''Deltics'' is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter

Chris Rea Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, fie ...

. It was released in 1979 on

Magnet Records Magnet Records was a British record label, started in 1973 by Michael Levy and Peter Shelley. It was acquired by Warner Bros. Records in 1988 for an estimated £10m. Artists on the label included Alvin Stardust, Stevenson's Rocket, Matchbox, ...

. The album is named after the East Coast rail network's Deltic-class

locomotives A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the u ...

that were used in the 1960s and 1970s. The album is Rea's first album to chart on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

, peaking at number fifty-four. The single "Diamonds" peaked at number 44 on both the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it charted for eight weeks. The B-side of this single, "Cleveland Calling", was not included on the CD reissue of the album. The album producer Gus Dudgeon had made several early albums with Elton John.

Track listing

All songs by

. # "

Twisted Wheel The Twisted Wheel was a nightclub in Manchester, England, open from 1963 to 1971. It was one of the first clubs to play the music that became known as Northern Soul. History The nightclub was founded by the brothers Jack, Phillip and Ivor ...

" – 5:15 # "The Things Lovers Should Do" – 3:35 # "Dance! (Don't Think)" – 3:52 # "Raincoat and a Rose" – 4:09 # "Cenotaph/Letter from Amsterdam" – 5:49 # "Deltics" – 5:28 # "Diamonds" – 4:51 # "She Gave It Away" – 4:00 # "Don't Want Your Best Friend" – 3:44 # "No Qualifications" – 2:20 # "Seabird" – 2:52

Singles

# "Diamonds" b/w "Cleveland Calling" # "Raincoat and a Rose" b/w "No Qualifications"

Personnel

Musicians

* Chris Rea – lead and backing vocals, pianos, synthesizers,

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

, acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitars,

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

* Graham Watson –

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

* Eddie Guy – acoustic guitar (2) * Martin Jenner – acoustic guitar (8) *

Kevin Peek Kevin Peek (21 December 1946 – 11 February 2013) was an Australian guitarist, playing both rock and classical music, best known for his work with the progressive rock band Sky. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and initially played ...

– acoustic guitar (11) * Mick Hutchinson – bass * Norman Nosebait – drums *

Gus Dudgeon Angus Boyd "Gus" Dudgeon (30 September 1942 – 21 July 2002) was an English record producer, who oversaw many of Elton John's most acclaimed recordings, including his commercial breakthrough, "Your Song". Their collaboration led to seven US No ...

– percussion (1, 2, 3, 6) *

Morris Pert Morris David Brough Pert (8 September 1947 – 27 April 2010) was a Scottish composer, drummer/percussionist, and pianist who composed in the fields of both contemporary classical and jazz-rock music. His compositions include three symphonies, p ...

– percussion (4, 7, 8) * Bruce Baxter – brass arrangements (1, 7), string arrangements (1, 3, 4, 7, 11) *

Steve Gregory Stephen 'Steve' Gregory (born 1945) is an English jazz saxophonist and composer. He plays tenor, alto, soprano and baritone saxophone as well as the flute. Biography and career Gregory was born in London. At St. Paul's School he learned guit ...

– brass arrangements (6, 9, 10), saxophone solo (10) *

Vicki Brown Vicki Brown (23 August 1940 – 16 June 1991) was an English pop, rock and contemporary classical singer. She was a member of both The Vernons Girls and The Breakaways and was the first wife of fellow singer and musician Joe Brown and mother o ...

– backing vocals (3) * Liza Strike – backing vocals (3) * Joy Yates – backing vocals (3) * Stuart Epps – backing vocals (6)

Production

* Gus Dudgeon – producer * Stuart Epps – engineer * Gordon Vicary – mastering * Media Visual Arts Ltd. – sleeve design * Jacques Lowe – photography * Recorded at Moonlight Studio (London, UK) * Mastered at Utopia Studios (London, UK)

Charts

References

{{Authority control Chris Rea albums 1979 albums Albums produced by Gus Dudgeon Magnet Records albums United Artists Records albums