Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty [1978]

^{United Artists Records
UP 36346}

Gerald Rafferty (16 April 1947 – 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, born Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. He was influenced by folk music and formed his own folk band and when they folded he recorded a solo album without any success. He then co-founded the popular band Stealers Wheel who had a top ten hit in the UK with “Stuck in the middle with you” in 1973. It also made top ten in US and Canada and top twenty in Australia.

He began writing and recording an album in 1977 which helped launch his second chance at being a solo artist.

His lead off single in the UK was “Baker Street” and finally bought his music to the attention of a wider audience. Released in early 1978, the single is an edited version of the track featured on the said album “City to city”. The song is known as much for the gentle vocal delivery, as the instrumental backing that holds everything together. As far as saxophone solo’s go, this is probably the most iconic and recognisable sounds in British music. Raphael Ravenscroft (4 June 1954 – 19 October 2014) played alto and soprano saxophones for the intro and in breaks between verses in eight-bar forms.

The track also features a memorable electric guitar solo by Hugh Burns.

^{Production credit to Hugh Murphy
alongside Gerry Rafferty}

Lyrically I think it is a dark song and having read details of the circumstances of Gerry’s personal life at the time he was writing the song you can understand the meaning of the lines of the first verse, “Well, another crazy day, you’ll drink the night away, and forget about everything”

There is a desperation to the words. A feeling of hopelessness. What I find poignant is the ‘pick myself up line’, “Just one more year and you’ll be happy”, that pity plea and reassurance things will turn out ok, but the reality of the current situation is – “But your cryin’, your cryin’ now”. You have a sense of someone always running away, trying to garnish a fresh start, but mistakes keep repeating themselves. Better things always seem out of reach.

^{B side – Big Change In The Weather}

I like the fact the song ends on an optimist note. He is finally on his way back home with the sun shinning.

Baker Street refers to the place he was staying in London whilst writing the song and dealing with personal and financial issues from the break-up of Stealers Wheel

The song peaked at #3 for two non consecutive weeks in the UK singles chart in a 16 week run. It spent six weeks at #2 on the US Billboard chart and #1 on the rival Cashbox chart. It was a #1 hit in Canada, South Africa and Australia. #2 in Switzerland, #3 in Ireland and Germany, #4 in New Zealand and Austria, #9 in The Netherlands and Belgium.

After his death “Baker Street” was reissued and it re-charted peaking at #55 in the UK. The single has sold well in excess of 600,000 copies in the UK and over one million in the USA.

The B side “Big change in the weather” has a very country / blues feel to it. I interpret the lyrics to be about a long held friendship that has ended and its the message to the other person is that they are not so innocent themselves in the breakdown. They know each other inside and out. The judgement is that the other persons ego is being fuelled but outsiders don’t understand the full story.

Wishing On A Star – Rose Royce [1978]

^{Whitfield Records K17060}

My singles are full of classic artists and sounds. From Punk to Soul and I love it all.

In January 1978 when aged 16, I started to work at my first job in the Post Office. I would have a career for the following 34 years and left just before my 50th Birthday.

By September 2020 working life was behind me altogether aged 59. Its over recent months I’ve been able resume writing this blog which during the global pandemic has given me the opportunity to revisit my vinyl collection, bringing back memories of people and places.

As Total Concept Unlimited a collective of excellent touring musicians from Los Angeles, were working with such artists as Edwin Starr who later introduced them to Norman Whitfield when working for Motown. He changed the name to Magic Wand. Norman was starting up his own label Whitfield Records and so they worked with Yvonne Fair and became the studio and concert band for The Undisputed Truth. While on tour the leader of Undisputed Truth discovered a female singer in a group called the Jewels. The singer was Gwen Dickey.

Gwen flew to Los Angeles and was signed to Whitfield records, he changed her name to Rose Norwalt. It was when Whitfield was given the chance to create the Soundtrack for the film Car Wash it was decided to change the name to Rose Royce to fit in with the theme of cars.

This song is a reminder of this time as a nervous teen making my way into adulthood. Written by Billie Calvin this ballad made an impact on me.

“Wishing On A Star” is the story of a broken heart. The wish to find the person that has gone, being far away, but the wanting them back in their life. A realisation by the singer that they made the mistake of hurting the person and now have their own regrets. Its the wish upon a star that is the hope of a reconciliation and forgiveness. Perfect sensitive and emotional vocals from Gwen where you hope the dream she wishes for comes true.

_{B side Funk Factory}

This wasn’t a hit in the US, previous songs had done well on the US Billboard charts, but this stalled at #101. In Europe they did a little better where it climbed to #15 in the Netherlands and #25 in the Belgium (vl)* singles chart. The song was very successful in the UK peaking at #3 in a 14 week run on the top 75.

The B side is a track called “Funk Factory” which sums up the band. A funk/dance track. the vocals are by the band, in some spots they go into falsetto.

