Gerry Rafferty's 1978 album City to City (which includes Baker Street) has an extremely evocative sound for me, especially side 1. My dad had the LP and when we had barbecues in the yard at our house in Pompey, under the slate grey skies of an early 80s English summer, we used to stick the record player speakers out the living room window and play it over and over. I used to insist on that Rafferty, a Buddy Holly Best of and the Beatles' 20 Greatest Hits.
The opening track, The Ark, will forever be my 'barbecue music'.
Shame to butt Rafferty up right next to Jonathon Green's 'drunk', but both are wondrous. Rafferty's amazing guitar and vocals, stilled by the demon booze-or is that bouse. Spellcheck that, punk.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYou're right on the booze. Hard to believe that Rafferty's fellow Humblebum Billy Connolly would have outlived him if he hadn't gone teetotal.
Pop music is incredibly evocative in this way, isn't it? A bit like a particular smell it can transport you immediately to a precise time and place. I wonder if the same primitive bits of the brain are involved?
ReplyDeleteYou are right about Rafferty.
ReplyDeleteI used to have City to City, but somehow lost (and forgot about) it during the shuffle between reel to reel and CDs.
Looks like it is back to iTunes for me.
Before this I'd only heard the one famous track - but I have to say I rather like the south coast barbie sound.. Rafferty must be in download heaven
ReplyDelete