Gerry Rafferty Celebrated With Posthumous New Album
Gerry Rafferty, the much-loved singer songwriter who sadly passed away in 2011, will posthumously release his 11th solo album, Rest In Blue, on 3 September. The 14-track record features artwork by Rafferty’s long-time collaborator and friend, the artist John Byrne. Listen to the first single, Slow Down, here.
“I’ve never heard Gerry sing so well. He never fails to amaze me”: Billy Connolly, May 2021
From 2006, Gerry started work on a new album on and off. Since his passing, his daughter, Martha Rafferty, has worked to complete a project started by her father, culminating in Rest In Blue. Many of the demos left by Gerry included multiple layers of synths, which Martha stripped back to showcase his immense vocal ability. The result is an album brimming with raw emotion, and a quintessential collection of blues, rock, and folk. Some of the demos date back as far as 1970, many of which Rafferty had singled out as potential tracks for his new album.
With elements of the songs written at varying parts of Gerry’s career, the album tackles a variety of topics including, climate change on Sign Of The Times; questioning the legality of war in Lost Highway; and addressing problems with his alcoholism in the emotively honest Still In Denial. As well as many brand-new originals penned by Gerry, the album features popular traditional folk songs such as Wild Mountain Thyme and Dirty Old Town. It also features a cover of Richard & Linda Thompson’s It’s Just The Motion from their 1982 album, Shoot Out The Lights, an album which was started with Rafferty on production duties before he left the project. The album finishes with a re-record of the Stealers Wheel classic Stuck In The Middle With You recorded back in the 90s, that gives the track a fresh, country-inspired interpretation.
Rest In Blue calls upon many musicians that had worked closely with Gerry throughout his career. 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, having previously worked with the likes of Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, George Michael and many more. Rest In Blue also features Alan Clark, formerly of Dire Straits, on piano and the Hammond organ, alongside many other incredible musicians. Whilst the album features many long-time collaborators, it also features bright, upcoming talent in the form of producer Tambala, who co-produced 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.
Tracklisting
1. Still In Denial
2. Full Moon
3. Sign Of The Times
4. You Are All I Want
5. I Still Love You
6. Wild Mountain Thyme
7. Slow Down
8. It’s Just The Motion
9. Look At Me Now
10. Dirty Old Town
11. Lost Highway
12. Keeper Of My Soul
13. Precious Moments
14. Stuck In The Middle With You