*This is the Flemish Dutch speaking community Belgium chart – Vlaasme. There is a French speaking community Belgium chart – Walloon

Take Me, I’m Yours – Squeeze [1978]

A&M Records AMS 7335

Squeeze are an English rock band who were part of the new wave period of British Music during late 1970’s post punk era. Chris Difford vocals, GlennTilbrook guitar and vocals, Jools Holland Keyboards and Gilson Lavis on drums. As with a lot of bands the line-up changed a few times between inception in 1974 and their temporary disbandment in 1982. They reformed in 1985.

There is a distinct vocal sound to their records. When singing together Chris Difford sings an octave lower than Glenn Tilbrook.

A Side label. Track was self produced.

Take Me, I’m Yours (2.45) is said to have been inspired when visiting the house of the mother of the band’s manager Miles Coupland. His mother had worked in Egypt and had pictures and ornaments from around that part of the world. The lyric talks about the desert, travels, written memories, and Tibetan mountains. The chorus is seen as the affirmation of knowing what a lucky life to be able to appreciate having dreams and seeing the world. “Take me I’m yours, because dreams are made of this, forever there’ll be, A heaven in your kiss”

B Side – Night Nurse

B Side – Night Nurse (2.43) is a nice mixture of Jerry Lee Lewis – Boogie Woogie meets rock/blues. Almost like its part of a jamming session. There is a great sax solo in the middle. Jools Holland on piano is clear and possibly his vocal.

This is their first charting single in the UK which peaked at #19 in its 5^th week on an 8 week run within the top 50.

Airport – The Motors (1978)

Virgin Records VS 219

Back in the day this single was always being played. One of my go to tracks that has me both singing (very badly) and wanting to hit the dance floor. A commercial pop song from what was a new group with band members more associated with new wave/rock. This managed to get a Silver disc in the UK for its sales which in the summer of 1978 were more than 250,000 copies. It raced up the charts taking 4 weeks to reach the top ten, finally peaking at #4 in a 13 week run.

The single also charted in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and in Sweden where it also reached #4 in an 18 week run. At the time Sweden produced their chart fortnightly.

The Motors were active from 1977 until 1982. They performed for John Peel on his National Radio One nighttime show “The John Peel Sessions” in March 1977. He was well known for giving many bands their big break, mainly those that wouldn’t normally get played on the radio. They signed for Richard Branson’s Virgin Record label and did another session for John Peel in September 1977 and released a single called “Dancing The Night Away”. It was a modest beginning peaking at #42 in the UK chart.

Original plain white paper sleeve was replaced with a cardboard one.

At the time of this recording the band members were: Nick Garvey (b. 1951 Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England) – Vocals/Guitar. Andy McMaster  (b.1947 Glasgow, Scotland) – Bass/Vocals/Keyboards.
Ricky Slaughter (real name Richard Wernham) – Drums. Bram Tchaikovsky (b. 1950 Lincolnshire, England real name Peter Bramell – Guitar and vocals.

Cold love the B-side is a live recording lasting 5mins and 5 secs. 

B-Side live recording of Cold Love

A track driven by various guitar sounds which is rough around the edges and different from the polished pop of the A- side, and probably more of a sense of what sort of band they were. It was recorded at The Marquee Club a famous live jazz and rock venue in London in the 60’s and 70’s.

The single is in good condition and in the top ten of most played on my iPod.

Germ Free Adolescents – X-Ray Spex (1978)

EMI International Records INT 573

I would never consider myself to have been a punk rocker or even into heavy rock, however going through my collection around 1977, 1978 several singles I did buy were of either an alternate or punk rock nature.

I’ve never noticed before, but this X-Ray Spex single is entitled on the label as Germ Free Adolescence, however the picture sleeve reads as “Adolescents”

Picture sleeve for Germ Free Adolescence

The track is from their only album “Germ Free Adolescents” which also had the single, which shamefully I don’t have, but should, which was called “Identity”. My job at the time meant when serving customers to benefits I had to ask for some form of identity, thus in my head I would mimic the phrasing of the song’s delivery. Back to this single, which in my mind is a perfect mix of clever words and delivery, written by the wonderfully named punk rock vocalist Poly Styrene who was born Marianne Elliott-Said in 1957 and died in 2011 from cancer.

She formed X-Ray Spex in 1976 with Jack Stafford (Jak Airport), Paul Dean, (Paul) BP Hurding and Susan Whitby (Lora Logic) who played the saxophone for the group whilst aged 15 for one early song. The band had additional musicians play on tours and on the album.

The lyrics mention two teenagers obsession with cleanliness and two dentistry products – S.R., a toothpaste which has the tag line in the song of “She cleans her teeth ten times a day, scrub away the S.R. way” and Listerine a mouth wash. Although a punk band this offering is much more commercially palatable than say other British bands such as The Sex Pistols, Bow Wow Wow, The Damned and The Clash who were at the forefront of punk rock at the time. It was produced by Falcon Stuart and the band.

The single was their third and highest placing track on the British top 75 entering the chart in November 1978 at #63 reaching its peak at #19 in an 11 week run on the chart.

B Side – Age

The B-side is a much more traditional sound called “Age” and is a non album track timed at 2 minutes and 32 seconds.