Chris Rea - Steel River (Tribute to Teesside's industrial heritage "Steel River")

Chris Rea's Tribute to Teesside's industrial heritage "Steel River".
An amazing and rare live audio, performed on Dec'88 London, Wembley, framed by unique vintage photos from his hometown Middlesbrough, referring to Teesside's steel industry and life over the decades.
Chris Rea summed up his memories of Middlesbrough and Teesside in the song "Steel River".
This song (written in 1985) is an indictment of the state of decline in shipbuilding and heavy engineering on the Tees.
The river itself and the physical environment of Teesside have improved substantially in the last 30 years but the steel industry has declined and finally closed in 2016.
The heavy industrial base of the Teesside economy is gone forever.
The song "Steel River" compares the old polluted Tees with the later clean river, there being salmon, but no industry.
Steel River appears on 1985 Album Shamrock Diaries, 1988 New Light Through Old Windows: The Best Of Chris Rea and 1995 The Very Best of Chris Rea.
Chris Rea has acknowledged that several of his songs were "born out of Middlesbrough", his hometown.
The verse "I'm standing by a river, but the water doesn't flow / It boils with every poison you can think of" from "The Road to Hell", the songs "Steel River" which refers to a nickname for River Tees, and "Windy Town, reflect Rea's feelings about the industrial decline of Middlesbrough and the re-development of the town centre while he was out of the country touring through the years:
"I went back to see my father after my mother had died and the fuckers had knocked the whole place down. I'd been gone three years, hard-touring in Europe. I literally went to drive somewhere that wasn't there. It was like a sci-fi movie. The Middlesbrough I knew, it's as if there was a war there 10 years ago."
"I miss the bits of Middlesbrough that aren't there anymore.
It's very hard to accept that Ayresome Park no longer exists. I know I sound very old when I say things like that. Those terraced streets are no longer there. But I miss the old character of the place, the guys with the fruit barrows and all that".
Lyrics:
I was born and raised on steel river
I see it all like it was yesterday
The ships and bridges they were all delivered
From Sydney Harbour to the Cisco bay
And I met my love down on steel river
We served our dreams and spent our childhood days
In rainy streets, we'd kiss away the shivers
And hide from fear inside the latest craze
Dancing to Motown
Making love with Carole King record playing
And oh how I loved you
Say goodbye steel river
Ten thousand bombers hit the steel river
And many died to keep her running free
And she survived but now she's gone forever
Her burning heart is just a memory
And I ran away from life on steel river
Luck or not I gladly took the break
The odds were low the chances nearly zero
A chance it was I had to take
Say goodbye…
Original sources: www.gazetteliv...
Dr Tosh Warwick presentation on the Tees Valley's iron, Industry, heritage and regeneration: the 'steel river': socialhistorybl...
This video has been published with absolute respect and admiration for Chris Rea's music !
www.amazon.co.u...

[@marksewell3819]

Before kick off on Saturday night this was playing the riverside was bouncing, what a night to be a boro fan, hope you were there to see it Chris you would have loved it, UTFB.

[@keithpattison9628]

This a wonderful video combining great photos of Chris and mixing the history of Steelmaking on Teesside. With the new developments announced today I would like Chris to look at the re-birth of Steelmaking on Teesside and bring this great song to a new generation and keep the History of Steelmaking alive with music like this ! It would be fantastic to see Chris Rea to perform at the Riverside Stadium and deliver this song and a new one...

[@athenamats]

Thank you very much !

[@SIRDKA]

Grew up in the Boro 60s/70s. How I miss ayresome park, the ABC , the Odeon, Romer Parish... happy days

[@eugenemorice8545]

Went to the "Poly" from 1981 to 1985 and was married, for a while, to a Boro lass. Bloody wonderful place. I see your Romer Parrish and raise you The Bongo Club, The Boro Fish bar and The Madison !

[@martinvegas1327]

@@eugenemorice8545 Mad house😎

[@andyocallaghan8906]

fantastic place to live, bollocks to what anyone says

[@dunferboy]

spent many summer holidays at my auntie May's home in Thornaby , and later in Yarm .... I have an everlasting love for Teeside and it has a great industrial history which we should be proud of.

[@athenamats]

So cool!

