[60] According to Rafferty's ex-wife Carla: "There was no hope. The sax solo did sound vaguely familiar, so perhaps I have heard this in the past on the radio somewhere along the way. His background was soaked in Scottish socialism and poverty, his mind sharp and his personality acerbic, and he wasn't going to be dazzled by the glamour of success. [17], Legal issues after the break-up of Stealers Wheel meant that, for three years, Rafferty was unable to release any material. Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by flyingdutchman, Aug 17, 2021. The remaining tracks are remastered tracks from his previous three albums. [73], Newspapers printed lengthy obituaries for the singer; in The Guardian, Michael Gray charted Rafferty's long downward spiral into alcoholism,[38] while a full-page obituary in The Times summarised his career more positively: "As well as being a singer of considerable talent who at one time had the pop world at his feet, Gerry Rafferty was also a consummate songwriter, blessed with sensitivity and an enviable melodic flair that at its best recalled Paul McCartney. The next album was all organised but Gerry wanted to get rid of me.". Jon Brewer is a director and producer. I saw a man in despair". To be a star in inverted commas -that is probably the last thing I want. Night Owl Gerry Rafferty Buy album Year of Release: 1979 Appears in: 30 charts Rank Score: 122 Rank in 1979: 145 Rank in 1970s: 1,467 Overall Rank: 9,694 No matter the true genesis of its sax riff, the song still endures. However, he explained in an interview, "But there was never anything else for me but music. Baker Street has been covered by a wildly diverse set of outfits, most virtuously by Waylon Jennings and the London Symphony Orchestra, most sentimentally by Lisa Simpson, and most blandly by the Foo Fighters and Rick Springfield. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time It contains an In 1995, Rafferty was deeply affected by the death of his older brother Joseph, an event from which family and friends have said he never fully recovered. Gerry Rafferty obituary | Gerry Rafferty | The Guardian Burns is responsible for the blistering guitar solo on Baker Street and considers working with Gerry Rafferty one of his lifes great honors. Burns isnt ruling out its return. " Right Down the Line " is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. [79], In October 2013, Peter Cameron released a biography of Rafferty entitled Stuck in the Middle with Gerry Rafferty, published by the independent publisher Linn. Before, I was never in control. And yet when it comes to writing tasteful pop songs songs that you remember long after they've dropped out of the Top Twenty or whatever he's just about the best and consequently the most underrated in Britain. [39], According to his former wife Carla, who discouraged visitors: "He was just stalling for time. We may never know if one influenced the other or it was just the alchemy of two different studios coming up with something unmistakably great. What is it going to take?, Jerry says, Jon, Ill tell you what well do: 3, 2, 1., He says, 3% on the first album, 2% on the second album and 1% on the third., I went, Oh, cmon, there must be another way., So that was the deal. And as long as it was supported by radio play, who could say that it wasnt a genuine hit? Rafferty offered to buy himself out of his contract and Brewer turned him down. Thats why I especially liked the Everly Brothers.. Then, in the most offhand, glory-belying way, Burns dropped in this aside: Strangely enough, another record that I played on, which was a massive hit, certainly in this country and I think in America as well, was called Careless Whisper, that also had a massive opening solo. [34], Rafferty sang the Mark Knopfler-penned song "The Way It Always Starts" (1983) on the soundtrack of the film Local Hero. If you listen to Stealers Wheel self-titled album, there was a lot to like besides Stuck in the Middle With You. [citation needed], Also in 1983, Rafferty announced his intention to take a break and devote more time to his family: "It dawned on me that since Baker Street I had been touring the world, travelling everywhere and seeing nowhere. I must admit, I could live off that song alone." Roy Wood Jr. Here is the song sung by Gerry with Joe providing the second lead vocal: Theres a 1 hour BBC4 documentary about him here. Gerry Rafferty Remembered is at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall as part of Celtic Connections on 22 and 23 . [28], "Right Down the Line" was the second single from City to City. "Gerry Rafferty: Right Down the Line". Songs like 'She Moves Through the Fair', which my mother sings beautifully. Billy said, We got 10 points if they passed out, 5 points if they screamed He was a wonderful character in those days., When City To City was finished, Brewer shopped it around record companies. [51], On 3 September 2021 Parlophone UK released "Rest In Blue" an album on which Martha Rafferty completed a project started by her father from demos left by Rafferty. Billboard Hot 100 [2] and #8 on Cash Box. The singer was wary of the media and disliked being asked to analyse his songs, particularly to those outwith his creative circle. It makes me think of home, nostalgia and happiness. Now I feel much more in control of myself, and certainly much more in control of the way I want my career to go along. this can result in this site earning a commission. He