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It's impossible to travel on the Circle Line in London without reflexively going into a mental sax solo when the train stops at Baker Street. This sort of thing doesn't happen when you stop at Tooting Broadway (a Kitchens Of Distinction song), Camden Town (Suggs), or Victoria (The Kinks)--which, in a roundabout way, is to say that in the late 1970s few were the songwriters who could pen a tune as evocative as the ex-
Stealers Wheel frontman. As with that hit, there's a restless, inscrutable quality to Rafferty's best songs that perhaps finds its root in the songwriter's early days touring the folk circuit in the
Humblebums. "Sleepwalking" and "City To City" seem to simulate the rattle of a sleeper carriage, while their Scottish author's Dylanesque tones suggest a certain comfort in the nomadic lifestyle--no more so than on "Night Owl", a bittersweet ode to the performing life. Rafferty will, one suspects, forever be known for "Baker Street". But, before we whip out the violins, it's worth considering that sax player Raphael Ravenscroft received just a single performance fee for his troubles!
--Peter Paphides
Album Details
Mid-priced hits compilation from EMI's Gold series pressedon a gold & black picture CD. Containns 16 of the softrocker's best for the label 1978-1982, including 'BakerStreet', 'Right Down The Line', 'Get It Right Next Time','Night Owl' and 'Take The Money And Run'. 1998 EMI release.
