Espresso Logic

Espresso Logic
Espresso Logic
Studio album by Chris Rea
Released	1 November 1993
Studio	The Mill (Berkshire, England); Outside Studios (Oxfordshire, England); Studio Miraval (Le Val, France);
Genre	Album-oriented rock
Length	48:07 (original release); 53:21 (US edition)
Label	East West
Producer	Chris Rea
Chris Rea chronology
Music video
	"Julia (1993)" on YouTube

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Calgary Herald	B+^[3]
Music Week	^[4]

Espresso Logic is the thirteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1993. The US edition of the album has a significantly different track listing, featuring two songs ("God's Great Banana Skin" and "Miles Is a Cigarette") from Rea's previous album, God's Great Banana Skin, which was not released in the US, along with "If You Were Me", a track recorded with Elton John for his 1993 Duets release. The cover art of the US edition is the same as the UK single "Espresso Logic". The song "Julia" was dedicated to his daughter Julia Christina, who was four years old at the time.

Critical reception

A "refined, elegant, rock style" characterizes the record, which continues Rea's '90s run of "commercially successful and critically acclaimed albums".^[5]^[6] A review in Guitar Player finds that "Rea immediately declares his multi-ethnic impulses", as the title track begins with his "languidly atmospheric slide guitar shimmering like the Pacific Ocean under a full Oahu moon. Then Davy Spillane's mournful Uillean pipes inject Celtic melancholy, and the two instruments interweave throughout the track, accompanied by a Brazilian-inflected tribal rhythm, until they are nearly indistinguishable from one another."^[7] Rea recorded the album using the two '62 Fender Stratocasters, plugged into a Fender piggyback amp, "that he's relied on for more than a decade", and he uses a glass slide, rather than a brass one. "From working with Irish pipers, I've adopted this technique of banging the slide onto the harmonic. So I've had to stop using the brass, because I've only got one more refret on my pink Strat. I've played it so hard that I don't think there's gonna be any wood left," he ruefully acknowledges.

Track listing

All songs written by Chris Rea.

Original track listing

"Espresso Logic" – 6:54
"Red" – 5:26
"Soup of the Day" – 3:45
"Johnny Needs a Fast Car" – 6:35
"Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" – 4:50
"Julia" – 3:55
"Summer Love" – 4:07
"New Way" – 3:30
"Stop" – 5:10
"She Closed Her Eyes" – 3:55

US track listing

"Espresso Logic" – 6:53
"Julia" – 3:54
"Soup of the Day" – 3:46
"If You Were Me" (duet with Elton John) – 4:20
"Johnny Needs a Fast Car" – 6:34
"Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" – 4:49
"God's Great Banana Skin" – 5:18
"Miles Is a Cigarette" – 4:21
"Summer Love" – 4:04
"Red" – 5:26
"She Closed Her Eyes" – 3:56

Personnel

Chris Rea – vocals, organ, guitars, slide guitar
Max Middleton – acoustic piano, keyboards
Robert Ahwai – guitars
Sylvin Marc – bass
Martin Ditcham – drums, percussion
Andy Fairweather-Low – audience handclaps (9)
Davy Spillane – Uilleann pipes (1, 2)
Pete Beachill – trombone (1, 3, 4, 8)
Dave Stewart – trombone (1, 3, 4, 8)
Linda Taylor – backing vocals (6, 8)

US release

Davy Spillane – Uilleann pipes (1, 10)
Pete Beachill – trombone (1, 3, 5)
Dave Stewart – trombone (1, 3, 5)
Linda Taylor – backing vocals (2)
Elton John – vocals (4)
Valerie Chalmers – backing vocals (7, 8)
Emma Whittle – backing vocals (7, 8)

Production

Chris Rea – producer, sleeve concept
Stuart Epps – engineer
Paul Mortimer – engineer
Tommy Willis – guitar technician
Willie Grimston – coordination
Stylorouge – artwork
Stephen Sandon – sleeve photography
Jim Beach – management
Paul Lilly – management

US release

Stuart Epps – engineer (1–6, 9–11)
Paul Mortimer – engineer (1–6, 9–11)
Neil Amor – engineer (7, 8)
Phillipe Garcia – assistant engineer (7, 8)
Simon Wall – assistant engineer (7, 8)

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Espresso Logic*
Chart (1993)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[8]	16
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[9]	46
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[10]	14
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[11]	20
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[12]	29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[13]	24
UK Albums (OCC)^[14]	8