[@nigelmidgley2947]

Love teesside 🎉

[@andyocallaghan8906]

raised in the boro,22 years army, now stuck in crap hole new zealand.take me home please

[@MyScotty7]

Teesside was at one point the industrial engine of great Britain 🇬🇧, upsetting to see most of it gone to cheap Chinese steel.British steel ,ship building and oil rig building which i was lucky enough to be part of.

[@grahamwalton8887]

I was born in Stockton, Great place and Great people, no matter what others think,

[@rhurbstafalcon4807]

Blokes a North East fuckin legend

[@kateanddavelacey2267]

Fellow Boro lad and Teessider Chris, had many a 99er from reas cafe and a Knickerbocker glory off me Nana there when I was a good lad. The river Tees runs through Teesside and us and we have iron, steel and soul in our blood! UTB.

[@daydreambeliever6603]

What an excellent production👍🏻❤️ I love Chris’s music but found all of the photos very interesting.

[@athenamats]

Thank you, Laurie 💙

[@barrywilliamsfa]

Brilliant extra special if you have lived in that era.

[@mariethiers6915]

THANK YOU!! Wonderful - including the text and the video. I really appreciate this. 🌹😊🌹 I love this song! ❤🎸❤🎸❤

[@waynemoores]

So similar. Grew up in a steel town, Sydney, Nova Scotia Canada. Place was dirty as hell but lots of work in the mines and the steel plants. It's all nice and clean now. Steel plant and mines are gone. No jobs now. Myself and my friend all moved away. Nothing left there now but crack heads and people on welfare for the most part.

[@robdean704]

Born and bred in whinney banks 43 years ago. I'm still in the house I was born in. His song stainsby girls well that school became acklam Grange school. Here in Boro town the whole rea family are loved and respected

[@bongo8ish]

If you love this you'll love - [this place called home] by Paul Rodgers and his son Steve

[@davecoalwood9487]

Greater London Born and Bred but Thank-you to the North East for Waddle, Gazza, Robbo,Super Al and Mr. Rea.

[@indhudarmc8062]

Chris ReaAmezingsingerandsongwriter intheworld very best video

[@woodfiddler]

Oh Wow !" Glad I found this, brings it all back !

[@tomate6155]

WHAT A POET! Thank you, Chris Rea

[@athenamats]

❤️

[@monchavo]

This was my first ever rock gig. I was at this performance. Probably the back row, great performance.

[@andyocallaghan8906]

Used to live in a street where the family had an ice cream parlor on the corner.long before Chris started his successful career.and his brother tried to be a race car driver.good old days in Allison St.boro all the way

[@andyocallaghan8906]

lived at no 9 Allison st as a kid.remeber the Italian icecream parlour

[@stratopastor_uk]

Great work, thank you and amen. Love from Stockton-on-Tees

[@bluesoul8494]

Chris is my favorite musician ... Nice video !

[@athenamats]

Thank you 💙

[@indhudarmc8062]

Video of the old.chris.phots.very.beatifull.

[@trevoranderson9595]

This song is so true what my mother had to to stay alive she was sent to Stokesley on a farm to escape the German bombs well this song says it all cheers Chris Rea

[@lindaelizabethcole3675]

Excellent video , so interesting to see all this old footage , amazing photos to the absolutely wonderful music of the song Steel River , by the legend that is Chris Rea , thanks so much for sharing !!!

[@athenamats]

Thank you, dear Linda, for your nice comments 💙

[@martincoxon1329]

Served my apprenticeship at BSC. Finished my career at Wilton. This is the sound track to my career. Great song and although i have never met the fella, i think he is a top bloke.

[@patrickjenkins3109]

I work in sugar milling in Australia, our mill 120years old hanging on by a thread, your story, the story of the commonwealth, built the world. Should be very proud of your place in it.👍

[@xeniadir]

Absolutely amazing

[@richardlambert3937]

I get a tear whenever I listen to this. UTFB

[@ЛюдмилаЛюдмила-й5б]

Спасибо.Прекрасное видео .🎸👏🎶💗Целая эпоха жизни

[@pandadianna]

Love the nostalgia in the video, music too

[@athenamats]

Thank you, my dearest Anneke 💙

[@ИринаМандрон]

❤️♥️💖

[@nailyabaimukhanova9316]

Прекрасный экскурс, в сопровождении Гениальной композиции Криса, приятно было вернуться в те недавние, но очень далекие времена, когда Мир был проще и добрее!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏

[@kaiellis4008]

up the fucking boro

[@indhudarmc8062]

Wow what a wonderful videos and color of place beautiful and photos very good amazing

[@mohammedusmangaji4098]

Great music.

