| 1992 | UK promo CD-EP | Chris Braide: Work in Progress |
"Funny Five Minutes, an idea that was started in Preston one summer night and was finished in Warrington in 1988. It was demoed by myself and a friend and the tapes sold at school for £ 2 each. What you'll find on the CD is the new improved version with a little production help from Thomas Dolby. Jesus on the Bus is written about a tramp from Warrington but is not about Jesus, so no need to burn the record folks. The Choice Is Yours was written in the middle of winter 1991 and was recorded as a demo in my bedroom. Helpless - very fond memories of this one. Me and Glenn Tilbrook sat in my bedroom listening to XTC, Nat King Cole and Crowded House whacking down some ideas that would eventually end up in this song recorded in April 1992, this is another demo. I'm Not was written on a train facing a business man with a pocket T.V. and a vodaphone - very annoying when trying to get some sleep."
Q: Were all of the versions on the 1992 promo CD-EP unfinished versions, or were some the final, released version? A: "Funny Five Minutes is final version. All the other tracks are my demo versions". Q: What happened to the track 'Helpless', and why was it never released even as a non-album track on a single? A: "It never got recorded [properly]. It was really just a rough demo idea." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| 1992 | UK CD-EP | Chris Braide: Funny Five Minutes |
| (25 March 2014) | digital single | Chris Braide: Funny Five Minutes |
| (24 Dec 2025) | digital Bandcamp single | Christopher: Funny Five Minutes (Thomas Dolby Mixes) |
Written by C Braide/T Braide. Produced and mixed by Thomas Dolby. Chris Braide - vocals, piano, keyboards. Thomas Dolby - background vocals, keyboards. Mathew Seligman - bass. Glenn Tilbrook - guitars. Recorded and mixed at Marcus Studios, London.
There is a date "23 May 1992" on the front cover, which may or may not be referring to the original release date or the date on the tape box.
"'Funny Five Minutes' was written while I was still at school, at a point where everything felt possible but nothing felt certain. I'd just been signed to Polydor, and somehow songs that had started life on a piano at home were now being taken seriously by people I admired. I was invited down to Thomas Dolby's house on Shingle Street, where I spent a day hanging out in his studio. Thomas immediately responded to my songwriting - particularly the chords - and championed the song. From there we decamped to Marcus Studios in London to record it properly. Looking back now, it still feels surreal. Glenn Tilbrook, who was interested in me as an artist at the time, came down to the studio and played guitar. Matthew Seligman played bass. At the time I barely questioned it - I was young and focused on the work - but in hindsight I realise I was sitting in a room full of genuinely legendary pop musicians who liked what I was doing. That's something I find quietly fascinating to look back on now. The track was released in 1992 under my own name, Chris Braide. When Mick Hucknall later came on board to produce my debut album, he loved the song and chose to re-produce it, believing strongly in it as a single. That version had its own life - but the Thomas Dolby recording has always stayed closest to my heart. Now, with distance, I can hear just how distinctive and iconic that original version sounds - and knowing exactly who is playing and singing on it gives it a particular emotional weight for me. Polydor never quite knew what to do with me. I wasn't prepared to sell out or chase the boy-band pop of the time - Take That, Boyzone, and the rest. I wanted to write songs in the lineage of Scritti Politti and Prefab Sprout: intelligent pop, emotionally ambiguous, harmonically rich. This release also includes a rare live recording from 1992, captured at the Amersham Arms, featuring Squeeze' Glenn Tilbrook on guitar and Andy Metcalfe on bass. Recorded on a portable tape machine and restored from the original source, it documents a period when Christopher was gigging regularly around London, performing the song live as it was still taking shape. This recording captures that moment - before everything shifted - when ambition, innocence, and conviction briefly aligned."
Q: The "Thomas Dolby 12" Extended mix" (7.30) is a completely different mix from the 12" version (8.06) on the 2014 Spotify single. What's the difference? A: "The 12 Inch on this current release [2025] was built propely from the Thomas Dolby multi track tapes [so] this is a more authentic 12 Inch Mix." Q: Could you please comment on the Alternative 7" Mix? A: "It's just that, an alternative mix we did. I prefer it in 2025 as I felt it breathes a bit more during the first chords, and then builds into the first verse." (Info via email from Chris Braide 3 Jan 2026.)
| 26 April or 4 May 1993 | UK CD-EP/7" | Chris Braide: Surrender |
| (8 March 2014) | digital single | Chris Braide: Surrender |
| (19 Dec 2025) | digital Bandcamp single | Christopher: Surrender (Dave Bascombe Mixes) |
Written by Chris Braide. Produced by Dave Bascombe. Chris Braide - vocals, piano, guitars, programming. Recorded and mixed at Olympic Studios, London, circa 1993. Remastered at Magical Thinking Studios, London, 2025.
"Surrender marks the beginning of the Christopher story. After being signed to Polydor by Paul Morgan, Surrender was one of the first recordings made for the label and the earliest officially released version from the project. The song was produced by Dave Bascombe at a time when his work on The Seeds of Love had left a deep impression on me. His approach - emotional, spacious, and musical rather than trend-led - felt aligned with the kind of records I wanted to make. This version of Surrender was completed and released before my later work with Mick Hucknall, and stands as its own creative statement rather than a precursor or alternate take. It is not a remix, but a distinct production - one that captures the song at an earlier stage in its life, with a different emotional temperature and perspective. Lyrically, Surrender is driven by a quiet tension. It explores the idea of trying to read another person completely - to anticipate their thoughts, absorb their emotional language, and, ultimately, dissolve into them. Beneath that impulse sits a fear of loneliness: the anxiety that intimacy might be lost unless it is fully possessed, understood, or controlled. The song balances desire and vulnerability, fascination and unease. Presented here with multiple versions - including the 7" edit, full-length mix, instrumental, and extended 12" version - Surrender documents a moment when identity, ambition, and emotional intensity were still being shaped in real time. Heard now, it feels less like a debut and more like an opening chapter - a song already wrestling with themes of connection, surrender, and self-definition that would continue to surface throughout the work that followed."
| 1994 | unreleased album | CHRISTOPHER [a.k.a. CHAPTER ONE] |
Quote from http://www.mywarrington.me.uk/entertaining_people.htm#Chris%20Braide [page now deleted]: "At the age of 16 [1989] Braide secured his first publishing contract with Zomba Music Publishing. In an interview with HitQuarters he cited this as his career breakthrough because, in his words, it 'opened up the world to me'. Leaving his hometown of Warrington he moved down to London, where he signed to Polydor Records as a recording artist. His first residence in the capital was at the home of songwriter Cathy Dennis who, at the time, was also signed to Polydor as an artist. In 1993, Chris recorded his debut album 'Chapter One' for Polydor Records. The album was produced by Thomas Dolby and Mick Hucknall and recorded at the residential studio Condulmer in Italy."
Quote from https://chrisbraidemusic.angelfire.com/chrisbraidetimeline.html: "Chris had been in London 3 years now moving from his hometown of Warrington, England at the age of 16 with his parents, Ann and Kenneth's consent. He landed a manager, Andy Graham, and signs with Polydor Records to record his first album with help from Simply Red's Mick Hucknall. Unfortunately, the album was shelved by Polydor never to be released.
Q: Was there a proposed track order for the unreleased 1994 Polydor CD album? A: "I don't think there was." Q: Was 'Funny Five Minutes' the only track that Thomas Dolby was involved in? A: "Yes." Q: Mick Hucknall mixes of 'So Divine' and 'Funny Five Minutes' were retrospectively released [19 Feb 2010 and 25 March 2014 respectively]. Are there any others which remain unreleased? A: "We recorded a version of 'Jealous' with Mick but I have no copy of it." ['Jealous' was re-recorded for 'LIFE IN A MINOR KEY'] (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
Q: Are the 2013 versions true to the originals found in the tape box, or were they appreciably altered? A: "Very true to the originals." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
All songs written by Chris Braide. Recorded at Condulmer Studios, Italy. Produced by Mick Hucknall & Gota Yashiki. Engineered by Roland Herrington. Mixed at Air Studios, London. Chris Braide: vocals, piano. Mick Hucknall: bass guitar. Gota Yashiki: drums, programming. "Surrender (Dave Bascombe 1993 Full Length Single Mix)" recorded and mixed at Olympic Studios, London - produced and mixed by Dave Bascombe. "Funny Five Minutes (Thomas Dolby 7" Mix) recorded at Marcus Studios, London, 1992. Produced by Thomas Dolby. Glenn Tilbrook: guitar, Matthew Seligman: bass on Funny Five Minutes (Thomas Dolby version). "Counting Out Time (Julian Mendelsohn Full Length Mix) additional production and mix at Sarm West, London, 1994. Mastered at Metropolis, London.