has a flight to catch. [27] But it earned him another 1.5million, selling around three million copies in Europe and America. Enter your email address in the field below and we'll send you a password to read all free articles on RBP. [43][44] Through his company Icon Music, Rafferty promoted and sold the album independently on a website created specifically for the purpose. [16] Stealers Wheel also produced the lesser top 50 hits "Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine" followed by "Star", and there were further suggestions of Rafferty's growing alienation in tracks such as "Outside Looking In" and "Who Cares". Stay up to date with in depth music reviews, exclusive interviews and widespread coverage of whats happening from your favourite music genre. Whatever I do in the future, it's at my own pace, on my own terms. TV documentary produced by Neon Productions (Glasgow) for BBC Scotland, co-produced by Valerie Lyon and Robert Noakes, 2011. GERRY RAFFERTY rarely comes up in interviews, seldom works on the road and is in London even less often. In an interview that year with Colin Irwin to promote the album, Rafferty mentioned that he was interested in doing more production work and writing film soundtracks, and even floated the idea of writing a musical about the life of Robert Louis Stevenson. A Scotsman bred on traditional music, he was never a proper folkie - not really - and his alliance with Billy Connolly in The Humblebums at the end of the '60s always seemed a bizarre blend of opposites, though Gerry maintains it was . [11] Billboard praised the album as "high-grade folk-rock", describing it as Rafferty's "finest work" to date: "His tunes are rich and memorable with an undeniable charm that will definitely see him into the album and very possibly singles charts soon". In 2010, Baker Street was honored by BMI for achieving 5 million radio plays worldwide. Gerry Rafferty - IMDb It's been a huge earner for me. In the right music it sounds fantastic, its the only way to make certain kinds of music. In fact, most of what I played was an old blues riff. [11] Instead of a cover painting and hand-lettering by John 'Patrick' Byrne, who had illustrated every previous Rafferty and Stealers Wheel album, Sleepwalking featured a simple, stark photograph of an empty road stretching to the sky. Raffertys rise to glory hadnt come about entirely by chance. I probably did more music with him than any other musician. He was also friends with Ravenscroft and toured with him. The group was beset by legal wranglings, but had a huge hit with "Stuck in the Middle with You", which earned critical acclaim as well as commercial success: a 1975 article in Sounds described it as "a sort of cross between white label Beatles and punk Dylan yet with a unique Celtic flavour that has marked all their work". Gerry Rafferty is one of the more elusive and enigmatic figures on this increasingly strange roundabout. If I have to listen to the album, Ill give you 50 thousand. Accept | Cookies policy | Privacy policy, Click here to sign in via the UK federation WAYF. His daughter Martha relaunched Rafferty's old website, gerryrafferty.com, with a full discography, rare photos, and new artwork by John 'Patrick' Byrne. "[47] Finally, thanks to the Internet, it seemed Rafferty no longer needed the music industry: technology was allowing him to put his music directly in the hands of an appreciative audience. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. [5][11][38] In 1987, Rafferty and Murphy co-produced The Proclaimers first UK hit single "Letter from America". He hated capitalism. If youre asking me: Did Gerry hand me a piece of music to play? then no, he didnt.. affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network, and Let me meet Gerry.". Rafferty has been a one-hit wonder before, five years ago, when Stealers Wheel topped the charts with Stuck in the Middle with You. Stealers Wheel was led by Rafferty and Joe Egan, friends since both were sixteen-year-olds playing in bands in their hometown of Paisley, a bleak industrial city near Glasgow. [50], Rafferty's death in January 2011 rekindled interest in the singer's work. [4], Rafferty left St Mirin's Academy in 1963. He told me that he and Marcus had been best friends at a time and wanted to know what the connection to Steve Marcus was, since Ravenscroft is listed as the saxophonist on Baker Street. When I replied that Raffertys song sounded suspiciously familiar to Marcuss song Half a Heart, he didnt buy it on principle. [Rafferty's] approach seemed claustrophobic. I just now went to the Internet and, sure enough, found out the history of Rafferty and Baker Street, and viewed a YouTube performance of it. Brewer: He says, Heres the deal. Right Down The Line by Gerry Rafferty - Songfacts "[13] Rafferty later confirmed that alienation was the "persistent theme" of his songs;[2][14] "To Each and Everyone", from Can I Have My Money Back?, was an early example. He was a founding member of Stealers Wheel, whose biggest hit was "Stuck in the Middle with You" in 1973. I thought, well, if a little bit of that rubs off on us, perhaps we'll get in the charts as well, but actually, in practice, it was kind of a claustrophobic experience. In the summer of 1978, Gerry Rafferty's song "Baker Street" became a top-five hit in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. He died many years later in a terrible state. Or as Burton put it, You hear something, your