''Beautiful Dreams'' is the twelfth album by British-Irish singer-songwriter
Chris de Burgh, released in 1995. It is a collection of songs recorded with a full orchestra. It includes a mix of his own songs from previous albums, three new songs and three cover versions.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Chris de Burgh; except where indicated.
Bonus track listing
"In Love Forever", "I'm Not Crying Over You" and "One More Mile to Go" were three new songs written for this album.
"Girl" is missing on compact cassette.
"This is the album I've always wanted to make; a live studio recording of personal favourites, old classics and new songs, with full orchestra and choir. It was recorded in London over a period of eight days (instead of the usual three-four months) in July '95, and to sing each track surrounded by an orchestra, without the benefit of the safety-net of modern technology, was immensely exciting - everything in one take, the way it used to be!"
Personnel
* Chris de Burgh – vocals
*
Peter Oxendale
Peter Oxendale (b. ) is an English forensic musicologist and an expert witness on copyright infringement in music. He was involved as an expert in the notable Blurred Lines lawsuit. He was a keyboardist in the glam rock bands Sparks and Jet and ...
– acoustic piano, musical director
*
Dave "Clem" Clempson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
*
John Themis
John Themis is an Australian-born musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his long-term work with Boy George and Culture Club, collaborating on many of their songs and albums since the 1990s. He also worked on ''Taboo'', a music ...
– acoustic guitar, guitar soloist
*
John Giblin
John Giblin, is an active session musician, contributing mainly as an acoustic and electric bass player, and spanning genres of jazz, classical, rock, folk and avant-garde music. Best known as a studio musician, recording film scores and cont ...
– bass guitar
* Ian Thomas – drums
* Miles Bould – percussion
*
Nick Ingman
Nicholas Ingman (born 29 April 1948) is an English arranger, composer and conductor in the commercial music field. His collaborators include Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Björk, and the British X-factor.
Born and educated in London, Ingman moved ...
– arrangements and conductor (1, 2, 5, 7-13)
*
Richard Hewson
Richard Anthony Hewson (born 17 November 1943) is an English producer, arranger, conductor and multi-instrumentalist, who created the studio group RAH Band.
Career
Hewson began in the late 1960s as an arranger, and has worked with musicians s ...
– arrangements and conductor (3, 4, 6)
*
The London Session Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...
– orchestra
*
Gavyn Wright – orchestra leader
* GWALIA – Welsh Male Voice Choir
Production
* Produced by Chris de Burgh
* Recorded by Ben Darlow and Mike Ross at Whitfield Street Recording Studios (London, England).
* Mixed by Ben Darlow at Nomis Studios (London, England).
* Art Direction and Design - Mike Ross
* Photography - Richard Haughton
* Cover Painting - Fletcher Sibthorp
* Cover Typography - Richard Carroll
* Management - Kenny Thomson
Concert video release
In September 2005, de Burgh performed a concert at the
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Symphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12 June 1991, although it had been in use since 15 April 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hos ...
; a 90-minute VHS video of this concert was released as ''Beautiful Dreams Live''. The first half of this concert saw de Burgh perform a solo set of songs from throughout his career. The second half was a performance of tracks from the ''Beautiful Dreams'' album, with a full orchestra. It was later released on DVD with bonus behind the scenes footage and music videos.
Video track listing
Solo set
* "Carry On"
* "Here Is Your Paradise"
* "Transmission Ends"
* "The Head and the Heart"
* "Spanish Train"
* "This Weight on Me"
* "The Simple Truth"
* "The Last Time I Cried"
* "Borderline"
* "Oh, My Brave Hearts"
* "Don't Pay the Ferryman"
''Beautiful Dreams'' set
* "Missing You"
* "Carry Me (Like a Fire in Your Heart)"
* "Discovery"
* "In Love Forever"
* "The Lady in Red"
* "In Dreams"
* "I'm Not Crying Over You"
* "Always on My Mind"
* "Say Goodbye to It All"
* "One More Mile to Go"
* "The Snows of New York"
Note: The tracks "Girl" and "Shine On" from the ''Beautiful Dreams'' album are not included in the video but may have been performed at the concert.
References
{{Authority control
Chris de Burgh albums
Albums produced by Rupert Hine
1995 live albums
A&M Records live albums