Gerry Rafferty: Night Owl - 1979

More of the same, then, from Gerry Rafferty. 

Days Gone Down (Still Got The Light In Your Eyes) kicks things off in low-key fashion, which is admittedly still quite attractive, and I like the bit where it cranks up to sound like Jackson Browne and starts to rock some. Nice track.

Night Owl is the best known track on the album and it is one that almost equals Baker Street for subtle atmosphere. It is sort of impossible to analyse it, though, other than to say that I like it in its quiet way. That’s the best I can do.

The Way That You Do It is a nice mid-pace soft rock (very soft) number. Incidentally, the drums were played on this album by Liam Genocky, who went in to play with Steeleye Span. A bit of trivia there. 

Why Won’t You Talk To Me is a slightly Parisian-sounding, folky song with brief airs of Van Morrison too. I have realised that I had forgotten about Get It Right Next Time, which is an attractive chugger of a track, with a catchy, soulful vibe to it and some more great saxophone. Also pleasantly impressive is the West Coast-ish Take The Money And Run.

Family Tree is harmonious, stately rock in an Eagles fashion, as is Already Gone, which, ironically, bears the same title as an Eagles song. Tourists rocks in Rafferty’s easy-going way and has a healthy cynicism to it (“come a long way from Baker Street” is in the lyrics) and It’s Gonna Be A Long Night is another song that I slightly recognise and one that reminds me of something by someone else. It is a strong end to a pretty good album, and one that I slightly prefer to its predecessor.

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