Listen To Gerry Rafferty’s Previously Unreleased ‘Slow Down’
Gerry Rafferty, best known for his 1978 hit single Baker Street, can be heard in a previously unreleased track titled Slow Down. You can listen to it below.
The song is taken from the posthumous album Rest in Blue, which arrives on 3 September, marking a decade since his death at the age of 63.
The new record – which represents the first new Rafferty material since his 2009 release Life Goes On – was assembled from incomplete recordings by Rafferty’s daughter Martha and includes a new version of Stuck in the Middle with You, his 1973 hit as a member of Stealer’s Wheel.
“The album called upon many musicians that had worked closely with Gerry throughout his career,” record label PLG UK Catalogue explained in a statement.
“One of which is guitarist Hugh Burns, who played on a vast amount of Rafferty’s catalogue, including the powerful guitar solo on ‘Baker Street.’ Renowned vocalist Katie Kissoon performed backing vocals on many of the tracks, [with] Alan Clark, formerly of Dire Straits, on piano and the Hammond organ, alongside many other incredible musicians. While the album features many longtime collaborators, it also features bright, upcoming talent in the form of producer Tambala, who coproduced and mixed the track Slow Down.”
With hits such as Baker Street, Right Down The Line and Night Owl, Gerry Rafferty is one of Scotland’s and the UK’s most beloved songwriters and musicians. He first found success as part of the band The Humblebums with comedian, actor and musician Billy Connolly.
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 thrilled a whole new generation when it appeared on the soundtrack to Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, and is still widely popular to this day.
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 release 10 studio albums, solidifying his status one of the finest musicians and songwriters to come out of the UK.