Chris Rea ERA 1 (As, Bs and Rarities 1978 1984) is a new compilation album that brings together a collection of Chris Reas early work between 1978 to 1984. The set provides a comprehensive look at Chris Reas progression as a solo artist, which started following spells in bands Magdalene and The Beautiful Losers. After securing a solo record deal with Magnet Records, Chris released his debut solo album Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? in 1978.ERA 1 1978-1984 As Bs and Rarities begins with an edited version of Chris Reas first big hit Fool (If You Think Its Over) which came from his debut album. The track became a big hit in the USA, earning him a 1979 Grammy nomination as Best New Artist. Following on from this are a whole host of rarities, including B-sides, language variations and different mixes released throughout this period. During this time Chris Rea released six studio albums one of those being Wired To The Moon of which this sets cover artwork is adapted from. Inside contains a booklet which includes pictures of the various original singles artwork. With a career spanning over 40 years and over 30 million album sales, Chris Reas distinctive husky-gravel vocal and incredible body of work has seen him become one of the most loved solo artists the UK have ever produced. A formidable songwriter, and still playing live to this day, he has released an incredible 24 studio albums, the most recent being Road Songs for Lovers in 2017 which was met with huge critical and commercial acclaim.