Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh
1989 greatest hits album by Chris de Burgh
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Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh is the third compilation album by Chris de Burgh, released by A&M Records in 1989. The album was released largely to capitalise on the resurgence of de Burgh's career after the smash hit of "The Lady in Red" three years earlier. As a result, most of the tracks are drawn from his 1980s albums The Getaway, Man on the Line, Into the Light, and Flying Colours. Only "Spanish Train" and "A Spaceman Came Travelling" come from de Burgh's early output from the 1970s.
| Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 23 October 1989[1] | |||
| Recorded | Ramport and Scorpio Studios | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 67:58 (68:38 German) | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producers | Chris de Burgh, Rupert Hine, Roy Thomas Baker, Robin Geoffrey Cable, Paul Hardiman and others | |||
| Chris de Burgh chronology | ||||
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The collection also includes a pairing of the songs "Borderline" and "Say Goodbye to It All" — originally from two different albums — which together tell a story arc of a conscientious objector fleeing to be with his lover.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Chris de Burgh.
| No. | Title | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Waiting Heart" | previously unreleased | 4:08 |
| 2. | "Don't Pay the Ferryman" | The Getaway (1982) | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Much More Than This" | Man on the Line (1984) | 2:55 |
| 4. | "Sailing Away" | Flying Colours (1988) | 4:58 |
| 5. | "The Lady in Red" | Into the Light (1986) | 4:17 |
| 6. | "Borderline" | The Getaway (1982) | 4:33 |
| 7. | "Say Goodbye to It All" | Into the Light (1986) | 5:04 |
| 8. | "Spanish Train" | Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) | 4:47 |
| 9. | "Ship to Shore" | The Getaway (1982) | 3:47 |
| 10. | "Missing You" | Flying Colours (1988) | 4:06 |
| 11. | "Fatal Hesitation" | Into the Light (1986) | 4:14 |
| 12. | "Diamond in the Dark" | previously unreleased | 3:29 |
| 13. | "Tender Hands" | Flying Colours (1988) | 4:28 |
| 14. | "A Spaceman Came Travelling" (*) | Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) | 5:10 |
| 15. | "Where Peaceful Waters Flow" | The Getaway (1982) | 3:53 |
| 16. | "High on Emotion" | Man on the Line (1984) | 4:24 |
| No. | Title | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Waiting Heart" | previously unreleased | 4:08 |
| 2. | "Don't Pay the Ferryman" | The Getaway (1982) | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Much More Than This" | Man on the Line (1984) | 2:55 |
| 4. | "Sailing Away" | Flying Colours (1988) | 4:58 |
| 5. | "The Lady in Red" | Into the Light (1986) | 4:17 |
| 6. | "Borderline" | The Getaway (1982) | 4:33 |
| 7. | "Say Goodbye to It All" | Into the Light (1986) | 5:04 |
| 8. | "Spanish Train" | Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) | 4:47 |
| 9. | "Patricia the Stripper" | Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) | 3:30 |
| 10. | "Ship to Shore" | The Getaway (1982) | 3:47 |
| 11. | "Missing You" | Flying Colours (1988) | 4:06 |
| 12. | "Diamond in the Dark" | previously unreleased | 3:29 |
| 13. | "Tender Hands" | Flying Colours (1988) | 4:28 |
| 14. | "A Spaceman Came Travelling" (*) | Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) | 5:10 |
| 15. | "Where Peaceful Waters Flow" | The Getaway (1982) | 3:53 |
| 16. | "High on Emotion" | Man on the Line (1984) | 4:24 |
| No. | Title | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Waiting Heart" | previously unreleased | 4:08 |
| 2. | "Don't Pay the Ferryman" | The Getaway (1982) | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Fire on the Water" | Into the Light (1986) | 4:28 |
| 4. | "Sailing Away" | Flying Colours (1988) | 4:58 |
| 5. | "The Lady in Red" | Into the Light (1986) | 4:17 |
| 6. | "Borderline" | The Getaway (1982) | 4:33 |
| 7. | "Say Goodbye to It All" | Into the Light (1986) | 5:04 |
| 8. | "One Word (Straight to the Heart)" | Into the Light (1986) | 4:16 |
| 9. | "A Spaceman Came Travelling" (*) | Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975) | 5:10 |
| 10. | "Ship to Shore" | The Getaway (1982) | 3:47 |
| 11. | "Missing You" | Flying Colours (1988) | 4:06 |
| 12. | "Diamond in the Dark" | previously unreleased | 3:29 |
| 13. | "Tender Hands" | Flying Colours (1988) | 4:28 |
| 14. | "The Getaway" | The Getaway (1982) | 3:52 |
| 15. | "Where Peaceful Waters Flow" | The Getaway (1982) | 3:53 |
| 16. | "High on Emotion" | Man on the Line (1984) | 4:24 |
- *The album features the remixed version of "A Spaceman Came Travelling" with a re-rerecorded vocal track; it is subsequently titled "A Spaceman Came Travelling '89" on future compilations.[which?]
Charts
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart | 2 |
| UK Albums Chart | 4 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 3 |
Sales and certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[3] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[4] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Germany (BVMI)[5] | Platinum | 500,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[6] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[7] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
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* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||