brain forgets., Musically, all the decisions on a Gerry Rafferty album, all the decisions on yes, that stays, or no, that goes were fundamentally his, said Burns. Him and Billy used to play a game. For me, singing and writing is very therapeutic. So I took the 75., It worked. CIA Director, Noam Chomsky Named in Epstein's Private Calendar: Report Gerry was a joker he used to joke all the time, an absolute nutter. Despite being credited with the song, at least across the Internet, Burton himself hadnt been familiar with Half a Heart. Moreover, he was baffled when I told him that he had been listed as the songs composer. It wasnt illegal. She wont have much time to correct her ignorance, however, because Rafferty is rushing off to L.A. and another round of press interviews. Gerry liked to triple track everything, wed get three pianos, it became a bit of a Phil Spector issue. Back in 1968, 10 years before Baker Street was recorded, Steve Marcus, a tenor sax player who toured with the jazz great Buddy Rich, released Tomorrow Never Knows, the first and only record under his own name. ZigZag, So theyd ship them, get big warehouses, put them in there. Gerry Raffertys former manager Jon Brewer recalls what it was like managing the Baker Street star in the wheeling-dealing 70s the age of chart-fixing, payola and big money. Thats not to diminish Ravenscroft because, denuded of the sax, Baker Street sounds like another middling acid trip of a song in a decade full of them. His girlfriend Enzina Fuschini said she "felt that he was under some sort of evil spell. He really cant stand anyone in the music industry, anyone in the music publishing industry, and all he wants to do is write songs for his daughter., So I go back to Gerry," says Brewer, "and say, Youve got to stop doing this were going to run out of record companies!. I asked Burns why he thought Baker Street is still a staple nearly 40 years after its release. "[23][24], Ravenscroft, a session musician, was in the studio to record a brief soprano saxophone part and suggested that he record the now famous break using the alto saxophone he had in his car. [citation needed], Rafferty drew a clear distinction between the artistic integrity of a musician, on the one hand, and the music industry's need to create celebrities and sell products, on the other. Truthfully, I sort of doubt that a British saxophonist would have even of heard Marcuss record, since it was little publicized and truly under the radar, even in the U.S., he wrote, later explaining that he thought the record had sold maybe 1,000 copies. He had been signed to A&M. Ghosts! From knee high, Rafferty would sing these standards, three-part harmonising with his elder siblings, Jim and Joe. Shortly after news of the singer's death, Lily Allen tweeted the message "Rest in Peace Gerry x" with a video link to the song "Right Down the Line", reputedly one of her favourite music tracks. Michael Gray, Rafferty's former manager, agreed: "The audible proof is there from the demos that Rafferty himself created the riff and placed it within the song's structure exactly where it ended up. "You were very lucky to get that interview because he didn't do many. [48], Rafferty maintained his enthusiasm for this new approach to recording for the next three years. [24] No such missing persons report existed. Gerry in a very rare interview from a radio scotland programme in 2003.This is a rare insight into the world of one of the past centurys greatest songwriters. The testimony of Ravenscoft, who died last year, seems to be refuted by the existence of an early demo of the song, where the guitar replaces the sax. And that all he wanted to do was write songs for his daughter., "I said, Right. Stuck In The Middle With You had Joe Egan miming Gerrys lead vocal as he had left the band by the time they shot it. Rafferty confirms the contrast between then and now. [41], Rafferty released two further albums in the 1990s in what musician Tom Robinson later described as "a major return to form". By using this site, you agree that we may store and access cookies on your device. BA1 1UA. Another World, almost an esoteric work, also with the assistance of Mark Knopfler and Egan, featured an album cover illustrated by John 'Patrick' Byrne, who also illustrated the covers for Can I Have My Money Back?, City to City, Night Owl, and Snakes and Ladders, and all three Stealers Wheel albums. Brewer took the album to the US where he got a meeting with Artie Mogull, who had then just bought United Artists with partner Jerry Rubinstein. Subscriptions to Rocks Backpages are available for institutional or personal use. I thought the contract had finished but it turned out it hadnt. "Stuck in the Middle With You" has received over 4million plays worldwide, and "Right Down The Line" has had over 3million plays. Instead he quickly re-recorded it with Joe Boyd and released that version. Eventually, says Brewer, Ravenscroft lost his temper. Brewer was a big fan of Stealers Wheel and met Rafferty in London. They based chart positions on what theyd shipped, not what theyd sold. In 1965, 18-year-old Rafferty met 15-year-old Carla Ventilla, an apprentice hairdresser from an Italian family in Clydebank, at a dancehalla story he later recounted in the song "Shipyard Town" on North and South. [citation needed], "Baker Street" remains a mainstay of soft-rock radio airplay[24] and, in October 2010, it was recognised by the BMI for surpassing 5 million