…Oh no, this is the road To hell.

This week we lost the British rock legend, Chris Rea, at the age of only 74. Too soon.

Chris Rea has a special place in my heart, due to the sheer amount of guilt the man caused me back in 1989 when I left home and went to university. I was fresh faced, 16 year old, living in my university digs, sharing a room with a chap called Rod (sniffy little shit – but that is a whole different story). Education in Scotland is covered but what was different in those days was that you also got a grant to live off.

A princely sum of £1600 was deposited into your bank account on the first week of September, designed to last you until May of the following year. It was to cover rent, food and any other living expenses. If you were careful, you could actually make it work for you. Not sure whose brain child it was to give a bunch of teenagers a lump sum expecting it to last the full academic year. That said many couldn’t resist the urge to spend – and it wasn’t long before Student Services around Christmas time was queued out with people asking for student loans.

I was determined to prove to my parents that I was capable. My mother was not a fan of her little boy going off to the big city – too young she protested. Father on the other hand, was convinced it would make a man of me, personally driving me to the university interview the July prior with Professor Frew to convince him I was ready.

Now, for those that know me, it will not be a huge surprise, but I itemized the crap out of my spending, with a hand made lined pen-paper “spreadsheet”. Every can of beans, tin of beer, accounted for. Then Chris Rea entered my life.

He had just released his “The Road to Hell” album and it was getting a lot of air play on the radio. I was liking it a lot and I dared to dream of owning the vinyl for myself. I would taunt myself, walking past Woolworths, on Paisley High Street as I strode to lectures in the cold wet Scottish autumn (I didn’t need to add the season, as it is always wet).

Now, it is fair to say that my parents have opposing views on music. My father doesn’t believe in just sitting down and listening to music, let alone buying it “why do I need to buy it if its on Radio 2?”. Mother, however was the other side, and when she died, I inherited her small collection of vinyl’s, including her favorite Elvis Presley album that I swear she nearly wore out (see above as to why her collection was small!).

So having first-born son pop up and say he was going to buy a “frivolous” music album and eat into my grant, was not a phone call I was going to be making any time soon. I continued to walk on, humming “stood still on a highway”. Oh well.

I can’t remember the reason, but one day as I held the vinyl record in my hand, I did not put it back. Instead, I walked it over to the register, and handed over a crisp £10 note and before I knew it, I was standing out (yes in the rain) with £4.01 in my pocket and Chris Rea in my plastic Woolworths bag.

WHAT HAD I DONE?! The guilt started quickly. I hurried home so I could start enjoying my road to hell ruin. Damn it, bloody Rod was home, couldn’t the little shit piss off and give me and Chris some alone time. Okay, so headphone was going to be first outing.

I queued it up, and as much as I hate to say it, he probably did me a favor, as the headphones allowed me to concentrate on the excellent opening of the title track “Road to Hell” – focusing in on the rain (I know the irony!) that was recorded, as Chris drives down the road to hell.

A little carry over from my mother is that we label/sign our records with the date (and I took it further by putting the price on it). There we have it – guilt started on Wednesday the 8th November 1989 for £5.99.

I never told my parents about this purchase at the time and come May 1990, I still had a little left over in the bank account. Made it – Chris didn’t push me over the edge. Though I played the crap out of it to make sure I got my money’s worth. My absolute favorite track is the last one on side B – “Tell me there’s a heaven”.

So Mr. Rea, you musically defined my first year at university and tonight in honor of your passing, I put on the actual vinyl that over 35 years ago caused me such emotional angst, standing in Woolworths on a wet rainy Wednesday afternoon, yet at the same time, such joy. Thank you.

RIP #ChrisRea