City to City – Gerry Rafferty.
City to City is a 1978 album and the second studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. It was Rafferty’s first solo release in six years — and first release of any kind since 1975 — due to his tenure in the band Stealers Wheel and subsequent legal proceedings which prevented Rafferty from releasing any new solo recordings for the next three years. The album was strongly received, peaking at #1 in the US and going Platinum, as well as reaching #6 in the UK and achieving Gold status. “Baker Street”, “Right Down the Line” and “Home and Dry” were successfully released as singles. By October 2010, “Baker Street” had reached 5 million plays on British radio.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Gerry Rafferty.
No. Title Length
1. “The Ark” 5:36
2. “Baker Street” 6:01
3. “Right Down the Line” 4:28[5]
4. “City to City” 4:51
5. “Stealin’ Time” 5:39
6. “Mattie’s Rag” 3:28
7. “Whatever’s Written in Your Heart” 6:30
8. “Home and Dry” 4:52
9. “Island” 5:04
10. “Waiting for the Day” 5:26
United Artists wanted to use “City to City” as the lead single from the album, but Rafferty felt that “Baker Street” would be a better choice and eventually the latter song became the first single in most countries (see “City to City” single release below). Released on 3 February 1978, “Baker Street” peaked at #3 in the UK Singles Chart and spending four weeks at #1 in Canada. It reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, spending six weeks in this position, and two weeks at #1 on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100. The b-side of “Baker Street” was “Big Change in the Weather”.
Personnel
Gerry Rafferty – piano, acoustic guitar, vocals, backing vocals
Tommy Eyre – piano, electric piano, grand piano, Moog synthesizer, organ, keyboards, brass arrangements
Jerry Donahue – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, electric guitar on track 1
Hugh Burns – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar on tracks 2-5, 8-10
Nigel Jenkins – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, electric guitar on tracks 2, 8
Andy Fairweather-Low – rhythm guitar, electric guitar on track 10
Micky Moody – acoustic guitar on track 5
Brian Cole – steel guitar, dobro on tracks 3-6, 9
Mo Foster – bass, backing vocals on tracks 1-6, 8-10
Graham Preskett – fiddle, mandolin, synthesizer, string machine, string, bass, arrangements on tracks 1-2, 4-6, 8, 10
Henry Spinetti – drums on tracks 1-6, 8, 10
Glen LeFleur – drums, percussion, tambourine on tracks 1-3, 5, 9-10
Additional personnel
Barbara Dickson – backing vocals 1 7
Raphael Ravenscroft – saxophone 2 9
Roger Brown – backing vocals 4
Vivian McAuliff – backing vocals 4
John McBurnie – backing vocals 4
Rab Noakes – backing vocals 4
Paul Jones – harmonica 4
Hugh Murphy – tambourine 4
Willy Ray – accordion 6 9
Joanna Carlin – backing vocals 7
Australian bush band The Bushwackers featured on Track 1 ‘The Ark’, playing the introductory piece on fiddle, concertina and bodhran. This piece was also used under the guitar solo in the middle of the song. Their fee was 25 pounds for the session and they were never paid!