2/9/2024 0 Comments Gerry rafferty night owl album![]() It also helps that Rafferty was hipper than your average album rock journeyman– a fact well-evidenced by his employing Fairport vet and by then legendary guitar picker Richard Thompson on Night Owl ’s biggest hit, “Take The Money And Run”, crucially not to be mistaken with the earlier Steve Miller number with the memorable drum intro. In fact, it’s that selfsame gravitas that ballasts most of the album, and what makes Rafferty a compelling figure whose music still resonates, despite its sometimes near-bland AOR trappings. The opening funk-lite of the intro threatens to undo the plaintive melodicism of the verse and melody, but Rafferty’s gravitas- probably his greatest, if most ineffable gift as a songwriter and performer- rescues it from being a throwaway on the order of your typical Eagles album cut. “Days Gone Down”’s muted melancholy stumbles into the title track, a behind-the-beat groove with locking, harmonizing bass and guitar riffage recalling slightly Michael McDonald Doobies or Steely Dan over which Rafferty opines effectively on the lonesome grace of the sleepless and obsessive. Gerry Rafferty Night Owl, United Artists 1979 The album opens with “Days Gone Down,” a slightly sour days-passed lament that manages to channel latter-day Jackson Browne without being too slick about it- though the album- with its muted but crisp drum sound, fluid bass, and tight arrangements is indeed state-of-the-art for 1979. Plus, looking back on its 40 th birthday, it’s aged considerably better than City To City, many would say. Recorded and released a full year after the mega-selling City To City, the album wasn’t quite the success that City was, but it still managed to go gold in both America and Britain, and platinum in Canada. ![]() Then came Night Owl in the summer of ’79. Both the song and the album it was on, City to City, were gigantic hits, with the album knocking–of all things–the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack off the #1 spot. ![]() Yet when Rafferty finally returned in 1978, he finally hit pay dirt with the instantly-recognizable moody sax showcase “Baker Street,” a song which probably deserves screenwriting credits in half a dozen ’80s cop action flicks. But there was a problem–both Rafferty and Egan each were contractually barred from releasing any new music for three years- a lifetime when you’re a modestly successful pop artist trying to sustain a career trajectory. Stealer’s Wheel broke up somewhat acrimoniously in 1975. Rafferty then joined up with fellow Scotsman Joe Egan to form Stealer’s Wheel- eventually nabbing a hit with the Dylanesque, Tarantino-tainted “Stuck In The Middle With You.” Rafferty and Egan followed it up with “Star” to modest chart success, but that would be their last taste of the Billboard hot 100. Rafferty went on to release ten studio albums, solidifying his status one of the finest musicians and songwriters to come out of the UK.AUDIO: Gerry Rafferty’s first band, The Humblebums with “Shoeshine Boy”Īfter the Humblebums disbanded in 1971, Rafferty released his first solo album- the well-liked but poor-selling Can I Have My Money Back? ![]() Following his departure from Stealers Wheel, Rafferty relaunched his solo career in 1978 with the album City To City, including hits such as ‘Right Down The Line’ and ‘Baker Street’, which features the iconic saxophone solo by Raphael Ravenscroft. Rafferty went on to form Stealers Wheel with old school friend Joe Egan, who produced a number of successful albums alongside the rock classic Stuck In The Middle With You, a track which has transcended generations with notable syncs in films such as Tarantino’s Resevoir Dogs, and is still widely popular to this day. He first found success as part of the band The Humblebums, which included beloved comedian, actor and musician Billy Connolly. With hits such as ‘Baker Street’, ‘Right Down The Line’ and ‘Night Owl’, Gerry Rafferty is one of Scotland’s and the UK’s finest songwriters and musicians in history. It's since gone platinum in Canada and gold in the UK and US and features the tracks 'Get It Right Next Time' and 'Days Gone Down (Still Got the Light in Your Eyes)'. The album was initially released in 1979 and reached the top 10 in the UK. Rafferty’s third studio album, Night Owl has been newly remastered on vinyl at half-speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, a method used to improve audio quality by cutting at half speed allowing twice as long to record the mechanical groove.
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