"'Christopher' captures a singular and exhilarating moment in my life: a young songwriter trusted, encouraged, and given space to follow his own instincts. I was already signed to Polydor, having been championed by Paul Morgan, and had begun making records with producers such as Thomas Dolby and Dave Bascombe. It was during this period - fresh from the global success of the Stars tour - that Mick Hucknall chose to work with me. From a world of writers and musicians, he singled me out, and that vote of confidence proved transformative. Mick also felt the album should carry my given name - Christopher - a simple but meaningful gesture of belief in the songs and in me as an artist. Mick was generous, curious, and deeply musical. We spent time recording in Italy, where he would take me out on bike rides between sessions, and in the studio he was endlessly supportive. At one point he told me I was 'as good as Paul Simon as a writer' - his words, not mine, but words I'll never forget. The album attracted a remarkable group of collaborators. Thomas Dolby created the original version of 'Funny Five Minutes', a bold, forward-thinking take that reflected his uniquely inventive musical mind. Mick immediately heard the song as a potential single, and we later mixed a version at AIR Studios that leaned into its pop heart while retaining its idiosyncrasy. 'Counting Out Time', mixed by Julian Mendelsohn, opens the album for a reason. At the time, its quiet confidence was almost taken for granted - the song simply was, without needing to announce itself. Heard now, it feels unmistakably single-shaped: melodic, emotionally direct, and quietly epic. The production places the vocal and melody at the centre while giving the track a scale that still feels contemporary. More striking still is how clearly it aligns with the musical identity I would later explore more fully - melodic architecture, emotional understatement, and space. In hindsight, the lead single was always there, hiding in plain sight. 'Surrender' was produced by Dave Bascombe, whose work on The Seeds of Love I admired enormously at the time. Dave and I shared more than studio hours - he once gave me a lift home in his Jensen Interceptor, which promptly broke down near Marc Bolan's tree in Barnes, after he'd taken me there. It felt like some strange rite of passage. During the recording of Surrender at Olympic Studios, Duran Duran were on Top of the Pops performing 'Ordinary World'. I ran into the control room and announced, breathlessly, that it was the best record they'd ever made - sublime, I thought. Dave disagreed entirely. Ten years later, we ran into each other at the ASCAP Awards, hugged, and laughed about it. 'I was wrong,' he said. 'What a song. Great writers, Duran were.' Some truths just take time. Despite the quality of the music and the calibre of the people involved, Polydor never quite knew what to do with me. I existed slightly outside the prevailing industry lanes - too introspective, too singular, unwilling to contort myself into daytime television or boy-band expectations. I wasn't interested in playing that game. My heroes were Mark Hollis and Paddy McAloon. I was trying to make records that might impress them - thoughtful, melodic, emotionally precise - even if that meant occupying my own world. Looking back now, Christopher feels less like a debut that slipped through the cracks and more like a beautifully preserved snapshot: a time of belief, freedom, and extraordinary collaboration. Heard today, without pressure or expectation, it stands as an opening statement - confident, assured, and unmistakably its own. It belongs proudly in my archive, not as a footnote, but as evidence of an artist being trusted to follow his own compass, surrounded by brilliant people, at a moment when anything felt possible."
Q: "'Chapter One' has historically been generally referred to as a 1993 album, but in 2025 you released and credited 'Christopher' to 1994. Unless we've misunderstood, 'Christopher' was the original project that was recorded before 'Chapter One', so what should the correct year(s) be - 1993 or 1994? Also, why do you occasionally refer to 'Condulmer Mix' - weren't all the Mick Hucknall versions recorded at Condulmer, in which case 'Condulmer' isn't really a differentiator unless we refer to them as 'Alternate Condulmer Mix'? A: "'Christopher' is the album as we left it in '94. 'Chapter One' was a hodge podge of differnt producer versions all mixed together. I regret that album. It's a bit of a mess. The Mick Hicknall album was recorded in '93 and would have seen the light in '94. So for Christopher 1994 is correct, not '93." (Info via email from Chris Braide 3 Jan 2026.)
Q: "Track 3 on Christopher is the Mick Hucknall version of 'Funny Five Minutes' 3.51, but the 2014 'Funny Five Minutes' digital single included Funny Five Minutes (Mick Hucknall Version) 3.43. However, the two versions are different as the 2014 release has 11 seconds more intro and a very length instrumental mid-section, so can you help us differentiate between these two versions? A: "Yes, as I say, Chapter One was a bit of mess. I edited that to make it longer. No idea why. The version now on Christopher is correct - as it was mixed at Air Studios, no vari speed, no edits." (Info via email from Chris Braide 3 Jan 2026.)
Q: "Track 10 on Christopher (Surrender 3.55) is another one we are struggling with. By comparing them we now know that track 15 (Dave Bascombe 1993 Full Length Single Mix) is the same as the original Polydor single version, but track 16 (Early Polydor Version) we have identified as a variant of the Chapter One version. That leaves this track 10 Mick Hucknall version in splendid isolation, so is this 3.55 version an alternate Mick Hucknall version (along with the Chapter One and Early Polydor versions)?" A: "Track 10 on Christopher is the correct Mick Hucknall mix as it was mixed in '93 at Condulmer. No tampering, no revising - just as it was. The definitive Mick Hucknall version."(Info via email from Chris Braide 3 Jan 2026.)
Q: "Track 14 on 'Christopher' is listed as 'Funny Five Minutes Thomas Dolby 7" Mix 3.57', but we have the 1992 CD single version 3.53 (which at the time of the CD single you described as an idea that was started in Preston one summer night and was finished in Warrington in 1988. 'It was demoed by myself and a friend and the tapes sold at school for £ 2 each. What you'll find on the CD is the new improved version with a little production help from Thomas Dolby'). This Christopher track 14 version is a different version from the 1992 CD single version (which is still on Spotify) and this Christopher version is an edit of the Chapter One 4.21 track if it helps, so as this 'new' 3.57 version shares the same Thomas Dolby intro as the 1992 single & Chapter One versions, we're guessing that it must come from the original 'Work in Progress' EP which preceded the Funny Five Minutes single (which incidentally we have never found a vinyl copy of, only the CD single) as it isn't as polished as the 3.53 version. Does that hypothesis sound right to you?" A: "Yes. It certainly sounds fairly polished though. It's not ‘rough’ as you imply, just a different mix from the SSL at Marcus. So it is a proper mix. The released version was remixed at the request of Paul Morgan at Polydor who felt it needed more work. I prefer the early mix. But you're right, I should add the later mix to the EP. I agree."(Info via email from Chris Braide 3 Jan 2026.)
Q: Why were 'Jealous' & 'She Still Sings' held over for and re-worked for 'Life in a Minor Key' rather than going straight into 'Chapter One'?" A: "She Still Sings was meant for Christopher, but then it became quite a major song on Minor Key, so when I cobbled together Chapter One I was trying not to double up - now they are back in their rightful place. Both Jelous and She Still Sings are from the '93 Condulmer sessions." (Info via email from Chris Braide 3 Jan 2026.)
| (19 Feb 2010) | digital single | Chris Braide: So Divine |
| (22 Nov 2013) | digital single | Chris Braide: She Still Sings |
| (27 Nov 2013) | digital single | Chris Braide: Counting out Time |
| (14 Dec 2025) | digital Bandcamp single | Christopher: Counting out Time (Julian Mendelsohn Mixes) |
Written by Chris Braide. Production and mix by Julian Mendelsohn. Recorded and mixed at Sarm West Studios, London, 1994.
