We’ll take the road that leads down to the waterside

And set out on the journey.



Continued unbidden treasures from the soulful (in more ways than one) Gerry Rafferty.

He's the rolling stone

This isn't a Your Guilty Pleasure*. It's a great song.

This interview/focus on the song from BBC radio (which starts around 1:04), is a lovely remembrance of an unforgettable song and an empathetic, agile artist who, sadly, leave much of a legacy.

Man, this song has it all: screaming guitar solo, hip-shaky bongo noises, soaring,otherworldly riffs, and that take-it-to-the-bank saxophone solo, which, as explained in the BBC piece, was created by Gerry Rafferty, not saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft.



It is so legendary that I submit that the Sexy Sax Man pick up his shiniest axe and purvey this smooth riff across some Kohlses and hell, why not a Thanksgiving Day parade, this fall.

And guess what? I can dig into this song myself as the nights begin to chill and shadows lengthen earlier and earlier.

*a song that you didn't know you liked, liked but didn't want anyone else to know, or that you find is making your mind or butt involuntarily move.

That's All That Matters

It took me basically a year after Gerry was raised, sadly, into everyone's consciousness, to take a closer listen. Purportedly a victim of alcoholism (he died of liver disease), Gerry made delicate, graceful pop that seems to layer a sheen of hopefulness over despair. That's palpably clear with this track from his blockbuster, "Baker Street"-spawning City to City, an album which, according to a contemporary article, was born of long London-to-home in Scotland commutes and a transition from a certain destination -- success for his once-successful, now not, band -- to who-knows-what.

It's exquisite, even despite the braying commercial included by his corporate overlords (this was the best alternative to homemade videos of dissolving photos of sunsets and country lanes, trust me).



Actually, until just now I didn't realize until today he was in Steelers Wheel. At least Tarantino will keep that part of Rafferty's legacy alive, albeit gruesomely, forever.

(You're welcome for The Simpsons in deutsch. That's just how this round of copyright evasion played out, I guess.)