Gerry Rafferty’s ‘Rest In Blue’ Set For Vinyl Release In April
Gerry Rafferty’s first posthumous album Rest In Blue will be issued on vinyl on 15 April.
The record comes out a day before what would’ve been his 75th birthday. Rest In Blue showcases Gerry’s songwriting and vocals in superb form, culminating in an album brimming with raw emotion, and a quintessential collection of blues, rock, and folk. It will be released on 2LP black vinyl, with side D featuring a beautiful etching.
It comes in time for what would’ve been Gerry’s 75th birthday on 16 April, an apt time to celebrate one of Scotland’s and the UK’s finest songwriters of all-time. He first found success as part of the band The Humblebums, which included beloved 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 has transcended generations with notable syncs in films such as 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. The former, Right Down The Line, was recently featured on HBO’s Euphoria, with an immense number of young fans across the globe discovering and loving Gerry’s music for the very first time. His music truly stands the test of time and transcends generations, solidifying his status one of the finest musicians and songwriters to come out of the UK.
Rest In Blue was a project that Gerry’s daughter, Martha Rafferty, sought to complete following Gerry’s sad passing in 2011. He had been working on a new album on and off since 2006, featuring many demos he had written throughout his illustrious career, some even dating back as far as 1970. Many of the demos left by Gerry included multiple layers of synths, which Martha stripped back to showcase his immense vocal ability.
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 Just The Motion, artists whom Gerry was a big admirer of. 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 called 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.
The album 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, the album’s first single which is available to listen to now.
Pre-order the vinyl edition of Rest In Blue here.