"Counting Out Time, the lead single from the debut album Christopher, occupies a unique place in the Christopher story - not just as the album's opening statement, but as a song that passed through several distinct creative lenses before revealing its final form. At its core, Counting Out Time was always an existential song. Written from an early awareness of time, impermanence, and mortality, it reflects a sensibility that had been present since childhood - a quiet panic, not about events, but about existence itself. The song isn't dramatic or confessional; instead, it circles its subject with restraint, observing time passing rather than resisting it. That underlying awareness would go on to shape much of the work that followed, but here it appears in its most distilled and unguarded form. The recording journey began before the album sessions were fully defined. Dave Bascombe produced an early version of the song prior to Mick Hucknall's involvement with the project. That interpretation, created independently and with its own identity, captured an alternative production path and is included here as a standalone version - not a remix, but a separate record of the same song. As the album took shape, we took the Mick Hucknall-produced tapes and handed them to Julian Mendelsohn. At the time, Julian was not only regarded as one of the most accomplished mixers in British pop, but had also recently worked on Tasmin Archer's debut - making him Polydor's natural choice for a song that required clarity, restraint, and emotional focus rather than overt production flourish. We decamped to Sarm West Studios and spent several days working closely on Counting Out Time, refining the balance, scale, and atmosphere of the track. Julian's approach was meticulous and musical, allowing the song to breathe while giving it the quiet authority it needed to lead the record. His full-length mix became the defining version, with the 7" edit and instrumental emerging naturally from that work. In hindsight, Counting Out Time reveals itself as the album's unspoken lead single - understated, assured, and rooted in songcraft rather than fashion. This EP brings together the different creative paths the song travelled during that period, documenting a moment when multiple futures briefly co-existed before one quietly took precedence. Presented now as part of the archive, Counting Out Time stands as both an opening statement and a time-stamped object: a record shaped by trust, collaboration, and the belief that subtlety, given time, always reveals its strength."
| (26 Dec 2025) | digital Bandcamp single | Christopher: Needle and the Damage Done (Polydor Promo Single) |
https://chrisbraide.bandcamp.com/track/needle-and-the-damage-done-polydor-promo-single
Written by Neil Young. Performed by Chris Braide. Produced by Mick Hucknall & Got Yashiki. Recorded at Condulmer Studios, Italy, 1993.
"Issued as the fourth and final single from Christopher, this recording was pressed as a promo-only release, marking the quiet end of the album's campaign. Recorded at Condulmer [1993], the performance was captured live at the very piano pictured on the sleeve, with a single microphone and no attempt to refine or reframe the moment. During a break in sessions, Mick Hucknall heard Chris Braide playing the song and simply suggested, 'Why don't we record it?' What followed was an unplanned, intimate take - closer to a document than a production. A piano-vocal interpretation of 'Needle and the Damage Done', the recording stands as a love letter to Neil Young, and to a song Braide has long cited as one of his favourites. Stripped of arrangement and artifice, the performance leans into fragility and restraint, allowing the weight of the song to speak for itself. Never intended for commercial release, this promo-only pressing remains a quiet coda to Christopher - understated, unresolved, and deeply personal."
| (12 Jan 2010) | Youtube video | Chris Braide: If I Hadn't Got You [1996 Piano Demo] |
| (12 Jan 2010) | Youtube video | Chris Braide: Heavenly Rain [1996 Piano Demo] |
| (12 April 2013) | digital single | Chris Braide: Beautiful Things [1996] |
| late 1996/early 1997 | UK promo 12" | Chris Braide: If I Hadn't Got You |
| 3 March 1997 | UK/German CDM | Chris Braide: If I Hadn't Got You ['Red jacket' sleeve] |
| (15 July 2013) | digital single | Chris Braide: If I Hadn't Got You |
| 1997 | UK/German CDM | Chris Braide: If I Hadn't Got You ['Self-hugging' sleeve] |
| 4 Aug 1997 | German CDM | Chris Braide: If I Hadn't Got You ['Sitting at table' sleeve] |
Q: Where do acoustic versions fit into the normal demo / rough mix / final cut recording process, or are they afterthoughts? A: "Depends. Sometimes it's nice to do stripped versions to show off the essence of the song." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| 16 June 1997 | German CDM (+ digital single) | Chris Braide: Heavenly Rain |
| Aug ca 1997 | UK promo CD | CHRIS BRAIDE: Music from the forthcoming album LIFE IN A MINOR KEY |
| 25 Aug ca 1997 | US CD/MC | CHRIS BRAIDE: LIFE IN A MINOR KEY |
| 25 Aug ca 1997 | European CD | CHRIS BRAIDE: LIFE IN A MINOR KEY |
| 25 Aug 1997 | Japanese CD | CHRIS BRAIDE: LIFE IN A MINOR KEY |
| (25 Dec 2020) | Youtube video | Chris Braide: Suffer For Love [1997 Version] |
Q: Why was there a video for 'Suffer for Love' (which musically was an edit of the 1997 album version with a unique ending) but no actual single release (or was there?)?" A: "Dave Stewart shot the video. He loved that song. Never released as a single." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| 1998 | US CDS | Chris Braide: If I Hadn't Got You |
Q: Whose idea was it to record a US mix of 'If I Hadn't Got You' (yours or the label's) and why? A: "Atlantic Records. The idea was - find an American mixer to make it more American sounding = appeal to American audiences." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| (20 March 2010) | digital single | Chris Braide: Life in a Minor Key [2010 Version] |
| (31 Aug 2010) | Spotify album | CHRIS BRAIDE: LIFE IN A MINOR KEY (Deluxe Edition) [2010 Version] [originally released in 1997] |
Q: We know that seven of the tracks on the digital 2010 deluxe edition were new versions unique to that edition. So what prompted you to revisit then rather than just re-issue them? A: "I don't know. I just felt like it. That never really came out. I think I aborted the project quite soon after doing it." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
Q: We are still missing the final two tracks of the 2010 deluxe edition of 'Life in a Minor Key', one of which was 'If I Hadn't Got You (Acoustic Version)', but was that really a shorter 3.48 version, as the original released acoustic version was 4.22? A: "I just don't know. I think I've completed Life in a Minor Key with the Expanded Version, and never ever want to revisit that album again. Both Dave Stewart and I feel it's the best it will ever sound. That Deluxe Edition never really got off the ground, so, probably just an idea that got confined to the trash heap. No biggy. Can't even remember." (Info via email from Chris Braide 3 Jan 2026.)
