song. Buy this for that song alone. You will be glad you did.

The first time I heard Chris Rea's "On The Beach", with its compelling Leonard Cohen-meets-Wes Montgomery groove, I literally had to pull off to the side of the road..."Who was THAT?!" I was surprised to hear the name "Chris Rea", as I had written him off as a one-hit-wonder about six years previous (with his fine 1978 pop hit "Fool If You Think It's Over"). As it turned out, he had been recording ever since, but his albums were only coming out in Europe. This particular collection is basically a straight reissue of the 1984 U.S. album "New Light Through Old Windows" (inexplicably out of print) plus "Fool.." and 1 or 2 other cuts, which I suppose justifies the subtitle "The Best Of..". Rather than a "greatest hits", this collection actually amounts to a domestic sampler from Rea's import-only albums released in the early to mid 80's. A good introduction to a consistently top flight artist who has (sadly) yet to get his due from the listening public.

This Chris Rea compilation from the 80's shows the strength of Chris Rea's songwriting and guitar work. For many years now Rea has received little, to no acknowledgement, of his exceptional music. He has been labeled "too British" for the American mainstream. In Europe, he has a large following and this CD explains why.