New Light Through Old Windows Explained

New Light Through Old Windows is the first compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1988. The album consists primarily of re-recordings of songs from Rea's earlier albums, as well as the new track "Working on It", which peaked at No. 73 on the US Billboard Hot 100,^[1] and was Rea's only No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.^[2] "On the Beach" peaked at No. 9 on the US Adult Contemporary singles chart, and No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart.^{[3] [4]} The album reached number five on the UK Albums Chart, charted for over a year, and was certified 3× Platinum by BPI until 1992.^{[5] [6]} It charted in the Top 10 in New Zealand, Australia and West Germany.

Track listing

All tracks written by Chris Rea.

1. "Let's Dance" – 4:14
2. "Working on It" (previously unreleased) – 4:24
3. "Ace of Hearts" – 4:52
4. "Josephine" – 4:33
5. "Candles" – 4:44
6. "On the Beach" – 6:51
7. "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" – 4:03
8. "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" – 3:23
9. "Shamrock Diaries" – 4:12
10. "Stainsby Girls" – 4:06
11. "Windy Town" – 4:05
12. "Driving Home for Christmas" – 3:58
13. "Steel River" – 6:48

The US vinyl release featured different cover artwork and an altered track listing, shown below:

1. "Let's Dance" – 4:16
2. "Working on It" – 4:25
3. "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" – 3:24
4. "Windy Town" – 4:06
5. "On the Beach" – 6:53
6. "Steel River" – 6:48
7. "Stainsby Girls" – 4:08
8. "Ace of Hearts" – 4:52
9. "Josephine" – 4:17 (different version than international release)
10. "Candles" – 4:42

Personnel

• Chris Rea – vocals, keyboards, guitars
• Max Middleton – keyboards
• Robert Ahwai – guitars
• Eoghan O'Neill – bass
• Martin Ditcham – drums, percussion
• Steve Gregory – soprano saxophone
• Carol Kenyon – backing vocals
• Katie Kissoon – backing vocals

Production

• Chris Rea – producer
• Jon Kelly – producer
• Justin Shirley-Smith – engineer
• Ronald Bos – art direction
• Hotline – design
• Jim Beach – management
• Paul Lilly – management
• John McCoy – title

Notes and References

1. Fool If You Think It's Over (Hot 100). Billboard. 14 December 2017.
2. Working On It (Mainstream Rock). Billboard. 14 December 2017.
3. On The Beach (Adult Contemporary). Billboard. 14 December 2017.
4. Book: James Masterton. The Top 40 Annual 1988. 4 April 2015. James Masterton.
5. Web site: Chris Rea – New Light Through Old Windows. BPI. 14 December 2017.
6. Web site: Official Charts > Chris Rea. The Official UK Charts Company. 9 January 2017.