| (16 Sep 2010) | digital single | Chris Braide: Heavenly Rain [2010 Version] |
| (15 Oct 2010) | digital single | Chris Braide: Jealous [2010 Version] |
| (12 April 2013) | digital album | CHRIS BRAIDE: LIFE IN A MINOR KEY [2013 Version] |
Q: You left out four of the 2010 re-recordings on the 2013 edition, but also included brand new recordings of a further five songs. So why revisit them a second time? A: "I don't know. I just felt like it. Why not? I might make an album of flute music tomorrow or a heavy metal album. Why do we create anything?" (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| (12 April 2013) | digital single | Chris Braide: Summer Fever (12 Inch Extended Version) |
| (5 May 2013) | vinyl LP | CHRIS BRAIDE: LIFE IN A MINOR KEY [2013 Version] |
| (12 Dec 2013) | digital EP | Chris Braide: Something in Me EP |
| (12 Dec 2013) | digital EP | Chris Braide: Cowboys and Thieves |
| (7 April 2025) | digital album | CHRIS BRAIDE: LIFE IN A MINOR KEY (EXPANDED EDITION) [2025 Version] |
Hector Cook analysed these 2025 versions: 1.This mix is primarily based on the 2013 re-recording but has several variations within it as well as a brand new extended outro thereby adding an extra 23 seconds to the 2013 version. 2. Almost identical to the 2013 re-recording but with a 28 second intro added with brand new instrumentation and featuring narration by Dave Stewart. 3. Almost identical to the 1997 re-recording, but a brighter mix particularly accentuating a wah pedal guitar effect. 4. This takes the original 1997 version and adds some nice subtle instrumentation with piano particularly prominent, but most noticeable is a brand new two second intro with suggestive female vocals. 5. This is a hybrid version, initially using the first part of the 2013 12" recording with different lyrics (with an 18 second portion of the intro taken out), whilst the last 70 seconds comprise the end of the 2010 re-recording. 6. This takes the original 1997 version and augments it with some string-quartet style orchestration, as well as adding 12 seconds of documentary style commentary about marital relationships, 10 seconds of which plays over the intro. 7. This is primarily based on the 2nd re-recording from 2013 but has been extensively edited to increase the running time by 50 seconds. It also features yet another American female documentary style commentary at the start as well as an enhanced ending. 8. Not so much of a remix as a complete remake. Yes it contains the same original 1997 vocal track but that's been re-phased to match a faster temp which knocks 16 seconds off the running time. It's hard to tell how much of the original instrumentation actually remains as the strings have disappeared with the new sound highlighting drums and a new piano track, with an electric guitar dominating the landscape for the final 90 seconds. 9. The only change from the original 1996 version (which was unreleased until 2010) is that the background orchestration has been completely removed leaving a nice crisp vocal and piano track. 10. Quite a lot of enhancement in this one, both instrumentally and vocally, resulting in a much fresher more contemporary sounding song. 11. This is similar to the 2013 re-recording, but has been augmented at the start and the end with some telephone special effects adding an extra 20 seconds, whilst within the body of the song itself there's some new electric guitar which is particularly prominent towards the end. 12. This omits the first 4 seconds of the 1996 mix and initially remains very true to the original until 4.05 when Chris's background vocals are submerged in favour of a return of the female rap vocals heard earlier in the song. 13. Another one which stays very true to the original with the most obvious change being that the backing singer's vocals are removed from various portions. In the original the outro fades out, whereas here it continues at the same volume before coming to a rather abrupt stop. 14. The changes to this are initially very subtle, the main noticeable one being that the artificial crackling is significantly reduced in places, but the main difference becomes apparent during the final minute when female rap vocals are introduced for the duration of the outro. 15. This is based on the original 1997 US mix (also known as the 'Final with Breakdown' mix) and doesn't appear to be augmented in any way with the only perceivable difference being that the vocals are a bit brighter having been moved more to the front of the mix. 16. This is a brand-new remix. 17. Another brand-new remix. 18. Although based on the T-Empo Master Club mix from 1996 this new version has had a lot of extra work done on it. Right from the start there's a brand-new bassline, which is quickly followed by a new piano riff and new vocal overdubs to give this new version a far more current feel than the original which unsurprisingly now sounds rather dated by comparison. The constant drum-beat of the original is also removed in places to better effect than a constant pounding. The re-editing begins in earnest shortly before the six-minute mark at which point any hint of similarity between the two tracks completely disappears. Ironically for an “Extended" mix, it actually concludes 11 seconds earlier than the original. 19. For all this is a brand new version; it's very similar in structure to the original 1997 acoustic version and it quickly becomes clear that Chris is following the same vocal phrasing until shortly before the three minute mark when it quickly becomes very different from the original, either by absence with instrumental only passages or different lyrics in others. Instrumentally it also has more layers than the purely piano original, and whilst it's note for note identical in its timing, the impression is that everything here is brand-new. 20. Initially this has a similar feel to the above with only occasional differences in the lyrics revealing that it's a different vocal cut, and to maintain such a similarity is a quite remarkable feat considering this new version was recorded 28 years later!
| (3 Dec 2025) | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide: If I Hadn't Got You (The Mixes) [New Mixes 2025] |
| (5 Dec 2025) | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide: Heavenly Rain (Atlantic Single mixes) [New Mixes 2025] |
| 2003 | CDS | Malmo: Take What You Can |
| 2004 | CD | MALMO: STONE COLD GRACE |
"I've always been quite a single minded person and in the early days I was always writing songs on my own and wanted to record them solo so it just never interested me to be in a band as such. Although I loved working with other musicians on my records and still do." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
Q: Why a 7-year gap in between albums (1997 / 2004)? A: "No idea. [Malmo was] just a fun project with a mate [Dean Johnson] at the time." Q: It's spelled Malmo on the release, is it supposed to be the without the dots over the last 'o', or is it supposed to be the correct Swedish spelling of the third biggest city of Sweden (because the adapted English spelling would be 'Malmoe'!)? A: "No idea really" (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| 2004 | promo CD | MALMO: 11 TRACK PROMO |
Q: Presumably issued to promote Stone Cold Grace, but only 3 of these 11 tracks appeared on that album? A: "I don't remember. We were just being creative." Q: Why Elstree? Was it a personal favourite of yours, or a subconscious premonition that you would become an honorary Buggle by playing with them in their only live concert? A: "Always loved it since i was a kid." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| 2004 | CD-single | Malmö: We Don't Know the People We Love |
| 2005 / 19 June 2006 | promo CD | MALMÖ: THE UPSIDE |
Q: The Malmo website said this album was unreleased, and yet we found the CD last year (all three CDs in fact)? A: "Yes, it was manufactured in a short run for friends really. Just a fun project." Q: The album artwork states 2005, but a promo sticker on the cover says 'release date 19 June 2006' - which was it? Perhaps the sticker indicates a 2nd attempt at promoting it? A: "Not sure". (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| 10 April 2006 | Youtube video | Chris Braide: I Can't Keep It to Myself |
Q: Why post a video of 'I Can't Keep It to Myself' on your original You Tube channel in 2006 in your name only? A: "Because the Malmo project was short lived, but I still loved that particular song and it's only me singing and playing on it". (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| (6 Jan 2009) | Spotify album / CD-R | CHRIS BRAIDE: THE UPSIDE |
https://open.spotify.com/album/0ImMltrkm2O6heUhcPf0FN
Q: Albeit with two substituted tracks, was there any special reason why you re-released this 3-4 years down the line in your own name? A: "Don't know. I think a fan persuaded me to put it out again because Malmo was long dead. I don't like the album that much. I find it slightly depressing." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| (10 March 2011) | CD-R single | Chris Braide: I Can't Keep It to Myself |
| (6 Dec 2025) | Digital Bandcamp Album | CHRIS BRAIDE & DEAN JOHNSON: THE UPSIDE [2025 Remix] |
https://chrisbraide.bandcamp.com/album/the-upside
"Originally written in 2005, and now revised with 20 years of experience behind them, the original 'Upside' album seems something of a false start. Extensive remixing and fresh overdubs, including drums by the acclaimed Ash Soan (Snow Patrol, Squeeze, Downes Braide Association), and special guest The High Llama's leader Sean O'Hagen (formerly of Microdisney) adds sublime acoustic guitar to 'Made Your Life Hell', along with the endless possibilities at hand in Chris's state-of-the-art studio; the vision is fully realised, but the modern sheen still retains the spirit of those final days of recording at the hallowed Townhouse, as liquidators stripped the studio of its period gear, with legends like Bryan Ferry among those claiming trophies. This is one of the last albums ever to be recorded at the now legendary studios in London. Additional recording and mixing was completed in Los Angeles at Magical Thinking Studio."
Q: When you completely revisited and re-worked 'The Upside' we noted that the track 'The Downside' was dropped completely from the original release, and instead 'Victims of Dreams' (from your own solo version) was included. Any particular reason why you didn't stick to the original Malmo album track list? A: "We wanted to present the album with me as the vocalist and Dean as the narrater. Neither of us miss 'The Downside' not being there, and prefer 'Victims of Dreams'." (Info via email from Chris Braide 3 Jan 2026.)
