Chris Wilson Live At The Continental To Be Reissued In Richmond Colours

Chris Wilson’s 1994 live album ‘Live At The Continental’ will be reissued on vinyl in Chris’ favourite team colours, yellow and black, to represent the Richmond Football Club.

‘Live At The Continental’ was originally released in October 1994. Chris performed at the now long-gone Continental nightclub in Prahran, Melbourne. It became the subject of a film ‘Chris Wilson’s Live At The Continental 23 Years On’.

Chris performed with Shane O’Mara on guitar, and Australian jazz luminary Jex Saarelaht on piano.

In his liner notes Shane says, “You know, I can’t remember the night … I vaguely recall rehearsing at Jex’s house; grand piano squeezed into the corner, walking & talking through the songs as much as playing … it was pretty brief. But I do know that something remarkable, something big happened that night at the Continental. Three souls on stage, songs just under our skin, implicit direction to play unfettered…arrangements sketchy, no plan.

Chris was an incendiary performer & deep songwriter, more than just a revered bluesman. Rooms would be transformed by his performance from brutal to joy to laughter & hushed tears.

He didn’t tell us this was being recorded or perhaps we thought it was only ‘You Will Surely Love Again’ as there is a VHS of this floating around the internet, blurred jittery black & white footage, the only vision captured of the night, there seem to be no photos, thankfully … for the music is all one needs.

This immersive night captured time preserved, Chris’s extraordinary songs; the paean ‘Hymn’, the extraordinary ‘The Changeling’, ‘Face in the Mirror’ funny/brilliant, the contained beauty of ’You Will Surely Love Again’. Three musicians, one voice, one blues harp, a grand piano & Hammond organ, one night never to be repeated.

Chris inhabited the moment, the music, engendered true inspiration, extended the form, a free dive into extempore. All in, give it every- thing you got: that would have been the muttered maxim as we walked on the stage … then it seems something incredible ensued.”

The original nine track ‘Live At The Continental’ was expanded to 15 tracks in 2007. This new edition is a 17 track album and on vinyl for the very first time.