Yeah, I know, "Baker Street", the sax soars and Gerry's voice begins the tale. Or maybe, the Stealer's Wheel standard "Stuck In the Middle With You" (SITMWY) is the tune that comes to mind. I worked in a record store when "Baker Street" hit, and we sold the albums by the shovel-full. Of course, anything THAT popular must be crap, right? Not so fast there, mate. Back even in the pre-Stealer's Wheel days, Gerry's writing stood out. "Please Sing a Song For Us" by the Humblebuns graced a iconic collection of folk/rock standards (all hail "Electric Muse"! - it even featured Al Stewart!), with Gerry's Lennon-esque voice up front. Cut to Stealer's Wheel, with of course SITMWY, but also "Star" (almost a hit), and really good songs like "Benediction", "Late Again" and "Who Cares".
Gerry hit the charts with "Baker Street", and the hits kept coming, but the better songs were buried in the albums. Songs like "As Wise As a Serpent" and "Family Tree" and "The Garden of England" -- well, he was a master of bitter-sweet introspection (with a chaser of optimism). So, okay, maybe the arrangements are a bit too "pop", and yes, he kinda smothered the first attempt at Richard and Linda Thompson's album "Shoot Out the Lights" with a top-heavy production, but..."Baker Street" still offers hope. When it comes on the radio, I always listen. And the song "The Right Moment" always, ALWAYS, makes me re-evaluate what I'm doing (or not doing) to move ahead.
Like the recently passed Gil Scott-Heron, Gerry fought some demons in his life. I hope he's at peace now, especially knowing that his work offers a light to those of us lucky enough to listen.
For me, whenever I think of the summer of '78 I think of "Baker Street". I had just graduated from high school, had a girlfriend (which lasted until all of September), and wore out the vinyl of the "City to City" album. According to Wikipedia the sax player (Raphael Ravenscroft) who played the famous "Baker Street" riff was paid 27 pounds for his work...and the check bounced! Can HE have his money back???
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that "Electric Muse" existed so I pulled it up and the track list looks great. And you know I can't resist anything with Al Stewart on it!!!