| (26 Dec 2025) | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide & Dean Johnson: Wild Honey Hair (2025 Remix) |
| (26 Dec 2025) | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide & Dean Johnson: Made Your Life Hell (2025 Remix) |
| (6 Jan 2026) | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide & Dean Johnson: Victim of Dreams |
| (7 Jan 2026) | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide & Dean Johnson: I Can't Keep It to Myself |
| (28 Jan 2026) | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide & Dean Johnson: The People We Love |
| 20 Aug 2007 | CDS / promo CDS / Spotify single | The Producers: Barking Up the Right Tree |
https://open.spotify.com/album/2Mw9fXhZ8wHFHSUMRYP176
| (2021) | YouTube tracks | The Producers: Original 2007 Versions |
| (6 Dec 2025) | Digital Bandcamp Album | PRODUCERS: GHOSTS OF BASING STREET (The Unreleased 2007 Mixes) |
"The Producers came together in the mid-2000s following a conversation at a recording session produced by Stephen Lipson. What began as an informal idea quickly became a fully active band, with writing, rehearsing, recording, and live performances spanning several years. Between 2006 and 2009, the group wrote extensively and recorded multiple versions of what would eventually become the album Made in Basing Street, working at studios including Sarm and Hook End. Presented here are the original 2007 mixes, created during the initial recording phase, prior to later revisions. These mixes document the band at an earlier stage of the project and reflect the performances and arrangements as they existed at that time. These recordings are shared here as an archival snapshot of that period. - Chris Braide"
| (6 Dec 2025) | Digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide: Man on the Moon |
"'Man on the Moon' was written on one of those rare, charmed days in 2006 when time seemed to stop inside Sarm Studios. Lol Creme and I ended up at the piano together, almost by accident, and before long we were throwing musical ideas back and forth the way only two musicians can when something is in the air. I had the lyric almost immediately - a meditation on loss, on what it feels like to be cut adrift from someone you truly love. That image appeared to me in a flash: a lone figure on the moon, watching the Earth turn without them. Lol and I wrote the music side-by-side at the keys, building the song as if we were discovering it rather than composing it. Ash Soan wandered in between takes and announced, with absolute certainty, that man had never landed on the moon - which sparked a whole conversation about myths, conspiracies, and what we choose to believe. Somehow that energy fed right back into the mood of the song: the beautiful uncertainty of what is real and what is remembered. I don't recall Trevor [Horn] being around much that day, though I know he loved the song when it came time to record it. There was a kind of quiet magic in the room - the feeling that a song had arrived fully formed and simply needed to be caught. This EP gathers the original 2006 recording, alternative mixes from the period, and - for the first time ever - a very rare live version captured at London’s Albert Hall, performed only once and long thought lost. Hearing the song in that setting, stripped back and unfiltered, reveals just how personal it always was. Man on the Moon is a snapshot of a moment: a piano, two writers, an unexpected conversation, and a lyric that landed faster than the pen could move. A small piece of studio history - and a song that still feels like it carries its own quiet universe."
| 1 April 2009 | Spotify album | CHRIS BRAIDE: YOU CAN'T BE FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE |
| 2009 | CDM | Chris Braide: I'm Not Afraid |
| 6 Nov 2009 | YouTube track | Chris Braide: Don't Talk about This Love (Original Demo) |
| 21 March 2010 | Spotify album / CD | CHRIS BRAIDE: SOMETHING ALWAYS HAPPENS |
Q: This album was quite the departure from your trademark 'piano ballad' style, and in retrospect can now be viewed as a transition towards the new 'Hello Leo' sound. You kept technological advancement at arm's length for 18 years - why, and what prompted you to start embracing it with this album, where at least three tracks wouldn't have sounded out of place on 'Human Feel'. A: "I just felt like using synths." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| 12 June 2010 | digital single | Chris Braide: Swings and Roundabouts |
| 12 June 2010 | digital single | Chris Braide: Open Doors (Hello, Hello) |
Q: Was there any special reason why you changed 'Open Doors' to 'Open Doors (Hello Hello)' on the single? A: "No". (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| (31 March 2014) | digital single | Chris Braide: Losers in Love [= 2014 Re-recording of "Love & War"] |
Q: Was there any special reason why you re-recorded 'Love & War' as 'Losers in Love' on the single? A: "No." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| (4 April 2014) | Myspace album | CHRIS BRAIDE: SOMETHING ALWAYS HAPPENS [2014 Myspace Version] |
| (14 Feb 2021) | YouTube track | Theophilus London ft. Chris Braide: Century Girl (Original mix produced by Chris Braide) [2011] |
| (27 Dec 2025) | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide & Theophilus London: Century Girl [2011] |
"Written in Los Angeles during a late-night session at Sony Music Studios, booked by Chris Braide for a writing date with Dev Hynes (Blood Orange). What began as a loose, nocturnal groove quickly took shape - a hazy, after-hours sketch of modern LA. When Theophilus London added his vocal, the track found its final voice: cool, restless, and unmistakably of the city. 'Century Girl' captures that moment - part glamour, part distance - where night, neon, and ambition blur together."
Q: Is it just a coincidence that 'Century Girl' (with Theo) was from around the same time as HELLO LEO was uploaded to Soundcloud (March 2011), or was that song part of the original Hello Leo recording sessions? A: "From around the same time but not part of Hello Leo. We were just working together on various things." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| 2 March 2011 | Soundcloud track | Hello Leo: No-One Out There |
| 21 March 2011 | Soundcloud tracks | HELLO LEO |
Q: Eight early versions were uploaded to Soundcloud in March 2011, a full 18 months before the album's release. Why? A: "That must have been a leak. No idea." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| (28 Feb 2021) | digital single | Hello Leo: Human Feel (feat. Theophilus London) [Alternate 2011 Version] |
| (2 Jan 2026) | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide & Theophilus London: Human Feel [2011] |
"Originally released as [group name] 'Hello Leo', Human Feel marks another moment from the intense creative period around 2011 when Chris Braide and Theophilus London were closely aligned - a time defined by constant exchange, instinctive collaboration, and forward-looking pop ideas. Recorded between London and Boston, the track features Theophilus London in full flow, delivering a characteristically fluid, conversational rap over Braide's cinematic pop production. This release includes a classic 12-inch mix, alongside a completely alternate instrumental - conceived in the spirit of the disco flip-side tradition, where Part 2 offered a parallel universe rather than a remix. Together, the versions capture the restless energy and experimental confidence of that era."
"I have reissued Human Feel and Century Girl as Chris Braide and Theophilus London - it's what I felt like doing. Labels do it all the time. Our names are more known than Hello Leo, and I liked them [the singles] both together as a pair. Almost like a pair of disco 12 inch singles." [Chris Braide via email 3 Jan 2026]
"The 'Electric Touch Mix' was created in 2011 and subsequently shelved, although I did send a copy to Theophilus London at the time of the Hello Leo album [2011/2012] and mentioned which album the sample was from, and that Hello Leo was based on my love of the band New Musik. Needless to say, it was no coincidence that he then recorded that cover of Carving Knife [in 2020, titled 'Revenge']. Not sure why it was unreleased, other than me getting cold feet about paying homage too closely - now, with the distance of time it felt right. I had forgotten all about it in fact. The 'No!' [chant] and the sonar bell are from the record, so I didn't re-create them - I wanted it to be [original] NM samples." [Chris Braide via email 14 Jan 2026]
| 21 Sep 2012 | digital album / LP | HELLO LEO: HUMAN FEEL |
| 21 Sep 2012 | digital single | Hello Leo: Human Feel |
| (28 March 2014) | digital single | Hello Leo: You Control Me |
| (9 May 2022) | digital mini album | HELLO LEO: RATIO OF ONE |
| 21 April 2012 | 12" | Producers: Garden of Flowers / Freeway |
| June? 2012 | promo CDS | Producers: Garden of Flowers |
| June? 2012 | promo CDS | Producers: Barking Up the Right Tree |
| 25 June 2012 | CD / 2-CD / digital | PRODUCERS: MADE IN BASING STREET |
Q: The Producers were originally signed to Stiff Records and 'Barking Up The Right Tree / Freeway' was issued as a single in 2007, so why was there a five year gap before subsequent releases? Chris Braide: "We were all busy doing different things." Q: Due to other commitments, you officially left the band in 2009, and yet continued to work with them. Were there any songs on the album that you weren't involved in at all, or did you have a hand in all the released versions to some degree? Chris Braide: "Yes, I wrote and played on everything." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| (2021) | YouTube track | Producers |
| (26 July 2024) | 5-CD | PRODUCERS: MADE IN BASING STREET |
Chris Braide in the booklet: "The album that Steve's mixed now is the album that we made in 2007/8."
CD 1: MADE IN BASING STREET - 2023 Mix: This Steve Lipson mix is much closer to what the 2012 release would have sounded like if Chris hadn't re-located to the USA shortly before its release. So the irony there of course is that the later 2023 remix is actually much closer to the original 2007 versions than the released 2012 versions!
CD 5: MADE IN BASING STREET INSTRUMENTAL - 2023 Backing Track: Instrumental versions of CD1 but 'Looking for Love' substituted for 'Every Single Night in Jamaica'.