[@heartbeat1405]

Wow! Great video!

[@athenamats]

Thank you

[@jakelane6363]

0:46 that is literally 5 mins away from where I live

[@eveningstar3230]

Magic

[@AlanWells-ud5pi]

I was born & raised on steel river, i am a true smoggie

[@elenatereshchuk2328]

👍спасибо😍

[@mattwright2964]

Born in Stockton. This song and Big River always take me back and bring a tear to the eye.

[@guillerminagarcia1645]

Un documental muy interesante, para entender la letra de la canción, me ha encantado, muchas gracias por compartir

[@EllaKotka]

Dziękuję bardzo ,pozdrawiam ☺😊

[@athenamats]

💙 Thank you

[@thepixalator6758]

And yet he never plays his home town!!

[@gizellearnott9731]

Love this Chris❤❤❤

[@МаргаритаЛиджиева]

❤️👍 КРИС СПАСИБО‼️🍀🍀🍀

[@achelec]

Love this live version! Thanks for sharing!

[@athenamats]

Thank you Achilleas, it's all my pleasure 💙

[@madalinamaria3221]

Good Night Anthenamats Famili Your

[@madalinamaria3221]

Beautiful Video

[@athenamats]

Thank you Madalina ❤️

[@eugenemorice8545]

Up the Boro !!! "It's very hard to accept that Ayresome Park no longer exists. I know I sound very old when I say things like that. Those terraced streets are no longer there". True that !

[@nigelmidgley2947]

We are smoggies

[@olgahernan3752]

He escuchado esta cancion, no se cuantas veces, en especial es facinante la historia de su pueblo natal, y como la vio desapsrecer y cambiar con el tiempo, y extraña y añorada, como el la recordaba, creo que es parte de la evolución, pero cuando se es feliz en nuestro pueblo natal, como él, se sufre el cambio, Me encanto tambien esta interpretacio en vivo, una vez que se escucha una cancion de Chris, es inevitable no escuchar mas, me volví adicta a Chris, gracias Athena gracias mil, por esta musica, me siento privilegiada de conocer a Chris, por su musica, MIL GRACIAS ❤❤❤❤

[@madalinamaria3221]

Good Daftar Nut Anthenamats

[@athenamats]

Good night Madalina ❤️

[@alfiesmith768]

🇦🇹🇦🇹🇦🇹🇦🇹🇦🇹🇦🇹

[@jimnolan830]

At the city hall gig Chris introduced the song with. I usually say this is about where i live. But tonight it's where you live, to a huge cheer. Prefer the more slide heavy cd version he played that night mind.

[@nadiiahnatiuk1401]

Thank you very much!

[@athenamats]

It's all my pleasure 💙

[@lilydl5290]

Loved the work! Congrats!

[@athenamats]

Thank you 💙

[@mahmoudalomar2870]

Nice

[@bongo8ish]

Do you remember Paul Daniels mobile grocers shop round Dormo and Redcar or am i mistaken

[@martinvegas1327]

Chris Rea was from Canon street!

[@eugenemorice8545]

I was briefly married to a Boro lass. Her Mum and Dad both knew Chris's Mum and Dad (Cammy and Winnie) who ran the ice cream shop by the Albert Park gates. The marriage went sour but I've still got a massive place for Middlesbrough in my heart ( and became and still remain a Boro fan). Chris's music will always make me smile ! UTB !

[@cheesybellend6842]

Eugene Morice good lad can never beat the boro pride

[@martinvegas1327]

Mam.

[@anthonyreynolds4383]

What year was the line of girls photo taken and where was it taken

[@AlanBoddy-fl2qp]

Great song !I would have named it "STEEL SHITHOLE"💩 (better) Born and bred there but got away as fast as my legs would carry me! 🇬🇧🙏😡

[@veherny1]

💙💙💙

[@athenamats]

💙

[@colinburns6664]

Great song by a great local singer. It's just a shame that the video shows the Transporter Bridge that was in Bizerte in Tunisia and not the bridge in the Boro.

[@ОлександрГайли]

Стальная река !

[@andyocallaghan8906]

good drills rob