plays worldwide. Back in England, says Brewer, he and Gerry Rafferty were becoming more and more estranged. Gerry was one of those guys that had been turned down by every record company. And he played City To City and Baker Street a demo without the sax part. By registering for free articles you will receive our weekly newsletter, you can change this preference at any time by clicking Unsubscribe in the newsletter. His most recent film, Beside Bowie The Mick Ronson Story, is released soon on DVD. I went to the studio after I played the gig and I think one of the first songs we played was Baker Street. And I said, This is fantastic. Brewer's offices were just across the road. December 17, 2015. Byrne was also responsible for one of Rafferty's most prized possessions: a hand-painted Martin acoustic guitar bearing his portrait and the name 'Gerry Rafferty', which features in many photographs of the singer. Has he undergone, by any chance, a religious experience? For the time being I feel good at the moment.. Right Down the Line - Wikipedia [65] Subsequently, Rafferty's spokesperson Paul Charles told The Independent that he had been in touch with Rafferty a fortnight previously and that he was alive and well but had no plans to either record or tour. [45], Another World, released in 2000, was originally available only via direct order from his website,[46] but since 2003 has been available on the Hypertension label. Hell do all the painting -it will be partly animated -and Ill do the music., Raffertys outlining of his goals, which seem at once modest and ambitious, is interrupted by the entrance of members of his entourage, a magazine photographer and a newspaper reporter who confesses to me that until today she had never heard of the man shes about to interview. All content on the site is the property of Rock's Backpages and protected by copyright laws. Even more so than most people who work in this business, he saw it as not a good thing. He was so rude about his fanbase, about the American people and going on the road, that at the end of the day, that was it it was all over. In the liner notes to the album, Rafferty's long-time friend and collaborator Rab Noakes commented: "Let's hope [the Baker Street demo] will, at last, silence all who keep on asserting that the saxophone player came up with the melody line. And he married her! And the final resolution of his legal and financial hassles accounts for the understated exhilaration of the songs last verse: When you wake up its a new morning/The sun is shining, its a new morning/Youre going, youre going home., Related I totally understand., The same scene play out at Island records: Gerry is left alone with owner Chris Blackwell and afterwards Blackwell collars Brewer and says, I would rather sign Gary Glitter than that man! According to Michael Gray, the singer's personal manager in the early 1980s: "It never occurred to me in all the time I knew him that he was heading for alcoholism. He was Editor in Chief of Classic Rock magazine for 10 years and Editor of Total Guitar for 4 years and has contributed to The Big Issue, Esquire and more. Artists write the best songs when theyre hungry., "Anyway, they gave him five million and he pissed off and bought a house in the Caribbean. Remembering Gerry Rafferty, rock's most reluctant star. The Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty, who has died aged 63 after a long illness, wrote the multimillion-selling hit Baker Street, which more than 30 years after . Click here for academic and other group subscriptions. 1 in America, and suddenly he found that as a result of his protest, he was a bigger star than ever. Baker Street and Half a Heart are songs that were made that way. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. 5 hit in 1979. And where does the magnificent saxophone line that everyone is humming come from? 28 in the US Top 40 in early 1979. He didn't. Stealers Wheel was a flop. Apart from Ravenscroft, most of the musicians on City to City are old friends. In the My Sweet Lord case, Harrison admitted he simply hadnt realized that the song so closely resembled Hes So Fine, made most famous by The Chiffons. That wasnt a very good career move. According to Burns, a lot of the songs that seem to have some longevity tend to feature, for the most part, real instruments. For a while, the saxophone was a key feature of that dynamic. The collection of blues, rock, and folk demos had been planned for a new album before his death. To search for precise terms or phrases, it is advisable to place quote marks at either end of the phrase. Gerry had had a tough upbringing in Glasgow and the manager sensed that he carried tremendous resentment about it. Musical is very cyclical. The liner notes to the compilation album Right Down the Line, written by Jerry Gilbert with Rafferty's close co-operation, note his consistent refusal to tour the United States and "generally 'play the industry game'. For institutions, Rock's Backpages is provided as an unlimited access subscription, meaning that all staff, students and library patrons have He was one of the most talented musicians and singers I ever knew but he completely underestimated his own talent. A subscription gives you access to all the articles and audio interviews in the library. After being taken off life support, Rafferty rallied for a short time, and doctors thought that he might recover.
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