Q: "CD 2 track 1 is a 2023 mix of 'Looking for Love', but as far as we can tell that one was previously unreleased, so presumably there's an original version of that, in which case why omit that from the box set and include an instrumental version instead?" A: "I don't think it was a case of omitting the original mix of Looking for Love, it's just more a case of - Nobody has heard it so here's a 2023 mix which becomes the first/definitive version. The Instrumental relates to the 2023 backing track. It's virtually the same mix anyway. There are other bits and pieces, early mixes, half finished mixes that could have been included, but honestly - you have to stop somewhere or you'd need a 20 disc box set." [Chris Braide via email 2 Aug 2024]
Q: "CD 2 track 5 - Garden of Flowers (Alternative Edit) - is technically not really an 'edit' but a 'short version' as it's simply the original alternate version with the first 26 seconds chopped off. A: "Probably Steve's 'edit', not mine." [Chris Braide via email 3 Jan 2026]
Q: "CD 2 track 6 - Garden of Flowers (Radio Edit with Guitars) - this is NOT track 2 (Radio Edit with Guitars) on the 2012 promo CD-single 'Garden of Flowers', but is in fact identical to CD 3 track 8 (apart from having longer silence at the end), so presumably that was a mistake made by Cherry Red when compiling it? A: "Maybe. Can't really answer it as I don't know." [Chris Braide via email 3 Jan 2026]
Q: "CD 4 track 5 - How come you recycled 'Home' (aka 'When I Get Home') for The Producers eight years after the original Malmo version? A: "I offered it up during the Hook End recording sessions and everyone loved the song so we did a version. No big mystery, we just thought we'd re do it." [Chris Braide via email 3 Jan 2026]
| 12 Nov 2012 | digital album / CD / LP | DBA: PICTURES OF YOU |
| (3 June 2013) | digital single | DBA: The Superfortress |
| 24 Jan 2014 | digital single | Chris Braide: Take What You Can |
| 24 Jan 2014 | digital single | Chris Braide: Fifty Dollar Planets |
| 7 Feb 2014 | digital single | Chris Braide: Let Me Love You |
| 8 March 2014 | digital album / CD | CHRIS BRAIDE: FIFTY DOLLAR PLANETS AND TWENTY CENT STARS |
| 8 March 2014 | digital EP | Chris Braide: My First Language Is Love |
| 19 April 2014 | 12" | DBA: Dreaming of England |
| 9 March 2015 | CD / digital / 2-LP | MARC ALMOND: THE VELVET TRAIL |
Q: We deemed this to be a full-on collaboration album as you played all the instruments as well as co-writing, producing, recording and mixing. Apart from this and subsequent albums with Marc, are there any other entire albums from the production side of your career which fall into this category? A: "I don't think so no." Q: When specifically writing for others, do you adopt a different approach from that for your own solo releases? A: "I don't adopt a hugely different approach writing with other people for their own projects. I try to work with artists I like and respect and feel a connection with. It's the same. I approach it like I'm part of the band or project. So that it has heart. Otherwise I couldn't do it." Q: In a 2015 interview Marc admitted that 'I never felt confident in myself as a songwriter', so was he reluctant to contribute to the writing process and were you able to coax more participation from him with the follow-up album? A: "Once he knew that my music was written for him, he threw himself completely into the writing and loved it." Q: On 'The Pain of Never' you used Tony Mansfield's trademark sonar sound for the first time. What was the thinking behind pulling that special effect out of the bag at that point in your career, as the Hello Leo album would have been the more obvious place to so? A: "I felt like it." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| 22 June 2015 | digital single / promo CD-R | Marc Almond: Pleasure's Wherever You Are |
| 17 July 2015 | digital album / CD / LP | THIS OCEANIC FEELING: UNIVERSAL MIND |
"This Oceanic Feeling" are Ash Soan, Chris Braide, Lee Pomeroy. Recorded and mixed Nov 2014 - Feb 2015 at Magical Thinking Studios, Los Angeles, Soanup Studio, Norfolk, Fuzzbass Studios, Kent.
Q: In an interview you considered re-visiting this album. Was there any special reason for that? A: "I don't think so. Q: Is there any possibility of a follow-up album? A: "No." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| (2 Sep 2016) | digital single | This Oceanic Feeling: I Play Debussy |
| 6 Nov 2015 | digital album / CD / LP | DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION: SUBURBAN GHOSTS |
| 12 Dec 2016 | digital soundtrack album | BALLERINA [aka "LEAP!" in USA] |
| 19 Dec 2016 | movie soundtrack | BALLERINA [aka "LEAP!" in USA] |
Q: Although your own name is credited on the album sleeve, why did the individual songs get credited as 'Magical Thinker' instead? A: "Contractual reasons." Q: As your own name only appears on the soundtrack cover, it's not so readily associated with you and was difficult to discover. Are there any other soundtracks you have been heavily involved in, rather than just contributing a particular song? A: "No." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| 30 Dec 2016 | YouTube video | Magical Thinker & Stephen Wrabel: You Know It's about You (from Leap!) Official |
| 27 July 2017 | digital single | Wrabel & Magical Thinker: It's You |
| 4 Feb 2017 | Soundcloud track | Chris Braide: The Smile Has Left |
https://soundcloud.com/user-699890721/chris-braide-the-smile-has-left-mx-1
| 10 March 2017 | digital album / CD / LP | MARC ALMOND: HITS & PIECES |
| 10 March 2017 | digital single / promo CD-R | Marc Almond: A Kind of Love |
| 16 Aug 2017 | Japanese digital album/CD/LP (+ European CD/digital 2018) | TREVOR HORN: THE REFLECTION (Wave One - Original Sound Track) |
| 25 Aug 2017 | Spotify album | CHRIS BRAIDE: SINGER SONGWRITER |
"Dave and Me" is a re-recording of "Ray & Me" which originally appeared on Glenn Tillbrook's 2004 "Transatlantic Ping Pong" album. A 30 second extract of Chris's original version appears here http://www.chartsinfrance.net/player.php?id=132962448
Q: Was there any special reason why you changed 'Ray & Me' to 'Dave & Me', and was it based on a real Ray or Dave in your life? A: "Ray was Glenn Tilbrook's mate, Dave was mine. My version was about dave who was my mate. Totally different lives Glenn and I have had obviously. Hence the story change. One relates to Glenn, one relates to me. Personal differnce. Simple." Q: Whether deliberate or coincidental (?), in some of your later songs ('You Control Me' being a perfect example) your voice is virtually indistinguishable from Trevor Horn's, so telling you apart can be quite difficult Did you contribute any backing vocals to the Reflection OST versions of Sky Show, or are those three (main version, Bel Air Reflected & Extended mix & unplugged) entirely Trevor's vocals? A: "I think it's Trevor, but he had me sing it all first so he could copy my phrasing and harmonies. We did it all in Los Angeles. He's not a confident singer so I helped him out as I co-wrote it and sang the demo." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| 1 Sep 2017 | digital single | Chris Braide: Sky Show |
| (1 Jan 2021) | digital reissue album | CHRIS BRAIDE: SINGER SONGWRITER |
Q: 'Kill and Run' could quite easily have been a James Bond theme. Was that future possibility in the back of your mind when you wrote it, and is having a Bond theme on your CV an active ambition? A: "Yes it was. Well spotted. (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| (1 Dec 2025) | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide: The Reflection / Sky Show |
"In the twilight of a legendary career, as Stan Lee's final animation took shape in Japan, the production team sought a theme worthy of his immortal heroes. What followed was a collaboration forged in creativity and respect - a meeting of melody and vision. From this union emerged 'Sky Show', a theme that rises with heroic brightness, carrying the emotional weight and boundless wonder of Lee's universe. The recordings presented here are the earliest, untouched versions - the very first interpretations offered to the creators in Japan. Written by Chris Braide with lyrics by Trevor Horn, and performed with striking clarity and heart by Chris Braide, these tracks capture the moment inspiration first crystallised into sound. A rare document of creation. A song born for legends. A Sky Show."