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Espresso Logic*
Chart (1993)	Position
UK Albums (OCC)^[15]	85

Certifications

Certifications and sales for *Espresso Logic*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)^[16]	Gold	250,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[17]	Gold	100,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ "Tom Odell, Magnetised, Single - The BPI". Bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
^ "Espresso Logic - Chris Rea | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
^ Obee, Dave (5 December 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
^ Jones, Alan (6 November 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 15. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
^ Butler, Jackie (14 March 2008). "Jumping back on the road to hell". Evening Herald. Dow Jones Factiva. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
^ Helen, Sloan (14 March 2008). "Chris still keeps it rea-l". Western Daily Press. Dow Jones Factiva. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
^ Ransom, Kevin (1 December 1994). "Espresso Logic - sound recording review". Guitar Player. Dow Jones Factiva. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Chris Rea – Espresso Logic" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Chris Rea – Espresso Logic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Chris Rea – Espresso Logic" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1993. 49. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Chris Rea – Espresso Logic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Chris Rea – Espresso Logic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
^ "Top 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 25. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Chris Rea; 'Espresso Logic')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
^ "British album certifications – Chris Rea – Expresso Logic". British Phonographic Industry.

[1] "Tom Odell, Magnetised, Single - The BPI". Bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2025.

[2] "Espresso Logic - Chris Rea | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 May 2021.

[3] Obee, Dave (5 December 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.

[4] Jones, Alan (6 November 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 15. Retrieved 3 February 2023.

[5] Butler, Jackie (14 March 2008). "Jumping back on the road to hell". Evening Herald. Dow Jones Factiva. Retrieved 10 January 2021.

[6] Helen, Sloan (14 March 2008). "Chris still keeps it rea-l". Western Daily Press. Dow Jones Factiva. Retrieved 10 January 2021.

[7] Ransom, Kevin (1 December 1994). "Espresso Logic - sound recording review". Guitar Player. Dow Jones Factiva. Retrieved 10 January 2021.

[ac_Austria_Chris_Rea-8] "Austriancharts.at – Chris Rea – Espresso Logic" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

[ac_Netherlands_Chris_Rea-9] "Dutchcharts.nl – Chris Rea – Espresso Logic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

[ac_Germany_Chris_Rea-10] "Offiziellecharts.de – Chris Rea – Espresso Logic" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

[ac_Hungary_-11] "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1993. 49. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 25 June 2025.

[ac_Sweden_Chris_Rea-12] "Swedishcharts.com – Chris Rea – Espresso Logic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

[ac_Switzerland_Chris_Rea-13] "Swisscharts.com – Chris Rea – Espresso Logic". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

[ac_UK2_-14] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2023.

[15] "Top 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 25. Retrieved 20 April 2022.

[GermanyChris_ReaEspresso_LogicalbumCertRef-16] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Chris Rea; 'Espresso Logic')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

[United_KingdomChris_ReaExpresso_LogicalbumCertRef-17] "British album certifications – Chris Rea – Expresso Logic". British Phonographic Industry.

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v t e Chris Rea
Studio releases	Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? Deltics Tennis Chris Rea Water Sign Wired to the Moon Shamrock Diaries On the Beach Dancing with Strangers The Road to Hell Auberge God's Great Banana Skin Espresso Logic The Blue Cafe The Road to Hell: Part 2 King of the Beach Dancing Down the Stony Road / Stony Road Hofner Blue Notes The Blue Jukebox Blue Guitars The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes Santo Spirito Blues Road Songs for Lovers One Fine Day
Compilation releases	New Light Through Old Windows The Best of Chris Rea The Very Best of Chris Rea Heartbeats The Ultimate Collection Still So Far to Go: The Best of Chris Rea The Journey 1978–2009
Singles	"Fool (If You Think It's Over)" "Loving You" "Every Beat of My Heart" "Let It Loose" "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" "I Don't Know What It Is But I Love It" "Bombollini" "Ace of Hearts" "Stainsby Girls" "Josephine" "It's All Gone" "On the Beach" "Hello Friend" "Let's Dance" "Loving You Again" "Joys of Christmas" "Driving Home for Christmas" "Working on It" "The Road to Hell" "That's What They Always Say" "Tell Me There's a Heaven" "Texas" "Auberge" "Heaven" "Looking for the Summer" "Winter Song" "Nothing to Fear" "God's Great Banana Skin" "Soft Top, Hard Shoulder" "Julia" "'Disco' La Passione"
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