| 21 Sep 2017 | CD / digital / LP | MARC ALMOND: SHADOWS & REFLECTIONS |
| 17 Nov 2017 | digital album / CD / LP | DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION: SKYSCRAPER SOULS (DBA 3) |
| 19 Nov 2017 | 10" vinyl / CD-R | Marc Almond: Demon Lover |
| 29 Nov 2019 | live digital album / 2CD+DVD / 2LP | DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION: LIVE IN ENGLAND [Live 28 Sep 2018] |
| 31 Jan 2020 | CD / digital / LP | MARC ALMOND: CHAOS AND A DANCING STAR |
Q: As Marc openly declared in an interview promoting this album that you are 'the best person in the world', presumably collaboration albums with him will become a regular occurrence like those with Geoff have done? A: "Maybe. We've done a few things recently." (Info via email from Chris Braide 21 April 2023.)
| (10 Feb 2021) | Spotify album | MARC ALMOND with CHRIS BRAIDE: CHAOS AND ALL THE HITS (Live at the Royal Festival Hall, 10th February 2020) |
| (27 Feb 2023) | Youtube video | Chris Braide: Soul of My Suit (Introduced by Marc Almond) [Live 30 Sep 2020] |
"Chris Braide sings a live cover of Soul Of My Suit from the Marc Bolan birthday celebration - hosted by Marc Almond. KALMIYH"
Live in Chris's Los Angeles studio on 30th September 2020 for Marc Almond presents: 'Marc Life' Marc Bolan & T.Rex Birthday Special https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdQjY-EkQQc
| 5 Feb 2021 | digital album | CHRIS BRAIDE: PIANO WORKS |
| 5 Feb 2021 | digital album / CD+DVD / 2LP | DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION: HALYCON HYMNS (DBA IV) |
| 28 Oct 2022 | 10" vinyl LP | MARC ALMOND: THINGS WE LOST |
| 28 Oct 2022 | 3-CD | MARC ALMOND: THINGS WE LOST |
| (2023) | vinyl 3-LP | MARC ALMOND with CHRIS BRAIDE: CHAOS AND MORE (Live at the Royal Festival Hall, 10th February 2020) |
(Strike Force Entertainment, SFELP 098T) Same 37 live track as above, divided over three vinyls.
| 23 July 2021 | CD-EP / 12" | Andy Partridge: My Failed Songwriting Career (Volume 1) |
| 18 Dec 2022 | digital album | CHRIS BRAIDE: SEVEN DIALS & MANY MILES |
| 12 May 2023 | digital EP | Chris Braide: Hollywood Forever |
| 28 May 2023 | Youtube video | Chris Braide - Singers Hampstead Home - A tribute to Cathal Coughlan |
| 16 June 2023 | various artists tribute 2-CD | ELEMENTAL CHILD - THE WORDS AND MUSIC OF MARC BOLAN |
| 30 June 2023 | digital single | Downes Braide Association: Clear Light |
| 8 Sep 2023 | digital album/CD/LP | DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION: CELESTIAL SONGS |
| 23 Feb 2024 | CD-EP / 10" (+ digital EP) | QUEEN OF THE PLANET WOW: THE SONGS OF ANDY PARTRIDGE + CHRIS BRAIDE |
| (22 Sep 2024) | Bandcamp-EP | QUEEN OF THE PLANET WOW: THE SONGS OF ANDY PARTRIDGE + CHRIS BRAIDE |
https://chrisbraide.bandcamp.com/album/queen-of-the-planet-wow-ep
| (5 Dec 2025) | Bandcamp EP | ANDY PARTRIDGE + CHRIS BRAIDE: RETURN TO PLANET WOW! |
"Andy Partridge and Chris Braide are back with a substantially expanded version of their collaborative EP. A labor of love, spanning nearly a decade. Initially started in 2014, the songs lay dormant until Chris revisited the original sketches in 2023, bringing the project to fruition. This treasure trove of early 'homespun' versions, plus the original ep is a testament to the duo's creative chemistry. As a longtime admirer of XTC, with a particular fondness for the iconic 'Skylarking' album, Chris's collaboration with Andy Partridge is a dream realized."
| 16 Aug 2024 | digital single | Chris Braide: Closer |
| 16 Aug 2024 | digital single | Chris Braide: Closer (Piano Version) |
| 16 Sep 2024 | digital tribute album | CHRIS BRAIDE: THERE WAS A TIME - THE SONGS OF MARC BOLAN |
Bonus Track Bandcamp album:
| 16 Sep 2024 | digital single | Chris Braide: Life's a Gas / Children of the Revolution |
| 16 Oct 2024 | digital single | Chris Braide: Cosmic Dancer |
| 23 Oct 2024 | digital single | Chris Braide: The Soul of My Suit c/w Light of Love |
| 21 Feb - 21 Oct 2025 | Instagram studio videos | [Chris Braide] |
| 25 April 2025 | Spotify single | Chris Braide: Invisible |
https://open.spotify.com/album/22OyowPmN4hQKIhQ47dNTF
| (25 Dec 2025) | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide: Invisible (Original Version) |
"Following an intense period of writing together in Miami, Chris Braide and Desmond Child found an immediate creative rapport. What began as a two-week writing trip quickly extended when Child invited Braide to continue working in the Bahamas. Braide booked a flight and the two relocated to Lyford Cay, where, over the course of a focused week of writing, they co-wrote Invisible. On returning to London, Braide recorded a full vocal version of the song, delivering the performance that would become the reference for the eventual commercial release [by Clay Aitken in 2003]. Further elements were later added by Child in Miami, completing the production. Invisible went on to become a major international hit, achieving significant success in the United States and winning two ASCAP awards for Most Performed Song on US Pop Radio. The Sarm West version included here was recorded live in the studio and performed by The Producers, capturing the song in a different setting during Braide's time with the band. During this period, Invisible was performed extensively live across the UK, becoming a regular part of The Producers' set. This release presents the original vocal recordings and contemporaneous versions from that period, documenting Invisible at its point of origin - before its global success, but already fully formed." (Info via email from Chris Braide 3 Jan 2026.)
| 27 Nov 2025 | digital Bandcamp EP | Chris Braide: Wonderous Stories (In Tribute to Yes) |
"As a lifelong fan of YES, these recordings are a small love letter to the music and voices that shaped my imagination from childhood onward. Jon Anderson has been my favourite singer for as long as I can remember - a beacon of wonder, melody and spiritual joy - and revisiting 'Wondrous Stories' felt like returning to the place where my musical heart first opened. My own connection to the YES world has threaded through my career in unexpected ways: from my years in The Producers with Stephen Lipson, to creating albums as one half of the Downes Braide Association with Geoff Downes. Those collaborations only deepened my admiration for the artistry, adventure and emotional generosity that Jon, Chris, Steve, Alan, Rick, Geoff and the entire family of YES have given the world. This release presents my version of 'Wonderous Stories,' alongside a solo piano/vocal performance of 'The Smile Has Left Your Eyes' from Asia's second album Alpha. These tracks are shared with the same spirit that inspired me as a boy: gratitude, wond... and the joy of singing music that still feels like home."
Q: Your 'Wonderous Stories' EP originally included 'Owner of a Lonely Heart - Live in London' but that appears to have been subsequently withdrawn - are you able to explain why? A: "I felt that 'Wonderous Stories' was more representetive of me - ''Owner of a Lonely Heart' felt more like Trevor's. So it was for creative reasons, and also out of respect, that I removed it. I think it has more dignity as it is now. Also, the rights of that song are complex with multiple writers. I didn't want to invite scrutiny." (Info via email from Chris Braide 3 Jan 2026.)
| 27 Nov 2025 | digital Bandcamp album | CHRIS BRAIDE: THIS ISN'T ACTING [a.k.a. 'MY SONGS MY TAKE'] [all tracks are previously unreleased unless otherwise stated] |
"Chris Braide, the Grammy-nominated British songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist renowned for his emotive collaborations with global icons, unveils 'My Songs, My Take' - a personal collection of original piano versions of some of his most celebrated compositions. Stripped down to their haunting, bare essence, these tracks capture the intimate magic of their studio births, revealing the raw vulnerability and craftsmanship that define Braide's songwriting prowess. Originally penned and produced for other artists, the album reimagines hits such as 'Unstoppable' (Sia), a soaring anthem of resilience that topped the US Adult Pop Airplay chart after amassing over 1.5 billion Spotify streams; 'Ten Feet Tall' (Wrabel and Afrojack), a Billboard Dance Chart top-10 smash blending heartfelt lyrics with electronic pulse; 'Flames' (David Guetta featuring Sia), the UK's #7 hit and Europe's most-played radio track of 2018 with 1.8 billion streams; and 'Helium' (from the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack). Performed solely on piano with Braide's soulful vocals, these versions eschew orchestral layers and production flair, allowing the songs' emotional cores to shine through in a way that feels both timeless and profoundly moving. Produced by Chris Braide."
Q: Why did you re-release 'This Isn't Acting' (effectively Singer Songwriter Vol. 2) as 'My Songs My Take' just seven months later? A: "Sometimes as a creative person I have these ideas - I did the bag over head photo and thought - since it's Bandcamp - I will release it as 'This Isn't Acting'. Think of it like labeles putting out the same album in different sleeves for different countries etc." Q: And why then omit 'Invisible' (which we incidentally note was the acoustic version that you had released on the single in April)? A: "I think I ommited 'Invisible' to not repeat too much - perhaps. No biggy." Q: Also, 'This Is the Night' starts with a six second dialogue intro by Bette Davis from the 1942 movie 'Now, Voyager' - was this added as an afterthought for the album or just edited out of the single you released? A: "It was edited off for single version." (Info via email from Chris Braide 3 Jan 2026.)
| 29 Nov 2025 | digital Bandcamp album | CHRIS BRAIDE: THE BOY IN THE SKY AND THE VANISHING TOWN |
"The Boy in the Sky & the Vanishing Town is a hauntingly personal work - a cycle of piano-and-orchestral pieces that drifts through the fading landscapes of a childhood that can no longer be found. Set against the twilight streets of Warrington, the album unfolds like a dream of a disappearing world: a town dissolving into mist, a figure dancing away into the moonlight, and the child left rising slowly into the sky in search of what was lost. These are tone-poems of memory and absence - Walton in Winterlight, Flight Above the Town, Dance on Twin Top Hill - where every note feels like a step further into the past, or a step closer to understanding it. Braide's piano becomes both the narrator and the witness, guiding the listener through a landscape where nothing stays, where the familiar becomes spectral, and where love lingers even after it has vanished. It is a requiem for a place, a childhood, and a mother who can't be reached - but also a quiet miracle of beauty, resilience, and the way music holds whatever the world lets slip away."
| 16 Dec 2025 | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide: Symphony in Black |
"Symphony in Black is a solitary, nine-minute meditation - wistful, unhurried, and quietly unresolved. It feels like a memory suspended in air: innocence glimpsed from a distance, in a world that has largely misplaced it. At its centre is the piano - not as an instrument, but as a constant. For Chris Braide, the Yamaha C7 has been a lifelong companion, shipped across continents and studios, following him wherever life and work have led. Without it, he has often said, he would be lost. It is the one fixed point in a life defined by motion. The piece unfolds slowly, like a thought that refuses to be rushed. There is no urgency here, only reflection - a lament for a moment already passed, for a state of being that can be remembered but never re-entered. Rather than building toward resolution, Symphony in Black drifts, circles, and gently fades, allowing space for the listener's own memories to surface. The B-side, Empty Rooms, acts as an after-image - an echo rather than a reply. Sparse and reflective, it carries a trace of mid-century melancholy, with a subtle nod to Joe Harnell's Lonely Man. Where the A-side moves through open sky, Empty Rooms remains indoors, resonant with absence and quiet reverberation. Together, the two pieces form a self-contained artefact: a brief journey, a held breath, and a piano - still playing - as the world moves on around it."
| 17 Dec 2025 | digital Bandcamp album | CHRIS BRAIDE: BIG PIANOS CRY |
"Big Pianos Cry is a rare glimpse into the secret life of songs - the moment before the world hears them, before production transforms them, when melody and emotion first take shape at the piano. This collection presents the original Chris Braide productions of songs co-written with Sia Furler, including early instrumental versions of Unstoppable, Big Girls Cry, Helium, Flames, She Wolf and more. These recordings were never created for release. They are the private blueprints - melodic frameworks, harmonic structures and emotional sketches - captured instinctively in the writing room as each song was being born. Stripped of vocals and studio polish, the music reveals something rarely heard: the architecture behind the songs. Chord shapes, counter-melodies, suspended tensions, the internal logic of a phrase - the quiet engineering that would later carry these tracks across the world. Rather than polished demos, these are working documents: spontaneous, intimate, and honest. They show how the songs actually began - at a piano, with harmony, feeling, and instinct leading the way. For the first time, these blueprints are gathered together as a songwriter's archive: the foundations of some of the most recognisable anthems of the last decade, presented exactly as they were created. Big Pianos Cry is not a retrospective. It is a window into the creative process - a record of where the music truly started."
| 26 Dec 2025 | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide: This Is the Night (Original Version) |
"This Is the Night was written in Miami during a writing session between Chris Braide, rock legend Aldo Nova, and Garry Burr. The song came together quickly over the course of a single evening, with Braide recording a full vocal performance that same night. Cathy Dennis, who was also in Miami at the time, heard the song shortly after it was written and immediately recognised its potential, famously remarking, 'That's a hit.' She contacted Simon Fuller and urged him to hear the recording. On hearing Braide's original vocal version, Fuller responded simply: 'Can I have this song?' Released shortly afterwards, This Is the Night went on to become the biggest-selling single in the United States of 2003, reaching No.1 and achieving extraordinary commercial success. The song dominated US pop radio throughout the year and went on to receive multiple industry awards, including major honours recognising its performance and impact. This release presents Braide's original vocal version - the recording that sparked the chain of events - capturing the song at the moment of its creation, before it became a defining American hit."
| 27 Dec 2025 | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide: Freeway (Things That Make the World Go Round) (2025 Version) |
https://chrisbraide.bandcamp.com/album/freeway-things-that-make-the-world-go-round
"'Freeway' was written late at night in London, the evening before a Producers recording session. With little usable material coming together, Chris Braide did what he has always done - stayed up writing. Lying on his three-year-old son's bed, headphones on, he worked from the original backing track and a rough guide melody sung in phonetic nonsense - his usual method - and wrote the lyric in one uninterrupted flow. Every word was written that night. The song captures the feeling of driving through the LA canyons in the early hours, racing the freeway lights and trying to make it home before sunrise - suspended between exhaustion, momentum, and hope. This 2025 version is a complete re-recording. Braide re-sang the track with the intention of preserving the spirit and emotional immediacy of the original 2007 vocal, while bringing the clarity and control that comes with time. Some songs wait. Freeway never stopped moving."
| 27 Dec 2025 | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide: Unstoppable |
"'Unstoppable' was co-written by Christopher Braide and Sia and released in 2016, going on to become one of the defining global pop songs of the 21st century. The song reached No.1 in the United States, topped charts around the world, and remained on international charts for over 100 weeks, an extraordinary feat reflecting its enduring cultural impact. Driven by relentless radio play, streaming longevity, and widespread use across film, television, and global events, Unstoppable became one of the most performed songs of its era. In recognition of this, Braide and Sia were awarded a BMI Award for one of the most played songs worldwide, cementing the song’s status as a modern standard. This release presents the writer's version of Unstoppable - returning the song to its point of origin and placing it within Christopher Braide's own catalogue as the composer and original architect of the work."
| 1 Jan 2026 | digital Bandcamp single | Chris Braide: Dreams (Original Version) |
"Written in Miami by Christopher Braide and Desmond Child, Dreams emerged from a shared love of classic American rock songwriting. Conceived with an Aerosmith-style swagger and sense of scale, the song leans into big hooks and emotional lift, while retaining Chris Braide's distinctive melodic fingerprint at its core."
Copyright (c) 2021-03-19 Jonas Wårstad.
Thanks to Hector Cook for his invaluable assistance in compiling this discography.
Last update 2026-01-28.
Chris Braide at Bandcamp
Chris Braide at Deezer (digital downloads)
Chris Braide Timeline 1992-2009 (fan site)
(Note: Whenever an official Bandcamp release date differes from the actual upload date, I have used the upload date.)